What is raw food?
A raw food is a fresh, whole, unrefined, living fruit, vegetable, seed, nut, dairy, or animal that has not been processed or cooked (heated beyond 118 degrees Fahrenheit). Sprouted grains fall in there somewhere as well - I am still looking into this, though. Heating food beyond this point causes documented changes to the chemical and molecular structure of food, which removes valuable nutrients, enzymes, and creates toxins such as carcinogens and free-radicals which cannot be easily eliminated by the human body. These toxins continue to build up as you consume your cooked meals and this can skew the acid/alkaline balance in the body, which can lead to disease and weight gain.
One of the important aspects of the diet concerns enzymes. Enzymes are important in the body for digestion of food, cell division, effective vitamin and hormone activity and a healthy immune system. All foods naturally contain enzymes; however, cooking destroys these natural enzymes and that means the body has to work extra hard to digest the food. Sometimes the body is not able to digest everything, which causes arteries and digestive tracts to get clogged up by undigested proteins, fats and starches.
What about how TCM recommends cooking your food?
My acupuncturist had told me many years ago that it was easier for my body to digest food when it was cooked, as does this acupuncturist (when I googled "raw food diet" this article came back high in the list of results): http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13454/3-reasons-no-one-should-be-on-a-raw-foods-diet.html
That article explains why Traditional Chinese Medicine advocates cooking your food, and why I cooked most of my food for many years now. But the funny thing is that in general I feel a ton better - and like my body digests food better - when I eat it raw! Now I understand why.
I remember telling my acupuncturist a couple years ago that I felt great when I ate sushi. He told me that I shouldn't eat much sushi because it is hard for my body to digest. But my experience has been the complete opposite!
What does a typical day's food look like?
Breakfast is either:
- A green smoothie
- A bowl of fruit with nuts and seeds
- A parfait (yogurt, sprouted granola, fruit, nuts, seeds)
Lunch is the meal where I allow myself some cooked food (and take digestive enzymes):
- Fish (salmon, halibut, or oysters) and vegetables
- Ezekiel bread with either vegetable soup, or avocado/tomato/cilantro/olives
- Miso soup, brown rice and steamed vegetables
- Mashed potatoes using coconut milk and butter, with sautéed mushrooms in tamari sauce and a small salad
- Brown rice, sautéed mushrooms in tamari sauce, small salad
Dinner is either:
- Big salad
- Fresh green juice
Simple, right? And delicious! Switching to eating this food has not been that hard. The most difficult thing for me has been what I've had to give up: tea/coffee, alcohol, and sugar.
I do not do a perfect job at avoiding tea/coffee (caffeine), alcohol, and sugar. They are so abundant in our food supply, and a staple of socializing with people. So I try to limit these things as much as possible, but allow them occasionally. Every once in a while I allow myself a cup of tea or coffee, a glass of wine or beer, and a cookie/dessert otherwise I would go crazy!
