Day 8: It's an Energy Thing

Raw food is more alive than cooked food. What does this mean? Most people will reference enzyme activity in raw food when asked this question. An enzyme is a substance that acts as a catalyst for bodily function. Without these we would die. The closer the food is to the plant the more enzyme activity it will exhibit. When we heat our food over 115 degrees, the enzymes start to breakdown and the food dies. These enzymes are necessary for digestion as well.

Raw food is full of live-giving enzymes. Cooked food, if heated above 212deg, is devoid of enzymes. When we eat raw food, our bodies do not need to create as many digestive enzymes to breakdown that green smoothie into energy. When we eat cooked food, we need to make more enzymes to make up for those lacking in the cheese pizza. We give our system a break when we eat raw food. We are making it easier for our bodies to do the most important bodily function: digestion.

Some theories out there suggest that our bodies have a limit to how many enzymes we can make over a lifetime. This theory also suggests that when our enzyme capacity has been reached, we will die. I like raw food because it is closer to being alive, and in the case of sprouts and cultured foods it is still alive!  This life can be tasted in an orange or a mango right off the tree. It explodes with flavor and energy, while fruit that was picked last year...not so much.

Another example is coconut water. If you drink a fresh water coconut it is the best drink in the world! No comparison to the boiled version in the tetra-paks. It's an energy thing. No matter what your thoughts on oil-free or raw foods, I do know for a fact that since I cut out dairy and oil I feel much more efficient and energized! I haven't noticed a huge change since going 100% raw except that I am sleeping better. I think this is because I have been mostly raw for the past 1.5 years.

At one point in my life I was an unhealthy vegetarian; eating Taco Bell and candy everyday. Since I took a hold of my health, my digestion process is near perfect and I have found balance. I also haven't gotten sick in four years. Amazing! We have control over how our bodies function solely with our food choices!

We have 95% control over disease prevention! Well, hold on a minute! What about GENETICS!?! As the good doctors in Naples say,"the strongest genetics passed down are our eating habits from our family". They say that 90-95% of our likelihood for disease is based on our food choices & exercise habits. But mostly our food choices! This means that if you eat McDonalds every day you will come down with a chronic disease. On the flip side, if you follow a plant based, nutrient dense diet you more than likely will not :)