What Are Living and Raw Foods?

What are living and raw foods? We hear more and more about them today, so let’s talk about what they actually are.

Living and raw foods refer mainly to plant foods – fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains. To be considered living and raw, these foods cannot be cooked or processed in any way. Cooking foods above certain temperatures (approximately 120 degrees) kills the enzymes. Enzymes are complex proteins that cause a specific chemical change in other substances without being changed themselves. Enzymes allow our body to digest and absorb food. Our body requires enzymes and minerals to regulate every biochemical and metabolic process in our bodies as well as all living things.

So, we can see why it is important to maintain the enzymes in the foods we eat, and to do that, we must eat raw, living food (not cooked.)

Fruits and most vegetables actually taste better raw, and since they are better for you that way, it is a win-win situation. It has been said that some vegetables, such as broccoli and green beans are better lightly steamed.

Another way to “eat” living and raw foods is to juice them. Juicing allows you to get a larger portion of the raw foods and is a great way to consume a good amount of greens, carrots and other raw foods. Juicing 5-6 good-sized carrots gives you about an eight ounce glass of carrot juice. Now think about how difficult it would be to eat five to six large carrots everyday!

Raw almonds, cashews, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, uncooked fresh veggies and fruits and sprouted wheat are all examples of living and raw foods. No cooking, no processing, no additives.

Sources of Information

Brighthub.com
Learnsomethingtoday.com
Live Foods, Live Bodies by Jay Kordich