My health and nutrition journey started at age 7, when I first went vegetarian, and then resurged at the age of 11 when an undiagnosed wheat allergy left me barely eating, sleeping, or participating in life. After a year of visiting dozens of mainstream doctors in a quest to figure out what was wrong with me, a naturopathic doctor in Seattle took one look at my gaunt frame and chronic congestion and said, “food allergy.”
That’s when I learned, first-hand, how profoundly diet can affect our ability to live and enjoy life.
But cooked-vegetarian-sans-wheat wasn’t enough to keep me feeling vibrant, I learned. After a series of self-tested diet experiments, I jumped into the raw food world at age 16. Seven years later, I can say quite proudly that I’ve made every mistake a raw foodist can possibly make—and then some. I’ve been vegan and vegetarian and omnivorous; I’ve been high fat and low fat and medium fat; I’ve been supplemented and superfood-ed and snake-oiled.
And now I feel it’s time to share the boatload of research, experiences, and information I’ve accrued over the years, hopefully to help others reap the benefits of raw foods without running into the same mistakes I’ve made.
My current diet is fairly simple: raw fruits, raw vegetables, raw animal products. I eat too much fruit to fit into the “raw paleo” category and too much animal food to fit into the “raw vegan” category, so I float somewhere between, choosing foods based both on research and on how my body responds to them. I don’t care for labels, and I’m more interested in results than I am in theories.
I’m not a doctor or nutritionist (not yet, anyway—plans of a graduate nutrition degree loom in the future 
). I started college when I was 16, switching majors about ten times but ultimately deciding on English. Everything I know about nutrition has come from eight years of avid research and self-education: I devour medical journals, I analyze studies, I crunch numbers, I guinea-pig myself, and I try—whenever possible—to slice through the bias and misinformation littering the nutritional community.
I currently live in Portland, Oregon and work as a freelance writer, teacher, and web designer. I’m always happy to answer any questions or help other raw foodists (current or aspiring) who are struggling, so please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or shoot me an email.
Eye color changed from light brown to hazel after switching to raw foods.
Dear Denise,
I love your blog. I must say that I too have been troubleshooting on the raw diet.
I am in my mid 50′s, which is an interesting stage of life when it comes to
health and well being. Menopause. Metabolism. Exercise.
I removed gluten from my diet about 2 years ago. I felt fine…but not at my
optimum. I went in search of a life style eating plan. But what……?
January 2009 I linked into a website regarding raw foods. I researched, gathered notes, experimented, joined forums, sought answers to my many questions,
made raw recipe after raw recipe, food combining, detox, green smoothies, digestion….etc.
This past August I went 100% raw. As each day past, I felt wonderful. Alert!
(even at 3 in the afternoon). Then, about 4 weeks in….I noticed that my jeans
were loose. What is this?! The scale registered 10 lbs gone!
As of this date I am 21 lbs lighter, feel wonderful, 80-90% raw, my
metabolism is reborn, and I have a ton of energy.
I no longer struggle with fluctuations in my weight. I am alert.
I feel lighter. I feel satisfied. I am truly amazed at this lifestyle of eating.
I don’t preach raw….but anyone that wants to listen. As you can tell, I love to share.
I hope more people find their way to your blog.
Kindly,
Frannie
Frannie, thank you so much for sharing your story. It really is amazing how many benefits this lifestyle brings—especially regarding the skyrocketing energy. I’m so glad you’re thriving! Leading by example is the best way to show others the changes raw can bring.
Great Blog! ;D) ♥ Xx…
I’m glad you enjoy it!
This is such a fabulous blog, and wonderfully written to! I’m vegan and a low-raw foodist and had a handful of concerns about rawism – most of which you write about and have helped me understand better. Keep up the great work! I’m going to add you to my blogroll on my healthy vegan blog http://nocrapdiet.wordpress.com
Thank you Kate! I’m glad you could find something useful here.
Denise…
Thanks for all your hard work in obtaining / gaining the knowledge and the effort in sharing it in such great form!
GREAT site….
Denise. I love this blog. I have been having a bit of chal;enge in adjusting to a new plan on raw. I have experienced some of the things listed here.
Done the things they all did and have had the end of the honeymoon period. Seeing to amp up and I am not sure what that will be or look like. I am not into meat products or raw eggs or dairy at all so that is not an option.
I tried a bunch of fruit and that was not right. Still seeing where it all will work well for me.
