Health Basics - What exactly is a raw food diet?

by S. D. Wells 

(NaturalNews) Most Americans have "hot meals" two out of every three sit downs per day, and usually that food itself has already been cooked, maybe at very high temperatures, and then processed, and finally loaded with preservatives and artificial ingredients. Even organic food which is cooked at over 118 degrees will most likely kill the nutrients, but there are some exceptions. 

When food is boiled, broiled, fried in oil, baked, roasted, charbroiled or toasted, it's "dead." When food is cooked out back on the grill, especially with the lid on, it's dead, meaning the food simply loses the vitamins, enzymes, amino acids (proteins), antioxidants and all of the essential minerals that fuel every system in the human body and defend it against cancer. When infants are fed cooked food and cooked milk, they could be getting next to ZERO in the nutrition department, and that can get serious rather quickly.

Chemical agriculture and dead soil

On the contrary, when food is fresh and raw, it can still be rather dead, and that's where a lot of people go wrong when they first "go raw." Most soil in America is massively depleted of nutrients thanks to pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, pollution from factories, improper mass waste disposal from hospitals, and so on. 

That means that no matter HOW MUCH you eat (and drink) of your favorite fruits and vegetables, if they came from toxic, polluted, DEAD SOIL, then the plants did not absorb nutrients, and they can't make them up themselves. It's as simple as that.

The toxic waste spreads out from the huge urban and metropolitan cities to the suburbs and rural areas. The genocidal waste that the corrupt "Big 6" chemical agriculture monopolies Monsanto, Dow, Dupont, BASF, Bayer and Syngenta pour on the farmlands of America is like hospital waste times a thousand! Plus, now most non-organic vegetation in America is GMO. If you don't know what GMO stands for, then you need to buy some cancer prevention books today and read them. (http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Monsanto)

 So where's the good soil, what countries still have fruitful, nutrient rich soil? Here's a glimpse: (http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/blog/?p=1917). If you live in the United States, the best move you can make is to order organic soil and drop it in the back yard, and then compost. (http://www.gardeners.com/Building-Healthy-Soil/5060,default,pg.html)

Going raw over night is difficult

For many, a hot meal is part of their daily ritual, and their well-trained taste buds and pallet won't go for more than two or three days without caving and then going off the rails a bit. People just want their steaks, burgers, fries, rolls and buns, tacos and barbeque, spaghetti and pizza, and they'll run you over in the road to get to it if they're hungry enough. So then comes the question: "Is the raw foods diet effective to naturally detoxify the body?" Can you just stop on a dime and instantly transform the body from a toxic, poisoned mess to a high octane, highly functioning machine?

You can start and never look back, yes. Raw food; it's not some "flash in the pan" diet, rather it is THE WAY to eat right for life. RAW is all about transformation. Raw food enthusiasts know it's difficult to transition from cooked food over to 75, 90, and especially 100 percent raw, so you will hear advice on patiently molding yourself as you go.

Strategies: keeping RAW exciting and fresh

• Marinating - If you want attention-grabbing flavor, cut your portions thin to soak up your favorite oil/spices. Lime or lemon juice tenderizes veggies and helps them soak up flavors.
• Juicing and blending - Are you used to a standard "deluxe" breakfast at Denny's or IHOP; a breakfast of pancakes with syrup, or biscuits, meat and eggs? If so, it's slowing down your life. Never again! The trick to raw food juicing and blending is simply buying a quality juicer and blender, and then simply figuring out which combinations of vegetables are your favorite. 

• Dehydrating below 118 degrees - If you crave the texture of breads, cereals or chips, dehydration is a great option. Dehydration machines or the sun can safely dry out your foods so the nutritious enzymes remain intact. Make your own potato chips!
• Soaking and sprouting - Cold soaking grains or nuts makes the elements easier for our bodies to digest, and sprouting (germinating) seeds or nuts has the same effect.
• Fermenting or culturing - If you ferment fresh vegetables in an airtight container, the acidity level naturally increases, and sugar and starches in the food begin to break down and form lactic and acetic acids, which in turn keep the vegetables from spoiling. After that, the refrigerator will add extended life to those tasty treats. Bye-bye excess body fat!

Stimulating natural detoxification

• Raw nuts provide healthy fats that are essential to the body and lower the LDL "bad" cholesterol in the blood. Watch out though, cooked over 170 degrees, nuts do just the opposite and cause plaque in the blood.

• Raw garlic provides a DNA-protecting compound called allicin. One minute of cooking, though, completely inactivates this enzyme. Grow your own garlic! It's one of the easiest perennials to grow.

• Raw juice - A fairly good juicer runs less than $150 now, so now juice is easy to make at home and isn't cooked, pasteurized and then loaded with high fructose corn syrup and toxic artificial colors.

• Raw salts contain trace minerals essential to good health. Table salt is typically heated to high temperatures, treated with chemicals and then bleached. This kind of salt is toxic. Raw mineral salts such as Himalayan are crucial for proper mineral balance.

• Raw cacao is brain food and contains a wealth of essential vitamins and minerals that boost the body's neurotransmitters and phyto-chemicals, thus activating mood-elevating emotions.

• Raw chia seeds - Four tablespoons supply as much calcium as three cups of milk, as much magnesium as 10 stalks of broccoli, and as much iron as one-half cup of red kidney beans.

• Fermenting foods - Fermented foods such as kimchi help support intestinal flora and provide probiotics (good bacteria) that fight off disease and boost our immune system. 

The reward of superfoods

Want the most energy possible, a super-powered immune system, and fuel for your wonderful brain? Load up your pantry and fridge with some or all of the following: Organic cacao powder, medicinal mushroom powders, green powders, red berry powders, spirulina, chlorella, dried super fruits, kale chips, and trail mix. By stocking up with superfoods, you'll also be preparing your home for emergencies and/or travel. 

Last but not least, the crutch for most people is sweet tea or sweet coffee, so instead of using boiled coffee and cooked tea loaded with processed honey, white sugar, or agave, make the switch to cold brews with coconut nectar as your sweetener, and then your new "ritual" of COLD BREWED tea or coffee is sweet, organic, and feeding your transformation. You too can live past 110 years and love your healthy life.