Why raw food?

Raw vs. processed food

This week I wanted to write a bit about why a person would consider eating raw food. My plan was to photograph a few food labels and talk about what actually goes into our so called "food" these days. Unfortunately we don't have much processed food in our house anymore. (See photos of our fridge. The only processed item is the Tofutti - soy cream cheese.) So, I've used food packaging pics from the Internet.

Contents of our fridge

All food starts out as fresh raw produce. And really that's what we should be eating. It's what our bodies recognise and know. Back in the days people ate for example fresh fruit or whole oats at breakfast time. Yes, the oats might have been cooked to make porridge. Maybe milk and honey were added, but the DNA of the oats and the milk and the honey was still in tact. Compare that to a box of cereal below and the difference is immense.

Image from source www.wellsphere.com

Food companies take perfectly good food, strip it of natural ingredients, which in turn removes other nutrients. They are likely to heat treat it and add sugar, salt, fats, colourants or flavourants. They need to add preservatives as fresh food will certainly expire. They may even add vitamins which are extracted from plants via processing. And what you end up with is dead synthetic stuff that is so far from what food should be. There is a lot of debate on whether vitamins are absorbed. The jury is out, but by making simple changes you can get your nourishment from your food - as nature intended.

M K Moroccan carrot Soup with Golden Raisin Relish

For us to make the shift I had to change my way of shopping. I stopped supporting supermarkets and now shop at the health food stores and farmers markets. Instead of boiling oats to make porridge, I soak it overnight. Or I blitz oats into a smoothie with fruit, nuts and even super foods. I can't say we don't ever eat cooked food. We still do, but we keep learning to make food without using excessive heat. I did the Matthew Kenney Online Intensives course this weekend and made a delicious Moroccan Carrot Soup.

Image from source www.imgarcade.com

You are allowed to heat raw food to a point that your body can tolerate it. However, if the temperature would burn your body, it is certainly causing harm to your food. That lovely caramelised golden colour you get on roast veggies is actually really the equivalent of 3rd degree burns on your food. If you did that to your finger, you would lose it. So why do we cook?

Home made Almond Milk

Civilisations have been using fire and heating food since time began. It must have evolved as a way to preserve food, particularly meat. But humans and domestic pets are the only species to eat cooked food. We don't ask where elephants or rhinos get their protein. There is never a need to prepare food for wild animals. By learning to make yummy foods from fresh, organic produce with minimal processing you won't ever have to read food labels or worry about taking in excessive fats, salt and sugar. You will make your 5 a day, which in turn is proven to protect you from harmful diseases.