SHOULD YOU EAT RAW ONLY?
A diet is considered a raw food diet if it consists of at least 75% raw, uncooked fruits,
vegetables, sprouts, etc. Raw and living foods are believed to contain essential food
enzymes (living foods contain a higher enzyme content than cooked foods). The cooking
process (i.e., heating foods above 116°F) is thought to destroy food enzymes.
People who follow the raw diet use particular techniques to prepare foods. These include
sprouting seeds, grains and beans; soaking nuts and dried fruits; and juicing fruits and
vegetables. The only cooking that is allowed is via a dehydrator. This piece of equipment
blows hot air through the food but never reaches a temperature higher than 116°F.
Do you have to follow the regimen that strictly? Of course not. But it’s certainly worth it
to incorporate some of these techniques and ideas into your diet. If you tend to snack at
work, try taking in carrots or apple slices. Many of the bigger grocery stores now offer
packaged vegetables or fruits that make it easier to pack them and take them to work.
We’re a nation of convenience, and much of the resistance to healthier eating is that it
does generally take a little more effort and time to buy and slice fruits and vegetables.
Food retailers have been catching on, slowly, and it’s much easier now to get bags of
sliced carrots, celery, apples, nuts and raisins.
Of course these aren’t necessarily organic foods, and organic is the better way to go, but
we think anything raw is infinitely better than cooked, processed food. If you have the
time, do buy organic and slice them yourself. But if you’re in a hurry, and nowhere near a
natural food store, then don’t beat yourself up or sabotage your efforts because you can’t
do this 100% all the time. That’s not realistic. Anything from the fruit and vegetable aisle
is going to be better for you than a potato chip, or worse yet, a french fry!
THE GOOD AND THE BAD –
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