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The Problem With The Raw Food Movement

13

Replies

  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,647 Member
    MommyL2015 wrote: »
    Growing up, I had a friend who used to eat raw ground beef. When her mom would go shopping and get a pound of it, she'd open it and steal little chunks of it, roll it into a ball and pop them in her mouth. Completely grossed me out. Blech! I can't have any pink in my meat at all, so I am certainly not someone who could do raw meat of any kind.

    I had that same friend! :p

  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    akoivisto wrote: »
    I've eaten raw ground beef, cow was slaughtered by our neighbor, and it was delicious, and not a single person died that day, or the next
    While I'm not sure that I have the courage to eat raw beef, I would definitely be much more open to doing that with that kind of quality meat vs general meat bought in the store. I don't know if it's totally true, but I personally think that there's a huge difference in food safety risks between someone growing their own produce/livestock on their own farm vs the conventional food bought in a store.

  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    akoivisto wrote: »
    People fear the unknown... Sushi is raw fish... just saying. :)

    Do you mean sashimi?
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    MommyL2015 wrote: »
    akoivisto wrote: »
    People fear the unknown... Sushi is raw fish... just saying. :)

    That would be sashimi. The literal translation of sushi is either "it's sour" or "with rice." I'm not sure which one is correct, I've been told both. Sushi can have raw fish, but it can have lots of other things and no fish.

    Growing up, I had a friend who used to eat raw ground beef. When her mom would go shopping and get a pound of it, she'd open it and steal little chunks of it, roll it into a ball and pop them in her mouth. Completely grossed me out. Blech! I can't have any pink in my meat at all, so I am certainly not someone who could do raw meat of any kind.

    Using the literal translation of the kanji that form a word isn't that insightful, it just reflects the fact that the knowledge of the morphemes is greater to readers by virtue of the writing system.
    For example, in English, no one would say companion literally translates as the "thing (person) you bread with" but that would be literally what it means - com (with), pan (bread), ion (thing / person).
    Sushi just refers to the vinegar seasoned rice that sushi dishes are served with.
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
    Using the literal translation of the kanji that form a word isn't that insightful, it just reflects the fact that the knowledge of the morphemes is greater to readers by virtue of the writing system.
    Whatever.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    MommyL2015 wrote: »
    Using the literal translation of the kanji that form a word isn't that insightful, it just reflects the fact that the knowledge of the morphemes is greater to readers by virtue of the writing system.
    Whatever.

    Sorry, I was just explaining why there are two possible translations given for it that seem like odd phrases. My example was that English has the same kind of odd translations, but we just don't have a writing system the makes most readers actively aware of it.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    akoivisto wrote: »
    Raw Ground Beef; not uncommon, what is uncommon is the misconception is that simply because it is 'raw' meat, means it will kill you if eaten. Same with eggs... milk... and many other 'raw' things. I've eaten raw ground beef, cow was slaughtered by our neighbor, and it was delicious, and not a single person died that day, or the next... one was hit by a car, survived; but, people worry to much; humans are rather hardy for how much be fret about little things...

    Then again... someone can survive a 10 story fall, next person slips in the shower and explodes violently like a M-10 tank mine... weird world we live in.

    Let people live their life!!

    Raw milk has a documented by the CDC at least 150 times higher incidence of sickness outbreaks than pasteurized. I haven't checked anything else but that is quite unambiguous.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    The only raw I like to eat are vegetables and sashimi. I don't eat other raw products. I don't really have an opinion on sickness but it just seems gross to me. I did read somewhere that eating spinach and other dark leafy greens raw can inhibit thyroid function. I have no proof of this but thought it was interesting.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    Outbreaks happen all the time. We should be due for another million pounds of beef recall any time now. Cooked Food Movement problem?

    Protein powder meal replacement thingies such as this product aren't really typical of what a raw foodist eats anyway. There's like 100 ingredients in that powder and it's all been sitting in a warehouse; it's junk IMO.

    Beef recalls for things like... listeria? That can be solved by cooking. E. Coli? Solved by cooking... parasites? Solved by cooking... Mad Cow? Caused by cows eating raw cows. ...

