In this episode, Susan Schenck, author of “The Live Food Factor,” explains more about he decision to stop eating the vegan diet…
She also talks about raw chocolate (cacao), yacon syrup and more.
Take a look…
Your question of the day: Keep the discussion going… what more have you learned? (Or have you ever been to Sedona?)
Click here, scroll down to the bottom of the page and leave your comments now!
If you want a copy of “The Live Food Factor” or want to be notified when her new book is out, please email her here: livefoodfactor [at] yahoo [dot] com
Live Awesome!
Kev
10:50 am on September 7th, 2010
I have been there in Sedona, it is totally awesome and spiritual.
10:51 am on September 7th, 2010
In God’s instruction manual to mankind, there is nothing to support vegetarianism…
10:53 am on September 7th, 2010
Never to Sedona… though it’s on the list.
I guess I’m not sure what I’ve learned. Though a lot of her testimony makes me wonder, broadly, how much of what is being argued over in the raw food community is pursuit of pleasure rather than health? “This is what makes me feel good.” Great. But I’m not sure what I take away from that.
11:05 am on September 7th, 2010
Yep.. I’ve been to lovely Sedona and have seen Tea Pot Rock many times.. even considered moving there.. love the warm temps.. and the raw vegan restaurants. Don’t find those too plentifully where I live (warm temps or any healthy restaurants)! : )
Chris
11:10 am on September 7th, 2010
I think the sweets she loves to eat are more the issue for her memory problems than is the lack of animal protein.
Sweets are expansive.. to both brain and body; this is a basic premise in natural nutrition.
chris
11:18 am on September 7th, 2010
Eggs and fish? These are animal proteins. Fish putrefies faster than meat, it also requires killing. That is not even a vegetarian diet.
11:22 am on September 7th, 2010
With all respect. People shouldn’t write books proclaiming them as fact if they don’t know what they are talking about. I spent a pretty penny on her book and while I appreciate her work as a researcher, she should think twice about writing another book.
Dr. Clement indicates that supplements are essential when eating vegan and I wonder if she has studies his work. This is all addressed in the Hippocrates diet.
Thanks Kevin for doing this work.
11:26 am on September 7th, 2010
Interesting interview. You were asking about over-hyped raw foods. Well I think many are massively over-hyped and over-priced. Take Goji berries for instance. I don’t know how much the cost in the US, but they are massively expensive in the UK. They may be nutritious, but putting a superfood label on a food seems to be licence to charge 5-10 times what the product should cost. Goji berries are practically free in some countries.
I am all for raw food, but I wish that all the gurus in the raw food movement would stop making out that we need to eat massively expensive products that they happen to sell. We should be eating organic wholefoods. I don’t think we should be eating powders that cost a fortune.
Try going to your local green market. You will find plenty of ‘real’ superfoods.
11:27 am on September 7th, 2010
I’ve always refused to put any labels, whether religious, political, or dietary on myself. This interview is a nice reminder why. What happens when the label no longer fits? What happens if people find out the label is false advertising?
I’m always asked if I’m vegetarian. When I say no, I’m asked “well what do you eat” so I list some of the foods I typically eat. Then I see my interviewer scanning their database looking for a label to put on me.
It is even worse when it comes to politics and religion. I think I’ve been called every political party there is! Many of them I don’t know anything about it. I make one statement and am told “Oh you must be a this or a that”
Labels are for products not people!
11:29 am on September 7th, 2010
YES! I’ve been to Sedona… it is sooo beautiful! Make sure you go to Slide Rock State Park — sooo fun!
Also, thanks for posting these interviews. Kudos to you and Annmarie for being so open minded about all of this. I’m not saying I agree with Susan — just that I appreciate the perspective she offers.
What I’ve learned… ? Hmmm… I guess that each person’s body, journey to the “good health,” and capabilities are different. I’ve learned to be open minded and find out what works best for you — Don’t judge others. Do what you feel is right and be respectful.
11:30 am on September 7th, 2010
Love Sedona! The sights are magnificent, hope you are taking lots of pictures!
