Raw Foods and Enzymes
Enzymes are responsible for all the chemical reactions that occur in the human body. You cannot absorb vitamins and minerals from foods or produce hormones without them. Believe it or not, eating right to obtain the enzymes we need can help us live a long, healthy life.
Raw foods are one of the best ways to get enzymes easily and cheaply in our everyday diet. It is important that food is eaten raw to ensure the highest possible enzyme content. As foods are heated and cooked enzymes are broken down, changing their structure. This change in structure is very important as the enzymes can no longer perform the functions in the human body that they were built for. This means you do not get the powerful benefits of foods like you should. This can also mean that your body is working overtime to compensate for this lack of enzymes.
Research has shown that the human body responds to cooked food in a negative way by increasing the level of white blood cells. This reaction does not happen in response to raw foods. It is now believed that this reaction is basically the body’s way of rejecting cooked food. For many people, eating cooked foods can eventually lead to digestive problems, and other conditions indicative of poor health.
Some of the best raw foods to boost your enzyme intake are sprouted seeds. Sprouted seeds include rye, wheat, lentils, alfalfa, and mung beans. In addition to the health benefits of these foods they can be grown inexpensively and you can easily do it in a tiny space. Try adding sprouts to salads, and sandwiches to get an instant boost in enzymes.
Another way to easily get lots of enzymes is to drink fresh vegetable juice. This is not V8 or some store bought bottled juice though; this is fresh homemade stuff. Investing in a quality juicer is a great gift for your health and longevity. These machines will pay for themselves over and over again by saving you money in doctors’ bills and giving you an all natural energy boost. People with digestive problems can enjoy eating again without all the negatives associated with many meals. Vegetable juicing recipes are available all over the internet and the raw foods community is more than happy to share their tips, secrets, and results with anyone who wants them.
Many people think of a raw diet as impossible. But eating raw is not all or nothing. Try increasing your raw food intake slowly and incorporate raw recipes into your everyday diet. Juicing is one of the most popular ways to increase the amount of raw foods you get. It is perfectly acceptable to take baby steps into eating raw foods and work your way into eating only raw foods eventually if you want. You still get the benefits of more enzymes when you increase the amount of raw foods you ingest. And as you discover some of the tasty raw recipes you will be motivated to eat more raw foods.
