What is a Raw Food?
We call food raw if it is:- Uncooked - never heated above 42 C/118 F degrees. and preferably:
- Unprocessed - as fresh (or wild) as possible
- Organic - no irradiation, preservatives, pesticides or GMO.
Why eat raw food?
- Kills enzymes. Enzymes help you digest your food. Your body can create enzymes but that process takes a lot of energy. This process makes you feel tired and heavy after a cooked food meal. Further, the enzymes your body makes are not as efficient and effective as the ones that were destroyed in your food.
Consequently, your food is not be broken down as well and thus harder to digest. This also results in food starts rotting in your intestines, that parasites have more chance to survive
It is further believed that your body has a limited amount of enzymes that it can produce. If the supply is finished, body organs will function less and less. It will accelerate aging. - Destroys most vitamins
- Destroys the life force. Eating cooked food is eating dead food. This will make you feel heavy and tired. Live food has live energy. It will give you energy. Simply put. A raw seed will grow, a cooked seed won't. When you pick (raw) unripe fruit it continues to ripen for weeks. Cooked fruit starts to decay within days.
These reasons are enough to explain why most people on a raw food diet feel more energetic and have a stronger immune system.
THE RAW (LIVE) FOOD GROUPS:
Fruits
Fruits are very good for elimination, and are alkalizing. Fruits have the highest percent of vitamins per calorie of any class of foods. When you eat fruits, you get an instant message from the brain that your blood sugar levels are rising, which helps regulate appetite so you know when to stop eating. Eating fruit also reduces cravings for sweets after meals. If blood sugar ups and downs from fruit are a concern for you, avoid fruit juices, dried fruit, and overeating sweet fruits.
Fruits are very good for elimination, and are alkalizing. Fruits have the highest percent of vitamins per calorie of any class of foods. When you eat fruits, you get an instant message from the brain that your blood sugar levels are rising, which helps regulate appetite so you know when to stop eating. Eating fruit also reduces cravings for sweets after meals. If blood sugar ups and downs from fruit are a concern for you, avoid fruit juices, dried fruit, and overeating sweet fruits.
Vegetables
Vegetables have the highest percentage of minerals per calorie of any class of foods. Emphasize the easy to digest greens and vegetables, such as lettuces, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, red bell peppers, and green, leafy sprouts. Dark greens and cruciferous vegetables, such as kale, collards, cabbage, and broccoli are very nutritious (rich in protein and minerals), but can be harder to digest. Try shredding them finely, or taking them as juices or blended soups at first, as you gradually adapt to eating more raw vegetables. You can also use dehydrated greens, grass, and algae powders as supplements, especially while traveling.
Fats
Vegetables have the highest percentage of minerals per calorie of any class of foods. Emphasize the easy to digest greens and vegetables, such as lettuces, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, red bell peppers, and green, leafy sprouts. Dark greens and cruciferous vegetables, such as kale, collards, cabbage, and broccoli are very nutritious (rich in protein and minerals), but can be harder to digest. Try shredding them finely, or taking them as juices or blended soups at first, as you gradually adapt to eating more raw vegetables. You can also use dehydrated greens, grass, and algae powders as supplements, especially while traveling.
Fats
Nuts and seeds contain protein
and good fats. Fatty fruits and their oils, such as avocado, olives, olive oil,
and young coconut (though technically a seed), are also rich in good fats. Most
nuts and seeds, particul-arly nuts, are acid forming, so use them in
moderation, and combine them with plenty of alkalizing greens or vegetables.
For increased digestibility, soak your nuts and seeds overnight before using.
Too much fat (even the good fats) can cause digestive problems and weight gain.
Make sure you are emphasizing fruits and vegetables, not fats.
Algae
Spirulina, chlorella, and Klamath-Lake algae’s may be used as nutritious whole food supplements between or with meals. They are high in protein, vitamin A, iron, and chlorophyll. Make sure that you buy algae that has been dried at low temperatures or flash-frozen, to preserve nutrients and enzymes.
Spirulina, chlorella, and Klamath-Lake algae’s may be used as nutritious whole food supplements between or with meals. They are high in protein, vitamin A, iron, and chlorophyll. Make sure that you buy algae that has been dried at low temperatures or flash-frozen, to preserve nutrients and enzymes.
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR PROTEIN?
Protein can be found in
all natural foods. Vegetables and fruits taken together have about 15% of their
calories as protein. Nuts, seeds, dark
leafy greens and vegetables, sprouts, algae, (and for non-vegetarians, lean
animal protein) can be added to the diet for increased protein.
FOOD COMBINING
After a big, complex meal
most of the body’s blood goes to the digestive process, and there is not enough
oxygen for the brain or muscles (which is why you fall asleep after a big
meal). If in the system too long, sugars and starches can ferment, and proteins
can putrefy. In contrast, fruits and vegetables, mostly water, take a short
time in the digestive tract. Correct food combinations encourage proper
digestion, assimilation, and elimination of each food eaten.
- Eat fruit alone.
- Don’t combine protein and starch (such as “meat and potatoes”)
- Don’t eat more than one high-protein food or starch per meal.
- Take liquids between meals, not with meals.
WEIGHT MAINTENANCE
The easiest way to lose
excess fat is to eat low-calorie foods. Raw greens and vegetables have the
lowest calories per bite of any food. Fruits are the second lowest, and they
give satiation because they raise blood sugar and reduce appetite. Vigorous
exercise is also important for weight loss.
If you wish to gain weight, this is best done by gaining muscle through
strength and resistance workouts. The added calories needed for such training
can be easily obtained through additional sweet fruits, nuts, seeds, and avocados.
How to
Eat Raw ...
Any diet you choose to follow can be improved by eating more fruits and vegetables, less sugar, and less refined food. If you eat meat, it needs to be supplemented with green leafy vegetables, and if you are a vegetarian or vegan, adding raw food recipes will give you more nutrition and variety, than a diet of cooked vegetables and starches alone. Don’t feel that you have to follow a strict all-raw diet all of the time to get started—anyone can add raw food recipes to meals they already eat and enjoy. It’s easier for most people to add new foods gradually. Don’t worry about cutting anything out of your present diet. If you start adding healthy foods, the less healthy things will naturally fall away. Just follow these simple steps each week, and before you know it, you’ll be eating 50% raw, and feeling so much better! For health reasons you might want to consume 75-100% living foods.
Any diet you choose to follow can be improved by eating more fruits and vegetables, less sugar, and less refined food. If you eat meat, it needs to be supplemented with green leafy vegetables, and if you are a vegetarian or vegan, adding raw food recipes will give you more nutrition and variety, than a diet of cooked vegetables and starches alone. Don’t feel that you have to follow a strict all-raw diet all of the time to get started—anyone can add raw food recipes to meals they already eat and enjoy. It’s easier for most people to add new foods gradually. Don’t worry about cutting anything out of your present diet. If you start adding healthy foods, the less healthy things will naturally fall away. Just follow these simple steps each week, and before you know it, you’ll be eating 50% raw, and feeling so much better! For health reasons you might want to consume 75-100% living foods.
