Ok. So you’re an average American, doing your thing, when you somehow find yourself down a path not tread by most of the other 300 million citizens of this country.
You’re reading the nutritional information on the back of packaged foods you buy.
You know what an antioxidant is, and you want more of them.
You are becoming more and more health-conscious, and you know the pain of pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps to change bad eating patterns.
Perhaps, if you have come far enough in the journey, you’ve taken the common knowledge that lots of fresh fruits and veggies are good for you to the next level: you want to go raw.
To the uninformed, average American you used to be, this sounds, well, kinda crazy. It’s food, you’re supposed to cook it. Who wants to eat a bunch of carrot sticks, you (fill in the blank:[anorexic/hippie/masochist/weirdo]).
Yes, my unfortunate traveler, all of the research, self-determination, and guile it took you to make changes to improve your life have lead to this. Weird looks when your turn down the cheese dip, name-calling, in short, everyone is giving you grief.
Whether it’s a concerned family, skeptical friends, or that one guy at work, it can be hard to stand up to the social norms that have caused an obesity epidemic in our country. To do what is best for you, you are going to have to stand up for yourself. Explain your seemingly odd diet to those who think the donuts on the top of the food pyramid mean you’re supposed to eat one every day.
For those who choose to go raw, here talking points from several perspectives on eating raw that highlight options and benefits. And hey! This list is a good raw beginners guide to how and why one would eat raw too:
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“The reason I don’t cook food when I eat raw is because cooking breaks down the enzymes in produce.”
“Enzymes are proteins that speed chemical reactions. So, when you eat all kinds of chemical reactions are happening inside of you, and the natural enzymes in plants help digestion happen really well.”
“No, it’s not at all like I just buy produce and go home and eat it exactly like I just got it. You can prepare you raw food all kinds of great ways. We Like it Raw has great raw recipes, and so do bloggers (like this one awesome Raw Chef) all over. Just google it.”
Eating raw food does not equal eating nothing but salads
“One great thing about raw food is it means you eat tons of fruits and veggies, which means I feel super-powered from all the nutrients.”
“Yes, I get plenty of protein-raw nuts and seeds are powerhouses of it.”
“Green Smoothies in the morning are a great way to change up the way I prepare food and taste sooo great”
“Raw food doesn’t have as many calories as cooked food, so I eat a LOT, which I love!”
and hopefully this will be as true for you as it is for me…
“I just feel great when I eat raw…tons of energy, and I don’t get sick as often!”
Here are some links to good sources with the real lowdown on eating raw.
This Guy seems cool, and has a great list of enzymes found in common foods.
My own interest in raw foods sprang up after I got into green smoothies. I recently went raw on a roadtrip in solidarity with my parents, who wanted to go raw for health reasons, just when was about to go out of town. I can’t say enough good things about raw eating, although personally I like to dip in and out of it when I need an energy or immune system boost. Try it out and see how it best fits into your life!
