Living And Raw Foods
What Is This Raw Food Fad?
Raw and living foods have steadily been gaining in popularity with the health conscious for quite some time now. There is good reason behind this. People who swear by raw and living foods say that the process of cooking destroys the enzymes present in the fruit or vegetable. So it is the raw and the living foods which have the most energy in them; not as you may think the high calorie, high sugar, buttery, chocolaty cakes that you can sink your teeth into with guilty satisfaction.
Most raw and living foods are very high in vitamin, mineral, fibre and water content. So a meal of crunchy salads and fresh juices will revitalize you where as a sumptuous meal of cooked dishes can leave you feeling sluggish and lethargic. No wonder chefs are scrambling to turn raw leafy veggies into great tasting culinary creations.
What Do Raw Foodists Eat?
Well – quite obviously raw food. The list goes like this : raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouts, fresh herbs and sea vegetables in their uncooked and unprocessed state. Raw foodists are partial to fresh fruit and vegetable juices which should not be more than a few minutes old because otherwise they will begin losing their enzymes and nutrient values. They also use a lot of ginger, onion, garlic, mustard and other herbs and spices not only for their health benefits but also to enhance the taste of their cuisine.
The raw food philosophy also dictates that food cannot be heated beyond 115 degrees Fahrenheit because it will destroy the enzymes which in turn will hamper the vitality and nutritive value of the food.
Then What On Earth Is A ‘Living’ Food?
Things like baby lettuce, and spinach which are alive at the time of picking can be termed as living foods. Unsprouted raw seeds and nuts can also be classified as living foods because they can be brought to ‘life’ by soaking. There is some confusion among raw foodists when it comes to classifying all raw foods and vegetables but prior to cooking and just post picking, they can all certainly be included in the raw and living food category.
Fermented foods also classify as living food according to some proponents of this diet. They argue that although the base food is itself dead, the bacteria of fermentation are alive. Fermented food is good for the body because not only does the fermented food get a better texture and taste but fermented food also means that we get a better nutritive value since fermentation involves a step where micro organisms and enzymes alter the properties of food.
Juices and liquids can qualify in the living food range for only a few minutes after they are juiced because they rapidly begin to lose their nutrient values if kept beyond the initial few minutes.
Overview
The benefits of eating plenty of raw and livings foods are many. You can lose a lot of weight simply because the calorie rich foods are cut off completely. The proponents of this food fad claim that a diet of raw foods also gives more energy and mental acuity but the raw food diet seems to exclude meat and some vegetables which require cooking before they are eaten. Although some raw foods do contain protein, they lose out on many amino acids found in meat products. It is still not fully established whether a diet comprising entirely of raw and living foods is a balanced and healthy diet.
Although simple to prepare, raw foods often require some preparation time, like soaking the seeds for several hours prior to consumption so that they can sprout and become digestible. A blender, juicer and dehydrator are pre requisites if you are to go on a raw food diet.
In the long run, it seems common sense to live off a diet which has a major proportion of raw foods but does not entirely exclude meat and cooked vegetables. If you ask me, a balanced diet is the way to go.
Enjoyed this article? You may also enjoy these:
Help Support Us
