How Raw Food Can Help Improve Your Health
We all eat raw food to some degree. Your basic salad is raw food and if you have ever had a large salad for a meal, you know it can be very filling and satisfying. When you are eating crudits at a party are also. Of course these foods consist of more than just crunchy vegetables. There are also fruits, legumes, seeds, nuts, seaweed, whole grains and sprouts.
Food that is raw is essentially food that has not been cooked above 116 to 118 degrees. Food that has been cooked at higher temperatures looses its vitamins and natural enzymes. The food is actually chemically altered. This lack of vitamins in our food does affect our health. The vitamin loss to cooking can be as much as 50 percent. We need supplements because even when eating healthy foods, we do not get the vitamins from them that we would if we did not cook them out of the food.
The natural enzymes present in food helps our bodies properly digest and use the vitamins and minerals in our food. The way food is grown now the full amount of vitamins and minerals are not available, especially with the pesticides used. This is why organically grown foods are usually recommended. Cooking food above the recommended temperatures removes the enzymes 100 percent.
Fiber is a part of a well balanced diet. It seems we can’t get enough of it in our diets and eat specific cereals, muffins, and drink mixes to get what we need. When food is eaten raw you get much more fiber naturally. Your food is whole and unprocessed. A high fiber diet is known to help prevent some diseases such as heart disease. Your immune system function also improves with nutrients being better absorbed in your body.
As a weight loss diet, eating raw is great. There is plenty of fiber and whole foods without sugar, white flours, or additives and preservatives. All this leads to weight loss. Your digestive system functions more efficiently and your metabolism increases. With this diet you will not be hungry since you can eat as much as you like.
When eating food that is raw it is easier for your system to digest. Faster digestion means food does not build up in the intestinal system and is less likely to putrefy. It usually takes up to 36 hours to fully be digested. Cooked food can actually leave you feeling tired after eating and take several more days to fully digest.
If you cannot completely replace your current diet try going for a 50/50 current diet/raw food diet. If you can get up to 75 percent you can see a significant increase in your health. The benefits are multi-fold. You can experience greater health, an improved immune system, weight loss, and better digestion.
We’ve got the ultimate low down on raw diet food diets for greater health now in our complete raw foods overview.