Barring human beings, all living creatures derive their food and nutrition directly from nature, uncooked and raw! Be it tiny insects or giant elephants. Among all living creatures- in water, in air and on Earth, human beings are the only ones who cook food!
And much before the dawn of the “civilization”, human beings too consumed food raw. The epics Ramayan and Mahabharat describe how our Rishi’s lived on Kand, Mool and Phal, which means on stems, roots and fruits. They lived in forests and developed highest knowledge while living on uncooked food.
As the civilization progressed, people began to live unnatural and undisciplined life. The rich began to live a life of indulgence. Tasty foods were prepared even though they had little nutritional value! Gradually even the commoners (the general population) also began to enjoy tasty food- prepared and cooked on fire. Spices and chillies were added to make it hot and tempting.
When the food is fried or roasted many important nutrients in it are destroyed! But now in the contemporary times, uncooked food has again resurfaced and surged in popularity. Its supporters believe that consuming mostly raw foods is ideal for human health and has many benefits, including weight loss and better overall health. A food is considered uncooked if it has never been heated over 104–118°F (40–48°C). It should also not be refined, pasteurized, treated with pesticides or otherwise processed in any way. Instead, an uncooked and raw diet allows several alternative preparation methods, such as juicing, blending, dehydrating, soaking and sprouting. Similar to veganism, the uncooked food diet is usually plant-based, being made up mostly of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
Cooking food is not so great for human health since it destroys the natural enzymes in foods, “reduces their nutrient content and the “life force” that is believed to exist in all “living” foods. Cooking can indeed decrease certain nutrients in food, especially water-soluble ones like Vitamin C and B.
Fresh, uncooked food is a valuable part of a healthy diet however it isn’t possible to consume to much raw food. Cooking is also essential to make certain foods and nutrients more digestible. Thus, a balance combination of cooked and uncooked foods is ideal for health!
Here is a 7 day raw food challenge for you, which has no side effects!
When you are focusing less on things like dairy, tofu, eggs, fish, and meat, you naturally have more space in your diet for fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. It is also a low-sodium diet and free from added sugar, preservatives, and unhealthy additives.
So try out this balanced approach of uncooked and cooked and see the difference in your energy levels!
7-Day Raw Food Challenge
– No meat, dairy, wheat, eggs, processed sugar or alcohol
– E at plenty of fresh fruit, raw vegetables and drink fresh juice and smoothies
– Drink lots of water
– You can also drink warm tea and warm water with lemon
– Be super gentle with yourself
(By Dr. Ambika Sahu)