11:31 am on September 7th, 2010
Interesting what she has to say about pesticide use in Ecuador and Costa Rica! Who would have thought! Just makes you even more wary of buying “organic” produce from South America!
Luckily at this time of year in Canada we have Farmer’s markets to go to for fresh produce! It’s all grown organically as well. Same goes for meat – pastured chicken and grass fed or grass finished bison, beef and pork. Yumm – you really can taste the difference – and the quality of the meat is different as well.
It’s also interesting that she states 90% of the produce grown in the states is irradiated! Yikes!
12:05 pm on September 7th, 2010
W-iskey T-ango F-oxtrot….I can’t believe her..I have only one thing to say..PLEASE read The China Study by T. Colin Campbell…
12:16 pm on September 7th, 2010
I don’t get it. What does irradiated food have to do with terrorism?
12:16 pm on September 7th, 2010
Sedona is sooo beautiful! I have visited there once and plan to go back again. I actually went on a gorgeous hike to reach a vortex near a rock formation that looks like a kachina woman.
I didn’t know that 90% of the produce grown in the U.S. is irradiated. I knew that a lot of it was, it’s so gross and irritating to think about.
I’m very glad that I have been able to convince my grandparents to use organic farming practices, especially since they always share some of their bountiful harvest with me. Every week I also shop at the only all organic farmers market in my town. I’m so glad they started that this year!
My town is also going to have a food co-op opening up here for the first time ever in 2012. The closest one to us right now is about 250 miles away. We also don’t have any big health food stores here like Whole Foods, just a few small local ones.
12:28 pm on September 7th, 2010
Just a thought. Why do so many of us seem so defensive? What happened to being open minded? Maybe I’m wrong but thats how it feels….
I grew up on farm and I am certain that much of the food that is touted as organic sold in this country and througout the world is not. It’s sad but higher yield means more cash and pesticides often mean just that so greed wins out. To be truly sure you are getting organic grow your own I guess!!!
12:32 pm on September 7th, 2010
I have been told that, while you can put “organic” on anything, in order for it to say “certified organic” it has to meet some serious organic criteria (not only no spraying, but also the soil has to be chemical free, etc.) There is supposed to be truth in advertising in this country (even though that is stretched quite a bit), and putting organic on something that doesn’t even come close should ben stopped. Thank you for bringing this to us.
1:21 pm on September 7th, 2010
Nope. I’ve never been there. Beautiful place, though.
I’ve learned more about how people interact with each other.
2:35 pm on September 7th, 2010
Yep, used to live in AZ and visited Sedona several times. Lots of fond memories there and nearby Oak Creek Canyon — have you guys been sliding down Slide Rock yet? Beautiful AZ will always be in my heart…
This is an interesting disussion for sure.
I prefer to be vegan for ethical reasons but feel secure enough at the moment to be able to listen to another viewpoint and not feel I have to change her or me.
2:57 pm on September 7th, 2010
Love you are here in Sedona,come for a visit to Chocolatree Cafe if you can.
all the best
3:14 pm on September 7th, 2010
I love these interveiws you are having with Susan. I learn something everytime. I didn’t
know about the pestitcides in Ecuador. I assumed they didn’t use it.All her information
is great, all of it. I wish there was more.
Like, what is she doing down there?
3:19 pm on September 7th, 2010
I’m STILL hearing that Susan seemed to have been eating a HIGH sugar, HIGH carb, but LOW Protein diet in the past when she started having troubles with her Memory and with her low levels of B-12 and Vit D.
To change from a diet LOW in protein to having Protein in the morning from ANY source (be it veggie or animal) will IMPROVE any insulin problems, and B Vitamin deficiencies.
To jump over increasing eating Veggie source Proteins directly to eating Animal source Proteins seems to point to the fact that she didn’t even give Veggie Protein sources a chance to improve her problems.
About looser pesticide controls and deceptive claims of Organic products… What’s new ?
Buy from people you trust, or grow your own !
PS Hey Rich R. …..
Please read your Old Testament Bible again.
