Eating Raw Foods vs Cooked Foods

Today, everyone is concerned about eating right, exercising, and making sure that they get enough sleep. These three things are very important to ensuring that you live a healthy happy life, however there is one area where many people differ on their opinions: eating raw foods.

Eating raw foods simply means that when you eat food such as vegetables, that it is better to eat them in their raw and uncooked form. When food is cooked, nutrients break down and dissipate in the water. This destroys many of the helpful benefits that were in the food to begin with. By cooking food, many people never receive the desired nutritional benefit that they expected from the food.

Some people take eating raw foods one step further. Instead of just making certain that they only eat raw fruits, vegetables, and nuts they ensure that they never eat other foods that aren't raw. This is commonly referred to as living a raw food lifestyle.

The other side of the argument is that some people think that if you only eat raw foods, you are increasing your risk of being exposed to toxins such as pesticides. However, if you purchase organic products, you don't have to worry about that. Many people find that they can properly clean their raw foods without having any problem with pesticides, and the general consensus reigns in favor of eating raw foods vs. cooked foods.

Many people are surprised to learn how many raw fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and sea products contain protein, carbohydrates, and plenty of minerals. The simplest way to begin a raw food diet is to start adding more fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts to your diet. Anyone can begin this way. It doesn't mean that you totally turn away from cooked foods, just start off slowly, and you will begin to see changes.

When people choose raw foods, they can be sure that the food contains more nutrients and minerals then they would have had they been cooked. Another area where science is showing the many benefits of eating raw foods vs. cooked foods is the area of oils.

Cooking and heating oils not only breaks down the flavor, but it also breaks down the nutrients. It is much better to eat oils such as cold pressed olive oil, hemp oil, and walnut oil. When people consume cooked oil, they often find that it is difficult for the body to use that oil as energy, and in turn, the body stores it as fat.

One of the most notable changes that people state they experience when including more raw foods to their diet is an increase in energy levels. In fact, it is because of these increases that many people become committed to the diet. Most people state that within two weeks of switching to a raw food diet they noticed an extreme change, and some reported seeing changes much sooner. The longer you stay on a raw food diet, the more toxins your body will remove. You may even find that your body becomes increasingly sensitive to cooked foods. Raw foods contain more nutrients, will satisfy your hunger more completely, and will give you a great energy boost.