Life & Style | Food
On a raw food diet
The heat is rising and what better way to spend the day than not having to step into the kitchen.
- By Sameera Fernandes
- Published: 00:08 June 20, 2008
- Because raw foods have their own natural flavours, the use of salt, sugar, spices and other condiments that may irritate the digestive systems can be drastically reduced.
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Thousands of years ago our ancestors relied on a diet of raw, living foods. Centuries down the line, man came to believe that cooking meat before eating it would protect him from disease. Today, there is very little that we eat in its natural form, bar a few green leafy vegetables.
The food we buy from grocery stores is usually processed and contains chemical additives and preservatives. When you do do find an unprocessed product, it's highly unlikely that you won't cook, fry or microwave it before you eat it.
Our bodies are designed for a particular type of diet – a diet that consists of food that's easily digestible, easy to chew, increases our energy levels and promotes good health.
"By cooking our food, we are killing nutrients that keep us alive and healthy," says Tonya Zavasta, author of Beautiful on Raw: Un-cooked Creations www.beautifulonraw.com). "The original diet of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds is the most suitable one for the human body."
A diet rich in raw food has many benefits according to Alissa Cohen, a raw food chef and the author of Living on Live Food. "Some of these benefits include people healing themselves of diabetes, fibromyalgia, acne, migraines, back pain, neck and joint pain, asthma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hypoglycaemia, colitis, diverticulitis, candida, arthritis, serious allergies, depression, anxiety, mood swings, heartburn, gas, bloating, skin diseases, chronic fatigue and cancers." That's not all, says Alissa.
"Excess weight seems to just melt off your body when you eat a raw and living food diet. People have reported their hair turning back to its natural colour, teeth getting tighter and gums becoming healthier.
Wrinkles, deep creases and age spots have been known to disappear along with dark circles, bags and eye puffiness. The raw and living food diet has helped many people feel better when nothing else has worked."
The problem with cooked food
Consider nature: it's not often that you come across mammals in the wild with any significant incidence of disease.
And, unlike humans, none of those animals carries a toothbrush or uses toothpaste. Then why do we need to brush our teeth? Because the food we eat creates readily fermentable carbohydrates which tend to cause cavities and other periodontal diseases.
Animals also know how to naturally maximise their enzyme reserve. On finding a raw nut, the squirrel will immediately bury it and wait patiently for it to sprout. Certain sensors in a squirrel's nose can identify when the nut has sprouted. Raw (unsprouted) nuts contain certain enzyme inhibitors that prevent the nuts' food enzymes from getting digested. Only when the nut sprouts are these inhibitors deactivated.
There are many reasons why raw foods improve health but enzymes and acid alkaline balance are probably the two most important ones. The first major issue with food cooked above 1120C is that all the enzymes denature and become useless to the body. "This is a problem because we need enzymes for every function in our body," explains Alissa.
"To walk, to talk, to breathe and to move; life itself depends on them. As you age, your body's natural source of enzymes becomes depleted and we need to replenish this source through the foods we eat.
"If we do not do this and continue to eat cooked foods, then we eventually begin to use up our body's enzyme reserves. Cooking makes it harder for our bodies to break up and digest foods that we eat. This food then begins to get stored in our bodies as toxins which can lead to all kinds of diseases and illnesses."
The second issue is the loss of water. As raw food gourmet health chef and author of Raw Life (Amazon.com) Paul Nisson explains, "Cooking takes the liquid out of the food. Both enzymes and liquid are needed to conserve body energy. When we don't have liquid or enzymes in our food, the body has to work much harder to digest it."
Guruji Rajeshji, a teacher of Siddha Samadhi Yoga in the UAE adds, "Vitamins are also completely or partially destroyed, depending on the degree and duration of cooking.
Because cooked food is lower in quality (or as we say, has less pranic energy), we eat more cooked food to compensate for missing goodness. It's estimated that we eat almost four times the quantity of cooked food compared to what is necessary if one were to have only raw natural food."
The advantages of raw food
"By eating a raw and living food diet you can turn back the clock," says Alissa. "People who eat raw food have glowing skin, a shine to their hair, a sparkle in their eyes, a healthy, fit body and look younger than their age.
They have a youthful energy and they feel good about themselves and happy to be alive!
"If you are sick, tired, overweight or just want to feel better, this way of eating could be the answer."According to Tonya, one of the best advantages of a raw food diet is that it makes you prettier. "Only the body that is sustained on raw food will host natural beauty, or as I call it ‘rawsome beauty'.''
A rawsome diet will clarify and refine your features and add a sparkle to your face, she says.
How to go on a raw food diet
Paul suggests gradually easing into a raw food diet, of course after consulting your doctor. Rajeshji concurs. "Keep in mind that a gradual shift will help to sustain the change for a longer period of time. It also gives the digestive system a chance to make the shift gradually."
And while Tonya also advocates a gradual shift, she warns that it isn't easy to eat raw food at first. "It can be extremely frustrating and requires intense discipline at all times."
Rajeshji prescribes the following programme of change: "For the first two days, have about 20 per cent of your daily intake in the form of raw food.
Go on increasing this by 10 per cent daily. With this approach, a person can convert to 50 per cent raw food within five days.
"Once or twice in a month, a ‘raw food fast' is advisable, where a person can have only raw food and juices the entire day. This aids in cleansing the system and giving it sufficient rest.
"Remember, there should never be a drastic shift. The taste buds need time to get used to a different style and then set a routine. The system needs time to get used to the changes.
One should be very careful when choosing to change one's food habits."
