#raw vs cooked

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Raw vs BBQ Chicken | Raw Feeding Vlog

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Raw Vegetables vs. Cooked Vegetables

An article discussing which vegetables are more beneficial to eat raw and which are more beneficial to eat cooked. Good to know.

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More Debate on Raw vs Cooked Foods

There is an ever growing movement of people swearing by a raw diet, claiming the increased health benefits. Are they really on to something?

Researchers compared a raw only diet and the diet of those eating cooked vegetables – those on the raw vegetables had normal levels of Vitamin A, high levels of beta-carotene although the intake of Vitamin C was fairly consistent.

Some claims that the cooking process rids the vegetables of their vitamins and nutrients are only partly correct. Cooking can destroy Vitamin C levels but only slightly if cooked quickly. Boiling and steaming the vegetables can better preserve the antioxidants of the food.

Carrots, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage, capsicum and spinach actually supply more antioxidants like carotenoids and ferulic acid when they are cooked. Cooking tomatoes boosts their lycopene which is a powerful antioxidant attributed to protecting the body from degenerative diseases.

So which vegetables should you eat while raw and which should be eaten cooked for better nutrition? Let me give you a few examples and see what you think.

Carrots

Raw carrots supply polyphenols, antioxidants said to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, as well as Vitamin C.

Cooking carrots destroys the polyphenols and drastically reduces the amount of Vitamin C but, the cooking process will provide more of the antioxidant beta-carotene which converts into Vitamin A.

Broccoli

Raw broccoli contains the enzyme myrosinase which can reduce the risk of cancer and stomach ulcers. This enzyme is destroyed in cooking.

Cooked broccoli though forms the compound indole within the food which fights precancerous cells, attacking them before they can turn malignant. This is something the raw broccoli doesn’t have.

And so on and so on through the list of vegetables. Confused yet? I think what we can all take from these examples is that a combination of both raw and cooked vegetables. Just remember that when you do cook your vegetables – steaming is most often the best way to go to retain as many nutrients and vitamins as possible and cook for the shortest time possible. A high cooking temperature and long cooking time leads to the greatest loss of Vitamin B, Vitamin C and folate. Microwaving and baking lead to the least nutrient and vitamin loss while boiling and pressure-cooking lead to the most loss.

Source: http://www.fitstyler.com.au/blog/2012/06/04/raw-vegetables-versus-cooked-vegetables/

For a convenient and easy raw food meal replacement, visit us at www.rawconvenience.com

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Eating Cooked on a Raw Food Diet

We get asked all the time, does a raw food diet mean I have to eat 100% raw all the time? In short, no. Some people do, others simply incorporate more raw foods into their daily routine. The benefits can be had from either form. 

The following is an article from http://www.naturalnews.com/025741_food_foods_diet.html

"A diet rich in raw foods may still use cooked items. Special cooking techniques will preserve all nutrients while increasing digestibility. Drying and blanching are two cooking methods that preserve nutrients. Investing in a food dehydrator may be just the ticket. Dried strawberries, pineapple, apricots and cherries just can't be beat. Dried yams, chick peas and carrots are also tasty. It may take a little time to get accustomed to eating this type of diet, but the improvement in your overall sense of well-being will surely please you. There are other benefits to a raw food diet. Healthy weight loss, better sleep quality, easier digestion, more energy and fewer heart problems have all been documented. Additional pluses include intake of less sodium and more natural vitamins and minerals. Raw food meals give the immune system a natural boost, also.

If you experience cravings, headaches or transient nausea after you begin eating a majority of raw foods, do not despair. Your body is simply experiencing withdrawal from your previous diet of meats and sweets.

Increasing your liquid intake will help flush your kidneys and clean your system faster. Be sure you drink at least 64 ounces of non-chemical liquids daily. Water is an excellent choice. When water seems boring, add non-caloric flavorings such as instant tea.

Study a food list to learn which raw foods contain the most vitamins and minerals. Concentrate on adding those to your diet every day. Remember that B vitamins are not stored by the body. They need to be taken every day, either in the form of a commercial preparation or in specific foods such as bran and wheat germ. These are easy to get in cereals.

