The benefits of raw living foods.

After a successful Raw Food workshop on Saturday I would like to provide some of the information on this blog for those of you who couldn't make it.  There was a lot of information presented so here is a snippet.

Raw foods are anything that is not heated above 48 degrees Celsius.  Eating predominately raw foods puts less strain on your digestive system as there are an abundance of enzymes found in raw food that assist in the digestive process.  This has endless benefits on our body, such as slowing down the ageing process!  Eating predominately cooked food on the other hand puts a tremendous strain on your body because your body needs to work harder to produce these enzymes to break down the food you are eating.  Also, when cooking food you loose a large amount of vitamin C which is so beneficial coming into Winter!

Dr Edward Howell, the father of the food enzyme concept, explained that when your body is busy digesting food, it is unable to divert the necessary energy to make the type of enzymes needed to do other tasks such as cleansing, healing and building.  There is a tug-of-war between the demands of your digestive system for a constant supply of digestive enzymes and the other needs of your body.  Without adequate supply of enzymes you can suffer symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, bad breath, constipation, Candida, depression and many other symptoms.  

Some of the benefits of eating raw foods are:

•  Raw foods contain much more water, fibre, nutrients and general bulk that they fill you up faster than cooked food.

•  The enzymes in raw food are active as they have not been deactivated through the application of heat.  This benefits us when digesting.

•  Increased energy because raw foods are digested easily & quickly, in 24-36 hours as opposed to 48-100 hours for cooked food.  Your body’s vitality won’t be sapped from breaking down hard-to-digest foods and you will therefore have more energy.

•  Raw foods can bring body weight to equilibrium or to its optimal range.  You can expect to get healthier and more toned with raw foods.  If weight loss is a goal eat less of the sweet fruits (bananas & dates) & more of the cleansing foods (apples and carrots).

•  Minerals, vitamins and hormones cannot work and perform their job except in the presence of enzymes.  Therefore breathing, sleeping, eating, digesting, thinking, moving, immunity, excitement, etc all depend on enzymes and is therefore enhanced when eating more raw foods.

•  Your eyes become brighter.  The more living enzymes you consume the more you eradicate disease and cleanse your body.  Your glowing eyes reflect this internal improvement.  A raw diet filled with antioxidants from brightly coloured fruits and vegetables can help improve vision and even prevent future diseases.  For instance, if you have a family history of cataracts, eliminating cooked fats from your daily menu rids the capillaries in your eyes of clogs.

•  Ageing process slows & therefore degenerative diseases can disappear.

•  Memory and concentration can become sharper. 

•  Reduces inflammation.

•  Eating a larger percentage of raw foods will decrease the trans fats and saturated fats in your diet, it will also lower the sodium and sugar in your diet.  Potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber, vitamin A, and health-promoting antioxidants will be increased.  These properties are associated with a reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. 

•  Over time your ‘pipes’ become cleaner because the food you are eating is assisting in cleaning your ‘pipes’.  This also aids an increase in energy.

•  You achieve a greater sense of peace.

I say ‘can’ for some of these because it always depends on many factors such as how much food are you eating (portion size)?  Is it organic?  Are there emotional factors or stressors to consider at the same time?

Disease and illness is the body’s method of cleansing, repairing and restoring itself.  Live and raw food helps us to allow our body to cleanse and clean itself.   Therefore when starting out, a detoxification can take place.  You may feel worse before you feel better, depending on how much cleansing your body has to do. Signs of detox may include cold or flu like symptoms, fatigue, white coated tongue, phlegm, low libido, headache, bad breath, depression, darkened urine, irritability, skin breakouts, body odor, etc.  Enemas and colonics can help toxins leave the body through the bowels rather than the skin. 

Ideally if you can incorporate 80% raw and 20% cooked foods into your diet, you are doing yourself a HUGE favour.  Listen to your body.  You may feel the need to enjoy nourishing warming meals during the winter months.  Just remember the more raw in your diet, the less enzymes your body has to work to produce.  Start with a salad today, or enjoy munching on my latest sweet treat - Goji Berry Slice.

I have recently updated my website & you can now book online for a Naturopathic consultation!  I am encouraging people to book Wednesdays first and them am happy to organise other days if this is not suitable.  www.seedsofhealth.com.au

Have a great week!

Janelle Twine.