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June 2009
"
We are indeed much more than we eat; nevertheless, what we eat can help us to
be much more than we are. "
~ Adele Davis
How Raw Can You Go?
The Raw Food Movement is gaining momentum and summer is the best time to
check out the benefits. Juicy watermelon, ripe peaches, raw almonds, crunchy
cucumber slices, melt-in-your-mouth avocados, sweet dates, tender asparagus,
and fresh tomatoes—all delicious raw foods that together offer the healthy
fats, sugars, and chlorophyll Raw Foodist David Wolfe says are essential for
a healthy diet.
Most raw foodists say that raw food should not be heated at temperatures
higher than 116 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, a key component of
this diet is a heat dehydrator, which blows hot air on food until it
“cooks.” This allows the fruits and vegetables to retain enzymes that
maximize their nutritional value and energy, according to Olga
Norstrom-Ojeda, a health, nutrition and food writer for Successful Living
Magazine.
The theory behind low heat is that the body depends on the food’s enzymes
to help break it down for digestion. Exposing the enzymes to heat
inactivates them, which means the body has to use its own enzymes. This is
energy that the body could use for other things, including cell regeneration
to improve our health.
What are the benefits of raw food? The claims have not been scientifically
proven, but enthusiasts swear that the diet has tremendous restorative
properties like those below:
· More energy
· Clearer thinking
· Longevity
· Effortless weight loss
· Stronger immunity
· Glowing skin
· Shinier hair
· Improved digestive health
· Fewer head, joint and muscle aches
· Healthier libido
· Improved memory
· Low cholesterol and trigycerides
Researchers have found that a diet rich in raw vegetables can lower your
risk of breast cancer, while eating lots of fruit can reduce your risk for
developing colon cancer, according to a study published in the May 1998
issue of the journal, Epidemiology. Fewer deaths from heart attacks
and related problems (by as much as 24 percent, according to a study
published in the September 1996 issue of the British Medical Journal)
have also been attributed to the daily intake of fresh fruit.
Despite the growing and glowing health advocates’ claims, raw foods do
have a few drawbacks. Paul Pitchford, author of Healing with Whole Foods,
notes that raw fruits and vegetables may contain parasites and other
microorganisms. To remove these, he recommends soaking all greens, roots,
fruits and other produce to be eaten raw in a mild solution of apple cider
vinegar for 15 minutes. (One T per gallon of water.) He does acknowledge
that once a person reaches a high level of vitality, parasites generally
don’t proliferate, and are destroyed by the digestive secretions.
Cooking some foods, like tomatoes and eggs, makes them more bio-available
though. Food and Healing author, Annemarie Colbin, mentions animal
food as something that is both safer and tastier cooked, even though raw
animal protein may be more digestible. However, most raw foodists are
vegetarian or vegan, making this a moot point for the devout. While we may
not get all of the nutrients, cooked food is generally more easily digested.
Some say cooking has allowed us to use our energy for other things over the
centuries, like writing books, painting, creating buildings and other
constructs of civilization.
Colbin ultimately recommends that we tune in to our own body’s signals
when deciding how and what to eat. For example, she suggests we relax for a
few minutes with eyes closed and then send a question down to our solar
plexus, such as, “Is this food good for me?” She asserts that our “gut
level feeling” will give us the answer.
Whether you choose raw, cooked or a variety of both, making sure your food
is whole, pesticide-free and unprocessed is the healthiest way to eat. We
humans have existed on a balance of raw, fermented and cooked foods for
thousands of years in places all over the world (civilizations learned these
practices independent of one another). It has only been since the 1950s that
our Western diet of packaged, factory-farmed, and chemicalized foods has
come on the scene.
Preserving our health may be as simple as getting back to basics like pure
water, rotated crops, clean air and whole, fresh, local foods. Like our
ancestors, we can go heavy on the raw foods when our fresh fruits and
vegetables are abundant in the summer and stockpile the harvested crops for
warmer, stick-to-your-ribs eating in winter. Why not mix it up, delighting
the senses with the best of both worlds?
Raw food websites include www.welikeitraw.com,
www.living-foods.com, and www.recipezaar.com.
Big
Summer Mix Salad
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Prep Time:
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10 minutes
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Cooking
Time:
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None
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Yields:
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2
servings
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Ingredients:
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½
bunch spinach (or any favorite greens)
10 garlic stuffed green olives
½ cup raw cashews
½ small yellow onion
½ red bell pepper
½ jalapeno pepper
½ cucumber
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Dressing:
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2
tablespoons tahini Juice of 1 lime 2 pinches cayenne pepper
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Directions:
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Wash and dry all veggies.
Finely chop all veggies, olives and nuts and place in a large bowl.
Mix dressing ingredients together with a fork in a small bowl.
Add dressing to vegetables, toss well and enjoy
Used with permission from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition
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For
information on scheduled speaking engagements, see my events
page.
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Please forward this newsletter to friends, family members or colleagues who
might be interested and inspired by it.
Contact me today to schedule
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