Raw Food Health
Modern nutrition has come to emphasize the various health benefits of eating raw foods, creating a wave of new interest in raw food diets. The anti-aging, weight loss, and skin care advantages to consuming a diet comprised mostly of raw foods have caused many individuals to adapt raw food diets at various levels, from moderate, to eating no foods cooked at a temperature above approximately 46 °C (115 °F). Cooking food at high temperatures destroys beneficial enzymes and nutrients that promote health and well being as well as fight disease. Eating the right raw, uncooked foods provides more vitamins and nutrients to fuel the body with fewer calories and toxins, resulting in increased energy levels and decreased illness and disease.
Raw Food Diet Basics
Although there are different types of raw food diets, including raw vegan, raw vegetarian, and even raw omnivorous and carnivorous (meat) diets, there are some common beliefs held by all raw food advocates:
- More vitamins and nutrients are present in raw foods than in foods that have been cooked.
- Digestive enzymes such as amylases, proteases, and lipases aid in digestion and are destroyed or degraded by heating food above 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Raw foods contain healthy bacteria and micro-organisms that increase beneficial gut flora, boosting the immune system and digestion. These healthy bacteria are destroyed by heat.
- Processed foods with added chemicals, preservatives, additives, colors, agents, or dyes of any kind are considered toxic and unhealthy.
- Organic foods are considered more nutritious than chemically treated foods.
Harmful Effects of Cooking Food
Raw food enthusiasts not only tout the superior nutritional quality of raw foods, but also point out the potential dangers in consuming cooked foods. Cooking foods at very high temperatures, including microwaving foods, can cause chemical reactions that produce toxins and reduce protein digestibility. These risks are in addition to reduced vitamin and nutrient content through cooking, making cooked food significantly less healthy than most raw foods.
Raw Food Health Categories
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Raw Food And A Raw Vegetable Diet
Raw vegans are generally 100% raw food eaters, but many consider any vegan with a diet comprised of at least 75% raw food to be raw vegan. Though the raw vegan diet may seem to be suppressive, it doesn't skimp on taste like one might presume.
With enough planning, you can build a complete raw food diet plan full of variety and mouth watering raw food cuisine.
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Raw Food Diet For Pets
Raw food isn't only beneficial for humans to thrive and survive. Pet owners are getting hip to the fact that giving their dogs and cats heated food from a can, and table scraps might not be the best thing for them.
Domesticated animals are getting "human illnesses" like diabetes, and lack of exercise and unhealthy food choices are to blame. Animals love going raw!
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Raw Kitchen Appliances
Some of the basic appliances found in a raw kitchen are simply a knife and cutting board. Add a blender and/or food processor to the mix and you really open the doors to the raw delights that you can create. Keeping your oven at low temperatures may even allow you to get into the more advanced raw recipes, but in general, a food dehydrator is used for those foods that you want to 'dry up' a bit.
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Smoothie Blenders
Perhaps considered a necessity in the kitchen, raw or not, the blender is certainly considered a necessity for those who consume smoothies on a daily basis. Kitchen blenders simply blend items together, chopping the contents with a high speed, and hopefully sharp, blade. The contents are broken down, blended together into a smooth, sometimes liquid consistency. Smoothie blenders usually have the extra "smoothie" button for efficient blending. Most "raw" recipes need a blender (or perhaps a food processor) of some kind.
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