Why Raw?

Why Raw?

If you had told me a decade ago that my diet today would revolve around raw foods, I would have told you that you were nuts! Eating primarily raw foods always seemed to me both extreme and silly, newage-y and weird. It sounded completely crazy and totally not my thing.

And yet here I am a raw food enthusiast.

Raw food is not about eating sushi or live squiggly worms. It isn't constantly living in a state of being "awesome" "thrilled" or "bright-eyed". It is a diet focused on whole foods - fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sea vegetables and other foods in their natural state. This is a vegan diet, using no animal products. Raw fooders still have plenty of milk, cheese and other goodness, but we creatively use whole plant-based recipes to make our comfort foods.

I started eating raw foods because I was worried about my health. I was carrying more weight than I wanted, and was tired of nutrition advice that felt counterintuitive or just did not produce the results I was looking for. In my search for optimum health, raw foods provided what I wanted. It has been an awesome journey, and I encourage everyone to give it a try and see how what changes occur!

Everyone has their own personal reasons for eating raw foods. Here are some of mine:

	Vitality –
	Raw foods such as fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts come bursting with life and flavor. When I eat them, I feel that I too am bursting with life and flavor. Fresh, uncooked foods have a life energy to them. If I put a raw seed in the ground, it grows. Transferring that energy directly into my body makes my bones, muscles, hair and skin stronger and healthier. I eat food that is at the peak of ripeness and is the best that mother nature can produce. I noticed the effects not just in my body but in my mind –I think more clearly, am able to act more decisively. And overall, I am just happier. Since I started eating raw, many people have said I look younger. In general raw fooders report that they are able to dramatically slow the aging and decaying process inside of their bodies. How awesome is that?
Nutrient Dense & Preservative Free:
Raw foods such as fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts come fresh from the earth. I buy them untreated, free from irradiation, pesticides and other harm. That means the food I eat has more vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in them. I am packing my body full of health! Most nutrients are like humans - sensitive to heat. When you heat most foods they lose much nutrition. I eat them raw and get their benefits. A raw food diet provides more than enough calcium, protein and other essential nutrients. I can provide you with plenty of scientific evidence that demonstrates this. When I eat cooked food, I am much more like to make unhealthy choices. When eating out I have no idea what I am putting in my mouth - the quality of the food, what it is cooked in, the amount of salt, msg, oil, refined sugar, etc. Cooking at home isn't that much better whether it is eating canned tomatoes loaded with too much salt, or pre-cooked polenta loaded with preservatives. Why put all that unhealthy stuff in my body unless I have to? I strongly believe and experience that eating raw is the answer to optimum nutrition.
	Mindfulness:
	This was a totally unexpected outcome of eating raw. I started really looking at what I ate –where it came from, how it tasted, how it made me feel. I realized I could make better choices and eat better tasting food. With this new sense of mindfulness, I felt much more connected to the rhythms of the world around me. I found myself much more interested in engaging with others, and being an active member of my community.
Taste :
Raw foods are so delicious! It is easy to make simple dishes that taste gourmet. Raw foods are naturally sweet and bursting with flavor. Whether you are eating blueberry cheesecake, chips or crackers, there are amazingly delicious raw versions. Try it and you will see that it is very possible to be comfortably raw.
	Addiction:
	Cooked food can be addictive. Whether it is sugar, salt or something else, I personally find that cravings beget more cravings. Eating cooked foods, there are times when I feel like an insatiable beast. With raw foods, I have many less cravings. And the cravings tend to be easy to satisfy. This helps me to stay at my ideal weight effortlessly. I am a person who tends to eat until full. Eating cooked food until I am full can make me feel awful –my digestive system refuses to function and I take in way too many calories. With raw foods, I eat more in moderation and digest my food more quickly.
Clarity & Energy Level:
Many rawfooders report an immediate change in the clarity of their thinking. I found this to be true– I was more efficient at work, more even-keeled and in general much happier. Most people report that they need much less sleep every night because their energy level is so high. At first I did not find it for myself. But then I started adding even more greens (especially home-grown sprouts) to my diet and ZING I definitely have more energy these days.
	Cruelty Free & ECO- Friendly
	Eating raw, local foods whenever possible gives me the smallest possible "foot print". I am encouraging local and small businesses. I am doing the least amount of harm to others and to our planet. That's simply good karma, but powerfully important.
Community:
There are so many amazing raw-fooders out there in the world. These are happy, optimistic people with so much love to share. Just start looking around the web and you will find hundreds of people happy to share recipes and swap stories. Their enthusiasm is simply infectious, and a very nice change to the daily messages we hear around us.
There are downsides
	Social Ostracism:
	It just isn’t easy to be a raw fooder in a cooked world. Going out feels like a hassle, defending your food choices to others just is tedious. Friends get so nervous about designing a menu, they stop inviting you over. That is the main reason I am not 100% raw 100% of the time. It just makes it easier on others and myself.
Time:
You can definitely get enough protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals eating a raw food diet but you have to carefully prepare your food plan and meals. You also can eat food that is much too rich. That means you have to plan carefully and stay vigilant. You should do the same thing eating cooked foods. But so many of us don’t…
	Less Cooked Food:
	Cooked food is yummy too! Addictive, but yummy. Sometimes I miss it, but rarely.
Detox:
Some people find that when they switch their diet suddenly to raw foods they experience unpleasant detox symptoms. It is your body's way of cleaning from the inside out. This can be managed by a slower transition to raw foods or other methods.