ANd the teeth thing..oh my! I love how you dispel the standard ideas people have and have been applying that just dont work.
Thankx and love,Bette (from the Fu)
do you know of anyone who has reversed transparent teeth? if so what did they do?
Thank you for your blog
Take care
God bless
Rachel
Rachel, I’ve talked to a few people whose teeth regained a more “solid” look after making diet or supplement adjustments. One person said raw dairy did the trick, a few others had success supplementing with calcium and vitamin D, and others found that eating more dark leafy greens (especially kale and bok choy) restored density to their teeth. The underlying trend seems to be more calcium, above all else, at least anecdotally.
Thank you so much for replying to my comment. I only read it today.
If you hear of anything else that they did to help their teeth please let me know. I am trying lots of things to reverse my transparet teeth and they only seem to be getting worse.
Thanks again
God bless
Rachel
Neisy,
Your comment on calcium and Vit D should be a consideration to all no matter what their diet. However, the body can not absorb just calcium from supplements. Calcium without a “liquifier” will cause stones and calcium deposits and often times women especially just take calcium supplements to keep from getting osteoporosis; not a good idea. You need a balance of Calcium w/magnesium for obsorbability along with organic sodium. Nature has it’s own answer in celery and okra, organic sodium keeps calcium liquified in the body so it can be obsorbed. Juicing is one of the best ways to get enough organic sodium. Try a combination of beets (liver cleanser) celery (organic sodium) carrots (beta carotene) and an apple (pectin for good digestion) as a juice drink. Yummy! Very tasty and soooooo good for you. Mixed green salads with kale, spinach, chard, etc is also good source for calcium as you suggested. The best nut sources for calcium are sesame seed (try it as sesame milk) also almonds are king for calcium and you can make your own almond milk. Very simple to do.
Also, recently read an article quoting a study on prevention of osteoporosis and the one thing found in the study above all else that prevented this condition was weight training. Yup! Whether we like working out or not, better get out those dumb bells (and I don’t mean the boyfriends). Good health to us all.
Denise, I really think this is a great blog. Your writing is clear and you express your ideas very well. You are clearly well read on these subjects and you have experimented yourself and been your own scientist which is always the best science there is. It has certainly got me thinking about many things with a fresh perspective.
I particularly like and admire your objectiveness on many issues which is rare especially in the raw/health/vegan circles. All too often, vegans and health enthusiasts alike prance around on their moral high horse accusing those who haven’t yet adopted some or all of their beliefs and ideas. Many are guilty of their own accusations. I have been like this myself many times in the past, getting too defensive, arrogant, you know how it goes. Insecurity in the end. A smart man once said that an argument is never won or lost because by the time it becomes an argument… Well, I’m getting better.
Our eating and living habits are like a religion for many. The truth is, nobody really knows the hows, whys, whats…for sure. At least yet. I dream of the day when these issues are properly funded and studied without the “vested interests”.
Keep on writing! The world needs you
Regards,
Markus
ok, I apologize if this comment is seen as objectifying in any way…not my intention. (I came for your China Study analysis, which is terrific.)
But holy cow, you are gorgeous.
came here from richard nikoley’s blog. absolutely second the anon comment above, but most of all *Wow!* at the exhaustive analysis. we need more nutrition scientists like you.
Have you tried a regular Paleo diet? I’m curious if you would also be fine eating this way. I’ve been Paleo for about 8 months now and while I feel much better than I did before I still would like some more impovement. Basically Im wondering the benefits of raw Paleo vs Paleo. My issues are mostly mental, depression, anxiety, ADD.
You’re pretty!
[...] foodist and reformed vegan Denise Minger has put together the most thorough dismantling of The China Study to date. Her work can be found [...]
Hi Denise, I’ve found you whole blog and story so inspirational. I just finished my 4 years of nutritional science here in Ireland, although I am seriously starting to doubt my aptitude for it after seeing how you do it without even having studied it! Have you any words of advice on how I can fine tune my mind to the sciencey stuff like you have? I noticed you mentioned medical journals and the likes but are there any specific resources that have really helped you develop such an incredible ability to analyze data like you did for the China study? Or does it just takes years or trawling through studies rather than reading the nice bloggafied versions of studies :0 Any advice or tips would be great.
Thanks in advance
Khrystyna
Oh boy, I would love to hear this answer too….how do you do it Neisy??? Love,Bette from Fu
LOOOVE your blog!
I too have guinea-pigged myself :p have tried everything and finally met an alternative doctor who discovered I had some serious food allergies.
