RAW FOOD for Thought - It’s what’s on the inside that counts
Raw food is that which has not been processed or heated above 47 degrees C. It mostly includes whole, unprocessed, plant-based foods. Eating food in its natural state aims to maximise our body’s absorption of its enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Enzymes, which aid digestion, tend to be inactivated or destroyed in the cooking process, making it harder for the body to digest food. Our digestive system is not something to take lightly, because it is how we access energy from the nutrients for our body. Processed or cooked foods often contain less of the good stuff (enzymes and nutrients) and more of the nasty stuff (additives, preservatives, artificial colours and flavours and refined sugars). Taken together, these place pressure on our body’s assimilation of the nutrients needed to nourish itself, slowing down the digestive process. Overtime, this can lead to detrimental effects on one’s health.
By increasing raw foods in our diets, science aside, we begin to see and feel the benefits. Quite simply, we feel great. We experience more energy, better digestion, increased mental clarity, clearer skin, stronger immunity, and sustained weight loss. We feel more satisfied because our body is getting the nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants it needs; what raw wholefoods naturally contain in abundance. On top of that, flavours intensify as your taste buds redefine and attune to the raw diet, and you’ll find yourself contemplating the delicate differences between green salad varieties; the way you would between vintage vino or fine wines.
Of course, raw food isn’t new news and people have different interpretations of it, and what it means. The focus is making it work for you. Going 100% raw for many, may not be sustainable. And you certainly don’t need to eat fully raw all the time to benefit from this lifestyle.