If there’s one single issue that’s heard above the rest when it comes to our health, it’s about energy levels. We’re tired, wiped out, finding it hard to face the day’s work, no matter how much coffee we drink. We try this or that energy boosting product, which might feel good for a short while but that’s about it. Want to make a dramatic, life-long shift towards not only high, sustained energy levels, but a naturally positive outlook and feeling of contentment as well? Look no further than the raw food diet.
Immediately that sounds a little crazy. Far out. “What, am I going to have salad at every meal?” The answer is, only if you want to. The raw and living food diet is not simply about keeping all your food preparation at below a certain temperature, it’s about eating gourmet, beautifully prepared, nutrient dense meals and feeling your best every single day.
The first issue raised by opponents of this way of eating is that the food is hard to digest; others suggest it’s “cold” when they need warming foods. It’s obvious that anyone voicing either of these concerns has either not experienced the diet, or has made any attempt to tailor it to their personal needs. The food is FAR more easily digested than cooked foods! Consider that 99% of the food eaten by animals on the planet is raw — do they seem like they’re having a hard time? Are they contracting diabetes, cancers and heart disease at incredibly alarming rates? Certainly not!
There’s truly a difference in the available nutrition in raw and living foods. While some research indicates some nutrients are “liberated” by cooking (made available), it’s well known that far more are destroyed. And in that destruction are some of the most important nutrients of all: enzymes. Because we haven’t figured out a required level of these crucial molecules, they seem to be overlooked in mainstream discussions of nutrition. However, consider what they do: there is an almost uncountable number of chemical reactions going on in our bodies all the time. Enzymes make these reactions possible — and while we make our own, its far more effective to receive them from our diets. A deficiency in enzymes has been implicated in nearly every major epidemic illness we see today.
We find we get so tired just from having a meal. Is it supposed to be this way? Does it make sense that every time we eat, we need a cup of coffee (or preferably a nap) to keep us going? Raw food changes all this — our energy levels stay consistent because we’re having a much easier time digesting our food (the enzymes for digestion are already in the food). We don’t have to deal with the myriad of toxins found in foods prepared at high temperatures. Our bodies are finally getting what they need!
Raw food diets have been at the cornerstone of healing major, life-threatening diseases where no cure was considered possible. Diabetes for example has been “cured” (they no longer need supplemental insulin) in individuals who have “gone raw” — moving their diet to 100% plant based, un-cooked, low-glycemic index foods (research Gabriel Cousins and the Tree of Life foundation). Major alternative cancer treatment centers support the use of the raw food diet as the best way to alkalize and oxygenate our bodies through diet, creating an environment inhospitable to cancer cells.
From a more esoteric view, the diet has also gained favor with individuals seeking personal transformation through yoga and meditation. They consider that the life force of the food will support their personal growth; some proponents note that the trace minerals also enhance our body’s ability to tune in to the world beyond our five senses. The idea is that our body is a crystalline structure and transceiver of information, and that trace minerals heighten our ability to have a deeper connection with the world around us.
There’s a growing movement of people wanting to make a difference in the world — have a true impact on the direction the Planet itself is going — that believe raw food is an integral component. This way of eating has the smallest environmental footprint, while enriching those who practice it with the greatest amount of energy available from any diet. It is the most detoxifying, life-force enhancing way to go! There are many fantastic books and websites on the subject if you want to learn more of this way of reaching a whole new level of health.
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