“See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food, and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground, I give all the green plants for food.” (Genesis 1:29-30)
NOT only was the GARDEN OF EDEN VEGAN ,
but there is evidence for NO KILLING OF ANIMALS nor the ingestion thereof in the story of the 10 COMMANDMENTS.
When Moses came down from the Mountain after having been presented with the 10 Commandments
including the “Thou Shalt Not Kill” LAW, he noticed the lost Tribes had been cooking up Animals Feasts and Killing one another in his absence while he was on top of the Mtn talking to GOD.
GOD saw all this and was going to SMITE them all for not following HIS Commandments
(GOD can getg sooo pissed, sometimes, when you don’t follow HIS Rules… although he
doesn’t seem to much follow HIS own Rules !).
MOSES pleaded with GOD to Spare their Lives,
and GOD said : (I paraphrase like most of the authors in the Bible did) “AT LEAST HAVE THEM NOT KILL ONE ANOTHER”.
And so there was a LENIENCY made, but GOD still PREFERED that they follow HIS original Commandment of us NOT killing animals.
The NEW Covenant with CHRIST’s coming, was supposed to have take us back there to the NEW Eden, like the original EDEN, VEGAN.
GOD BLESS ! US ALL…
PEACE ON EARTH
3:28 pm on September 7th, 2010
After listening to these 3 interviews I doubt I’d want to buy her new book. I agree with Shelly (#13) – read “The China Study” if you want some well researched facts. And I do wonder what she was talking about when she mentioned irradiated food and terrorism ????? Hmmmm….
4:50 pm on September 7th, 2010
I have not read (actually, I did not even know of her before these interviews) Susan Schenck’s book so all I have to go on is what she said in these interviews.
Unfortunately, her comment towards the end of the first interview destroyed any creditability she had for me. She was surprised at “all the research out there” on eating meat… Hello! I would have thought she came across those research when she researched and wrote “the Live Food Factor.” That’s what was so disappointing to me.
I am all for people finding a diet that works for them so I’m not judging her for looking to meat as a solution to her health issues. However, going by how she may have not researched as much as she should have for her book (e.g. the stuff she finds on meat eating should NOT be a surprise. With all the corporate dollars from agribusiness, of course, there are tons of research on meat), I seriously wonder if she was eating / living a balanced raw vegan life.
Thanks, Kevin, for doing these interviews. I wish Susan Schenck good health. It would have been a good informative book if Ms. Schenck had written about her health issues and how she decided to add meat back to her diet. Of course, it would also be great if she included a section on her first attempt with plant proteins. Now, THAT I would buy even if her conclusion was meat.
I learned that I should read / listen to “gurus” with discriminating ears and eyes as they may not have researched things as much as they should. Published does not equal researched, informed knowledge.
5:01 pm on September 7th, 2010
Here is the FDA policy on irradiated foods:
“As part of its approval, FDA requires that irradiated foods include labeling with either the statement “treated with radiation” or “treated by irradiation,” along with the international symbol for irradiation, the Radura. Irradiation labeling requirements apply only to foods sold in stores. For example, irradiated spices or fresh strawberries should be labeled. Irradiation labeling does not apply to restaurant foods.”
I think she needs to research urban legends before she spreads them along.
It is true that DDT was outlawed for use in the US in the 1960s largely due to Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring”. But it is still ok to produce it (go figure . . .) and most of the world’s DDT is produced by US chemical firms (think New Jersey, etc.) It is used extensively in Mexico and throughout Latin America on crops that are imported here (yeah, the chickens come home to roost). So it has always stayed in the food chain in the US.
Buy local & buy organic.
5:06 pm on September 7th, 2010
Carol, food is irradiated to kill any pathogens that may be on it. The supposed risk of terrorists is that they could sneak into a field of veggies and spray some nasty germs on the leaves right before harvest, thus sickening or killing many people.
Washing the leaves removes most germs, but some remain on them and could sicken people who eat them raw. So, the idea is to irradiate all raw veggies, to kill the germs.