    And when I say cooking - I mean cooking all the way through to a safe internal temperature.

    I've heard people in the USA will actually eat undercooked ground beef. If that's true, they're asking for sickness. I really hope it's not true...

    Not all bacterial contamination problems are solved by cooking. Quick examples: S. aureus, one of the most common food pathogens produces a toxin that is heat stable; C. perfringes, B. cereus can exist as a heat-stable spore meaning cooked food left in a temperature range favorable to growth for too long (i.e. cooling before fridge or freezer storage) will recolonize.
  • lisawinning4losing
    lisawinning4losing Posts: 726 Member
    Sweet potatoes taste pretty awesome cooked, and they're quite healthy to eat that way. But raw, not very tasty. No thanks!
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    Outbreaks happen all the time. We should be due for another million pounds of beef recall any time now. Cooked Food Movement problem?

    Protein powder meal replacement thingies such as this product aren't really typical of what a raw foodist eats anyway. There's like 100 ingredients in that powder and it's all been sitting in a warehouse; it's junk IMO.

    Beef recalls for things like... listeria? That can be solved by cooking. E. Coli? Solved by cooking... parasites? Solved by cooking... Mad Cow? Caused by cows eating raw cows. ...

    And when I say cooking - I mean cooking all the way through to a safe internal temperature.

    I've heard people in the USA will actually eat undercooked ground beef. If that's true, they're asking for sickness. I really hope it's not true...

    Mad cow disease is caused by a prion. And you can't solve it by cooking. Prions aren't even inactivated by autoclaving, unless you have extremely caustic conditions.

    But your point is well taken. Cooking is a very good way of protecting against many food-borne pathogens.
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,379 Member
    I've eaten quite a few seafood items raw and fresh. As well as a really good strip steak, filet mignon, etc... I'll take a slice or two before it hits the grill if I'm hungry. I've never been fond of raw hamburger, but I guess if the right fat content it wouldn't be much different.


    I'm gonna die anyway, so really for me the risk factor in my mind is minimal.
  • Pinkylee77
    Pinkylee77 Posts: 432 Member
    robertw486 wrote: »
    I've eaten quite a few seafood items raw and fresh. As well as a really good strip steak, filet mignon, etc... I'll take a slice or two before it hits the grill if I'm hungry. I've never been fond of raw hamburger, but I guess if the right fat content it wouldn't be much different.


    I'm gonna die anyway, so really for me the risk factor in my mind is minimal.

    you have never had food poisoning because you probably not take those chances.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    Pinkylee77 wrote: »
    robertw486 wrote: »
    I've eaten quite a few seafood items raw and fresh. As well as a really good strip steak, filet mignon, etc... I'll take a slice or two before it hits the grill if I'm hungry. I've never been fond of raw hamburger, but I guess if the right fat content it wouldn't be much different.


    I'm gonna die anyway, so really for me the risk factor in my mind is minimal.

    you have never had food poisoning because you probably not take those chances.

    I've had food poisoning several times. None of them were ever from eating raw fish (which I consume by the pound when I go to sushi bars) or raw/undercooked beef. Raw salmon is one of my favorite foods and I'll gladly roll the dice to repeatedly experience the foodgasm that comes from eating it.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Pinkylee77 wrote: »
    robertw486 wrote: »
    I've eaten quite a few seafood items raw and fresh. As well as a really good strip steak, filet mignon, etc... I'll take a slice or two before it hits the grill if I'm hungry. I've never been fond of raw hamburger, but I guess if the right fat content it wouldn't be much different.


    I'm gonna die anyway, so really for me the risk factor in my mind is minimal.

    you have never had food poisoning because you probably not take those chances.

    I have had severe food poisoning. Still eat steak and tuna tartar (the steak often includes raw quail egg), many types of raw fish (sushi/sashimi), raw oysters.

    I don't get it from the grocery store to prepare myself because I don't trust the source. I do trust high quality restaurants and those who specialize in sushi/sashimi preparation to do it right.