Paul offers an alternative approach: "I would suggest people consume raw fruits, nuts and veggies and nothing else before noon each day. This could be in any from – a smoothie, salad, juice or whole. Next, don't eat any food after 8pm.
Between noon and 8pm, eat what you're used to." As you get used to the diet you can begin to gradually decrease the time allowed for cooked food.
Once you have increased your raw food intake, consider combining this with other foods.
High protein foods (like meat) require an acidic environment in order to be properly digested.
Starchy foods (like potatoes) need a more alkaline environment to be properly digested. When two types of foods requiring completely different conditions are combined in the stomach, digestion is drastically slowed down.
This may cause flatulence, heartburn or sluggishness and the onset of degenerative diseases.
To prevent this, try to eat fruit alone – preferably on an empty stomach. Make a meal of proteins and lots of vegetables or make a meal of starchy foods and lots of vegetables. Be sure to leave three to four hours in between meals to ensure complete digestion.
The potential downside of a switch
"After eating cooked food for most of our lives, we need to have some patience with regard to the cleansing process," warns Alissa.
"Once you go on this diet and as the body begins to detox, the poisons and toxins are emptied into the blood stream. This results in unpleasant sensations, which is why you may feel worse [initially] before you begin to feel better.
Detox symptoms may include headaches, nausea, skin rashes and breakouts, colds, fever, fatigue, irritability and a temporary increase of existing aches and pains.
"Depending on the way you've been eating and living, detox symptoms may recur for several weeks. But once this is over, you will begin to feel better than you ever have, and your body will be able to get to work, healing itself on a deep, cellular level."
Tonya explains that cooked food is quite heavy. "When you begin the transition, the absence of this consistent heaviness is easily mistaken for hunger. It makes you uncomfortable because it is an unfamiliar sensation.
Initially, you will experience the need to feel full once again, and that is why good raw food recipes are crucial'' for reaping the benefits of this diet.
If you experience short term detox symptoms like a headache, nausea, upset stomach or body odour, Rajeshji says you should slow down the detox by increasing the percentage of cooked food or by eating raw foods like avocados, coconuts or nuts.
If you're feeling hungry constantly, it could be because your raw food diet is too focused on fruits. Sprouts can be very filling. Another complaint is that people have trouble falling asleep and feel restless.
The raw food diet provides high amounts of energy, which must be burned in some way or the other. Rajeshji recommends meditation, yoga and regular exercise including slow and deep breathing to calm the nerves. This also helps drastically reduce stress levels.
As Paul notes, "If done correctly, great energy, a sharp mind and healing from all illnesses should be the side effects!" Says Alissa: "The raw and living food diet has been one of the greatest miracles in many people's lives." The long-term benefits clearly outweigh the short-term negatives.
Note: Please consult with your doctor before adopting a raw food diet.
The benefits of a raw food diet
Guruji Rajeshji (right), a teacher of Siddha Samadhi Yoga in Dubai, lists the following pros to opting for a diet with extra crunch.
- A diet of fresh, whole raw fruits, vegetables and nuts helps keep sicknesses at bay.
- People derive plenty of energy from smaller meals as raw food has the best balance of water, nutrients and fibre to suit the body's requirements.
- Because raw foods have their own natural flavours, the use of salt, sugar, spices and other condiments that may irritate the digestive systems can be drastically reduced.
- Preparing raw food requires less time!
- Cleaning up after a raw meal is easy: no oils or crusty messes.
- Eating a diet of raw foods can reverse or stop the advance of many chronic diseases, including heart disease and cancer. Cooking creates free radicals, which are the major cause of cancer. When free radicals are reduced, the risk of cancer is drastically reduced.
- When you combine raw food properly, heartburn, gas, indigestion and constipation can be easily eliminated.
- Eating raw saves money on food, vitamins, pots and pans, appliances, doctor's bills, drugs and health insurance.
When buying veggies
Choose vegetables in season, when they're at their freshest, tastiest and most nutritious. Look for crisp vegetables with brightly-coloured leaves. Avoid vegetables with brown patches, wilted or slimy leaves, bruised or pulpy flesh.
Bulbs: Choose firm bulbs with even-coloured skins and no signs of sprouting; avoid any that look damp or smell musty; onions should have dry papery skins, red onions should have no brown discolouration; leeks and spring onions should have dark-green leaves and fresh-looking roots.
Mushrooms: Choose firm, fresh-looking mushrooms with no sign of sweating or damp smell; the stalk end should be moist.
Leafy greens should be crisp and have fresh-looking leaves that are springy to the touch; there should be no sign of insect damage; cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage should have tight compact heads and no sign of wilting; the stalk should look moist and freshly cut.
Pods and seeds: Select peas and beans with bright green pods that are firm and plump; choose sweet corn with tight green husks and plump, shiny kernels tightly packed on the cob.
Roots and tubers: Carrots, potatoes, beetroot and radishes should have firm, heavy flesh and wrinkle-free skin; avoid any with soft patches or sprouting; carrots should have fresh-looking, leafy tops, with no discolouration or wilting; potatoes should be firm and well-shaped with no eyes or green patches.
Stalks and shoots: Celery, globe artichokes, fennel, asparagus and chicory should have tightly packed, firm heads with no brown patches on the outer layers.
Vegetable fruits: Tomatoes, aubergines and peppers should have firm, smooth, shiny skins and a deep, even colour; avoid any that are pulpy or wrinkled. Avocados, when ripe, should give slightly when gently pressed.
Before using, leave vegetables to soak for half an hour in water with a pinch of potassium permanganate and a tablespoon of salt.
–Sameera Fernandes is a Dubai-based freelance writer
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