 Rundown
on Raw - Exploring the Benefits of "Uncooking"
By Tamara Cottle of R.A.W. Solutions 4 Life
Although raw food is one of the latest trends to gain popularity in the
health world, it stands to reason that “living food” is humanity’s first and
oldest diet. With celebrities like Demi Moore, Pamela Lee Anderson and Sting
touting the amazing benefits of “uncooking”, there has been a growing
interest in raw food among Canadians wanting to lose weight, look younger
and heal themselves of dis-ease.
The champions of this movement claim a myriad of virtues including improved
digestion and cardiovascular health, more energy, less allergies, weight
loss, enhanced sex life and fertility, stronger immunity, and the list goes
on. How can simply eating food that has not been cooked have such potential
for healing? The key is in the enzyme.
Dr. Edward Howell was the first researcher to recognize the importance of
enzyme function in human nutrition. Howell defines enzymes as substances
which make life possible. According to Howell, enzymes are needed for every
chemical reaction that occurs in the body. In his book, The Status of Food
Enzymes in Metabolism and Digestion (published in 1946), Howell proposes the
idea that the enzymes present in raw foods can help in the digestion process
once they are entered into the human digestive system. He also theorizes
that the body has a limited supply of its own digestive enzymes that can be
exhausted when cooked food is consumed. Howell believes that the “life
force” contained in raw foods can be transferred to the body when eaten,
promoting vitality and longevity.
The beliefs of the late Dr. Edward Howell have been supported in more recent
studies. It is now understood that thousands of these microscopic
protein-like structures exist and are required for virtually everything that
takes place in the body from catalyzing energy production in the cell, to
delivering hormones throughout the endocrine system.
There are many different types of enzymes but the ones that raw foodists are
concerned with are plant enzymes. Plant enzymes begin to digest food when
they enter the stomach. This alleviates the pancreas, which can be
overburdened by the need to produce more enzymes when dead foods are
consumed. When food is heated above temperatures of 118o F, these vital
enzymes are destroyed.
The importance of food enzymes cannot be overstated as essential nutrients
such as vitamins, minerals and precious phytochemicals cannot be assimilated
or utilized without proper digestion. The complex of chemical structures
found in whole, raw food work together synergistically to provide sustenance
to the human body. Foods that have been cooked, denatured by canning, or
irradiated cannot supply the subtle energy and healing capabilities of
living foods.
In the late 1950’s, Ann Wigmore popularized the raw food diet in the United
States when she opened the Hippocrates Health Institute in Boston. Here
Wigmore shared her experience of overcoming colon cancer by eating sprouts,
raw fermented foods and wheatgrass while educating people in the use of
these foods to heal themselves. According to Wigmore, there are two main
causes of disease- deficiency and toxemia. Deficiency is the term used to
describe a state of undernourishment in the body caused by eating
indigestible, cooked food. Toxemia is what happens when high levels of
toxins are stored in the body. Toxins are acquired through eating processed,
pesticide-tainted foods, breathing polluted air, and are produced when
stress and destructive emotions are experienced. Living foods are said to
address the problems of deficiency and toxemia as they provide the nutrients
and energy needed to release toxins and regenerate tissue.
If one looks in nature, humans and their domesticated animals are the only
creatures on earth that eat cooked food. Both Wigmore and Howell believed
that this could be one of the reasons why people suffer from cancer and
other degenerative conditions that animals in the wild are free from.
To a certain extent, we are all raw foodists. Whether it is a fresh tossed
salad or a juicy apple, at some point or another most people have tasted the
wonderful gift of raw food. To achieve the true benefit of the raw food
diet, however, one must eat between 50-100 percent raw foods. Fresh
vegetables and fruit, raw nuts and seeds, sprouted legumes and grains,
fermented foods and seas vegetables comprise the majority of the raw food
diet. Uncooked animal flesh, cultured dairy, as well as dried fruit are also
considered raw.
The raw food diet is as varied and delicious as any cooked food diet. With
the help of graters, blenders, food processors, juicers and dehydrators, raw
cuisine has become an art form in itself. Here are some tips for increasing
the amount of raw food in the average diet.
1) Soak nuts and seeds in filtered water before eating. This removes enzyme
inhibitors and improves digestibility.
2) Add sprouts to your salad. Sprouts are among the highest quality proteins
available for consumption. They contain no saturated fat or cholesterol, and
are rich in vitamins, trace minerals and antioxidants.
3) Drink a green smoothie daily. Toss a handful of parsley, spinach, or kale
into your favourite fruit smoothie to attain vitamin K for bone health, and
an abundant source of chlorophyll, a blood fortifier.
4) Choose organic as they have higher levels of antioxidants than
conventional choices. Also, conventional foods are often sprayed with
pesticides contributing to toxemia of the body.
5) Include a variety of foods in your diet. Make it your mission to try new
foods and always look to incorporate all the colours of the spectrum in your
daily meals.
Tamara Cottle is a Holistic Nutritionist & owner/operator of R.A.W.
Solutions 4 Life, Nutrition Counseling & Fitness. Contact Tamara at
403.389.3111 for more information. |