And the government, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that there is no need to label foods that are irradiated, since that would just scare people. The government says there is no difference between produce that has been irradiated and what has not.
I don’t believe irradiate food has been cooked. It is still raw, but it has been exposed to ionizing radiation so it has clearly been denatured. Who knows what kinds of strange chemicals or free radicals are created by this radiation?
The food itself is not made radioactive, but it likely has lost some of its nutrient value and may have toxic properties. I believe much more research needs to be done on this before our food is irradiated on a large scale.
I would like to know the source of Susan’s claim that 90 percent of our food is already irradiated. I did not know this, and frankly I don’t believe it. I think the government may have plans to do this, but I don’t think it is happening yet. As far as I know, irradiation is only done to things like imported herbs and spices, to prevent farm pests or diseases from coming in to the country.
But it could be that I am poorly informed about this subject, and since irradiated foods do not have to be labeled, we have no way of knowing.
If anyone has solid information on this issue, I would like to know about it.
Michael T.
5:24 pm on September 7th, 2010
I applaud her honesty. I think that all should do what works best for them and not judge others. With that said, I feel like I purchased your book Live food factor, Susan and should be entitled to a discount on your new book since you no longer stand behind the things you wrote previously
5:37 pm on September 7th, 2010
Okay, I did some quick research on the labeling rules for irradiated foods. It’s complicated. Some foods will have labels, and some will not.
Irradiated foods may be included in restaurant, school or other food service meals without any labeling.
If irradiated products are sold in stores they should have labels, unless it is a mixed product with some ingredients being irradiated and others not, in which case no label is needed.
And the FDA now wants to change the rules to let companies say “cold pasteurized” or use other confusing terms, instead of using the word radiation.
Here is an informative link:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/irrad/labelingstatus.cfm
Just another reason to spend more time in our gardens …
6:40 pm on September 7th, 2010
I like Susan’s honesty. I have been changing over to a raw vegan diet since last November.I have not been compleatly raw,but about 98%. I use can coconut milk and nut butters, but I am much improved health wise. I lost 40 pounds and am at my desired weight. Most people call me skinny now. I call me normal in this obese nation, I just look skinny to people who think it’s normal to be over weight.
I would love to read Susan’s new book. She may be onto something real important. I am looking for an approch to be in radient great health, and not to be set in my ways on a diet that may be restricting me from that very goal. Balance is what is necesary and she did find her balance by what she did.I have got to consider a can of sardiens once in a while. A couple of eggs once a week may be what my brain needs. If that works, thats fine with me.
Glen
7:26 pm on September 7th, 2010
i really have a lot of respect for her as a person for sharing and as an author and health enthusiast because she is very intelligent and her books are so packed with information.
I definitely agree with her on metabolic typing being SO important. It is something that I would really love to study more in depth.
Also, a lot of people are wondering why she didn’t try other supplementation and went straight to meat…and i think it would be interesting to know what other directions she went before going to meat and not just feel like she “wanted to eat meat so just did it without trying anything else”.
7:40 pm on September 7th, 2010
“I was doing high everything.. except protein.”
Well that’s really the number one cause of the problems she was having in my opinion. That’s what caused the bloating she was talking about which is a symptom of indigestion. No wonder she wasn’t getting the nutrients she needed.
Now I don’t judge her for moving on to animal products. But I think that it’s sad that she based her conclusions about the raw lifestyle based on a raw “junk food” diet. And that she didn’t try a low carb vegan diet first even though she said that she was vegan “for all the reasons”.
