Raw Food

THE RAW FOOD ATHLETE

The raw food diet can really accelerate your performance if done correctly. Researchers suggest that although there have been great leaps in medical technology and medical treatment; the rate of getting ill from modern illnesses like diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, ulcer, gastritis and cancer have increased tenfold compared to the past century.

Athletes are not immune.

This seems contradictive as common sense tells us that in effect, the life span of people should increase more and the rate of diseases should contract greatly. However, this is not the case, as the rate of modern diseases has increased greatly, especially in the last 50 years. Researchers suggest that the main reason for that is probably the usage of cooked food, which may be detrimental to our health.

raw food Dr. Bob Marshall states that poor digestion from cooked foods is one of the main causes of death. Not digesting your food causes other health problems that are very serious. [1] been modified.

Researchers state that eating raw food may be the answer to living longer and functioning healthier. The human body was originally designed to consume raw foods and especially raw vegetables and raw fruits. Man was not a meat-eater until after the flood.

Thus the concept of cooking has actually neutralized the human body’s ability to break down and absorb nutrients effectively. In fact, various researches shows that eating cooked foods causes a build of toxins and carcinogens in the body that can not be metabolized by the body’s system and will accumulate causing a horde of free radicals that are released in to the body. This causes many diseases like ulcers, diabetes and cancer.

WHY RAW FOOD?

Especially for athletes, eating raw food as main source of nutrients may be the key to success and healthiness along with longevity. Researchers have shown that athletes who were put on a special raw food diet, that consisted of eating 85% of raw vegetables and raw fruits in a daily menu resulted in better competition scores.

This will not be immediate and you do not want to go on raw foods all at once. You can do this, but you may be very sick due to the body releasing toxins. Trust me, I have tried it!

Many athletes who were on the raw program stated that they felt less tired, more energetic and less sleepy. They also stated that they were able to have more quality sleep and they felt more joyful after eating a raw food diet compared to their old diet.

Many biological studies show that eating raw food will not make you feel drowsy like eating cooked food, you will feel more energetic, and your mind will also feel more sharper compared to a regular diet. So where does all of this come from?

Well the main problem is when you cook foods beyond certain temperatures for prolonged periods of time. The proteins and the carbohydrates in the foods start to break down into harmful components.

The carbohydrates (sugary products) start to breakdown and caramelize after 210 degrees of heat. In addition, the proteins start breaking down in to amino acid chains and the enzyme chains are broken.

The amino acid chains (proteins) are also recombined into unfamiliar forms that cannot be digested and used by the body. Worse than that, many metabolic by products are produced during digestion of cooked food. raw food The metabolic byproducts that are produced during digestion in our body include: alcohol, vinegar, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, acid excretions, and hydrogen sulfide.

These byproducts are not metabolized in our body and they soon start circulating in our body as free radicals and then they interact with healthy molecules and start braking their molecular and chemical bonds.

Thus, many cells and living tissues in our body break down and become inert over time with exposure to free radicals. As you can see, this is a non-ending cycle and it causes more and more oxidation and breakdown of living tissue.

It is easy to say that the way we live now is contradictory to our body’s requirements. Just as putting normal gasoline in a diesel car will damage the engine, the same thing seems to be happening to our bodies.

Especially in the cases of athletes, where greater physical exertion is required, the usage of raw food diet helps them focus their bodies and their mind to their professional activities. Athletes will feel lighter and they will feel mentally more alert and more focused to their tasks.

Because their body will not be producing free radicals and toxins, the athletes will feel more purified. Also they will eat less as eating cooked foods seems to produce a feeling of hunger, as the necessary nutrients are not absorbed by the body. Many professional coaches recommend a 85% raw diet for athletes, though Dr. Marshall would say eat 100% raw foods. [2]

Alissa Cohen has taken the raw food society by storm. She has great recipes and is committed to promoting the raw foods diet. She has been seen on several talk shows taking on clients for weight loss.

There are other great books on Raw Foods.There is even one called Naked Chocolate!

RECIPES

Until I discover Kefir I thought raw foods were pretty hard to do. But you can easily make your own kefir, with no special supplies. You can also make kefir cheese.

KEFIR

Heat organic milk until almost boiling.

Let it cool until you can put your pinky in it without it burning you (about 15 minutes).

Add 2 TB of kefir starter. (Get some from a friend or from the health food store. You will not have to buy this again as you will save 2 TB from each batch you make).

Cover, leaving the lid off the container, with a towel. Wrap it up really good to keep it warm. Place in a warm spot. I have a ceramic stove, so I leave it on there.

Let it ferment for 12-24 hours. I like to wait at least 24 hours, so it is thick. You now have kefir, which is like yogurt. It is a super food that has a lot of good pro-biotics.

Use it in smoothies. Mix raw honey and some fruit with it. Mix it with rice or soy milk, agave nectar or raw honey/maple syrup, vanilla, cocoa (optional) and you have fantastic ice cream. You can even add some whey and no one will know. I have also been known to slip some Barley Green in it as well.

Another option that is better than cooked food is to cook your foods below 210 degrees. [3] I eat bread from Heritage Farms, a farm that cooks at a low temperature. I also try to cook my other foods this low as well. Since you are cooking foods at a low temperature, you do need to allow more time for cooking.

raw food RAW SOUP

I have a great recipe for a raw soup. I eat this about 5 times a week. I love it after a long workout. I know that sounds weird, but it is a Mexican soup and I love Mexican food.

1 TB of Tomato Concentrate from Premier Research You may omit this.

½ salt

2 green onions whole

2 t. chili powder

3 t. nutritional yeast flakes (optional)

Handful of baby carrots (you won’t taste these!)

Cilantro handful (optional)

1 large tomato

2 cups of hot water

½ t Greens Mix (optional)- This is similar to green magma

Blend the above ingredients. Put in a bowl that you can heat on the stove if the soup is not warm enough for you. Heat but do not boil, or you are making cooked food.

Once warm add some corn and aged cheese. I have a low cooked tortilla on the side and an avocado. This is so good!