Radiance the raw-food way 1575 views

Skin becoming clearer, energy levels at an all-time high, excess weight dropping off… What more could you ask for in the lead-up to your wedding day? Many people worldwide choose to live on what’s known as ‘raw food’ – uncooked vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains. It may sound drastic but the health benefits are quickly apparent, explains Andrew Davis, co-founder of the Raw Food School, who insists that this way of eating can be delicious, innovative and fun.

Why eat raw?

Different people eat a raw food diet for different reasons. For some, the principal reason is ease of weight loss. For others, it’s just an easy way to eat healthily. Many raw food eaters witness a marked change in appearance, developing a clearer complexion and radiant skin that glows from the inside out. And still more experience a significant increase in energy levels, feeling as well as looking years younger. No matter who you are, you can experience all these changes on a raw food diet.

In addition to these general health benefits, raw food is known to have healed or helped a wide range of illnesses, conditions and symptoms, from the minor to the severe. These include diabetes, skin diseases, bloating, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and even cancers.

Eating raw and living food will enable you to enjoy delicious, guilt-free meals and treats whilst shedding excess weight quickly, efficiently and healthily. Switching to a raw food diet is often the first time that one will truly experience real change, and the benefits are amazing to see. Changes happen fast – not in years or months but in weeks or, in many cases, days. Why do these changes happen? The answer is simple chemistry and relates to the enzymes and acid/alkaline balance.

About enzymes

Enzymes are required for the digestion and absorption of food into your body. They are your life force. We depend on enzymes for everything – from walking, talking and breathing to cellular division and energy production.

When we are born, we are given a limited reserve of enzymes that are necessary to keep our body system in working order throughout the duration of our lifetime. The only additional source of enzymes we can get comes from the food we eat. Problems arise when food is cooked above 44ËšC (112 degrees Fahrenheit), when enzymes are completely destroyed by heat during the cooking process.

When eating cooked food, the body needs to draw essential enzymes from the limited natural pool supplied at birth in order to digest the food. Imagine drawing money out of a bank account that is never topped up. Eventually, it will run out. It’s exactly the same with enzymes.

If we continue to eat cooked foods and do not replace enzymes by eating raw food, we eventually begin to use up our bodies’ enzyme reserves. Without these enzymes, cooked food is stored in our bodies as toxins, which can lead to all kinds of diseases and illness.

Ageing is really nothing more than the body running out of enzymes. Stop withdrawing enzymes and instead start depositing them to build, cleanse and heal your body.

Acid/alkaline balance in a nutshell

There is plenty of information online about the importance of a healthy acid/alkaline balance, so here is just a summary of the main points:

• Our body’s acid/alkaline state is measured on a ph (potential hydrogen) scale. The ph scale ranges from the most acidic state (0) to the most alkaline state (14). It is believed that an ideal ph level for optimal health is an alkaline ph of around 6.5.

• The food we eat is a major factor causing our bodies to be in an acidic state. Acid-forming foods are high-protein flesh foods, high-sugar, high-fat, low complex carbohydrates. This includes meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, white sugars, flour products, pasta, breads, most cooked grains, most beans, most nuts, sweets, soft drinks, coffee, tobacco, alcohol, chemical additives, preservatives, drugs, and synthetic vitamins.

• Cooked and processed foods cause acidity in the body because they lack the oxygen and the enzymes necessary for the food to be absorbed into the bloodstream. This is due to them being destroyed in the cooking process. When the food is not absorbed, it is left to float as waste products in bloodstream, causing acidity levels to be raised.
  

• Here is what then happens. Alkaline minerals are robbed from our bones, tissues, and body fluids in an effort to neutralise our internal acidity and to try and keep us in an alkaline state. This then leads to a whole host of problems, including arthritis, osteoporosis, depression, headaches, gastritis, brain fog, fatigue, muscle stiffness, stomach aches, chest pain, constipation, irritability, sinusitis and sleep problems.
  

• It has been demonstrated that most people suffering from acute and chronic diseases are found to be in an overly acidic state. Cancer sufferers, for example, are generally found to be in an acidic state and their blood too low in oxygen. Cancer cells thrive in an acidic/oxygen-depleted environment.
  

It stands to reason that in order to balance your body into the optimal ph range, you should eliminate acid-forming foods. The most effective way to do this is to enjoy a diet of raw vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains.
The incredible benefits of raw food are becoming more widely recognised by dieticians, doctors and health professionals. Why not find out more and see what raw food could do for you?

The Raw Food School offers classes introducing people to raw and living food in a relaxed and friendly environment.