When people think of the word “raw,” one of the first things that comes to mind is probably bloody meat. Yet that is not the image of a raw foods diet.
A raw foodie strives to eat only that which the human body is biologically designed to digest—organic and uncooked fruits, nuts and vegetables. Raw foods are defined as foods that contain their natural enzymes. Enzymes aid in the digestion and absorption of food. Because enzymes begin to degrade at a minimum of 106 degrees Fahrenheit, raw foodies avoid cooked food.
One of the easiest ways to describe the raw diet is to use dogs, not humans. Despite domestication, dogs still retain the digestive systems of their predecessors. Every part of this system, from the teeth to the intestinal tract, has evolved to run most efficiently on freshly killed animals.
So when dogs are fed raw meat, they can achieve their peak potential. They shed significantly less, are faster and stronger and can even heal health issues that had plagued them while on a different diet.
Pet food that is advertised as having full servings of vegetables and grains are essentially useless to dogs. They are evolutionarily designed to be carnivorous. Humans are similar in that we often consume food that we think is good for us when ig is not, simply because we have not evolved to use it.
The ancestors of humans ate what they could find: fruit, vegetables and nuts. Our bodies developed through years of eating these foods, and today humans function considerably better consuming a regular gatherers’ diet.
A lot of people who subscribe to the raw diet are also vegetarian or even vegan. One does not, however, have to be either. A raw diet does not necessarily mean giving up the foods you like in order to eat leaves all day long. One conscious decision a day—choosing an apple over a cookie or a salad instead of fries— can lead to improved overall health.
Many Americans think that weight is the best measurement of health. While few obese people can be considered healthy, not all skinny people are healthy either.
Raw foodies believe that most health conditions in the modern world are directly caused by “faulty food,” or food that has been cooked and processed until it contains little or no nutritional value. Instead of being just zero value points, however, it can have a negative impact on our health because it cannot be processed by our bodies. Eating raw foods can actually make us stronger, smarter and even more emotionally stable.
It is easy to dismiss raw food as “just another hippie fad,” but the reality is that humans are designed to eat raw foods. While some people refuse to admit that their choices have any effect on their long term health, it is one of those things that have been proved time and time again—“you are what you eat.” If what you eat is a healthy, enzyme-packed diet you will be following the food of our ancestors—what we evolved to consume.