A raw food diet may put you at risk for certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies. You will want to eat foods that include calcium, iron and Vitamin B 12 to prevent these deficiencies. Drinking fat-free milk will provide calcium. It is treated, that's true, but osteoporosis is more dangerous. The standard raw food diet fosters at least 75% raw or living foods, so milk won't make you a traitor. Almonds, dried fruits and pumpkin seeds are high in iron. The only truly reliable sources of natural B 12 are dairy, eggs and meat. Look for cereal and vegetable sources that have been fortified with B 12. Nearly all dry cereals fill the bill.

Raw foods are not only healthy but also flavorful and varied. The addition of raw fruits and vegetables will be healthy, no matter what kind of eating plan you choose for your daily intake. Try many different foods to learn what you find tasty and attractive. You may be surprised at what you decide to eat regularly."

For more on raw foodism, visit us at www.rawconvenience.com

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Canadian chef Douglas McNish trades steaks for Raw Foods

Classically trained Canadian chef Douglas McNish was overweight and unhappy when he decided he needed to make a change in his life and his diet, and he hasn’t looked back since.

In his first cookbook, “Eat Raw, Eat Well,” the 29-year-old Toronto-based executive chef, teacher and raw food consultant provides 400 raw, vegan and gluten-free recipes and explains why he switched from a traditional diet and cooking steaks professionally and decided to give up meat and become a vegan and then a raw food chief.

“One day I woke up and decided to change my life. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired,” he said.

Along the way he dropped 100 pounds through a change in diet and exercise and experienced a lightness and increased energy that he said he had never known before.

He spoke to Reuters about why he decided to change how he eats, the benefits of a raw diet and the impact it has had on his health and career.

Q: What exactly is a raw food diet?

A: “It is composed of fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds. Generally it is organic and nothing is heated beyond 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Centigrade).

Q: Why is there a temperature restriction?

A: ”The thought process, and there is scientific evidence behind it, is that once you cook food beyond 115 degrees Fahrenheit you are destroying the enzymes and much of the nutritional content (of food). Enzymes, and this is scientifically proven, are what the body needs in order to digest food. Whether or not you are eating cooked or raw food the body needs those enzymes. By cooking the food you are destroying the enzymes.

Q: What are the benefits of eating a raw food diet?

A: “The more raw (food) you get into your diet the more you will feel increased energy, more mental clarity, be more focused, feel more stamina, sleep less, and you will have a more overall feeling of well being and weight loss.”

Q: How easy was it for you to switch to a raw food diet?

A: “I don’t want to say it is hard and I don’t want to say it is easy. It requires information. It requires knowledge and it requires research. It’s like any time you change your diet. You really want to get to know it ... It requires you wanting to do it. Once you have the knowledge, once you have the information, I don’t look at it as hard. It is a gradual process that you take step by step.”

Q: How difficult is it to prepare and make tasty raw food meals?

A: “For the most simple raw food recipes you require a good knife, a cutting board and a bowl. Once you have the techniques down it really is a matter of 10 minutes of work.

Q: Do you need any special equipment?

A: ”To start you do not. You can make smoothies and desserts in a regular blender with regular equipment. The further you get into this diet, and if you choose to, you can buy things like a high-power blender, a $500 investment, but I highly, highly recommend it.

“And if you are serious about it, the next step is a food dehydrator. It acts like a mini oven and allows you to keep your food at a constant 110 or 115 degrees so you are retaining the vitamins and minerals. It opens up a whole world of nutrient-dense food, especially protein-containing foods.”

Q: Where did all of the recipes in the book originate? Did you create all of them?

A: “I did.”

Q: What is your favorite raw food recipe?

A: “Hands down I would have to say my go-to recipe is kale salad. It is such an easy way to feel full, to get your proteins, your healthy fat ... and it takes about 10-15 minutes of work.”

