Why Eat A Raw Food Diet?

By Yuri Elkaim BPHE, CK, RHN • October 12th, 2011 • 7116 Views

If you're reading this article, you may be wondering about the benefits of a raw food diet, right? Well, the benefits of eating more raw foods are numerous and once you understand them you'll probably wonder why you haven't eaten more raw in the past. You'll also think twice about eating dead cooked foods ever again.

Raw Foods Give You More Energy

I don't think I know of a single person who eats at least 80% raw foods who doesn't enjoy far more energy than the average person. I know that when I transitioned away from eating a diet made up of breads, dairy, and cooked foods, and adopted more of a raw foods diet, my energy went through the roof. And I'm not talking about the quick surge you would get from an espresso but rather long-lasting energy that enables you to do more with less.

For instance, eating raw will allow you to sleep less and have far more energy than you ever thought possible. When I'm eating at least 80% raw, I can easily function on just 4-5 hours of sleep. I literally bounce out of bed and don't require any naps throughout the day. Oh yeah, did I mention that I workout every single day as well? Sometimes, even twice!

Energizing Enzymes

There are several reasons why a raw food diet will give you more energy. First, raw foods are rich in food enzymes. Enzymes are required for every single reaction in the body. Unfortunately, our bodies only have a finite number of these enzymes, so when we run out, we run out of life!

To add to this, when you heat foods above 118 degrees fahrenheit, you destroy the food enzymes that are naturally present in all raw foods. Therefore, if you eat a predominantly cooked foods diet, you're not getting enough food enzymes, which means that your body will have to produce and use more of its own to digest and metabolize your foods.

The more energy your body needs to divert towards digestion, the less energy you will have for other activities. You will feel more lethargic and tired as your body is trying to breakdown "dead" foods and figure out what to do with them.

So, the food enzymes inherent in raw foods are a big reason for boosting your body's energy. They are the spark plugs and are intricately related to the next property that make raw foods...

Tags : Nutrition, Cleanse, Wellness, energy, Diet, detox, healthy skin, sleep, health, vegan, raw food, Yuri Elkaim

Author - Yuri Elkaim BPHE, CK, RHN

Location: Port Perry, CA

Yuri Elkaim has been helping people just like you lose weight, eat healthier, and get in great shape for over 12 years. He's a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Certiﬁed Kinesiologist, a High Honours graduate in Physical Education...

Comments and Questions for the Author (4)

marsay007
This is so true. When I started juicing raw, organic produce, my laugh lines disappeared and my skin looked amazing. I feel like I've taken off 5 years just by juicing a good pound of fruits and vegetables each day. I also lost 10 pounds without any effort. Great article!
2 years ago
vdoncaster
I agree taojo. Raw foods are great for many reasons, but I know MANY people who are 100% raw and still have awful skin, breakouts and hormonal issues, so often it is a little more complicated than just eating fruit or drinking raw juice. Certainly is part of a clean overall diet though.
2 years ago in Vancouver, CA
taojo
This is more of a one-person's- explanation article. I agree with "vdoncaster". As a food sci/nutrition major ( with a 4-year degree) I stand on science to help me balance my whole food diet. The diet yields wonderful benefits, but not for some of the erroneous reasons mentioned in this article. And the best way to have great skin is by hydrating, balancing your diet, exericsing in the fresh air when possible, managing emotions and good genetics. With skin, it may be 80% genetic and 20% life choices --including screening out those bad rays. All of it worth it tho'.
2 years ago
vdoncaster
I am really disappointed you argue that the enzymes in food are a benefit to eating raw food... I have a raw food company and talk about the true benefits of raw food while dispelling the misleading myths many newcomers believe and spread about raw food. Eating dehydrated food for enzyme retention is silly.

The term "finite" is not being used correctly. Of course we do not have an infinite supply of enzymes at this current moment for digestion, some get used up, but with proper nutrition the body has no problem replacing those digestive enzymes for the rest of our life.

The enzymes in fruits (like amylase) turn the unripe starches into sweet sugars. They are used for the food itself. They do not get "added to the pile" once they hit your stomach acid and aid in digestion. 80% of the digestive enzymes we have are primarily for digesting plant food, you do not run out simply by eating all your plant food cooked instead of raw.

And another thing it actually takes less energy to digest a steamed potato than it would a raw potato (which has a high amount of raw starches) so, some foods are better eaten cooked and some better eaten raw.

I promote and support raw foods, but I don't continue to perpetuate nonsensical arguments that are easily disproven by science. Please look into this. It will really help the raw food movement of the future to be more credible than sounding good in theory.
2 years ago in Vancouver, CA