Why Raw?
We all know that it’s healthy to eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day. This isn’t a new concept! The raw food diet simply suggests that these foods should be most of what we eat.
When you prepare fruits, vegetables, and other natural ingredients without cooking them, you preserve the maximum amount of nutrition available in these foods. You can also save time—and create some of the most delicious meals you have ever tasted.
You don’t have to eat 100% raw or even be a vegetarian to get started! Anyone can enjoy improved health and vitality by applying this to even half of their diet.
“Raw” means uncooked—or unheated—but it also means food in its natural, or “raw” state. Raw food is not only uncooked, but also unprocessed, unrefined, and untreated with heat in any way.
The Raw Food Groups
The three main raw food groups are fresh fruits, vegetables (particularly green leafy vegetables) and natural healthy fats such as avocados, nuts, and seeds.
These foods are the staples of the raw diet, but many other types of foods are used, such as sprouted grains, seasonings, or even occasional cooked foods. The only limits are your creativity and openness to new things. Say goodbye to guilt and unfulfilling foods; bid a fond farewell to that sick feeling in your gut after a big greasy meal.
Not only does the raw food diet improve your health and fitness, it does wonders for your well-being, your attitude, and your outlook on life!
Vitamins and Phytonutrients
Now the nitty gritty: What on earth are “phytonutrients�
Phytonutrients give fruits and vegetables their beautiful colors. They’re also important for the prevention of cancers and other chronic diseases. “Phyto” means “plant”; these nutrients are only available in fruits and vegetables.
Scientists are only beginning to discover how many hundreds of them there are and how important to a strong immune system they can be.
Both vitamins and phytonutrients are very sensitive to heat. Most vitamins and phytonutrients are destroyed or damaged at above 130 degrees.
Enzymes
Enzymes: Enzymes help digest, or break down, raw foods. For example, when fruits ripen, the enzymes change starches into simple sugars, which is why unripe fruit isn’t as sweet. Raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds contain the necessary enzymes to complete the digestion process. (The enzymes in nuts and seeds are activated through soaking them.)
Enzymes are the most heat sensitive of all nutrients, destroyed at temperatures above 118°. Eating an enzyme-rich diet is thought to increase vitality and slow the aging process.
Water
Our bodies are 70% water. Staying well hydrated is important to feeling energized. Many people who feel tired during the day are often mildly dehydrated.
Fruits and vegetables are at least 70% water. Even though we should still drink water upon arising, between meals, and after exercise, consuming a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables—and thus a water-rich diet—will keep you well hydrated and will lessen the need for extra water.
Macro-nutrients, Proteins, and Fat
It isn’t just the micro-nutrients, such as vitamins, phytonutrients, and enzymes that are damaged by heat, but also the macro-nutrients, such as protein and fat. Heat damages proteins, causing the amino acid chains to congeal and change shape. These large and distorted protein molecules may be unusable and even harmful to the body, causing inflammation and other problems. Many people who suffer from inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis, notice an improvement in their condition when they eat less cooked proteins.
We now know that there are good fats and bad fats. A diet containing a moderate amount of the good fats is the healthiest diet. The good fats include mono-unsaturated fats, Omega-3 fatty acids, and medium-chain saturated fatty acids, all of which can be found in many raw foods. (The bad fats include trans-fats, saturated animal fat, and refined polyunsaturated fats, such as refined cooking oils.)
The good, natural fats are very sensitive to heat and are easily damaged by it. Cooked fats have lost their antioxidant qualities, and are also known to be carcinogenic. Heating fats also makes them sticky. (Think of a lasagna pan—even a vegetarian lasagna pan!) These fats can cause blockages in the arteries and digestive tract, inhibit the absorption of nutrients, and reduce the body’s ability to transport oxygen.
Acid-alkaline balance
The cells in the body function at their best when they are slightly alkaline on the pH scale. Most people are too acidic, which prevents the immune system from functioning at its best. Processed food, cooked food, meat, dairy, sugar, pollution, and stress can be acid forming. On the other hand, raw fruits and vegetables are highly alkalizing.
Digestion, Assimilation, and Elimination
Good digestion is essential for good health. In general, people who have good digestion have good health overall. Raw foods are great for assimilation, because you can absorb the maximum amount of nutrients from foods when they’re in their raw state. You may even find that after eating raw foods for a while that you need to eat less because you’re absorbing more nutrition from your food and therefore require less food to fulfill your bodies needs.