I ca’t claim I am a Paleo girl, but I call myself a cave girl. Sugars, grains and dairy have been banned from my diet.
I love nuts, fish, poultry loads of veggies and fruits.
Life has been good and at the age of 34, I seem to have found a balance.
keep up the great job.
Dear Denise,
Your critique of The China Study suddenly became THE most referred text in paleo blogosphere and I think that you probably got hundreds of new readers overnight. Me included. Simply incredible!
Thank you for your thoughtful analysis and objective discourse. I am just diving into dietary lifestyle replacement integrating raw foods, grains, legumes, nuts and fish. I found your site from Dr. Davis’ heartscanblog and appreciate the refreshing read.
The best education often resides beyond the walls of universities.
Denise, welcome to my blogroll!
I’m just getting started on this blog, but your articles seem very well researched and interesting so far. FYI, I found this through Stephan at Wholehealthsource.
And, I agree with Tuplad: you are insanely beautiful.
hi, you are very very beautiful
i didnt know eyes colour changed after eating raw
its fasinating
anyway , love your blog
its wonderful
[...] by Denise Minger, (an ex-vegan who apparently enjoys number-crunching in her spare time) this is an absolute must [...]
Hey Denise,
I love your blog – I don’t eat raw food, but I do like to buy raw milk, grass-fed meat, and pasture-raised poultry. If you ever want any hook ups for meat/dairy sources let me know!
nice
Hi Denise,
It is amazing how much you look like your mother!!
I also enjoy your writing style, articles, etc.
Keep up the great work,
Love,
Uncle Neal
yer a smartypants.
cute, too.
LOVE your stuff about the China study. It is so thorough and well written! Glad I discovered this blog.
PS: Your eyes are super beautiful!
I thought you might like this – an amazing New Zealand raw food site with the most gorgeous collection / photos of raw food – vegan ideas:
http://www.fromgreytogreen.co.nz/photos_food.html#fullsizes/3.jpg
Brilliant blog, superb insights, thank you.
What is the science behind raw food? The anecdotes are compelling, and the theories rampant: acid/base, oxygenation, nutrient availability, etc… but it is hard to find the actual biochemical, physiological explanation for why raw works.
Thank you, again!
Herbiek,
The reason raw oraganic food (just veggies/fruits/nuts/legumes/beans/sprouts) are so bioavailable is (1) they come with their own digestive enzyme (2) they are alkaline in nature (3) easily digested and very quick to get into the blood stream. It is the purest form of nutrients available to the body. If you what a scientific basis read “The Chemistry of Man” written by Dr Bernard Jensen. It was based on a $1M study of the entire chemical makeup of every organ and tissue in the human body. You’ll find it on http://www.bernardjensen.org or Amazon. If you go to http://www.bernardjensen.com you can also get illustrative charts on the human body broken down as to what vitamins, minerals and foods support each part. Wonderful way to know how to feed the body.
Anything that is acid such as meats, dairy, cooked, highly processed food are unhealthy because these foods can’t break down by themselves where as anything you can put into a compost that makes healthy fertilizer decomposes quite quickly and goes back into the earth with all of it’s nutrients to create life all over again. There are no digestive enzymes with these acid foods; the human body only comes with so many enzymes over a persons lifetime and we lose enzymes as we age. Therefore, to keep from getting bloated, gases, gurd, etc, you need to take a digestive enzyme before you eat. The stomach ilining is coated with organic sodium and meat especially chicken is very hard to digest pulling the sodium away from the stomach lining trying to turn this acid producing food into something more alkaline. There is also a good book out there called “Alkaline or Die” and I forget the author but it will tell you more on the pH balance of the body than I can do justice here. Enjoy your veggies!
Hi Denise,
Wow. I’ve just spent the morning scrolling through your site, and I’m in awe. I have one comment and one question.
First, for your readers who are dealing with transparent teeth… I want to share my son’s success at re-mineralization. He’s my fourth and youngest, and when his elder brothers were young, raw milk was available in California. Sadly this was not so for Harry. Whereas the elder three have had no problems, my youngest has suffered with caries since elementary school to the point of having been referred two years ago to an entodontist for a serious root canal.
