Why Raw?

There is a phenominal amount of information available on the internet regarding the benefits of consuming a raw-vegan diet.  It is clear to me why living foods are so healthy, but what is the harm in cooking our food?  Here is a simplified explanation about what happens to food when we cook it.

Heating food above 115 degrees F (45 Celsius) kills the enzymes which assists food digestion and nutrient absorbtion. The body can create enzymes but the process requires a great deal of energy, leaving you to feel tired and lethargic after a meal. Further, the enzymes your body creates are less efficient than those which were destroyed by cooking the food. Consequently, food is not broken down and is therefore harder to digest. 

Additionally, cooking food also changes the pH of the food making food acidic. Eating acidic food creates a welcome feeding ground for disease and produces toxins which accumulate in the organs and fat cells. Most vitamins and nutrients are destroyed by cooking food so consuming cooked food leaves the body depleted and craving nutrients.

Raw foods are often alkaline foods that raise the amount of oxygen that your blood takes in. The most alkalizing foods are RAW green leafy vegetables, non-sweet fruits, and wheatgrass. 

Living food has life energy and enzymes that will give you energy. It's that simple. A raw seed will grow, raw fruit continues to ripen for weeks after it is picked, whereas, cooked fruit begins to decay within a day.

This is why most people on an organic raw-vegan food diet feel energetic and have a stronger immune system.  Makes perfect sense to me ... check out this excerpt from the movie Food Matters.

A raw food diet promotes:

• More energy
• Less sleep
• Weight loss
• Radiant skin and hair
• Clarity of mind and improved memory
• Improved immune system
• Improved fertility
• Prevention or even reversal of disease

Go green! Be healthy!

"Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity." 

— Hippocrates