Raw food has, in the past, been given a bit of a raw deal ( pun intended) in the same way that ‘hippies’ were outcast because of their new age thinking about the planet. As history unfolds before our very eyes it is heartening to know that time does indeed bring change and what was once considered only part of the domain of vegetarians and tree huggers, raw food is now knocking the socks off the most critical of foodies and growing in popularity across the globe.

But is eating raw food such a new trend? Long before chefs created fusions of flavours and extraordinary methods of extracting and manipulating taste and the invention of food colourants and additives; nature was serving up an array of the most bountiful flavours bursting with goodness and nutritional value.

The nomads ate raw, unprocessed foods, hunter gatherers survived mostly on raw bounty and it is a lingering irony that a result of the industrial age has led to many people actually being under-nourished because of what they eat. Obesity plagues the rich and diabetes and cholesterol follows a close second. What is required is more nutrition, not more focus on pills and science to cure the diseases of an incorrect diet.

Peter and Beryn Daniel are the raw food champions in South Africa and their book “Rawlicious” uncovers a lot of the bare truths around what we have been led to believe is good food. Highly processed food, sugars and trans fats ( the one’s that aren’t good for you) can easily be the biggest part of a modern diet which is why taking small steps to better nutritional health begins with adding a lot more uncooked food to your diet.

The health benefits of the raw food diet have been carefully researched and Peter and Beryn can testify to watching so much transformation occur in people who have begun adopting this way of eating. The most common side effect of a raw food diet is energy and loads of it!

I have met Peter and Beryn on a number of different occasions and always described them as “those shiny people” because they literally glow with good health. At the Natural and Organic product exhibition in Cape Town earlier this year, their raw foods stall was the busiest out of every food stall there because word spread – the food was delicious and satisfying and very exciting to sample.

A leading London publication has predicted the top ten food trends that will affect our engagement with food and among them is the recognition that food is directly associated with mood. This is where raw food has a part to play because it is brimming with life force energy, high in anti-oxidants (another measure of food desirability according to the trend spotter) and is cruelty free.

Sustainable lifestyles may seem to be a trend but the impact your lifestyle has on the planet will play a much bigger role in society’s consideration of the value of your contribution. What you eat and where your food comes from will be as important as where you live and social groups will form based on belief systems around this.

The raw food movement has been steadily gaining in popularity over the last ten years and now there are restaurants in New York, London and Los Angeles that are taking the taste buds of the newly converted to new heights. Eating raw food is fashionable enough for it to make it into the main stream consciousness and enable people to taste for themselves the difference in eating food that is brimming with energy.

We have all heard the phrase: “ You are what you eat.” Thinking about it on a cellular level this could lead to some interesting comments depending on what you are having for lunch, but the fresh , crisp vegetables and lively fruit bursting with flavour after being ripened by the sun’s rays is actually a far cry from a mass produced snack bar or hastily prepared take out sandwich. Who says convenient food has to be horrid, lifeless food?

A few facts to help you understand what constitutes ‘raw’. No ingredient is heated above 47 C because it is at this temperature that the enzymes change and the food essentially no longer lives. Raw food doesn’t mean cold food, it doesn’t mean tasteless food and it certainly doesn’t mean that indulgent treats and cakes are off the menu either.

There are some confusing perceptions out there regarding the health benefits of food and it is very worthwhile to spend some time getting to truly understand what you need from a diet. When you think of diet you think of deprivation but if you are eating food that is alive with micro nutrients and has not been cooked you stand a far better chance of eating something your body actually can use and digest with ease.

The facts are startling, vitamin C and B vitamins are destroyed in the cooking process, trans fats are created out of normally good fats and your body’s white blood cell count rises dramatically after you have eaten a cooked meal.

Animal products require a lot more energy to digest so if your diet is rich in cooked meat your body is working extra hard to digest it – and it takes a lot longer to eliminate. Cooking food also adds to the acidity levels of your body and it is very notable to read that disease does not take up residence in a body with a high alkalinity PH.

But you can go on about the health benefits, that is not likely to change a person’s mind who is deeply entrenched in eating patterns and rather addicted to the formulated tastes of additives ,especially sugars. It will be taste and convenience that will encourage discovery and the vessel for this is something we all have – our tastebuds.

www.welikeitraw.com

www.superfoods.co.za