70% Uncooked - Raw Foods - Benefits Nutrition

Raw Food Diet: Enjoy Nutrition as Nature Designed

Sunday, January 03, 2010 by: Kim Evans, citizen journalist
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(NaturalNews) Raw food diets are becoming increasing popular, and with good reason. Foods in their raw state are truly as nature designed and they are the most biocompatible with our bodies. In fact, it's interesting to know that a boiled potato has 420 more molecular compounds than a raw potato. These new compounds are created in the cooking process, but part of the problem is that our bodies aren't always able to process new compounds - even if someone created them in a kitchen and they taste good.

Our bodies have specific enzymes for digestion, and they work like a lock and key. But when we keep changing the locks, the keys don't always fit. The result is that cooked foods aren't always digested well and particles of them end up stored in our bodies as toxic sludge, instead of used for fuel with the remainder eliminated.

Interestingly, studies have shown that cooked foods increase our white blood cell activity. This essentially means that our bodies see cooked foods as invaders, and work to defend against them. Raw foods don't have this effect.

Another reason raw foods diets are becoming popular is that raw foods contain enzymes whereas cooked and processed foods are devoid of enzymes, as heating destroys them. Enzymes are critical factors in the health equation; they're often called our life force. Enzymes are the catalysts for every function of the body, including blinking and breathing. When we run out of enzymes, we die.

Digestion requires enzymes and by eating raw foods, we're doing little to deplete our enzyme reserves. In contrast, cooked foods demand that the body give up some of its enzymes for digestion. In this manner, cooked foods literally speed our death and hasten all of the processes along the way, including aging and disease.

Unfortunately, most cultures and social circles aren't geared towards raw foods. Many don't understand the benefits of raw food diets, or understand that a diet geared around cooked foods causes problems. Many people also think raw foods are boring or difficult to prepare. In truth, they don't have to be either.

Adding Raw Foods to Your Diet

An easy way to increase your raw food consumption is to drop the cereal or toast for breakfast and start eating fruit. People often say they'd be hungry doing that, but the solution is to eat more. A pineapple or half watermelon is a delicious breakfast. Your favorite fruit can also replace candied or processed snacks.

You can also boost your raw food intake by eating more salads, and making them more substantial in the process. A salad doesn't have to be all lettuce and half a tomato. Salads can skip the lettuce entirely and can bulk up with a quarter cabbage, two tomatoes, an avocado, and perhaps half a cucumber. With a great dressing, it'll be delicious, and most people will be quite satisfied afterward. So, forget conventional salad wisdom and bulk your salads up with lots of your favorite veggies.

Raw foods can also be added to cooked foods, when the cooking is complete. For example, shredded cabbage, fresh thyme, and a diced tomato can be added on top of a boiled potato to make a great half raw "potato salad." Just season with coconut oil and sea salt.

If you're not ready to go completely raw, you can benefit by simply adding more raw foods to your diet. Many health experts recommend a diet of about 70 percent raw foods, which would be two meals a day, plus snacks. However, in truth, the more you add, the better off you'll be.

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