Pesto-Coated Carrot and Parsnip Fettuccini

Ingredients:

3 large carrots, peeled

3 large parsnips, peeled

1 tbsp (15ml) tbsp cold-pressed (extra virgin) olive oil

14 cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided

1 12 tbsp (22 ml) fine sea salt, divided

34 cup (175 ml) cold-pressed hemp oil

12 cup (125 ml) raw shelled hemp seeds

3 cloves garlic

3 cups (750 ml) chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel carrots and parsnips into long, thin strips, dropping into a bowl as completed. Add olive oil, 1 tsp (5 ml) lemon juice and 14 tsp (1 ml) salt and toss until vegetables are well coated. Set aside for 10 minutes, until softened.

2. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process hemp oil and seeds, garlic and remaining lemon juice and salt, until somewhat smooth but the hemp seeds retain some texture. Add cilantro and process until chopped and blended, stopping the motor once to scrape down the sides of the work bowl. Add pesto to fettuccine, toss well and serve. Makes 2 servings.

Source: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/04/17/canadian-chef-douglas-mcnish-trades-steaks-for-raw-foods

For more on raw foodism, visit us at www.rawconvenience.com

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4 Principles of a Raw Food Diet

Raw foodism is the eating plan that includes only raw products in the menu and does not allow using any heat when preparing it. People who choose this eating plan claim that they have forgotten about colds, the lack of energy or emotional misbalance. raw foodism includes products only in their natural state – neither cooked nor baked or boiled. However, many raw-fooders don't cut off thermally processed foods absolutely and mix raw products with them.

If you decide to start raw foodism, you are not recommended to do drastic experiments. You should look after your body and pay attention to such things as the lack of energy or sleepy. Generally, it is recommended to switch to raw food within 6-12 months. If you're a hamburger lover, it may sound a tough task. Be aware that your body will react to the changes and you may start feeling weak, drowsy, hungry all the time, or start suffering from digestive disorders.

Basic principles of raw foodism:

1. Proper cooking temperature. Product shouldn't be cooked under bigger than 42 C temperature because the higher temperature decomposes valuable vitamins and enzymes that can be found and results in new

compounds.

2. Dryer. If you do not know how to cook bread, cakes or other baked goods without using the gas, you should read about Dryers. Be sure that it includes temperature regulator.

3. Life according to your local area. Try to use those fruits and vegetables that are sold by local farmers because exotic fruits and vegetables are often picked green and then ripen on their way to various countries. To keep them beautiful, they are treated with chemical products. In addition, our genetic system is capable to

easily recognize local foods and it absorbs them much better.

4. Blender. Since heat treatment is not allowed, people are recommended eating bended cocktails. Mixing various fruits with green leafy vegetables gives lots of vitamins and valuable minerals.

  Source: http://www.healthguide.net/healthy-body/guides/1351-4-raw-food-diet-principles

For more on raw foodism, visit us at www.rawconvenience.com

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Lose Fat and Gain Muscle with Raw Foods

Leading a quality diet is the most important thing you can do for better health. Our body is renewing itself all the time using the food we eat as building blocks. If you have a bad diet your cells will be made from unhealthy foods which will eventually lead to less energy to enjoy life and probably sickness. Lucky for us and fast food companies our body is not so sensitive so we have the luxury to eat junk food sometimes. There are mechanisms designed to protect our vitality from bad cell regeneration such as anti-oxidants which are very famous toady. Though our body is nearly perfect at defending itself, destroying these cells and getting rid of the toxic waste takes a lot of energy.  Unfortunately as time goes by we age and regeneration gets less perfect so more of these cells are made and it gets harder to fight them, that’s one of the reasons why older people get cancer easier. We can do a good job in preventing this and we only need to change some habits. Following a good healthy balanced diet will help the body fight these toxins therefor increasing the quality and longevity of life. This is equally important if you are trying to find the best way to lose fat and gain muscle mass, your body will need all the nutrients that you ingest to recover and build new tissue, it can’t afford to lose energy on getting rid of unhealthy food toxins.