As it happens, when he returned from that dentist visit, I had just finished reading Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston Price, and made a deal with him to postpone the treatment if he would engage in Dr. Price’s protocol. He agreed, and one year to the month later, he returned from the dentist with a clean bill of health; no sign of the former problem. So what protocol am I referring to? One I devised based on the principles of the healthy people Dr. Price discovered around the world who were free of dental disease; utilizing properly prepared seed foods, fermented/cultured foods, bone stock, organ meats, raw animal food, and plenty of saturated fat and cholesterol.
As an example, every morning I made Harry a raw milk smoothie containing: 1 cup raw milk, 1/4 cup raw kefir, 3-4 scoops raw homemade ice cream, 1-2 raw pastured egg yolks and 1 teaspoon high vitamin butter/fermented cod liver oil blend.
I also gave him a mug of pastured/wild animal bone broth at least once a day; either chicken, fish or beef, flavored with traditionally made soy sauce and a teaspoon of miso, with or without meat and vegetables.
In addition, I made him whole grain sourdough rye toast smeared with pastured chicken liver mousse a couple of times a week, and the same toast smeared with homemade whole raw milk cream cheese and raw pastured butter almost every day. Often the cream cheese would contain smoked wild salmon.
If he was home for dinner, he’d eat the meal I prepared (rare grass-fed lamb chops, wild fish, pastured chicken, etc) but being a teenager he was gone most evenings eating God knows what.
I got him hooked on homemade kombucha, and in addition, was able to convince him to swap his IN N OUT Burger habit for a Burger Lounge habit (grass-fed beef and whole grain/wet yeasted buns… assuming I’d foot the bill for the ‘upgrade’) but I know he ate burritos and other fast food with his friends often. In any event, his fast food forays didn’t seem to affect the dental decay reversal at all, and as a happy side benefit, his acne cleared up completely.
It’s been two years since we began, and he is thrilled to be free of decay for the first time in his life. He’s off to college soon, and I’m gratified that he now has the tools to keep himself healthy as he goes forward.
My question is… as a raw foodist, do you forgo the minerals in bones based on the fact that you don’t eat bone stock, or do you have another way of consuming them?
Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Annie Dru
What are you thoughts on Natalia Rose’s nutritional advice?
Coming late to the party here. I found Denise’s criticisms listed some of the same things I wondered about as I read The China Study. However, having a bachelor’s degree in Math and enough science training to recognize the complicated nature of statistical analysis, especially with regard to calculus and multivariate statistics, I pretty much shelved my niggling concerns. After all, Campbell did voice my concerns regarding types of animal proteins vs. casein, and regarding whole foods vs. nutritional elements in his own book, so I knew he had considered these very concerns Denise addresses. I also had done some research on the Internet and found he did not become a vegetarian until well after the China Study was published, and did not convert to veganism for many years after that.
There’s lies, damned lies, and statistics. Concerned scientists could read the epidemiologist’s critique of Denise at http://www.30bananasaday.com/group/debunkingthechinastudycritics/forum/topics/a-cancer-epidemiologist?xg_source=activity. Campbell’s work has been peer-reviewed. Hers has not.
Ah, yes, the famed masked “epidemiologist”. Other than her participation in the witness protection program, what qualifications does the anonymous Vegan aspersion-caster have?
THASNKS
Hi Denise,
I came to your site via that of my good friend Mike Eades. His taking you seriously is an important endorsement.
Thanks for doing this important work. Very impressive. I second the others who say you have a future in medical science or epidemiology. Keep up the good work!
Regards,
Jay
Hey Denise,
Great information about the China Study. My wife came home from work today and started talking about this study, I hopped on line and found your response, and was blown away by the amount of data that you put into your response.
Thank you for providing a great amount of information and website chalk full of information.
Keep up the great work.
My question is that I live in a place where there is no good source of grass fed naything so the Raw milk isnt really optimal, and the fish are from polluted waters and the meat etc are all raised in sheds and fed on grain. My country is very behind in this aspect. I am high raw vegan now, I feel good, but there has always been part of me and still debating inside about what’s really best as a human species. I avoid all the meat and dairy because of the toxicity from pesticides and hormones issue. I feel it’s better to avoid it altogether than to eat poisoned food. Because I cant resolve it, vegan is where I stay.
What say you to someone in such a situation?
Your information has changed my views completely, and I can’t thank you enough. I just wanted to ask you, do you eat the raw animal products “raw” or uncoocked? Also i noticed that you don’t eat dairy, have you found something unhealthful about it or are you not eating dairy because it’s hard to find a good source of unhomogenized and unpasteurized dairy products? Also what are your thoughts about whole grains for humans?