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 Extract
from Detox Your World
by Shazzie, ISBN 0-9543977-0-3, Rawcreation Ltd.
Chemical changes in food
Cooking causes major chemical changes to the food and then the
food contains new and unrecognisable chemicals. Your body doesn’t
recognise them and treats them as toxins. It creates an immune response,
and produces many white blood cells to go and disarm the invaders.
Ultimately, your immunity really suffers because it's made so many
attacks on the "food" you’ve eaten, and so becomes
depleted.
A good example of this is the simple baked potato, which is often
used in other detox programmes. When it is baked, it contains over
400 more chemicals than when it is raw. As we’re undergoing
a detox, we want to remove ourselves as far from all known sources
of toxins as possible, so we spend this time eating a diet which
has not been cooked.
In my recipe book, Detox
Delights, I’ve created over 100 delicious and sometimes
sinful-looking recipes which will make you love food that loves
your body. In this book, there are another 100+ recipes. This all
goes to show that you don’t lose out on variety or enjoyment
when eating healthily.
If this looks a bit too different for you to try, don’t worry.
The detox plans are carefully worked out so that you gain maximum
energy with minimal cravings.
Your body has an immune response when you eat cooked food
When you ingest cooked food, your body acts as if it has been poisoned.
White blood cells are produced and rush to your defence. This immune
response is known as leukosytosis. If you eat raw food, or at least
50% raw food in each meal, this doesn’t happen.
All forms of cooking change the structure of the cells within the
food, such as the baked potato’s 400 chemicals mentioned above.
Your body has to try and do something with these new and unrecognisable
chemicals. When your body has to deal with this chemical assault
on a daily basis, over weeks, months and years, it doesn’t
have the time or energy to do normal housecleaning and repair. It
also has to find safe places to put the chemicals that it doesn’t
have time to remove. This long term storage of toxins accounts for
many of the diseases prevalent in our society.
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The raw food diet
October 2004, by Shazzie
We at Detox Your World promote raw foodism. Here we explain what the
raw food diet is, and how you can start eating it.
What is the raw food diet?
People on a raw food diet eat 100% raw, uncooked food. There are many
people who find this a little difficult (often due to social constraints),
so they choose a 75-99% raw food diet. Most raw foodists are vegetarian
or vegan, but some eat raw fish and meat. The benefits of a high-raw or
all-raw diet are clear:
- Increased energy
- Weight loss (or gain if you were too skinny)
- Diseases disappearing
- Happiness, and often bliss
The actual food eaten by raw foodists varies greatly, aside from those
who eat a balanced raw diet, there are natural hygeinists, sproutarians,
fruitarians, juicearians and living foodists.
Most raw foodists eat a high proportion organic or wild food in the belief
that conventional food is more toxic and weaker.
Dr Gillian McKeith is a living foods proponent. Jason Vale (The Juice
Master) agrees that raw foods and juices should make up a large proportion
of our diet. Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson and Alicia Silverstone all love
the raw food diet? Why? Because these foods are cleansing, energy-giving,
full of life and help people avoid disease associated with the Standard
UK Diet (SUKD!!) and Standard American Diet (SAD!!). As our government
embarks on a healthy eating campaign, let's think about looking to nature
to get it right. It's sooooo simple!
What's your involvement in the raw food diet?
I've been promoting raw food for nearly five years. I ate exclusively
raw for four years, until I became pregnant and nothing quite tasted the
same after that. I currently eat about 80% raw, and rising. My personal
web site, www.shazzie.com
receives around 3,000 hits a day, so many many people get to hear about
raw foodism. I present it in a way that makes it accessible -- you don't
have to drop out of society to eat raw (unless you want to!!).
If you don’t want to stop eating cooked foods, then make the decision
to cut out microwaved foods and to have at least 50% raw food in each
meal to stop yourself suffering from leukocytosis and a suppressed immune
system.
What do you eat?
This is the big question, as the diet is so different from the SUKD.
