When you hear of raw food you usually imagine that you have to eat raw meat. However, the reference is made mainly to vegetables and fruits, with maybe the exception of fish, which can be eaten raw. This is why it is known that Japanese people live longer and healthier: they are used to eating sushi, a type of food which is usually eaten uncooked.



The concept of raw foods includes almost anything from whole grains to fruits, vegetables and sometimes meat. The reasons why it is healthier to eat your food raw and why we should avoid cooking our vegetables are simple. The process of cooking destroys some of the vitamins and proteins in raw food, because the heat produces some very complicated chemical reactions.

If food is heated at 117 F for more than three minutes, a series of chemical changes will occur inside the raw foods. Heat has a damaging effect on the nutrients, with the proteins coagulating. The molecular structure is denaturized and carbohydrates caramelize. Not mentioning overheated fats which start transforming into time bombs because of the carcinogen factors involved. Apart from these chemical reactions, there are others as important, and which bring a factor risk into the equation.

Cooked food is so damaging for the human body (particularly fast food), because the food is pre-prepared and the oils are heated at really high temperatures. The best way to keep you healthy is to have a balanced diet and not abuse food or the manner in which we eat. Water is also a very important factor in having a balanced diet. When we do not drink the necessary water quantities - two liters per day are a must ? our liver takes over some of the functions of the kidneys and this renders it overwhelmed and not being able to function properly. This is when we deposit fat, and we feel blotted always and we lack energy.

Eating raw foods or living foods as called by specialists will improve the quality of your life, will make you more energetic and full of life. In addition, raw food keeps you healthier and your brain capabilities can be used at the maximum, so this means that your diet affects your brain directly. You cannot revitalize your living cells with cooked food which is dead food.

As opposed to raw food, say specialists, cooked food clogs up your internal organs and makes you behave erratically. All major diseases of the human race like cancer, heart diseases and diabetes are directly linked to eating cooked food. Humans have adapted to cooked food, but they are still eating raw foods, in a form or other, and the most common are fruits and vegetables and sometimes grains.

Most people think that changing your life style is too difficult and it will mess with all your normal activities. But this is a preconceived idea. If you take it step by step, in time, it will feel normal to eat in a balanced manner and you will see the benefits of a healthy diet of raw foods.

The vitamins and fibers that fruits and vegetable contain are the biggest asset to a balanced diet for adults and children, but nowadays due to lack of time most people do not eat them or are not used to adding them to their diet. It may be that cooked food is a better option than fast-food, but we should be aware of what we are consuming and what we can do to improve our life and health.