    I remember seeing my first sushi drive-thru when I was in graduate school and my only prior experience of drive-thrus was McDs and similar. No way was I doing that.
  • positivepowers
    positivepowers Posts: 902 Member
    Well if they're making themselves sick, it sounds like a self-solving problem to me. I'm all for stupidity that results in its own demise - that's natural selection.

    A friend of mine fed his cat a raw diet and tried to get me to feed raw food to my animals because it's "natural." The cat developed a kidney infection directly related to the raw diet, according to the vet. No raw diet for me or my animals!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Well if they're making themselves sick, it sounds like a self-solving problem to me. I'm all for stupidity that results in its own demise - that's natural selection.

    A friend of mine fed his cat a raw diet and tried to get me to feed raw food to my animals because it's "natural." The cat developed a kidney infection directly related to the raw diet, according to the vet. No raw diet for me or my animals!

    Meh, I've fed my cats and dogs a mainly raw diet for years and years. Never had any problems. I could argue that dry kibble would cause more health problems than a species appropriate diet.


    As for eating raw mince... My mum always tastes the raw mince for hamburger patties or whatever before she cooks it, as did her mother and hers before that. She's never got sick from it.

  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    Well if they're making themselves sick, it sounds like a self-solving problem to me. I'm all for stupidity that results in its own demise - that's natural selection.

    A friend of mine fed his cat a raw diet and tried to get me to feed raw food to my animals because it's "natural." The cat developed a kidney infection directly related to the raw diet, according to the vet. No raw diet for me or my animals!

    Meh, I've fed my cats and dogs a mainly raw diet for years and years. Never had any problems. I could argue that dry kibble would cause more health problems than a species appropriate diet.



    As for eating raw mince... My mum always tastes the raw mince for hamburger patties or whatever before she cooks it, as did her mother and hers before that. She's never got sick from it.
    Aren't there hydration issues with mainly feeding a cat dry foods?

    I eat a lot of raw veggies because I'm lazy and don't want to cook them. I actually prefer sweet potatoes and carrots raw. I've also eaten plenty of dessert dough with raw egg.

    My only case of food poisoning came from a cooked shrimp quesadilla at Los Cucos. Admittedly, the experience soured me on that particular chain.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    CooCooPuff wrote: »
    Well if they're making themselves sick, it sounds like a self-solving problem to me. I'm all for stupidity that results in its own demise - that's natural selection.

    A friend of mine fed his cat a raw diet and tried to get me to feed raw food to my animals because it's "natural." The cat developed a kidney infection directly related to the raw diet, according to the vet. No raw diet for me or my animals!

    Meh, I've fed my cats and dogs a mainly raw diet for years and years. Never had any problems. I could argue that dry kibble would cause more health problems than a species appropriate diet.



    As for eating raw mince... My mum always tastes the raw mince for hamburger patties or whatever before she cooks it, as did her mother and hers before that. She's never got sick from it.
    Aren't there hydration issues with mainly feeding a cat dry foods?

    I eat a lot of raw veggies because I'm lazy and don't want to cook them. I actually prefer sweet potatoes and carrots raw. I've also eaten plenty of dessert dough with raw egg.

    My only case of food poisoning came from a cooked shrimp quesadilla at Los Cucos. Admittedly, the experience soured me on that particular chain.

    Definitely!

    ...And kidney problems/crystals, particularly in male cats is very, very common. The cats I have known with this condition were mainly fed dry food supplemented with supermarket wet foods with high sodium and I think sugar levels.

    It's one thing to feed ourselves a 100% processed diet or raw vegan or whatever, but to inflict the same on our pets who are even less equipped than us to live on such a diet just really, really grates me!

    Sorry, I don't want to steer this thread toward a completely unrelated topic. This is a huge passion of mine...
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    How raw is raw milk? If one owns the cow and collects the milk an hour before serving it at table, it's going to be fine. The hazard comes when city folk drive out to the country to buy milk that's been waiting no telling how long for them to show up and then they take it home without proper refrigeration and expect it to sit in a 35 degree fridge for days.
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