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Summary
On episode 259 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Melissa Henig, a nutritional and wellness coach who migrated from a raw vegan diet to what she calls raw paleo, eating raw animal foods along with raw vegetables.
Melissa argues that cooking, freezing, and pasteurizing food denatures it, stripping out enzymes, probiotics, and nutrients that the body needs, and that cholesterol and saturated fat have been unfairly demonized when they are actually essential building blocks for hormones and brain health.
The conversation covers her own path from a nutrient deficient raw vegan diet to raw paleo, the differences between raw and pasteurized butter, why she eats raw eggs and organ meats, and how to source safe, high quality raw animal foods.
Links
- https://rawpaleo.com
- https://www.realmilk.com
Key Takeaways
- Raw paleo is not raw veganism. Melissa switched from a raw vegan diet, where she developed deficiencies in zinc, iron, B12, and cholesterol, to a raw omnivorous diet that includes raw meat, eggs, and dairy alongside raw vegetables.
- Cholesterol is essential, not the enemy. It is a lipid found in every cell and is the building block for estrogen, progesterone, and other hormones. Melissa credits good quality raw cholesterol with helping resolve her own fertility issues.
- Freezing denatures food’s healing potential. Freezing changes the molecular structure of food, so Melissa prioritizes never frozen, never heated meat when she can source it, though she is not dogmatic if fresh options are not available.
- Raw butter behaves differently in the body than pasteurized butter. Pasteurization changes the structure of the proteins and fats. Melissa says she can eat large amounts of raw butter and lose weight, while pasteurized butter puts weight on her.
- Animal source vitamin A is not the same as plant beta carotene. The vitamin A found in raw butter and organ meats is a different, more usable form than the beta carotene precursor found in carrots.
- Properly sourced raw eggs are not the biotin or salmonella risk people assume. Pasture raised eggs have a stronger nutritional profile, and the biotin in the yolk counteracts the avidin in the raw white, which is why Melissa eats the whole egg.
- Raw organ meats are a concentrated source of nutrients. Raw liver delivers a dense dose of vitamin A, D, B12, and B6. Melissa blends a small amount into smoothies with raw butter, eggs, turmeric, and ginger so it is easy to eat.
- Raw meat requires less food to satisfy. Melissa says a small amount of raw meat fills her up faster than cooked meat because it retains its natural enzymes and probiotics and takes less effort to digest.
“I don’t want to denature nature. It knows exactly what it’s doing.”
Melissa Henig
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