I've developed over 300 raw recipes, so it's certainly not limiting. I
base my recipes on the following foods:
- Fruits, dried, fresh or frozen
- Vegetables, dried or fresh
- Sprouts
- Herbs and spices
- Nuts and their butters
- Seeds and their butters
- Ancient grains, soaked or ground
- Sea vegetables, often dried
- Algaes, sometimes frozen or compressed into tablets
I personally pay particular attention to superfoods, such as maca,
wheatgrass,
goji berries,
raw chocolate,
chlorella,
spirulina, E3Live
and others.
Here are some raw food recipes.
Raw foodism is the oldest diet in the world. It's the only diet for
every species in the world except humans and the animals they keep. It's
the ultimate fast food diet -- just pick and go!
Is it expensive?
The reality is, that your health isn't something that should come down
to cost. It can be expensive to buy organic fresh foods, but if you're
resourceful, it doesn't have to be. Think about growing sprouts on your
windowsill for a few pennies. Think about planting some fruit trees, growing
greens, foraging. I know people from all walks of life who make raw living
seem easy simply because they're resourceful and fit raw food into their
lives because they love the benefits. I also know of people who use every
excuse under the sun to not eat raw, even though they say they want to!
Money is just one of those excuses, if you want to eat raw, you will.
You are what you eat. Because we know this phrase to be so true, think
what you want to be made of: a starch-bomb baked potato or strong, wild
and free greens...
Do you need special equipment?
You don't need it, but many people do have it. Dehydrators, the Vita-Mix,
juicers and several other gadgets are often found in the raw foodists
kitchen. Take your time with buying stuff, and remember that you can get
by with just your hands!
Will I become deficient in anything if I eat just raw food?
You can be deficient in nutrients on any diet. The SUKD diet is low in
phyto-nutrients, B12, the anti-oxidant vitamins and water. The nutrients
to watch out for on a UK-based raw food diet include vitamins B12 and
D, essential fatty acids and protein. For the vitamins, I recommend a
good multi-vitamin tablet, such as Sage
Organics. For EFAs, I recommend
Udo's Oil, vegan
DHA (made from golden marine micro-algae) and flax seeds in the
diet. The superfoods will cover your protein needs when eaten regularly.
There is no need to eat animals to get enough protein -- I've been a vegan
for about 18 years and have never had a protein deficiency. There are
also lifelong vegans and raw-vegans who are also in tip-top health.
Can children eat raw food?
Children have very different needs to adults, so the raw food diet is
different for them, just as a cooked food diet is. There are children
being raised successfully on a raw food diet. For more information, I
recommend you read Rainbow
Green Live Food Cuisine. As with all diets, proceed with knowledge
and care.
Further information, products and resources
How do I start eating raw food?
I've coached many people with raw food, and the most successful method
has been this: change one meal at a time. Become comfortable with that
meal, then change the next one.
For example, you could first of all alter your breakfast. Make smoothies,
eat fruit, make juices, have raw muesli with nut milk etc.
Then, when you're happy with that, alter your lunch. Make cabbage burritos,
lettuce or nori wraps, salads, dehydrated goodies such as burgers or crackers
with hummous and guacamole.
Then alter your evening meal. Remember, there are some great raw recipe
books, so you can always have something different to eat.
Making your snacks raw could mean eating dried fruits and nuts or enjoying
vegetable sticks with dips.
Finally, including superfoods every day will ensure you get more minerals
and other nutrients that may be missing from a normal raw diet.
Web sites
Living Foods
-- Recipes, FAQs, forums, all in one place.
Rawfood -- The best US-based
raw food shop and resource site.
Living Life Alive
-- Ruth Allen and her lovely purple ways!
Things to do
- Enjoy food in its natural state. If you can't eat it raw and unprocessed,
ask yourself "Is this food designed for humans?"
- Look at food as it's being cooked. See the water disappear, the colours
fade and the textures change. Really think about the logic of eating
this man-made food.
- Ask yourself if you're as healthy and happy as you could be. If the
answer's no, then change something. The saying goes: If you keep on
doing what you're doing, you'll keep on getting what your getting. Change
your eating habits and the results will follow.
I hope this little introduction into the world of raw foodism has helped
you decide to add more raw food into your diet. Try changing one thing
at a time, because being gradual causes the cravings and detox symptoms
to be minimal. Above all, enjoy your journey into raw foodism, it opens
up many more doors than those I've mentioned here!
Much love
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