Why Consume a Raw Food Diet?

Our ancestors were typically fairly healthy, and no wonder, given how hard they worked to survive. But perhaps we should give more credit to their raw food diet as well.

“Then God said, I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” Genesis 1:29, New International Version

Food presented in its natural, original, and authentic form represents the basic foundation of all natural nutrition systems and serves as the blueprint for the human frame. When we were originally drop-shipped onto the earth we did not have access to stoves, ovens, microwaves, toasters, pots, pans, or fryers. We automatically began foraging wild plant foods in their un-heat treated (cooked) state, allowing us a direct and intimate experience with our food. It’s an experience disturbed by and almost entirely lost through the abuse of industrial food manufacturing and cooking practices. This is the primary distinction between the industrialized diet of modern civilization and the original diet of ancestral peoples.

When we consume a dominantly cooked-food diet we create a number of fundamental changes—one of which is we strip the water molecules from our food. This dehydrates the food and over time dehydrates us. A noticeable characteristic of those on a plant-based approach rich in raw fruits and vegetables is a consistent state of hydration. Every chemical reaction in the body is supported and made more efficient by the transference of water molecules.

If we consume an imbalanced ratio of cooked food to water rich raw food our tissues become hard, immobile, and frail. We begin to experience a slow decline of our faculties such as basic mobility, joint and structural stability, mental acuity, circulatory flow, detoxification processes, and general states of optimism for life. If you find yourself in this downward spiral, it’s time to reroute from cooked food consciousness to living foods liberation. If you wish to experience more juice for life, begin drinking the juices of life (green juice).

The menu board of nature provides us with all that is required for sustainable and vigorous health, which includes green leafy vegetables and their juices, seeded-fruits, nuts, seeds, flowers, roots, grains, fermented foods, seaweeds, superfoods, tonic herbs, naturally derived supplements, and intentionally sourced spring water. This may also include raw organic dairy products, bee products, and other animal products one may feel beneficial as long as it’s consumed periodically as an adjunct and not in excess.

A lifestyle designed with 70–80% raw living plant foods to 30–20% cooked foods appears to be ideal for most of the population. Some individuals choose to pursue a 90–100% raw food lifestyle as their dietary path. It has been my observation that this approach succeeds for the least amount of individuals and most likely is inappropriate for those looking to make simple upgrades in their diet. If a person finds themselves in a state of detoxification and requires a strong therapeutic diet, 90–100% raw living foods with a heavy emphasis on juices and smoothies is appropriate. Whatever ratio you decide for yourself in the moment, do it with love, grace, and compassion for all the hands involved in the creation of our sustenance.

Learn more about the importance of raw food and get a vegan nori roll recipe!