One of the major joys
and benefits, for myself, of a fruit diet is the simplicity.
One eats a beautiful, sweet, juicy peach or a creamy,
satisfying banana or an buzzy, enzyme powerhouse of a kiwi fruit and that
is perfection and satisfaction in
itself. If it is not then the fruit probably is not up to scratch.
Today there seems to be a 'raw food' equivalent of every
cooked food; pizza, cauliflower cheese, pasta, pies, cheesecake and even the
latest rave- chocolate.
One thing that the raw movement is fond of stating is that
no animal in nature cooks its food. Well no animal puts together a vast number
of raw foodstuffs either. I have seen raw recipes with over 15 ingredients in
them but never a deer with a mixing bowl in its hoof.
How appetising is a
bowl of raw cauliflower? It doesn't really appeal to us in the same way as ripe
fruit. But stick a host of ground, mixed up raw foods, things that have been
dehydrated then re-hydrated, and suddenly one has raw cauliflower cheese.
I really doubt that this food is the optimum way to go for
health. Would a mixture of raw food that contains seeds, nuts, veggies and so
called 'super foods' be any healthier than a plate of steamed veggies?
I am not recommending cooking food but these mixtures do not
seem super healthy to me.
Arnold Ehret, an author I greatly respect, said that to him
the idea of raw pies 'was absurd'.
A lot of the food in these raw recipes contain ingredients
that are not so tasty on their own but when mixed with a lot of other foods
taste acceptable.
I really believe that every time we mix foods together we a
doing a disservice to our taste buds and the individual foodstuffs. A truly
sensational piece of ripe fruit can never be improved upon, we simply cannot improve
upon mother nature.
I think something is taken away from each food when it is
mixed.
All other animals in nature do not mix their foods.
I have
tried so-called 'gourmet' raw foods.
I went to a raw food
retreat for a day. To start with the meal took about two hours to prepare, then
the clearing away and washing up took even longer. The food tasted to me just
like cooked food.
I believe that this type of raw food is much healthier than
the food that a lot of people eat but I believe that it is also selling a lot of people short.
How much of the
natural vitality of this food survives the mixing, the chopping, the
dehydrating, the re-hydrating?
Vitamins, especially in vegetables, are very
sensitive to any processing including
chopping and drying.
Of course the enzyme quality of a raw mix will be higher
than in a cooked meal but less than in a piece of quality ripe fruit.
If the Raw Food movement uses the argument that we are raw
because it is nature's way, then how can they mix so much when no animal, living by natural means, mixes their food. They cannot have it both ways.
Why settle for less than perfect health, why get stuck upon
all those addictive raw food dishes that remind you of what you used to eat?
They may be healthier, but then a peanut butter sandwich on wholemeal is
probably healthier than a bacon sandwich on white bread.
Reach for the stars, be as healthy as you can.
Try
mono-meals. If you like raw cauliflower and it works for you eat it alone and
then wait an appropriate length of time before eating something else.
See how you feel with minimal mixing, your digestive system
will have a holiday.
If you feel good on raw mixes I really believe you will feel
fantastic on mono meals.
These raw food mixtures
may be classified as 'raw' but they are also processed. If we need to
process food in order to enjoy it then are we really eating the right foods in
the first place?
If we want to dance on the table because we can now eat raw
chocolate could it be that we have never tasted a piece of really, really good
ripe fruit?
