Nine Reasons to Go Raw by Brigitte Mars
Eating a raw foods diet is good for many reasons:
1. Spiritual: Eating raw helps one better tune in to the universal plan, and experience lots of synchronicity. If all our actions are of the highest possible vibration, God can more easily work through us. Living food promotes clarity and higher consciousness. Emotional stability and happiness increase as depression is dispelled. A raw food diet helps one feel emotionally healthier, with a sense of well-being and vitality.
2. Environmental: It requires less land to produce fruits and vegetables than animal products. Animals aren't exploited when one eats a raw vegan diet. Think of all the energy saved from not cooking; less fuel, packaging and pollution! Most of what gets throw away can be composted back to the earth. In many countries, fires used for cooking food contribute to deforestation.
2. Flavor: Flavor is vibrant, requiring fewer additives such as salt, oils and sweeteners. There’s more nutrients and fiber in raw food. Minerals are not leached out into the cooking water. Any recipe enjoyed as cooked can be even better, raw. An apple by itself is delicious. When baked, it then needs sugar, butter and spices to be tasty.
3. Beauty: Raw food diets slow down the aging process. You’ll feel better, have more energy and need less sleep. Bad breath and body odor go away. One can easily normalize their weight without dieting. Eyes become brighter, voices more clear. Skin and muscle tone improve.
4. Time: Once you get into the flow of raw food preparation, you will spend less time in the kitchen. Many raw fooders ascribe to the “5-5-5 rule” which is no more than $5, five minutes or five ingredients to prepare a meal. However, it is totally possible to make raw food cuisine an art that requires the same amount of time.
5. Nutrition: Every national health group (American Cancer Society, American Heart Institute, etc.) suggest we get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. There are more nutrients in the food raw, rather than cooked. Some vitamins lose potency at 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Vegetables are usually steamed at 212 degrees. The fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K are destroyed in cooking. High temperatures cause the destruction of vitamin C, and most of the B complex. Vitamin B1 loss from cooking can be from twenty-five to forty-five percent. Loss of vitamin B2 can be from forty to forty eight percent. Cooking disrupts the structures of DNA and anticancer compounds known as indoles. Cooked food loses enzymes, which begin being destroyed at 114 degrees.
6. Health: A raw food diet can help one overcome health ailments. The raw path has been used to improve: allergies, arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, digestive disturbances, diverticulitis, fibromyalgia, heart disease, weakened immunity, menstrual problems, multiple sclerosis, obesity, psoriasis, skin conditions and hormonal imbalances. No bottled supplement or prepackaged food can compare with the life force of fresh raw food. Raw food requires more chewing, thus providing exercise for the teeth and gums.
7. Energy: Most will experience better work productivity and require less sleep when consuming a raw diet. Memory, ability to concentrate and reason become sharper. Rather than getting fatigued from breaking down hard to digest foods, one will have more energy, be happier, more beautiful and dynamic.
8. Economy: Raw foods cost less, with most raw fooders spending between twenty-five to eighty percent less on food. Better to spend money on good food, rather than doctors, hospitals, medicine, vitamins and even recreational drugs! Getting sick is expensive. A raw fooder spends lots less in restaurants. It takes less food to satisfy nutritional needs. Eating a raw meal prevents overeating and, you get to eat as much as you want, within reason. A big spinach salad, when cooked, becomes a measly portion.
9. Easy cleaning: Imagine never having to clean the oven! Dirty dishes can simply go in the dishwasher after a simple swoosh. No more baked on grease requiring soaking and scrubbing! Grease won’t collect on the walls, stovetop and ceiling. You’ll find that gentle biodegradable cleaners really work. Never again leave the house and wonder, “Did I leave the stove on?” The raw movement is the future. If one can experience a higher state of consciousness, better health, more beauty, eat more delicious food, save time, money and the planet’s resources, why not say yes to raw?
Brigitte Mars is an herbalist and nutritional consultant. She the author of the newly released “Rawsome!” and “Sex, Love and Health.” To order her books, contact Basic Health Media at 1-800-575-8890. Visit: www.BrigitteMars.com, email: brigitte@indra.com or call 303-442-4967.
http://www.newliving.com/issues/july_2004/articles/raw.html