8:55 pm on September 7th, 2010
Sedona is tranquil. Oak Creek is the place to be. Great hiking all over there. Have you hiked four peaks before? Thanks for the interview. Fossil Creek hike in Payson is nice – esp. if water is up. Happy trails to you
9:30 pm on September 7th, 2010
Again Bravo to Kevin for being so grounded and informing us about a so called “ex vegan”? It also proves again that there is no one diet that fits all. The only thing that I question is why she didn’t consult with other “professionals” in this field especially if you are so committed. After all she has written books on the subject. People that come to my mind are Brian Clement or Gabriel Cousins. The Hippocrates institute has been around for 50 years and they do work with all kinds of people, sick and not sick. I also suspect that her version of the diet was high fat and high sugar and not so much high protein which in the Hippocrates version you could get from eating a lot of sprouts. They also promote 80-20 so there would be some cooked foods. Personally I am a very happy “flexitarian” who emphasizes on high water content raw foods such as juices, sprouts salads, wheat grass (on days that I have a lot of courage) and also smoothies and I can’t complain at the moment and I think that this is what raw foods is all about. I don’t think that you necessarily have to be vegan to be successful with this lifestyle. (Brian Clement would disagree with me on this one)The problem in North America is the overconsumption of processed foods and industrialized meat which is totally inhumane. Here I totally sympathize with veganism. Another thing that comes to my mind is that women have different needs then men. Guys can metabolize fats much better then us women. I would recommend that all the “renegade sisters” look into Natalia Rose’s version of the raw foods. It is VERY doable and you don’t have to worry where you are getting all your nutrients from. I also would like to point out that when we look at people with the highest longevity…they do consume a small percentage of meat that they slaughter themselves. Kevin, you can testify that from your travels in Peru. Kevin, again Kudo’s for being unbiased. I hope you consider to get Natalia Rose on your show as well as Dr. David Servan Schreiber. He recovered TWICE from a brain tumor and of course this brought him on the path of nutrition and health
11:19 pm on September 7th, 2010
I am on average at 95-100% raw every day… That average leaves me room to breath. One or two cooked meals over this past year and some spices that are not technically raw. Over the past 2 months, I have ventured into raw meats. Fish so far and looking at some grass fed. I have always honored animals. I save little bugs from destructive forces… ( like other humans who say there’s a bug let’s kill it. ) I’ve also put some in my blender for B12. I’ve watched supposed herbivore animals kill other animals for food. I honor all life. I feel the same tenderness of f plants that I do animals. I’ve discovered I need the animal fat. I am making yogurt and raw cheese. Raw shrimp btw tastes a bit like a piece of squirt gum and it makes me feel toxic. The salmon is not quite as bad. The grass fed r dairy feels great. I also eat some raw eggs for the lecithin. I’ve discovered a gallbladder issue that I’ve experienced with the nuts. It was only after eating some raw butter that I made that I was able to directly connect it with to fat issues. I am able to tolerate the yogurt and cultured cheese better than the butter. I began looking into the proteins because I was noticing feeling exhausted on my raw smoothies. I added more like they say to do and I got more tired. Researched and came across fast oxidizer.. I looked at the fats because of my being very cold all the time.. Raw animal seems to cover both. I am only beginning to learn on this. Doesn’t seem to be as much help out there for this way of eating as the raw vegan. Btw also.. any pasteurized dairy seems to make me burn. I was eating that for the first few weeks of starting raw as my cooked food. Then I went completely vegan because I thought the dairy was making me feel so bad.. Now think it was the heat structurally altered part that was causing that.
And yes, I’ve gone to the docs and they seem to be in agreement that it is a gall issue. Having yet another test on Thursday. Also realizing that my hcl levels are low and most likely have been for many years. Eating foods like beets seems to help gb and hcl issues. Doing stuff to help both situations and to help my pancreas which has been overtaxed. I do some supplements.
11:28 pm on September 7th, 2010
I have been to beautiful Sedona and am ready to go back!
As far as produce being labeled organic that’s not, one must do their research. I personally work at an all organic produce stand. Our supplier has direct relationships with all farms in the us and south of the boarder. Also, we deal with many local farms that we have visited. Many customers inquire about the credibility and I feel confident in selling beautiful organic food. In my opinion it’s the next best thing to growing it yourself. It is a tough call buying produce from big box stores. On one hand it tells the gov. that we want organic, but on the other hand you are trusting the same individuals that sell coca cola and hostess.
I feel all animal products are acidifying to the body and should be avoided. Not to mention the ethical ramifications of eating meat.
Thanks for the vast array of info!
