Why you must have raw food

When you eat raw food, you not only feel energised, but also look better. Raw food items include fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, dried fruits, seeds, grains and sprouted legumes, seaweed or spirulina, chlorella and freshly extracted fruit and vegetable juices.

Raw fruit and vegetable juices contain biologically active components called enzymes, which play an important role in all metabolic activities. Enzymes are essential for digesting food, releasing energy from the food you eat, stimulating brain function, and repairing tissues, organs and cells. Even if you are consuming sufficient vitamins and minerals, you may not be completely healthy, if your body does not have a good supply of enzymes. Without enzymes, the body cannot convert protein, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins, among others, present in food, into the bones, hair, skin muscles, glands, hormones, etc. Wounds take longer to heal in the absence of enzymes. Having peeled fruits and vegetables, and cooking food enhances the taste, and also makes them easier to chew. But, in doing so, we usually strip the foods of their vitamins, minerals and fibre. Since the fibre content is intact, raw foods provide satiety faster and maintain blood sugar levels.

Incorporating raw food

Eat at least one bowl of sprouts every day. You could partially cook or steam them with asafoetida, if you suffer from gas or bloating.

Include a glass of vegetable or fruit juice in your diet. Ensure that you drink the vegetable or fruit juice within 20 minutes of extraction.

Foods like papaya, pineapple, mangoes and bananas should be consumed frequently. Add crushed spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves, or herbs like basil, parsley, thyme and oregano to your diet.

Switch to honey as a sweetener, instead ofusing refined sugar.

Raw food provides satiety faster, and maintains blood sugar levels