Raw Foods
What Is Raw Food?
Scientific Research
Yale Medical Journal published a report by Dr. Irving Fisher at Yale University who compared athletic stamina and strength of vegetarian v.s. meat diets. Vegans won! Dangers Of Cooked Food Cooking food destroys vitamins and minerals. The American diet is already low on essential vitamins and minerals, but the cooking process can destroy up to 80% of the micro-nutrients our body needs. The water soluble vitamins B and C are most susceptible to temperature and leave our immune system bankrupt. Eating raw foods every day is like taking a daily multi-vitamin. Cooking food also destroys digestive enzymes that help our body process the food we eat. Without these enzymes our body has to produce its own, which drains our energy. This is why you feel tired after eating a cooked meal. Raw food will not bog you down and leave you tired after a meal. Raw foods contain all the necessary digestive enzymes that help metabolize food quickly and efficiently. A cooked meal triggers an unhealthy immune system response. It increases your bodies white blood cell count immediately after a meal. A phenomenon called digestive leukocytosis is the sharp increase of white corpuscles due to a cooked meal. These corpuscles, or "white blood cells" are released into the body when a virulent infection of poison is introduced to the body. It is a defense mechanism that is being prematurely taxed. These unnatural fluctuations in your immune system can lower your resistance to chronic diseases especially auto-immune diseases. Eating raw food has no effect on your white blood count. Raw Food Benefits
Raw foods help you lose weight. Fresh produce has a low energy density. That means it has low calories in a large volume. A meal consisting of raw fruits, vegetables, and beans will fill you up and promote weight loss. It's actually hard to over-eat on an all raw diet because of the high fiber and water content. Losing weight doesn't have to leave you hungry. Fresh food increases your energy. You lose that drowsiness after eating and actually sleep better at night. Studies have proven that people who eat mostly raw food require less sleep than people on typical American diets. Preparing raw meals is convenient and inexpensive. There are lots of good raw cook books available to learn how to prepare wholesome raw food meals. My favorite way to get my daily dose of raw goodness is in a smoothie. See my Healthy Smoothie page for some great suggestions. Compared to pre-packaged food, produce is cheap and economical. Especially in the summer months at produce stands and farmers markets if you have one near by. |
Raw food is the perfect fuel for your body. It contains many nutrients and benefits not found in cooked food. Whether you're a high performance athlete or someone trying to gain better health, raw foods are vital.
Raw food is any food that is not heated above 118 degrees and is not processed in any way. The most common types of raw food are fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains and legumes. A raw foodist is someone who's diet is mostly raw. The benefits of a raw food diet are numerous and backed by scientific proof.
Cooking food above 118 degrees destroys digestive enzymes and lowers the nutritional properties of food.
Raw foods have everything your body needs to stay healthy. They are naturally high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants. Every aspect of good nutrition is fulfilled in a faw food diet.