But why are raw vegetables and fruits so good?

Raw vegetables and fruits are the best known source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Those 3 elements have the most crucial roles for different metabolic and physiological functions. They can’t be produced in the body so only way to get them is from natural food. Cooking or any exposure to heat like barbecue destroys some of the vitamin content in vegetables and fruit so they should be mostly consumed raw. Raw food also contains enzymes that benefit our digestion system and fiber that helps the food move through the 20 ft long digestive tract. Fiber rich foods help to cleanse the body of the toxins and it is recommended that you consume at least 30 grams of dietary fiber each day for optimal digestion.

Eating vegetables and fruits also speeds up fat loss and helps you control your appetite. Balanced diet means that each meal besides the macro-nutrient source should contain some form of vegetables and between meals you can consume some fruit. If you are trying to lose weight avoid having fruit at night and in the morning eat grape fruit as research shows that grape fruit promotes fat burn.

How much should you eat?

There really are no limits on how much vegetables you can eat. Moderate intake every day will help you feel more energetic and your immunity will be a lot stronger. Most people start eating healthy once they lose their health, don’t make that mistake, prevention is the key here, you should aim to avoid getting sick rather than trying to repair the damage afterwards. Fruit intake should be calculated depending on your diet goals, if you are trying to build muscle you can eat fruit between each meal but if your goal is to lose fat it’s best that you consume only low calorie fruit in the afternoon, avoid fruit at night and in the morning you can eat any fruit (banana and a grape fruit is one of the best combinations in the morning). Think of fruit as an essential bonus, don’t make it a core of your diet. Balance is the key of good health, you should always eat enough protein, carbohydrates and fat depending on your daily calorie intake goal. Vitamins and minerals should be consumed to balance the body with essential micro-nutrients for longer and healthier life.

We are what we eat, avoid junk food as much as you can, add vegetables to every meal to experience the best that life can offer. Fitness and health is a life choice that you make for you own good don’t let anyone else stop you in reaching your fit goals.

Source: http://trigensolar.com/lose-weight/how-raw-vegetables-and-fruits-help-you-lose-fat-and-gain-muscle/

For more on raw foodism, visit us at www.rawconvenience.com

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Cooked Meals on a Raw Food Diet

Does moving to some raw meals diet mean never eating hot food again? No, it doesn’t. Sometimes you would like something hot. Hot food has always signified comfort for a lot of us. As well as on a chilly, day you need it, carrot stays or wheatgrass juice most likely won’t work for many people.

Most raw food, like our physiques, is extremely perishable. When raw meals are uncovered to temps above 118 levels, linked with emotions . quickly break lower, just like our physiques would when we were built with a fever that high. Among the ingredients of meals which could break lower are enzymes. Enzymes allow us to digest our food. Enzymes are proteins though, and they’ve a really specific 3-dimensional structure wide. After they are heated much above 118 levels, this structure can alter.

Once enzymes are uncovered to warmth, they’re no more in a position to supply the function that these were designed. Cooked meals lead to chronic illness, as their enzyme submissions are broken and therefore requires us to create our very own enzymes to process the meals. The digestion of cooked food uses valuable metabolic enzymes to be able to help digest the food. Digestion of cooked food demands a lot more energy compared to digestion of raw food. Generally, raw meals are a lot more easily digested it passes with the digestive system in 1/2 to at least oneOr3 of times it requires for cooked food.

Eating enzyme-dead meals places an encumbrance in your pancreas along with other organs and overworks them, which eventually exhausts these organs. Lots of people progressively impair their pancreas and progressively will not be able to digest their food following a duration of consuming processed meals.

However, you certainly can steam and blanch meals if you would like the food a minimum of warm. Make use of a food thermometer and prepare them no greater than 118 levels Fahrenheit. As much as this temperature, you will not do an excessive amount of harm to the enzymes in food.

Source: http://silica-hydride.com/raw-food/cooked-meals-on-the-raw-food-diet/

For more on raw foodism, visit us at www.rawconvenience.com