The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps by Brenda Watson

Author:Brenda Watson [Watson, Brenda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Free Press
Published: 2008-03-04T00:00:00+00:00

Why Raw Foods Trump Cooked Foods

Since meats are generally prepared at a temperature of at least 350 degrees and grains at 325 degrees or more, wholesale enzyme destruction occurs when these foods are cooked. Any processed foods, even uncooked, are devoid of enzymes due to the heat applied in the refining process. Freezing and refrigeration also have some effect on enzymes but result in only about a 30 percent loss.

When enzymes in food are destroyed or reduced, the digestive organs have to work harder to break down and process that food. Metabolic enzymes are then forced to perform this function instead of their intended job of healing. A deficiency of enzymes in the body is synonymous with a deficiency of life force. Nothing shows the value of raw foods more than the work done by the late Dr. Francis M. Pottenger. In 1946, he experimented with 900 cats. Half were fed raw milk and raw meat; the other half ate cooked meat and pasteurized (cooked) milk. During a ten-year period, he found that the cats on the raw diet thrived, while those on the cooked food diet showed all the degenerative diseases common in man. By the third generation, all the cats on the processed diet were sterile or congenitally malformed. Not only do we have more energy (life force) from raw foods in our diet, but our bodies are more thoroughly hydrated due to their high water content.

A diet of exclusively cooked foods forces the body to use its own fluids to moisten the ingested food, and therefore has a dehydrating effect. Dehydration is an important, though often overlooked, cause of many disorders, including constipation. Those with raw foods in their diet will require less extra water intake than those eating predominantly cooked foods. Any food prepared at temperatures less than 116 degrees may be considered “raw.” Although conventional cooking requires much higher temperatures, tasty foods can be prepared at extremely low temperatures or without heat, using kitchen appliances such as juicers, dehydrators, food processors, and blenders. There are many fine cookbooks available at health food stores on how to prepare tasty raw foods.

Add raw foods gradually to your diet, especially if your current diet is composed largely of cooked food and/or you suffer from digestive disorders. Some people with inflammatory conditions can’t process raw foods or, in some extreme cases, even cooked vegetables. Each person is different and must do what is best for his or her unique body chemistry. The simplest way to add raw foods is to alter cooking methods. As healing of the digestive tract occurs and as tolerance permits, fewer and fewer cooked foods are required. For example, the steaming time on vegetables may be gradually reduced so that they’re eventually firm instead of soft, or they may be stir-fried to a similar consistency. Vegetables should never be boiled.

Experiment to see what you can tolerate. If getting enough vegetables is a problem, you may supplement with liquid greens or capsules. (See Resource Directory.)

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