Living Whole Raw Foods
The Fire of Life
 Why is it so important to eat living raw foods? There are many reasons we want to eat a diet that includes lots of whole living foods. A biospiritual approach to health and wellness recognizes both the bio-chemical physical elements of living foods and the non-physical or subtle life force contained within them as well.
We’ve been told that as a species, our potential life span is about 120 to 140 years. But the average American today is lucky to live to half that age. There’re lots of contributing factors to this dilemma, but here we’ll focus on the foods we eat (or don’t eat) on a daily basis. We’ve evolved throughout time along with all other living organisms on Earth. Our bodies have adapted internally with our external world and know innately what to do with the nutrients we ingest. Our bodies don’t know what to do with inorganic substances that make up the chemically altered, processed foods that comprise the average modern diet found in Western cultures.
Living Whole Raw Foods
Fresh raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds contain the roughly 90 different vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytonutrients that our bodies need to function properly. Organically grown is best and the fresher the foods the higher the nutrient content will still be. But if you process foods or cook them at temperatures higher than about 117 degrees, their enzymes are destroyed. This also destroys 50% of the protein value and 70-90% of the other nutrients the foods once held. Nutrients damaged by heat change in molecular structure. They become inorganic substances our bodies don’t recognize – and treat like toxins. Only when consumed in their organic, chelated form can cells fully absorb and utilize the vitamins and minerals found naturally in living foods.
Ancient Traditions
 Raw foods have been a mainstay of human diet throughout history. In fact, traditions dating back thousands of years connected our health and well-being to the state of the foods we put into our bodies. For example, a library of scrolls dating back 2,500 years was discovered in 1946 in the Qumran caves above the Dead Sea. Now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, its authors were a group of scholars known collectively as the Essenes. In a document titled The Essene Gospel of Peace, we find written: Live only by the fire of life, and prepare not your foods with the fire of death, which kills your foods, your bodies and your souls also. With that fire of death you cook your foods in your homes...it is the same fire which destroys your foods and your bodies… For your body is that which you eat, and your spirit is that which you think. A wholistic, biospiritual worldview was acknowledged in every aspect of the Essene daily life. The biospiritual aspects of living foods and how these factor into our health and well-being, are much more than this article can convey. You'll find this information covered in an article titled, Temple of The Soul. (coming soon...)
Although mankind has consumed cooked food for thousands of years, it’s only in relative recent history that the balance of cooked to uncooked foods has shifted so dramatically. Setting aside the topic of chemicals found in our foods today - this shift in balance is where the true problem begins. Modern technology and our resulting lifestyles have benefited us in many ways. But it’s come at a price. The deteriorating nutritional value of our diets, lack of physical activities and chronic high stress levels are taking their toll on our health. Heart disease and hypertension, diabetes, and various cancers are all on the rise - even among children, adolescents and young adults. Studies indicate that over 60% of all deaths in the United States are attributed to diet. More than 50% of all deaths are caused by the blockage of blood flow to the brain or heart. But here’s something interesting - According to the Journal of American Medical Association, 97% of coronary occlusion can be eliminated through a vegetarian diet.
Switching to a diet based on living food dramatically improves health!
Here are some more encouraging facts:- Organic, raw foods are 200% to 300% more nutrient dense than foods exposed to heat over 117 degrees F.
- Following a long term raw food diet can help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and lower the levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides
- Incorporating fresh fruit into your daily diet can decrease your risk for heart related deaths by 24%
- Human populations with a 1% rate of hypertension have diets high in fruits and vegetables
- Your risk for type 2 diabetes can be reduced with daily consumption of whole fruits and green leafy veggies, according to a study at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and the Harvard School of Public Health
Studies Conducted Reveal the Benefits of a Raw Food Diet
The health benefits of fruits and vegetables are widely known and accepted. Countless studies conducted worldwide have proven the various benefits fruits and vegetables have on our health. And they continue to discover new benefits almost daily. You can read the results of some of these studies
here.
Eating more living foods benefits your health, your weight, your wallet and the way you look at food!
As you eat more nutrient dense food, your body becomes healthier and your ability to metabolize fuel increases. So does your ability to absorb more nutrients. And the phytonutrients in raw foods strengthen your immune system.As you eat more living foods on a regular basis, your body requires less and less food. Raw foods purify your taste buds making them more sensitive and responsive to the nutrition your body craves. No more Dieting! Sugar and fat cravings disappear; thanks to the natural sugar in fruits. Nuts, seeds and avocados provide the good fat packed with nutrients which all help normalize weight! Processed food is more expensive than natural Raw Food. The nutrient dense food means less $$$ you spend on vitamins and supplements. As a result you will save $$$ on medical expenses!
Making the Change to a Raw Foods Diet
As beneficial as eating more raw foods can be to your health and wellbeing, does this mean that you’re going to become an overnight grazer? Probably not. Making this type of lifestyle change is not for everyone. You’ve got to sit down and evaluate your reasons for wanting to make a change - weighing benefits vs the effort necessary to overcome societal environment and personal habits. Even if you do make this choice, it may likely mean a gradual change over time.Also, you may not want to switch to a completely (or at least 75%) raw foods diet. Perhaps for you, it’s simply making the mindful choice of adding more raw fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, bean sprouts, honey and even raw milk and yogurt to your daily diet. Even with a shift of adding 25% more raw foods to your diet, you’ll reap big benefits. Here's the first of several articles focusing on specific health conditions and highlighting individual raw foods and how they can help us live healthier lives. I'll be adding more articles soon.
Can a Raw Food Diet Reverse Diabetes?
Raw Food Diet - What Can We Learn from Pottenger's Cats?
Broccoli and Broccoli Sprouts~Shining Stars of the Superfoods
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Question? Comments? Contact Valory Rose here
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