-CQ
1:13 am on September 8th, 2010
Do you really trust her “research?” Here she passes along “insider” information about irradiation of food to Kevin’s viewers. She states that 90% of all U.S. foods irradiated. This “fact” is based solely upon a conversation with one speaker at the Raw Spirit Festival, who gleaned it from someone else from who knows where. This is THIRD-HAND, anonymous gossip. Think about it. Nothing of substance here. Is this representative of all she says?
6:55 am on September 8th, 2010
What have i learned from this interview?
1. when you go vegan and raw, your body systems that DON”T work so well will come to the surface and need help to be rebuilt.
2. Deal with B12 deficiency possibility:
A. take a supplement.
B. eat fermented foods each day.
3. Consult a raw food nutritionist if you need help. Dr. Fred Bisci, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, Gabriel Cousins, Brian Clement, etc.
4. try to solve the problem with blood tests and VEGAN route first before you go to animal proteins to deal with the issue.
Love the interview and the truth. But i question her committment to vegetarianism.
Barbara
9:22 am on September 8th, 2010
When she says she was “low protein” does that mean she was not eating greens? Greens are filled with protein!
I think there needs to be a massive clarification when people talk about protein. Do they mean animal protein? or plant-based protein??? “Protein” should not be synonymous with animal protein.
12:16 pm on September 8th, 2010
Hmm. I do my best to eat close to the earth and notice how it makes me feel. When someone asks me what I eat I say, anything I want except hydrogenated oils. I go through phases. Sometimes I think too much about food/nutrition, etc. I am learning to listen to my body as I believe it is my authority.
If I am a guest at a friend’s house and they serve something that I don’t think is “highest caliber food”, I notice my judgement and graciously eat what they serve. But sure I have my limits.
I have cravings that come and go- chocolate is there. Learning and growing and accepting… Not perfect but progressing.
No, never been to Sedona- maybe one day.
Thanks Kev and Annemarie.
1:04 pm on September 8th, 2010
In response to Michael T. he said: ”I believe much more research needs to be done on this before our food is irradiated on a large scale” why do you think Canada refuse irradiation on any foods after years and years of interviews, research…. They know dam well that the food is not the same, it is only to help companies make more money. Always the same game, money, money, money.
marie-andree
1:09 pm on September 8th, 2010
I’m really enjoying this series.
Glad that she listened to her body and did what was necessary to be healthy.
Everyone’s body is different. Different things will be required to be healthy.
I’m focused on being healthy – not raw, or high protein, or high carb. Let’s leave the labels behind and enjoy our health.
11:43 pm on September 8th, 2010
Someone at my farmers market told me last week that “organic” apples are really sprayed with an agent (don’t know the name), and then again with another one; and the combination of the 2 actually make it worse than if the apples had been sprayed with regular pesticides. I’ve never heard that before; have you?
5:49 am on September 9th, 2010
Cacao before sleeping?
Eat 2/4 hours before sleeping is a waste of energy and food?
Kevin, as a organic buyer in London, I can confirm the facts that most groceries are not properly labelled.
Where are the controls of organic labels?
Is it just marketing?
12:26 pm on September 9th, 2010
How wonderful to hear different points of views and the freedom it gives me to just listen to my body and find the right way of eating for me.
And I love Sedona, can’t wait to go back!
1:33 pm on September 9th, 2010
HI, first of all the last 2 and this video stops voice every few words so i could not get the info
2nd, i was in sedona several years ago with my husband and 2 kids (not really kids any more). we separated and each one went to a place we were attracted to. i went to the cathedral one (odd because i do not follow any formal religion) and i felt like rock was enfolded me in its arms and felt loved and tears came to my eyes. it was a wonderful experience, nothing like it before!
lu weiss luge6@yahoo.com
1:49 pm on September 13th, 2010
Wow! I think she is amazing. I admire her candour. I had read her book. I think diet should be about the health of the individual and, therefore, it is completely acceptable to me that she did what was necessary for her health. Way to go Susan! That is way more responsible than the opposite.