The Health Benefits of Raw Foods
If you started an exercise program (like martial arts) and haven’t thought about your diet, then you are missing a key ingredient for long term success. In today’s world of fad diets and nutrition gurus, it is easy to get caught up in a world of gimmicks and diet tricks. It’s easy to get swept away in the science of “nutritionism” and miss the big picture. The big picture should always be focused on two precepts: we should eat for health, and we should eat for pleasure.
Our society’s infatuation with weight loss has often caused more damage than good. The modern diet fads of today are failing because Americans continue to have major health crises. Diabetes, cancer and obesity are at all time highs. So if you are searching for something that works, then perhaps history can be your guide. All you have to do is look back far enough to find one of man’s original diets, the raw food diet.
When food is cooked above 118 degrees, the enzyme content is destroyed. Enzymes are biomolecules that help us digest and assimilate food. When we deprive our bodies of enzymes, our pancrease has to work harder to keep up with the demand. Over time, this excessive work can lead to the impairment of other metabolic functions like the secretion of insulin. In addition, high temperatures will cause the food to lose up to 80% of its vitamins and up to 95% of its phytonutrients.
People who have increased the amount of raw foods in their diets have seen some amazing changes in their overall health. Eating raw foods has been shown to stop the advance of many of the “middle age diseases” like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. In addition, raw foods improve immune function, increase energy, and aid in weight loss. People who consume a high level of raw foods claim better digestion and more radiant skin!
You don’t have to eat 100% raw to have benefit. People who have a diet that comprises 50-75% raw are seeing great results. The more hardcore “raw-foodists” however will suggest 75-100%. Regardless of the amount in your diet, simply increasing the consumption of raw foods over time will help you in your quest for optimal health. A diet that is rich in fresh vegetables and fruits (organic preferrably) is widely accepted as cornerstone for great health.