Raw Foods

What does it mean to eat raw? What do you eat especially for dinner.  I know it means no processed foods, I think it means that.  I had someone reply to my journal that eating raw might help me with not feeling hungry all the time.  That they are trying to eat raw and they eat less and feel great.  

I just re-read the entry it didn't say to eat raw, just not processed foods.  Is that the same as eating raw? 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.  I'm also going to pm the journal entry responder. (didn't know what else to call it) :) 

raw = not cooked

not processed = not processed.

Original Post by floggingsully:

raw = not cooked

not processed = not processed.

 Clean = on the floor for less than ten seconds

I have a 2 year old and our definition of clean is....wait we don't have one! 

To me, choosing to eat only raw food is as arbitrary as choosing to speak only in words that begin with the letter t - yes, it may be possible, but I don't see any good reason to do it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_foodism

Original Post by skp_here82:

To me, choosing to eat only raw food is as arbitrary as choosing to speak only in words that begin with the letter t - yes, it may be possible, but I don't see any good reason to do it.

 agreed.

sure it seems 'natural', but come on... BORING!

basically your diet would consist of raw fruits, raw vegetables, raw fish, and perhaps some raw nuts and tofu (but i think most nuts are slightly roasted and tofu goes through processing to get it from soybean state to tofu state)

therefore, NO chicken, beef, grains, breads, pasta, rice, etc. I think even milk is heated to kill bacteria... don't forget no coffee, no tea, ugh BORING.

not only would you lack a lot of nutrients, and probably adequate energy... but a diet so strict would do no good for you in the long run. Cravings would worsen, and binging would probably happen regularly.

most people that i have heard from who eat a 'raw' diet, are usually suffering from anorexia, or a medical condition in which their body can't handle hot food.

there's a difference between eating RAW food, and CLEAN food... raw has not been changed from it's orginal state, or heated above a certain temperature... clean is natural earthgrown food that has undergone very little processing(aka packaged, with added sugars, added fats, added chemical and perservatives)    (oatmeal, eggs, and vegatables and good examples of clean foods)

check out the "EAT CLEAN DIET" by Tosca Reno for great advice on nutritious eating and a healthy sustainable diet

Raw = uncooked.

Eating a diet of only raw food is impractical for most people.  But, the more raw foods you can incorporate into your diet and the less cooking you do of food, the better it is for you.  All food loses some nutritional value in cooking.  Broccoli for example, when boiled in water or steamed in a pot of shallow water, if left to cook to the point of being quite soft, has just lost 75% of it's food value and pretty much all of the active enzymes.  I think the idea is to incorporate as many raw fruits and vegetables as you can into your diet and when cooking, to use less intense cooking methods like steaming as opposed to frying on the opposite end of the scale, more often, to get the maximum benefit from the same amount of food.

I think raw food is really important in a diet, but it's completely impractical to do it totally and there are so many super nutritious foods that require cooking. I don't think any diet where you can't have oatmeal or hearty bean and veg stews or hummus is workable for me!

I do however, make sure that I eat something raw with every meal. Eg. fresh fruit with breakfast or as a snack, raw veg with lunch and dinner.

Ewww did you guys see on the Doctors (the show) they had a guy who only eats his meat raw. THey were HIGHLY saying NOT to do this that it is very very unhealthy

I've made a recipe for Raw Hummus before! I'd never eat all raw food aka boring, but it was really good. Interesting to see the chich peas 'sprout' on the counter and grow tails lol. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Raw-Hummus/Detai l.aspx is the recipe. You do 'cook' them for 1 minute and it does effect the taste.

The whole raw food fad has a lot to do with enzymes. You over cook food and it looses the enzymes that your body has to then produce and make up for to digest the food. Raw food has more enzymes to work on their own. With everyone else we have to worry about like fat content, salt, simple carbs, this is the least on my list lol.  

Original Post by johnnypenso:

Raw = uncooked.

Eating a diet of only raw food is impractical for most people.  But, the more raw foods you can incorporate into your diet and the less cooking you do of food, the better it is for you.  All food loses some nutritional value in cooking.  Broccoli for example, when boiled in water or steamed in a pot of shallow water, if left to cook to the point of being quite soft, has just lost 75% of it's food value and pretty much all of the active enzymes.  I think the idea is to incorporate as many raw fruits and vegetables as you can into your diet and when cooking, to use less intense cooking methods like steaming as opposed to frying on the opposite end of the scale, more often, to get the maximum benefit from the same amount of food.

Truth here.  I have never even heard of someone going full-raw for very long.  The "Hip" thing right now is "70 percent raw vegan."  Aka 30 percent non-raw because your body would fold in on itself with needs if you tried to cut out everything.  30 percent is do-able though.  If I did it... the 30 percent would be non-vegan cooked foods though haha.  I want my chicken now and then.  And marshmallow.