Have you ever thought of going the raw foods route?

Added July 27, 2010, Under: Diseases, Health, Nutrition

A fairly recent phenomenon has been the interest in eating raw foods. Although this is a new concept, it is of course as old as the hills because man had to eat raw foods before fire was discovered.

According to Robert Ross on his web site http://www.rawfoodlife.com -

“A Raw food diet is based on eating whole, live, nutritionally-dense organic uncooked and un-processed foods as a large percentage of your diet. When 75-100% of your total food consumption is raw food, you are a raw foodist. At that rate it is believed that your body’s own elimination system can eliminate all or most of the toxins in the cooked portion of your diet. When you eat more cooked food you are eating toxins faster than your body can get rid of them so they back up causing disease. Heating food above 118 degrees F. is believed to destroy valuable enzymes in food that can assist in digestion and health.

Cooking is also known to diminish the nutritional value of food, but where did the nutrients go? They didn’t disappear – instead, the heat actually causes chemical changes in your food creating many of the carcinogens, mutagens, free-radicals and other toxins that are associated with many of today’s diseases, from diabetes and arthritis to heart disease and cancer.

Two common myths are that eating raw is expensive and that it takes a lot of time to prepare. Nothing could be further from the truth! I am one of busiest people I know (mostly answering emails from my readers)! But when you do it correctly, a raw food diet is actually one of the easiest, most convenient and most economical ways you can eat. Remember, raw foodists eat mostly organic food, which is usually 80% to 300% more nutritionally dense. As your body learns to absorb this additional nutrition, you be less hungry and actually eat much less, reducing your food costs well below what is was when you were eating empty calories filled with toxins that increase your health care costs.”

I have a friend who has a progressive form of cancer and she has decided not to endure chemo any longer. She has decided to go the natural route instead. She keeps her friends and family informed on her journey with this disease and this is what she has written this week.

”Many of you are asking what my raw food lifestyle consists of in order to help fight the cancer – here it is:

The reason why I have to eat raw food is because:

1. Cooking food with heat destroys almost all the natural enzymes & nutrients which fight cancer (which is why wild animals never get cancer).

2. Cooking food creates an acidic environment in the body, when I need an alkaline environment.

3. Food that you would cook with (that isn’t organic or fresh) often includes chemical ingredients which don’t occur naturally and which cause cancer – like solidifiers, preservatives & colorants which are all poison – particularly processed foods.

4. Meat is always pumped full of hormones and chemicals.

5. If you google “raw food living” you will uncover an entire world of shocking benefits that the commercial food manufacturers have brainwashed us away from.

6. No more alcohol for now.

Below is what my diet consists of every single day, all raw:

Morning:

• Mannatech Ambrotose Glyconutrients x 4 (1g every hour) in 250ml water
• Mannatech Essential Source Omega 3 x 2 pills
• Mannatech Plus Herbal Amino Acid Supplement x 1 pill
• Organo Flax certified Flaxseed Oil for Omega 3, 6 & 9 x 2 pills
• Marcus Rohrer Spirulina x 6 pills
• Dru Natural Foods Barley Grass Organic leaf power x 1 tsp in glass of water
• Fresh fruit (oranges, apples, bananas, pears, dried gogi berries) or rye with avo or organic peanut butter & raw honey
• Nuts (raw almonds, cashews or macadamia)
• Mineral Water

Afternoon:

• Mannatech Ambrotose Glyconutrients x 5 (1g every hour) in 250ml water
• Mannatech Plus Herbal Amino Acid Supplement x 1 pill
• Salads containing lettuce, spinach, corn, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, green pepper, avocado, pure Danish feta (can’t resist), smoked    Norwegian salmon, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, herbal salt seasoning
• Nuts (raw almonds, cashews or macadamia)
• Fruit (oranges, apples, bananas, pears)
• Goji berries
• Mineral water

Evening:

• Mannatech Ambrotose Glyconutrients x 1 (1g every hour) in 250ml water
• Mannatech Plus Herbal Amino Acid Supplement x 1 pill
• Raw vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, marrows, cabbage, carrots, corn, green beans) or salads containing a combination of lettuce,    spinach, corn, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, green pepper, avocado, pure Danish feta, smoked Norwegian salmon, balsamic vinegar,   olive oil,herbal salt seasoning
• 100% organic Rooibos tea

Sushi is what I eat if we go out for a treat!”

So there it is. I am sure you will agree that changing to a raw food diet is certainly interesting, different and something to consider as a prevention for cancer too. I am hoping that it will make all the difference to my friend’s prognosis.