IGNITE YOUR BODY THE WHOLE FRESH WAY!

When your mom directed you to “eat your fruits and vegetables” she knew what she was talking about; but if you really want to feel your body ‘rock,’ change HOW you eat your fruits and vegetables.  Raw, uncooked fruits and vegetables and other whole Credit union location Indiana Fort Wayne Partners 1st Federal Credit Union plant foods (e.g. nuts, seeds, and some grains) are nutrient dense powerhouses that help to protect, heal and energize us.  Whole, uncooked fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber, enzymes, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and healthy fats.  Animal products have none of these.  Cooking most fruits and vegetables not only reduces their vitamin and mineral makeup, but will change or dramatically reduce these healthy nutrients too.

Fiber is essential for proper digestion and nutrient assimilation, and is seriously lacking in the Standard American Diet (SAD).  Animal products have little to no fiber and are harder to digest than plant foods, taking nearly three times longer to digest.  Fiber helps to move digested food through the digestive tract and keep the colon clean.  Not enough fiber in our diet can easily create toxic waste in our system making us more vulnerable to diseases, while excess waste in our system can increase our weight as much as 25 pounds.  Cooking fruits and vegetables will reduce and change the quality of the fiber, reducing its ability to ‘sweep’ the colon clean. 

All uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds come with their own digestive enzymes to assist the body in digesting protein, fats and carbohydrates.  For example, the avocado is rich in the enzyme Lipase, the fat dissolving enzyme.  These plant enzymes help to pre-digest the food in the early part of digestion thus improving the digestive process and bioavailability (the absorption and assimilation) of nutrients.  Cooking foods at high temperatures can dramatically reduce the quality and quantity of these enzymes. 

Plant foods are also rich in phytochemicals (including antioxidants) and healthy fats to support optimal health.  Antioxidants fight free radicals – free radicals are known to accelerate aging and contribute to diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.  Phytochemicals found in whole plant foods number in the 100,000’s and;

Perform anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral activities;

Fight Macular Degeneration, cataracts and Alzheimer;

Have anti-inflammatory activities;

Help bone density (reduce risk of osteoporosis);

Help prevent and rid body of carcinogens (anti-cancerous activities);

Prevent blood clotting, lower cholesterol, strengthen blood vessel walls and fight heart disease;

And enhance Immune Function.

The process of heating foods can significantly reduce the phytochemical content of most foods.  To receive the enormous benefits of these health promoting nutrients eat your fruits and vegetables as Mother Nature grew them – whole, fresh, and uncooked.

Healthy fats are necessary for food absorption, healthy skin, lubricating our joints, protecting our internal tissues and organs, and to providing satiation (that feeling of ‘fullness’ which helps eliminate ‘over-eating’).  Healthy fats can be found in coconuts, olives, avocados, and raw nuts and seeds.  The unhealthy fats (i.e. saturated fats and trans-fats) are found only in animal products, never in fresh plant foods.  Eating healthy fats have an added benefit  -  the same ‘fat dissolving’ Lipase enzyme found in raw plant foods like avocados, nuts and seeds, will help to dissolve saturated fat from the body.

Take your diet and health a notch higher; feel like the ‘reset’ button was pressed and your body ignited with new energy.  Eat whole fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds in their natural raw/uncooked state and reap the benefits!  You’ll be amazed how your body responds to those added antioxidants, phytochemicals, enzymes, fiber and healthy fats!

RAW FOOD DIET – IS IT GOOD FOR YOU?

I get asked this question all the time, particularly by people who consume animal products in the way of meat and dairy, as well as vegetarians who consume large quantities of cooked beans and rice.  There is an unfounded belief that if you eat nothing but raw fruits and vegetables that somehow you will be missing vital nutrients………….or worse, deprive yourself of a wide array of favorite cooked dishes.  These same people are typically taking numerous prescription drugs or supplements, and are suffering from at least one of the more typical diseases (e.g. obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, fibromyalgia, heart disease, etc).

The raw food diet Credit union location Texas Houston Ada Employees Credit Union foods to sell as supplements is the most costly way to improve your nutritional balance.  Most nutrients are known to interact symbiotically with at least eight other nutrients, WHOLE fruits and vegetables provide a superior complete source of vitamins and minerals.

Fiber found in plant-based foods is lacking in a meat-based diet; fiber is important to keep the digestive tract clean of waste products which can lead to disease. 

Plant-based foods are alkaline in nature, as apposed to animal products and grains which are acid forming.  A highly acidic bloodstream pulls minerals from our muscles and bones to neutralize the acid content.  

Most animal products have been treated with antibiotics, steroids, coloring agents, flavor enhancers, growth hormones and other chemicals that humans ingest when eating these foods.  How healthy is it to eat THAT?  Whole fresh organic fruits and vegetables are free of any of these treatments. 

Cooking foods changes its atomic structure, creating a toxic food where up to 80% of the nutrients can lost in the cooking process.  Cooking foods at high heat (such as steaming, boiling, and grilling) creates carcinogens that can lead to cancer and auto-immune diseases.  The body’s first line of defense is the white blood cells; research has proven the white blood cell count increases almost 300% after consuming cooked foods.  The body perceives cooked food as toxic and rushes to its defense.  Cooking is a process of destruction, not of ‘construction’.  If you placed your hand on a hot burner, within seconds the skin would reflect how destructive ‘cooking’ is.  It matters little if it is ‘slightly’ cooked or blackened………..the result is the same. 

Switching to a raw food diet, high in low calorie nutrient dense fruits and vegetables increases your energy and unwanted pounds melt away as you are no longer consuming food that is made up of processed sugar, processed flours and grains, and cooked foods – all foods that put on the weight and drain you of energy.  With there being over 150 varieties of available fruits and vegetables to choose from, meals are seldom boring.  Couple this with learning HOW to prepare these fruits and vegetables into great tasting familiar recipes (e.g. pasta, desserts, ice cream etc) you’ll soon be experiencing a higher level of health and energy, beyond anything you dreamed possible.

It is interesting that people think little about the quantities and health quality of prescription drugs, supplements, or processed foods they consume and yet shy away from eating whole fresh fruits and vegetables as being ‘radical’ and ‘difficult’.  It couldn’t be any simpler.  Sometimes we’re looking so hard for the dietary cure-all, we don’t see the bright colored jewels in our produce markets beckoning us to ‘just try me!’   

Is the raw food diet a healthy diet?  It is all that and then some!  It is a diet/lifestyle that fits everyone, whether you’re consuming 20% more fruits and vegetables or 100% more, with every bite you’re improving your health.  Who can argue the benefits of THAT!

Bon A Petite’

Beth

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*Dr Douglas N Graham, On Nutrition and Physical Performace: A Handbook for Athletes and Fitness Enthusiasts