What is Raw Food nutrition?

‘Raw Food’ is a term used to describe a diet based on foods which haven’t been processed in the familiar ways, such as cooking, frying, baking, roasting or steaming. Rather, Raw Food is eaten as it is naturally, with minimal to no intervention, such as gentle hydrating in no more than 48 degrees Celsius. The foods which are mainly included in this diet are fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and sprouts.

The Raw Food diet originates in nature and therefore is natural to the human body through evolution. It contains an abundance of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, protein, complex carbohydrates and fats - all in optimal balance, creating ideal conditions for nourishing and removing unnecessary waste from our system and maintaining a clean, healthy body for life.

Delicious, gourmet Raw Food recipes are easy and simple to make; natural, refreshing, spicy and healthy dishes are attainable and available. Breads, lasagna, pasta, crackers, spreads, burgers, shakes, salads, cake, ice-cream, chocolate and more - all can be easily prepared in an easy-to-do, fast and healthy process.

Healthy food doesn’t have to be plain or boring. A bit of imagination and knowledge can create wonderful, pleasurable food for body and soul. There is no more need to burn, boil and wait hours for food to be ready, inhaling the unpleasant odors of cooking oils, and cleaning sticky pots and pans.

The damages of cooking and other unnecessary food-making process

When we aggressively interfere with the way in which our food appears naturally, we inevitably cause chemical changes in it. The energy found in natural food is damaged, and its nutritional value is strongly decreased.

The changes created in the food’s cells cause changes in the structure of our body’s cells and may damage health and lead to disease. Some amino acids, which make up proteins, change in a way that becomes no less than poisonous to the human body. Heat creates a chemical disintegration of fats, which the body is then unable to digest, which may cause severe digestive disorders.

Eating Raw Food provides the body with the necessary nutrition and leads to perfect health. Health is not only the absence of disease, but a state in which life is full of energy and power, free of pain and discomfort. Raw Food brings our body to a harmonious state in which all of its systems function in balance and at their best.

The compatibility of Raw Food to the human body   

The human body is ‘programmed’ to nourish itself with natural, raw vegan food. Raw Food nutrition is compatible with the human anatomical and physiological structure, the human biochemical makeup, and the digestive enzymes in our bodies. The structure of the Raw Food atoms compliments that of the human body. The shape of our teeth, the structure of our tongue and salivary glands, and the structure of our digestive system are best suited to process vegan Raw Food.

The enzyme advantage

A major advantage of Raw Food is that it maintains all of the enzymes within it. These are usually destroyed when the food is cooked at over 48 degrees Celsius.

Enzymes are chemical compounds consisting of protein and minerals, or protein and vitamins. They serve as catalytic agents, which speed up all of the biochemical processes in the body and are vital to its proper function. Without these there can be no proper chemical reaction in the body or cell activity. Every biochemical reaction in the body requires a temperature higher than 37 degrees Celsius, which is the average temperature of the human body, and it is the role of the enzymes to speed up the chemical reaction that takes place at this temperature.

The enzymes are the body’s life force. They are responsible for many functions necessary to maintain a healthy body, such as processing waste, and cell regeneration and division. They work constantly in the body and eventually wear out, so the body must constantly manufacture new enzymes. However, the body’s ability to generate enzymes is limited and permanent. Each person is born with a certain potential for enzyme production, having to do with their heredity, age, health and eating habits.

There are two different types of enzymes:                                                                  

1. Metabolic enzymes which are responsible for the cell’s metabolism
2. Digestive enzymes responsible for the chemical processing of food

When we consume vegan Raw Food we assist the body by providing the necessary digestive enzymes, and allow it to generate metabolic enzymes which are vital to its function.

Weight loss                                                                            

Eating vegetarian Raw Food ensures weight loss and long-term weight management in a safe, natural, healthy, efficient and enjoyable way. Carrying extra weight is similar to being stuck in a deep hole. In order to get out of it one must choose the right nutrition.

Maintaining a stable, well-functioning body is dependent on the efficiency of the metabolic system. The degree of efficiency in processing the food is more important than the caloric content. A metabolic system functioning at its full potential will be able to burn off the food that enters the body and convert it into energy as opposed to fat. Therefore, maintaining a well-functioning metabolic system is the key to long-term weight balance.

When the metabolic system is functioning at its best, it is possible to consume a relatively large amount of food without gaining weight. However, if the emphasis is not placed on the metabolic function, weight fluctuation can go on for a lifetime. It is possible to compare the activity of the metabolic system to a fire that is constantly burning in the body, and can contain all of the food and turn it into energy. Much like a fire burning wood, the metabolic system ‘burns’ the food and fat in the human body. Therefore, a slow metabolic ‘fire’ will not be able to burn as much fat as it should, while a powerful fire could convert the fat into energy.

Improving the health of the skin, hair, and nails

Proper internal function of the body will show from the inside out and will positively affect the state of your nails, hair and skin. The surest way to improve the look of all three is to care for your general health with proper nutrition. When there is a lack of proper nutrition, our external appearance reflects it. For instance, our hair may look dull, weak and dry and our skin may age and wrinkle. Fingernails, which hint at how our body absorbs minerals, can appear frail, broken and chapped. The many accessible and high-quality nutritional Components that are full of fiber and liquids, and the many antioxidants found in vegetarian 'Raw Food' provide the skin, hair and nails with a dramatically healthy and nourished look.

Nira Schneider is a Certified Nutritional Consultant, M.A. in Vegan & Live Food Nutrition.