6/17/11

The Skinny on "Raw"


Have you ever heard of the term "raw foods"? Was the first thing that came to mind steak tartar? I used to be completely in the dark about raw foodism, what it was and what it meant. It sounded like a fanatical club, where only the most granola of hippies belonged.

After reading up on the topic and meeting some wonderful raw people (who happened to be the most  healthy, vibrant-looking beauties I've ever seen), I decided that maybe there was something to this school of thought.



Here are the basic ideas:

1. Every single whole food contains its own specific enzymes that help us digest and absorb the nutrients in that fruit, vegetable, nut, etc. (How amazing is that?) By cooking the food, those very helpful, hardworking enzymes are broken down, which forces our body to work overtime to produce the enzymes we need. By not getting these directly from the source (aka: raw food), we can develop digestive problems, nutrient deficiencies and sad immune systems.

2. This means that raw food is considered any food (fruit, vegetable, nut or seed) that is not cooked beyond 118 degrees. This maintains the integrity of vitamins and minerals and keeps the food alkaline.

3. Remember learning about pH balances in science class, rolling your eyes and thinking, "When will I use this in real life?" NOW. Our bodies have a pH balance that can run anywhere from very acidic to highly alkaline. A cooked meal, whether it's fried chicken or rice and beans, registers in our body as acidic. Any raw food, even something that seems acidic (like grapefruit or lemon), registers in our  body as alkaline. Disease thrives in an acidic environment and an alkaline body, filled with nutrients and oxygen, makes it almost impossible for disease to set up camp.

It's estimated that over 60% of illnesses today are caused by the Standard American Diet (SAD).
Think about all of the plastic-packaged, sugary, processed foods with strange ingredients that dominate our markets. Think about cows on antibiotics and chickens that are disease-laden.

It suddenly doesn't seem too fanatical to eat fruits and vegetables, does it? 
Check out this article on David Murdock, the 88-year-old CEO of Dole Foods who lives almost entirely on raw foods. He's planning his 125th birthday.

This documentary is another convincing argument for this way of life. A handful of diabetes patients move to a ranch, become raw foodists and stop taking insulin. Amazing!


What do YOU think?

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