Rating: 
Summary: expect few facts, much dogma
Review: Ask anyone who has given up or curbed their cooked food intake, they will attest that cooked food is an addiction! So I was looking forward to reading this book...
The author, Victoria Boutenko, and her family embraced the raw food diet to rid themselves of obesity, diabetes, asthma, cavities, you name it. They met with success, and understandably, want to inform others. Boutenko's enthusiasm is genuine, but this book contains little substance to support her claims. There is so much fiction mixed in with the facts that I found myself not believing the author at all. Many of these errors could have been rectified with a couple hours of web searching, so I felt that the oversights resulted from carelessness. I cringed at chapter titles like "Bacteria, My Favorite Animal in the World" (bacteria are completely unrelated to animals) or pseudofacts like " the hand has more than 100 little bones in it" (hand and wrist together have 27). Why bother mentioning these things at all? The dialogues from her group sessions are dry and mostly unhelpful. The book offers some encouragement to help people stay on the raw path, but one would be better off joining a raw foodist forum or community group. Boutenko's other book, Raw Family, is a better read because it avoids trying to prove the raw food diet and instead focuses on the family's experiences. Interestingly, the writer of this book's foreword, Gabriel Cousens, authored the science-laden raw food resource "Conscious Eating" which I highly recommend, along with David Wolfe's "Eating for Beauty".
Rating: 
Summary: Your book has been so helpful to me!
Review: I absolutely love your book. It has been so helpful to me especially when I did my first fast a month ago. I read your chapter on the family fast 3 times. I also love how relaxed, casual, direct and honest you are with your experiences on the raw diet.
I love the concepts you outline. I have been 100% raw for the past 7 monthes with total resolve to stay on the plan.
Thank you for all your work in the world. I am so thankful to have acess to your story and your brilliance.
Rating: 
Summary: Good introduction to the raw food lifestyle
Review: I bought this book just this last week to figure out if the raw food diet would interest me. I had read a little bit about the diet on the internet, but I wanted to learn more. After researching a little bit I finally settled on this book. I admit that I was wary of reading it based upon the title, but after giving the book a chance I finished it within two days. It was very interesting, and easy to read. Not only has it given me some interesting and new perspectives about the raw food lifestyle, it has made me want to give the raw food diet a try! Her explanations about enzymes and how they work were very informative, and her personal stories about the struggles she and her family went through were encouraging. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in bettering their health. One reason why I give it 4 stars and not 5 is because some of what she talks about (i.e. the benefits of eating partially raw as compared to 100% raw) were only based upon experience and not scientific research. I would probably be more convinced of all the benefits if there had been adequate outside scientific research contained within to support her claims.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: I don't have anything else to say (that hasn't already been said) other than this is a great book. Lots of insight and information. While reading the first half of this book, many of my questions were answered. Eat raw and stay strong.
Rating:
Summary: A good addition to "Can We Live 150 Years?"
Review: I find Amazon.com's suggestion to add this book to the basket as "Best Value" with the book "Can We Live 150 Years?" by Mikhail Tombak as a very good suggestion. What I value most about "12 Steps to Raw Foods" is the fact that the book is highly motivational -- exactly what I found in "Can We Live 150 Years?". What I don't like in Buotenko's book is the tendency to exaggerate things. Hence only 4 stars, instead of 5. All in all these two books together make a very good package for anyone who cares about their health and longevity.
Rating:
Summary: A good addition to "Can We Live 150 Years?"
Review: I find Amazon.com's suggestion to add this book to the basket as "Better Together" with the book "Can We Live 150 Years?" by Mikhail Tombak as a very good suggestion. What I value most about "12 Steps to Raw Foods" is the fact that the book is highly motivational -- a feature that I slightly missed in "Can We Live 150 Years?". What I don't like in Buotenko's book is the tendency to exaggerate things. Hence only 4 stars, instead of 5. All in all these two books together make a very good Christmas idea for anyone who cares about their health and longevity.
Rating:
Summary: Not the Best Raw Food Book
Review: I found this book to have some useful information, but don't recommend it. 'Facts' are presented without any outside references and the writing is somewhat stilted. I highly recommend The Sunfood Diet Healing System as a truly comprehensive book on raw foodism.
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Summary: Inspiring Raw Book!
Review: I found Victoria's book to be very inspiring and easy to follow. This is a great book for everybody that knows that raw foods is the right path but don't quite have the willpower to do it on their own. The great stories give you hope and information is represented in an easy to follow manner. So what if it isn't scientifically backed up? There have been no studies on raw food done, you'll just have to try it out for yourself and see the amazing results! And her recipes are just heavenly! I'd give this book 10 stars! Olesja
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Summary: Transitioning to raw foods successfully!
Review: I have been on a raw food diet for three years and have experienced amazing results in my health, attitude, and life. With such overwhelming evidence as achieving a normal weight, loss of depression, boundless creative energy, still I found it hard to maintain a strict raw food diet have excused, rationalized, and regretted what became almost daily forays into cooked foods. When I read Victoria's book, I realized why the attraction to cooked food could be so strong, despite the concomitant depression, overweight and lethargy. Addictions are not simply to drugs; it is a well-known fact that people experience sexual addictions, shopping addictions and eating addictions. By realizing that the attraction to cooked food must be treated like a tiger rather than a pussycat, I have finally been successful. It is wonderful to be back in a healthy lifestyle! Thank you, Victoria!
Rating:
Summary: The first book I recomend
Review: I have made "12 Steps to Raw Foods" my Bible. It's now the first book I recomend to people chosing the Raw Food Lifestyle.
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