So while I was in Jamaica I met this couple that eats only raw foods and I'm wondering what on earth the benefit of that is. Does anyone know? I tried Googling and really haven't found anything, except for stuff on "raw vegans" meaning they only eat like uncooked nuts and berries and whatnot. This couple I met isn't vegan though: they would have ceviche and raw eggs (sick!!!), but nothing that had been cooked above 116 degrees. It seemed to be a gigantic pain in the ass for them, not to mention I can't imagine that eating 3 raw eggs for breakfast is good for you.
To clarify, I'm not interested in trying this myself, I'm just curious why anyone would do this. Any ideas?
Supposedly, you get more nutrition and the fresh enzymes from food. Also, since it's almost impossible to eat enough to maintain calories, you get really thin. I've also met people who claim that it can cure cancer, and that if you eat only raw food you don't need to use deoderant. That last one was definitely wrong, but I didnt' tell the guy. I think a raw meal every once in a while is probably good for you. There's no way I'm hopping on this trend full time, though. Oh, and I only know about it because I wrote an article about it three years ago.
i know the actress who plays the mom of seth and ryan on the OC is on it and yes, it seems like an extremely inconvenient diet. i think it's an extreme reaction to the knowledge that processed foods (like deli meat, frozen meals, etc.) are bad for you.
Roxanne Klein, a famous raw food chef, is a client of my company, so that's the only reason I know about raw foods.
The main reason for a raw diet is what Dizzy said about getting the full nutritional benefits from the foods. When vegetables are cooked they lose some nutrients, etc.
Raw food isn't necessarily insubstantial, since nuts are used in a lot of dishes.
We are working on selling Roxanne's food pre-packaged at high-end markets (like Whole Foods) in the same way that sushi is sold at markets.
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Veni, Vedi, Visa.
I came, I saw, I did a little shopping.
I took a class in raw food recently, and it's pretty interesting. Raw food is all about eating food that is in its natural state. Apparently, your body has to break down enzymes that cooked food has, and it's not natural or healthy. Eating raw food rids you of cooked food toxins and processed food chemicals. There are a lot of foods that you'd be surprised that you can eat raw, and of course there are ones that are dangerous eaten raw. A lot of vegetarians are raw food fanatics, because obviously meat is not an option. And to clarify, raw food isn't a "diet". It's not like if you feel fat, you can swtich over to raw food. When you swicth over, basically your body freaks out and goes through a phase of getting used to it. If you decide to go back to cooked food after being only raw, your body will again freak out and food that you used to eat all the time will get you sick. There are tons of books out there on this, and even more recipe books. But it's not a diet, it's more a way of life.