Raw Food for Health

Raw foods are important in the process of digestion. Raw foods have enzymes, which help our food to digest. Enzymes break down food particles so they can be utilized for energy. How useful is food if you cannot get adequate nutrition from it???

However, because enzymes are proteins they have a very specific 3-dimensional structure and once they are heated above 118 degrees, the structure begins to breakdown. Once they have been exposed to heat the enzymes to contribute to the process of digestion for which they were made.

So eating a wide variety for raw foods is very important. A daily diet should consist of at least 50% raw foods for a proper functioning body.

Just how does one get a good amount of raw foods in their system?

Here a few simple ways to add 50% of raw foods to your daily diet:

* Eat a simple green salad with lunch and dinner. Make sure to eat it before your main meal because it aids in proper digestion.

* Cut up raw vegetables like cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, green onions, and celery to go with your dinner. You would be surprised how delicious a raw tomato is with beans and rice.

* Make a salad with just avocadoes, tomatoes, green and black olives.

* Make a bruschetta spread with tomatoes, garlic, and green olives. Dice the vegetables; add olive oil, sea salt, and basil. Chill and eat over toast, crackers, or by itself.

* Pop a piece of fruit in your mouth. Yes, they are raw foods too!

* Make smoothies. Did you know a smoothie does not have to have milk? Just freeze the fruit, place in blender once it is frozen, add ice, sweetener of choice, some ground flax seeds, and blend.

* Juice it! Oh the benefits of having a juicer. Try a carrot, cucumber, and ginger blend for energy, focus, and clarity. Juicing is very beneficial to your over all health.

* Try sprouts. The most enzyme rich foods are sprouts. They are filled with some of the most potent sources of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and many B vitamins. Just about any vegetable or grain can be consumed from sprouts. Try alfalfa, broccoli, bean, or mung bean sprouts.

* Make a raw granola, trail mix, and raw fruit bars.

* Eat raw nuts. No, not the salted ones in the store. Find raw nuts in health food stores and crunch away. You can even add them you your salads.

Many people neglect the importance of raw foods and cook everything. In the long run you are risking serious health problems. Cooked foods are not the healthiest. The body cannot properly digest foods that have been fried, pasteurized, barbecued, dried or other over-processed and over cooked foods. If you have to cook foods, the best way to do so is to lightly stem, stew, or use a crock pot.

When many people first hear about the concept of the raw foods movement they may initially think it sounds rather strange. Chances are you grew up with food favorites that were baked, fried, broiled, or cooked in some way. Hearing that more and more people are switching to a diet of completely raw, uncooked foods and raving about the health benefits just sounds to unfamiliar to you. Perhaps though it might be easier to digest if you also knew that adding more raw foods to your diet will not only be better for your health but it is also better for your pocketbook.

Most raw food aficionados suggest eating organic produce, more expensive raw nuts, and even those hard to find superfoods but despite all of this eating raw is usually better for your budget. Here are a few of the ways that going raw might help you save some money.

Medical Bills - Eating raw foods rich in living enzymes with all of their nutrients still intact is healthier for your body than eating the processed, nutrient deficient foods that you may be used to. Raw food enthusiasts often claim that medical ailments they had for years disappear when they start eating a mostly raw diet. Things like depression, diabetes, obesity, and allergies just seem to go away. Think of all the money that you could save on doctor bills and pharmacy prescriptions if you let food be your medicine.

Grocery Bills - In general fruits and veggies will be cheaper than prepackaged, processed junk foods. They are also quite a bit cheaper than meat and dairy. Going raw does not have to eliminate meat or dairy but many find that access to high quality meats and raw dairy is limited. A raw diet often does reduce consumption of expensive meat and dairy products. Raw foodies also claim that the amount of food they eat in general is far less than what they used to eat before going raw and less food means less money spent.

Toiletries and Skin Care Products - A big perk of eating raw is that your skin and hair become more hydrated and vibrant. Expensive moisturizers, skin creams, and even shampoo become relatively obsolete. When you do feel your skin or hair need some extra care you can easily turn to the raw foods in your pantry and refrigerator such as coconut oil or avocados to make a home spa treatment. Also, as your skin begins to look and feel better you will also find that you no longer need to wear makeup or use as much of it.

Water - Eating raw saves on your water bill as you no longer have pots, pans, and casserole dishes to clean and scrub anymore. Many times a simple raw food meal will only require a cutting board and a plate or a Vita-Mix which can be cleaned in seconds with minimal water usage. The need for daily showers and hair washes is also something that is reduced, saving even more water. AND you also spend les son drinking water or buying water filters. Food in its raw state has a high water content... and it doesn;t get cooked away. This means that you need to drink less water because you are getting it from your food.

When you add up all the health benefits and the monetary benefits of eating raw, you might decide that adopting a raw foods diet is something you need to look at more closely.

Many people neglect the importance of raw foods and cook everything. In the long run you are risking serious health problems. Cooked foods are not the healthiest option. The body cannot properly digest foods that have been fried, pasteurized, barbecued, dried or other over-processed and over cooked foods. Eating a wide variety for raw foods is very important. A daily diet should consist of at least 50% raw foods for a proper functioning body. Are your kids eating 50% of their total diet in its purest, raw form?

