Raw Food 101

photo credit:static.howstuffworks.com

We've all heard it said that we should eat more raw food.  It is supposed to make us healthier and feel more alive.  In today's post we will explore raw food: what exactly it is, why we should eat it or not, how do we start to incorporate more into our eating well habits.

Let's dive right in.  What is raw food?  Dictionary.com says

Raw food is any uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods.

Vegetarian.about.com says

Raw foods are unprocessed foods that have not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius).

So basically that's what raw food is. Uncooked, unprocessed foods that have not been heated above 115 degrees. There are those who say 120 degrees is the maximum temperature as well. So staying at 115 is pretty safe I would say.

So, why should I go around eating uncooked, unprocessed food?

Well, according to vegetarian.about.com

"Raw foodists" believe that foods cooked above this temperature have lost their enzymes and thus a significant amount of their nutritional value and are harmful to the body, whereas uncooked foods provide living enzymes and proper nutrition

It is also said that eating more raw food helps with weight loss, gives more energy, clear skin, improved digestion and improved overall health. My personal experience concurs with that. I found that when I started increasing the amounts of raw food in my eating plan, I was more alert, had more energy, I lost some weight and felt good overall. You don't have to become a "raw foodist" to experience the benefits of raw foods. Just adding more of them instead of empty caloric foods will yield a host of benefits. Much research has been done about the results that can be gained from eating more raw foods. Persons have reported that they got healed from diabetes, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, depression, back and knee pain, allergies, candida and a host of other ailments by adapting to a primarily raw food eating plan.

Why you shouldn't eat more raw foods:

You shouldn't eat more raw foods just because someone else is doing it. You should have your own reasons or you most likely will not stick with it and enjoy the results.

How do we start to incorporate more raw foods into our eating well habits?

First of all we need to know exactly what foods are classified as raw. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds are what is usually considered when talking about raw foods.

Next we need to do it one day at a time, one meal at a time. Start by adding more salads to your meals. It is said that it takes 21 to 28 days to form a habit. So weu could say that for the next month we're going to eat a salad every day either with lunch or with dinner. Then the next month in addition to eating the daily salad, we're going to add a fruit or two and some nuts to our snacks while reducing the empty caloric foods. And then continue on like this until you're into the habit of regularly eating raw foods maybe at a 50/50 ratio (meaning 50% cooked food and 50% raw foods).

There are so many different kinds of fruits, vegetables, and nuts out there that if we rotate them regularly we don't have to be eating the same thing everyday. That way we avoid the boredom of "same old same old". Just doing an internet search yields multiple ways to prepare and eat raw foods. I've written recipe books and in the process of writing some more with numerous different kinds of salads so much so that if rotated properly you don't have to eat the same salad for 3 to 6 months.

If you need someone to help you on your raw food journey visit karenknowler.com.  If you're the type that likes to do it yourself check out these raw food books on Amazon.

Visit and like the Fruitful Vine Facebook Page for even more articles and links on healthy living.