Is Eating Raw Food More Healthy? – Understanding the Risks and Benefits

Video Post by:  Andreas Moritz
Book excerpt:  Feel Great, Lose Weight

If processed foods are so damaging to our bodies, are uncooked or unprocessed foods the answer?Before I answer that question, here is something to think about. Did you know that when you heat food that is heated above 188 degrees Fahrenheit, the enzymes in it break down and are rendered useless?

In fact, the structure of the molecules changes completely, rendering the food inert and devoid of its life force. In other words, when you overcook food, you are actually killing its life force or Prana. Processed foods are no different. They too are devoid of their life force and are nutritionally empty. That’s why refined carbohydrates – such as refined flour, wheat and pasta, to name a few – are nutritionally deficient even though they add calories to your body. These are therefore called ‘empty calories’.

Processed foods and overheated foods, when ingested, are interpreted by the body as pathogens or invaders as they are alien to its biochemistry. They instantly trigger the stress response and the immune system immediately releases white cells to ‘fight the invader’.

Scientists who discovered this phenomenon back in the 1930s called this ‘digestive leukocytosis’ or a response of the leukocytes to a digestive process.

The logical conclusion is that eating foods in their raw and natural form is the healthiest way to eat. Or is it?

Many people who start on a raw, whole-food diet have already suffered from health problems and have weak Agni or digestive fire. Unable to break down the high food fiber, the intestinal bacteria start taking over that job. This results in fermentation and putrefaction of the food.

The poison, which the bacteria produce during the fermenting process, greatly stimulates the immune system and helps the body to dispose of it. This strong cleansing reaction initially helps clear the intestines of impacted fecal matter, stops constipation, and through the intense immune activity releases plenty of energy.

The relief from congestion and constipation and the increased energy and vitality are perceptible and strikes one as very a ‘positive sign’. This response can even lead to a spontaneous remission of cancer or the relief of arthritic pains. But eventually, the intestines may begin to bloat like a balloon, unable to deal with the toxic gases and poisonous compounds.

Young Pitta types with a strong Agni and plenty of exercise can cope with a diet of raw foods for many years without harmful side-effects. But eventually, even their digestive system may become exhausted because of trying to break down these vegetables and grains.

Alternatively, Vata types and Kapha types may suffer ill-effects within days or weeks. These two types benefit more from eating mostly warm and cooked foods, as their bodies tend to be cool by nature.

A Kapha’s Agni may easily get subdued by a lot of raw food, and a Vata, whose Agni is changeable, could become constipated, nervous, and depressed if he or she eats too much of it.

Why Eating Raw Foods Consistently Weakens Your Digestive System

It eventually leads to fatigue. It is not always easy to use the enzymes inside the cells of plant foods. The harder vegetables contain indigestible fiber consisting of cellulose which is the cell membrane. Softer vegetables like lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, basal, cilantro, cucumber, etc have very thin cell membranes which break down during the mastication process.

The tough cell membranes of harder vegetables remain intact if eaten raw (think of chewing on a carrot), making it relatively difficult for the body to digest and assimilate the nutrients. If eaten in large amounts, they produce gas, the result of destructive fermentation. If cooked, the cell membranes break down and the nutrients can be digested and absorbed.

Contrast this with the cow, which has three stomachs that serve as cooking devices which, with the help of heat, bacteria and moisture, soften up and break down the cell membranes in plant foods. Since humans do not have this ability, we may need to use heat and other food preparation methods such as fermenting foods (cultured foods), even if it destroys some of the enzymes and vitamins in the process.

Cooking harder plants foods also helps to eliminate natural antibodies which otherwise may cause irritation in the gut. For these reasons, food preparation has been an essential part of every ancient civilization, such as the Vedic, Mayan, Greek and Egyptian civilizations.

That does not mean you must altogether eliminate raw food from your diet. Eating salads, for instance, is a very healthy practice. Make it part of your afternoon meal and include raw vegetables as they contain healthy amounts of minerals and vitamins, proteins and fiber – all in their natural form. (Organic vegetables are recommended because commercially grown vegetables are treated with insecticides and other chemicals)

Your Body Type Plays an Important Part in Determining Whether and How Much Raw Food You Can Tolerate

Whatever body type you are, also start trusting your intuition and listening to the signals your body sends out. If you ate a salad or fruit for supper, you may feel sluggish and irritable the next morning because it has fermented in your intestines during the night. Nobody knows your body better than you do.

Also, if you feel inclined to only eating raw, unprepared foods, it means your body may require cleansing. Still, keep listening to your body’s signals of comfort and discomfort. If one day you get an aversion to these foods, return to a mixed diet immediately because your body is telling you that it has had enough and can no longer cope with so many toxic and irritating antigens.

A cleanse consisting of raw vegetables or their juices has saved many people’s lives by triggering a strong immune response. This helped remove toxic waste that may have lingered in the intestinal tract for many years. The body usually sends a clear message of discomfort when the antibodies begin to damage the intestines, which means it is time to stop the cleansing.

A Tip For Eating Salad

Always eat it at the beginning of your meal, before eating any cooked food. Since raw foods require different digestive enzymes than those needed for digesting cooked foods, eating these food items one after the other makes it easier on the digestive system.

Also, always eat raw foods at the beginning of a meal, not once you have eaten cooked food. Eating raw food items after having eaten cooked foods will leave them mostly undigested and subject to fermentation. Avoid cooked foods items in your salad, especially protein foods.

You may share or republish this article provided you clearly mention the name of Andreas Moritz and paste a hyper link back to the post:
https://www.ener-chi.com/is-eating-raw-food-more-healthy/