Living Foods For Life

Are you looking for maximum nutrition and optimum health? Living, raw foods may be your answer. Eating raw isn't just a fad diet; after all, humans ate uncooked foods for eons before they discovered fire. So what's all this about?

Simply put, living foods are those that have not been processed in any way, shape, or form. Processed foods that have been canned, bottled, or prepackaged are changed from their original state through heating, additives, preservatives, colorings, salt, and sugar. Living foods remain in their original, natural state.

Raw and living foods contain enzymes, and enzymes aid in the digestion of foods. When food is cooked or heated over 116° F, the enzymes are destroyed and the molecular structure is changed. Nutrients are not absorbed because the enzymes are absent. Eating foods that do not contain enzymes-virtually all cooked foods-means that your body isn't getting all the nutrition it should.

In contrast, living foods have high enzyme content. Raw foods, such as un-sprouted nuts, contain enzymes in a "dormant" state. To activate the enzymes contained in almonds, for example, soak them in water for 24 hours. Once the almonds begin to sprout, the enzymes become "active" and are then considered living.

Many people think that stomach acids destroy enzymes, but Viktorus Kulvinskas, an enzyme expert, says that stomach acid merely deactivates food enzymes until they are reactivated in the alkaline small intestine. Cooked proteins require large secretions of stomach acid. Many people who eat raw foods are free from excessive stomach acid secretions and have much more energy.

In fact, cooking renders food toxic! Research cited in the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council's book, "Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer," noted that cooking food quickly generates mutagens and carcinogens. White blood cell counts are doubled and even tripled after eating a cooked food meal. White blood cells are the body's first line of defense and are collectively known as the immune system.

If the thought of avoiding all cooked foods doesn't seem natural or appealing, consider how we lived before we discovered fire. People ate a plant-based diet of raw foods such as nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables. Today, humans are the only species that eat cooked food, and yet also suffer from widespread disease.

Perhaps you're wondering what the heck you could eat on a raw food diet besides carrot sticks and fruit. Eating living foods doesn't have to be boring or limiting. Pay a visit to the Living Foods website at www.living-foods.com and check out the recipe section. You'll be amazed at the choices, from burritos and pizza to apple pie and cookies. Raw and living food'ists eat a great variety of fruits, vegetables, sprouts, nuts, seeds, grains, sea vegetables and other foods that have not been processed. Beverage choices include water, fresh squeezed juices and coconut milk. Sodas, bottled juices, coffee, alcohol and most other drinks have been processed in some way and are not included in a living food diet.

For the really serious raw food'ist, there are many subcategories of diets: fruitarians consume mostly fruits; sproutarians eat mostly sprouts; and juicearians drink mostly fresh juice. Most people consume a variety of foods, eating 75% to 100% raw.

If you're concerned that you won't get enough protein on a raw foods diet, the World Health Organization says that humans need about five percent of their daily calories from protein to be healthy. The USDA recommends 6.5 percent. On average, fruits have about five percent of their calories from protein; vegetables have from 20-50 percent of their calories from protein; sprouted seeds, beans, and grains contain from 10 to 25 percent. By eating a variety of living plant foods, you will get more than adequate protein.

Numerous scientific studies have shown the daily need for protein to be about 25-35 grams. The typical person eats 2,000 calories per day. If you ate raw plant foods that had an average of 10 percent of their calories from protein, you would get 200 calories worth of protein, or 50 grams. This amount is more than adequate to support optimal health. Other studies have shown that cooking proteins reduces their effectiveness by half; so raw plant food protein is a much better source than either cooked plant foods or animal foods.

There is a misconception in our society that plant protein is not "complete." This falsehood was established before we discovered that our bodies "recycle" protein so that it can complete any amino acid mix from our body's amino acid pool, no matter what the amino acid composition of a meal consumed.

How do you transition to a raw food diet? Begin by incorporating more and more fresh foods into your diet, choosing those that taste best to you. The key is to develop a satisfying eating style that allows proper digestion, supports balanced energy, peak productivity and physical rejuvenation. As you experiment with new foods, listen to your body and refine your eating style accordingly. If something doesn't make you feel good, or if you don't like the taste, don't eat it!

Many people recommend adding more fresh juices to the diet as part of the transition. Make sure it is freshly made, though. Many store-bought juices are pasteurized. Juicing is a great way to get the raw food in your body and flush out your system, but it is better to eventually eat your fruits or vegetables whole and intact.

One of the hardest things for most people to give up is eating hot food, especially on cold winter days. But hot food is really just a psychological comfort and has no nutritional value. Once you begin eating a live foods diet, you may feel so much better that you won't miss cooked foods at all.

Educate yourself as much as possible about living foods. You may wish to obtain guidance from an experienced health professional to ensure that you're getting all the nutrition your body needs.

There are even a few raw foods cookbooks out there. "The Uncook Book" by Juliano has recipes based on the successful San Francisco eatery, the Raw Restaurant. Another, the "Sunfood Diet Success System" by David Wolfe, claims to be the "bible" of living and raw foods. In addition, there are numerous books available on juicing, fasting, and other aspects of raw living.

Many people who eat all raw foods claim to have increased energy and better digestion. They feel more connected with nature and in tune with their bodies. Because raw foods are more nutritionally valuable, you won't need to eat as much food to feel satisfied. Weight loss, detoxification and a stronger immune system are some of the other health benefits.

Going live is even good for the environment. Since you no longer have to cook, you don't waste electricity or natural gas. Think of all the wasteful packaging you'll avoid! Most raw food'ists eat only organic produce, which helps sustain agriculture. And no animal products are consumed, so the animals benefit, too.
Raw foods are generally easy to prepare, even for young children, and therefore save time and make cleanup a breeze. Living foods are even safer since you'll avoid hot water and oils that may cause burns.

There are many great reasons to eat a living foods diet. Who doesn't want to feel better, have more energy and get the most out of their food? So turn off the stove, make up a fresh salad, and start exploring.