Living with a raw food diet is known as raw foodism or rawism. This diet proposes consumption of foods that are 75% to 100% raw. Uncooked and unprocessed meat, century egg, dairy, fish, shellfish, vegetables, nuts, young coconut milk, legumes, dried fruit, and freshly juiced vegetables and fruits are some of the choices for a raw food diet.
We are so used to eating cooked and processed foods that living with raws foods is, to many, both unappealing and impossible. But for those who believe in the benefits of a raw food diet, the shift to raw foodism can be realized with careful planning and research. Know what foods you can eat raw and what you cannot.Changing of diet from cooked to raw foods should also be taken slowly and in progression rather than suddenly. The goal is to make the adapt to the new diet. At the start of their raw food diet, people should expect nausea, headaches, loose bowel movement, and other detoxification reactions for several number of days.
Benefits of living with raw foods
Demi Moore is just one of the many people who have turned into raw foodism. Well, you need not be a celebrity to reap the benefits of this diet. But why should you embrace it? Because a well-planned raw food diet is equal to better and healthier living.
• Increased energy: Heat (especially more 160 degrees) can reduce the amount of nutritional values in foods by as much as 85%. When foods are consumed in their raw form, 100% of their nutritional values and “life force” are consumed by our body.
• Raw foods have higher nutritional content that includes phytochemicals, magnesium, folate, and vitamin. One's skin appearance improves, and people are at lower risk for developing cancer and other fatal diseases.
• Because essential enzymes are not lost, one's digestive system no longer needs to work hard to process consumed foods. Raw foods are good for digestion.
• Raw foods have lower trans fat and saturated fat, and so is good for people who are trying to lose or control their body weight.
• Raw foods work wonders for people with low levels of allergy, weight problems, indigestion, weak immune system, and high cholesterol.
How to prepare raw foods for eating
Because our teeth are small and adapted to chewing softer, cooked foods, raw foodists use certain food preparation techniques to make raw foods easier to digest. Some raw foods do not need extensive preparation such as salads and fruits. Yet certain foods need special preparation. Grains, for instance, are too hard to be digested and needs to be sprouted in order to soften. Soaking grains and nuts in water is believed also to be the best way to activate their enzymes. Anyone who wants to embrace raw food diet should have patience, energy, time, and commitment. Some cooking techniques used by people living with raw foods are:
• sprouting: this requires soaking of food in water for a number of hours. Foods that need sprouting include seeds, grains, and beans.
• juicing fruits and vegetables
• drying fruits and vegetables
• dehydrating
• blending
Before completely embracing raw foodism, people should be aware also that they are at risk for calcium-, vitamin B12-, protein-, iron-, and calorie-deficiency. People should consult with their dietician or physician first if they are fit for raw food diet, or what supplements they can take to make up for those nutritional deficiencies. In general, raw food diet is not recommended for children, pregnant or nursing women, people with anemia, and people at risk for osteoporosis.
Living And Raw Foods
What nutrient is so good for you that it has been called a "wonder drug", and has played a major part in healing a woman from gangrene? You may have guessed from the title of the article: Chlorophyll. What is the difference between straw and hay? Chlorophyll. For those that are city dwellers, good hay is rich in chlorophyll, and food for many animals, that in turn are food for many of us. Without this vital element, plants, as well as animals and man, would cease to exist. In this article, I will address some of the many benefits of chlorophyll, and explain why raw foods are the best source for this incredible nutrient.
Chlorophyll is the green pigment found in plants, that enables them to take nutrition from the air, sun, and water, and make them "living", raw foods. This green pigment covers up any carotene pigment in the plant. Chlorophyll is more than just a pigment, obviously, but the pigments tell-tale green color is a great indication if what we are going to eat, or juice, has this most essential element.
There have been many studies on the benefits of chlorophyll. It is fascinating to me that the chlorophyll pigment, is almost identical to our blood pigments! The biggest difference is that the chlorophyll pigments center atom is magnesium, while our bloods center atom is iron. Think of it! The element that causes plants to be able to convert light into energy, is almost identical to our blood pigment. Thus the nickname: "green blood". This is why chlorophyll is so good for our blood! With undiseased blood, most diseases are impossible.
It has been noted that since chlorophyll is a body deodorant, that animals such as horses and cows should have sweet breath. It is implied here that they don't, but being the city girl that I am, I will just have to take others' word for this. However, there was a study done by a veterinarian, Dr. Maurice E. Serling. He gave his canine patients in his veterinary hospital doses of chlorophyll, and banished all halitosis and body odor after six hours! When the tablets were discontinued, the odors resumed, and when they were started again, the odors left again!
There are many benefits of chlorophyll, really too many to list in detail in this article, since it has been used to fight many different diseases, but I hope to give you a basic understanding of a few of its benefits. They are: purification of the blood, liver, constipation and gas corrector, emphysema, abcesses of the liver and kidney, kidney stones, and it has also been shown to be an excellent topical for infections and burns! Chlorophyll contains properties that break down carbon dioxide, and release oxygen, which kills bacteria. Amazingly, it has also been used by professionals in deep surgical wounds! Its absence of toxicity, and promotion of repair tissue/skin, and soothing qualities makes it a miracle antiseptic, and it is my belief that if it could be patented, it would be, along with the air we breathe. (Thank goodness that's not so!)
The raw foods that contain chlorophyll are: green leafy vegetables of all kinds, green olives, romaine lettuce, sea vegetables, broccoli, green peas, leeks, bell peppers, wheatgrass juice, and barleygreen (juice). Spinach is the top salad green for chlorophyll, bar none. It has been shown that cooking changes the chlorophyll, but the results are inconclusive to how it affects us. It results in the magnesium atom in the center, though, being replaced with hydrogen; and chlorophyll being absent after 20 minutes of boiling. Even though green vegetables are full of chlorophyll, many who are really sick do not absorb this chlorophyll due to the sad shape their colon is in; juicing the raw foods eliminates the fiber, making the juice and the chlorophyll absorbed by your body in a few minutes!
Ann Wigmore has an unforgettable personal testimony of how she overcame gangrene in her leg. She was told she had to have her leg amputated, or she would die. She absolutely refused, even though her parents, and the Doctor were angry with her. In this incredibly weakened state, Ann tells how she was left alone, and sat outside for hours in solitude; since she couldn't get around very easily, she ate grass! She believes the wheatgrass juice cured her, thus her entrance into that industry. The Bible does say that the herbs are for the healing of the nations, and given Ann Wigmore's testimony, and scores of others, I think that it is safe to say that the chlorophyll in these herbs is definitely a factor!
In conclusion, raw foods remain the best way to consume chlorophyll, with juicing your vegetables or drinking wheatgrass or barleygreen being the best. It is possible to lightly steam vegetables, and still get some chlorophyll, but it is not ideal, because of the changed atom structure, and the unknown consequences of doing so.
Both Ina Rena & Roxanne Vick are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Roxanne Vick has sinced written about articles on various topics from Food And Drink, Human Growth Hormone and Cooking Tips. As the mother of 9 children, Roxanne Vick has long been interested in health and nutrition, for survival's sake! She also enjoys gardening, hiking and reading. For some delicious recipes high in chlorophyll, check out her raw food recipe books at:. Roxanne Vick's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.