If not you can start doing something about it now. The Recipes for Raw Kids un-cookbook has 80+ pages of raw food info and recipes for kids. This recipe book goes beyond carrot sticks and trail-mix with divine recipes kids will love, like Lemon Cookies, No Cook Pizza, and sweet Chickpea Crunchies. If you are ready to give your kids the power of raw, living foods, make sure to check it out.

Raw Kids Recipes

Also check out my Green Smoothies Recipes for Kids book. This 35+ page book is filled with green smoothie recipes that are kid tested and approved. It is a great way to get kids to eat their greens! You don't have to be deficient in your daily consumption of green veggies. Just get creative. By combining greens and fresh fruit, and other nutritious ingredients we can create a meal or drinkable snack that children love. Using green smoothies to get those 3 to 5 servings of greens a day is no longer such a daunting task.

These snacks are yummy for anyone, but if you or your child is sensitive to wheat, these flourless treats are especially nice.

Carob Snack Balls

1 cup cashews, chopped fine
1 cup almonds, chopped fine
1/2 cup honey
1/2 carob
1 tsp sea salt
1 T. all natural vanilla flavoring
1 cup grated coconut

Warm honey by placing the jar in a bowl of hot water. Mix honey, carob or cocoa, salt and vanilla and mix well. You can either chop the nuts in a food processor or the blender. Process until finely chopped. Add coconut and pulse until blended. Place in bowl and add cocoa mixture, blending well.

Place greased wax or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Spread mixture on top. Place in refrigerator until firm, typically several hours. Then form into balls, or cut into small squares. You can also use other nuts if you wish.

It is a known fact that vegetables are good for our health. They are beneficial to our body, skin and overall health. But, is eating vegetables in raw better?

Some say that eating foods in raw and in their original state is best way to be healthy and energized.

People who are into a raw diet would want to have their food in 90 percent of its natural state, meaning uncooked and unprocessed. Dehydrated and dried foods are quite acceptable to this diet as long as the food is never heated above 116 degrees Fahrenheit.

It used to be conserved to be just fruits and vegetables when we say raw. But nowadays, people have created and discovered many other dishes that could be offered raw and rare. These dishes can be found in some cook books.

For instance, spaghetti sauce can be done using fresh tomatoes and peppers. This way, you are preserving the freshness of the ingredients. With some creative thoughts, you can also create other dishes using raw ingredients.

Only few percentages choose to eat raw foods. Raw foodist states that eating raw could give a lot of benefits like:

* It can heal diseases like diabetes, eye problems and skin diseases.
* Energy and vitality are increased
* Effective weight loss and weight management system
* Improves the appearance of skin
* Improves digestion and reduces digestive problems
* Reduces the risk of having a heart disease

There are a lot of reasons to be in the raw diet but the most important thing is that the benefits it can give the dieters are more focused on being healthy.

Eating raw foods would require having a lot of fruits and vegetables, others who are into this diet say that their skin has become healthier and has reduced having skin problems.

Maybe, the best thing about this diet is that through fresh fruits and vegetables, one absorbs antioxidants which contain vitamins and minerals that can nourish the skin and prevent one from having diseases.

See the only Master Cleanse diet used by Hollywood Celebrities such as Beyonce to lose 20 Pounds!

Freshly made juice is rich in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and amino acids. It's the best way to give your body what it needs and to keep it working at its optimum. You may be wondering whether you can buy natural juice instead of making it. The truth is that commercial juice does not contain the high nutrient content that freshly made juice has. Processing destroys most if not all of the nutrients.

One benefit of juicing is that fresh, organic juice is easy to digest and quickly absorbed and assimilated into your bloodstream. Your blood then carries the nutrients to various organs and body tissues to nourish and repair cells.

Another benefit is that you can consume much more live foods through juicing. It takes approximately one pound of carrots to make a glass of juice. Most people cannot eat this many carrots. However, drinking a glass of juice is something that everyone can do.

Another reason to juice is that raw juice contains more than just vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes. Depending on the juice, you can receive other benefits. For example, string beans contain insulin-like properties. Cucumber and onion juice contain hormones needed by the pancreas. In addition, tomatoes, garlic, onions, and radishes contain antibacterial properties.

You can use juices as a supplement to your diet of natural, whole foods or you could do a "juicing fast" a few times a month. Juice fasts take place over a day or sometimes several days. You'll do nothing but drink fresh, natural juice. It's a great way to kick start your healing and rid your body of all of the junk that you've been putting into it.

Below are some examples of juices you can make at home to help you get started juicing and their benefits.

Carrot Juice (this is the base for many juice combinations)
* Thoroughly wash about one pound of carrots
* Do not peel; feed into the juicer one at a time

You can drink straight carrot juice; it has a cleansing effect and builds the blood.

Celery Juice
* Cut a stalk of celery into two or three pieces
* Feed the celery one piece at a time

Celery has diuretic properties and helps to maintain proper sodium levels.

Apple Juice
* Wash and core three or four apples and cut them into sections
* Do not peel
* Feed into the juicer one at a time

Apples are high in phenolics. Phenolics have anti-aging properties, help protect against cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

These are just a few examples of juices you can make. There are endless juice combinations to treat numerous conditions. However, it's important to keep in mind that there are some differences between fruit and vegetable juice. Fruit juices are beneficial for cleansing and detoxifying the body, while vegetable juice is conducive to rejuvenating and repairing the body.

Happy juicing!