Since the arrest of Thierry Casasnovas on March 7, the raw foodism advocated on YouTube by the guru, who was finally indicted on Friday March 10, 2023, finds himself in the spotlight. But what is it?
[Updated March 10, 2023 at 7:57 p.m.] The arrest of Thierry Casasnovas and his placement in police custody, Tuesday March 7, and which Le Parisien echoed, caused a stir. Friday March 10, 2023, the public prosecutor of Perpignan finally announced that the guru of “raw food” was indicted for “breach of trust”, “forgery and use of forgery”, “illegal practice of medicine”, ” illegal practice of pharmacy”, “deceptive commercial practices”, “abuse of corporate assets”, “laundering” and “abuse of weakness”. Thierry Casasnovas was placed under judicial supervision with “prohibition to participate in or organize courses or training related to naturopathy, hygiene, health or well-being”, also specified the prosecutor in his press release. As a reminder, Thierry Casasnovas is indicted as part of an investigation opened in 2021.
But by the way, what is the crudivorisme which he constantly praises in his videos posted on YouTube? Forget the obsolete fasting, with raw food, the goal is to follow a diet consisting exclusively of raw foods. On the menu: raw fruits and vegetables, meat in carpaccio or tartar… All these foods must be eaten raw or cooked at a temperature below 40 degrees. According to the followers of the raw food diet, some consume fish and meat while others exclude them completely to eat only fruits, vegetables, seaweed, sprouted bread or even nuts and seeds.
Also called “living food”, raw food would have the objective of facilitating digestion and the elimination of waste from the body. Its main advantage? Enable weight loss. Indeed, foods eaten raw are often less caloric than those that must be cooked. Followed by 600,000 subscribers and followers on the YouTube platform, the 48-year-old guru even claimed to be able to cure…cancer or autism with this diet.
For food experts, consuming only raw foods does not provide the benefits touted by advocates of raw foodism. Worse, they warn against dietary deficiencies or abnormal muscle fatigue caused by this diet but also against individuals who present raw food as a tool to help treat serious pathologies.
In its annual report, the Interministerial Mission for Vigilance and the Fight against Sectarian Aberrations (Miviludes) denounces the strategy of “dérapeutes”, which is based on a “weakening of victims by the rejection of conventional medicine” and on the promotion of practices unconventional. Thierry Casasnovas is the subject of a judicial investigation opened by the Perpignan public prosecutor’s office in the summer of 2020 for “endangering the lives of others”, “illegal exercise of the profession of doctor”, “abuse of weakness” and “practices deceptive trade”.
In addition to his dietary advice, Thierry Casasnovas has put several patients at risk by pushing them to stop their drug treatment, to give up medical operations or to refuse vaccines. Figure of sectarian aberrations in connection with alternative medicine, like naturopathy, Thierry Casasnovas “is the person who is the subject of the greatest number of reports”, according to the interministerial mission of vigilance and the fight against aberrations sectarians (Miviludes). The organization has recorded more than 600 reports against the raw food guru since 2011, and more than 50 in 2021 alone. But after sounding the alarm, some have gone further, filing outright complaints with the authorities. , notes Le Parisien. The pseudo naturopath is also in the sights of organizations for the defense of victims of sects and the national order of doctors.
The excesses of Thierry Casasnovas also extend financially, according to the investigations. He is suspected of money laundering, deceptive business practice and breach of trust for marketing raw food courses or retreats or for selling dietary supplements. In total, the amount of the offenses would be more than 2.7 million euros, still according to Le Parisien.
This is not the first time that the name of Thierry Casasnovas has been mentioned in the miscellaneous news section of the newspapers. In February 2022, Le Parisien revealed that the “pope of raw food on YouTube”, who was then already targeted by a judicial investigation, had seen his accommodation in Maureillas-las-Illas, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, raided by the gendarmes of the research section of Montpellier and the central office for combating damage to the environment and public health (OCLAESP). According to information from the daily, this search aimed to collect documents related to the professional practices of Thierry Casasnovas as well as his finances. The main interested party was present on the scene during the operation, further specified Le Parisien.
