The raw food diet is as much a lifestyle as it is an eating plan; a naturalistic approach that excludes, in addition to cooked and animal-based foods, processed and refined ingredients.

In the ever-hungry search for new health fads and panaceas, the raw food diet, with adherents like Woody Harrelson and Donna Karan, is growing in popularity. Unlike many other carts, however, raw food (also known as “live food”) offers indisputable health benefits and one can reap rewards even if you’re a 50/50 hobbyist. Being 100% extremist requires discipline and education, and is the best compromise to be phased in to avoid the stress of the inevitable detox.

A food is essentially ‘raw’ if it is kept below 115 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature above which enzymes are destroyed. Eating raw foods ensures an opulent intake of nutrients, fiber, healthy oils, and vital enzymes. Raw foods are much more easily digested, taking half to a third of the time as cooked foods, around 24 to 36 hours compared to 40 to 100 hours. Raw vegetables and fruits are also efficiently alkaline, so they help optimize the body’s pH balance (about 60-80% alkaline foods are recommended for a disease-resistant internal environment).

Whole foods, sprouts and raw juices are preferred in a raw food diet, and dehydrating ‘ovens’ effectively concentrate the flavor of certain raw foods to aid in the creation of an amazing variety of cooked dishes. I have had a raw food pizza that had amazingly no wheat, cheese or cooked ingredients! It tasted delicious and I was stumped to find out what it was actually made of!

Brute force

Raw plant foods are healthy, regenerative, cleansing, energizing, efficiently alkaline and packed with vitamins, minerals, healthy oils, enzymes and antioxidants that promote health, beauty and longevity. In addition to improving digestion and protecting against aging and disease, a raw food diet has shown benefits for weight loss and promotes clear, beautiful skin.

The benefit of eating raw foods becomes even more apparent in view of the effects that cooking can have on food components.

the effects of cooking

Arthur Baker writes in Awakening Our Self-Healing Body: ‘Food overcooked literally ruins our bodies. They deny the necessary nutrients for the system, since the heat alters the food in such a way that it is partially, mostly or totally destroyed. Nutrients coagulate, deaminize, caramelize and become inorganic and become toxic and pathogenic in the body.’

The indigestible end products of cooked food can remain in the intestine, clogging it and interfering with healthy elimination. They can cause a buildup of toxins, mutagens, and carcinogens. Carbohydrates ferment, proteins rot, and fats go rancid, creating free radicals that enter the bloodstream.

Lipofuscin, the ‘aging pigment’, is an example of a waste product created from damaged proteins and fats. It accumulates in the skin and nervous system and is visible as “brown spots” on the skin and eyes.

Toxic byproducts and excess free radicals from cooked foods can weaken the immune system and speed up the aging process.

enzymes

Cooking destroys the enzymes in our food. These delicate, heat-sensitive proteins can become destabilized at temperatures as low as 115 degrees Fahrenheit, so even light steaming can render them inactive.

Enzymes, so abundant in a raw food diet, are highly functional catalysts involved in various health regulatory tasks in the body, such as breaking down food in digestion, delivering nutrients, removing toxic waste, and strengthening the endocrine and immune systems. All living cells contain enzymes that work in cooperation with other minerals. Since there is not an unlimited supply of enzymes, eating them in our food takes the burden off the organs to produce digestive enzymes, allowing more use of the enzymes for other metabolic purposes, freeing up more energy for the performance of other tasks.

nutrients

When cooking food we can lose up to 97% of the water-soluble vitamins (B and C) and 40% of the fat-soluble ones (namely A, D, E and K).

proteins

Heat denatures proteins, changing their molecular structure and rendering them useless. Bacteria in the intestine feed on undigested protein that tends to putrefy, giving rise to toxins. Raw foods provide healthy and readily available protein in greater amounts without leaving undigested residue.

fats

Oils are sensitive to heat, light and air. Heating can destroy the goodness of an oil and alter the molecules generating toxins and free radicals. Cold-pressed, unrefined oils contain all of their natural health-giving substances (olive oil, for example, is rich in phytonutrients, flaxseed oil is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, etc.). Oils should be kept refrigerated in dark, sealed containers.

Fiber

Fiber is essential for health and helps cleanse the intestines, scrubbing them and aiding in elimination. With cooked food, the fiber turns into a soft substance, losing its brush quality. It can rot, ferment, and partially rot in the intestine, causing toxins, gas, and heartburn.

super raw

Eating superfoods further enhances a raw food diet. Superfoods are the most potent, antioxidant-rich, nutrient-dense, disease-fighting, anti-aging, beautifying, mood-boosting, and immune-boosting foods on the planet. Raw superfoods ensure optimal intake of nutrients and phytochemicals for optimal health.

Raw food diet for your pets

A raw food diet for dogs and cats is both natural and species-appropriate. Not only does it provide a rich supply of nutrients, antioxidants, and enzymes, but it also ensures a shift away from the toxic, inappropriate, highly processed, and low-grade ingredients found in commercial pet foods that can harm the health of pets. your pet. If you are embarking on a homemade raw food diet for your pet (sometimes referred to as BARF), thoroughly research the area first, as nutritional balance is essential.

Copyright 2006 Sylvia Riley