Why We need to Eat Raw Foods.
If you happen to be tracking my weight and how it’s going…. I’m on my 8th day of replacing daytime meals with juice. I’m eating somewhat clean for dinner and snacking or raw fruits and veggies.
The weigh in today was uneventful. I am down 4 more ounces and I’ll take that.
I’m on a juicing rampage. Sorry if you are ready for me to stop the juice-kick and get back to cows. I think I only have 1 more post in me, so I’ll be done in just a jiffy.
I started a 10 day voyage to drop some holiday pudge, but have been on this incredible rabbit trail about the health of juicing. I have read 7 books in 10 days and have learned so much. Juicing is much more than I originally thought.
Find the rest of this story here:
- If Anyone’s Interested – The 5 Pound Problem & the Plan
- Day 1: 6 Reasons to Juice
- Day 2: Why Juice Instead of Smoothies
- Day 3: Juicing Helps & Tips – How to get the Most from Your Juice
- Day 4: Juicing for Disease Prevention & Cure
- Day 5 & 6: Juicing on a Budget
- Day 7: Give Your Gut a Break – Benefits of Fasting
Raw foods aren’t just a good idea or a little something you should chew at lunch time – raw foods are life.
It’s all about enzymes.
ENZYMES
I don’t want to get too technical here, because I really don’t know that much when it comes to what enzymes do.
“Enzymes are biological molecules (typically proteins) that significantly speed up the rate of virtually all of the chemical reactions that take place within cells. They are vital for life and serve a wide range of important functions in the body, such as aiding in digestion and metabolism.”
Here are a few of the activities that require enzymes:
- Energy production
- Absorption of oxygen
- Fighting infections and healing wounds
- Reducing inflammation
- Getting nutrients into your cells
- Carrying away toxic wastes
- Breaking down fats in your blood, regulating cholesterol and triglyceride levels
- Dissolving blood clots
- Proper hormone regulation
- Slowing the aging process
A few More Things About Enzymes:
- Enzymes enable us to digest food.
- It is bad to chew gum because it signals our body to release digestive enzymes – when, in fact, there is nothing in our stomach for the enzymes to digest. I still love to chew gum even though I know I shouldn’t.
- My neighbor takes “digestive enzymes” in a pill form after she eats a meal.
- Enzymes also help our bodies generate energy. Energy allows our bodies to carry out all of its many functions. Blood sugar (glucose) can provide this energy… at the same time, our bodies can use protein and fats for energy… and when this happens (cellular respiration) enzymes are the responsible parties that make it possible. source
- Enzymes MAKE NEW CELLS. Enzymes are the responsible parties when it comes to DNA copying. Basically our bodies are always making new cells and replacing the old ones. Each newly created cell contains a copy of your DNA. Enzymes are they little guys that carry out this replication.
- Enzyme problems cause health problems. Many disorders we have are impacted by a lack of enzymes.
- “A deficiency of the digestive enzyme lactase, which breaks down milk sugar, leads to lactose intolerance. A more serious deficiency of digestive enzymes can develop with inflammation of the pancreas, or pancreatitis. … Children born with Tay-Sachs disease have a genetic abnormality with an enzyme called beta-hexosaminidase A.” –source
- When we eat processed foods our body is responsible for the enzymes to digest it all. Some believe this is what makes us feel tired and lethargic after a big meal.
- On the other hand, when we eat foods filled with living enzymes (either raw or juiced or made into smoothies) the result is typically energy and refreshment.
Even after ingesting all of that, I’m still not sure what an enzyme is. I do know that I need them. I need them to be well. I need them for cellular reproduction. I need them for disease prevention. I need them to digest my food. I need them for energy.
Here is an interesting quote by Mercola on enzymes:
“This is one of the reasons it’s so important to eat your foods raw. Raw foods are enzyme-rich, and consuming them decreases your body’s burden to produce its own enzymes. The more food that you can eat raw, the better. Ideally, you should get 75 percent of your digestive enzymes from your food.”
I feel like the more living food filled with enzymes I consume, the better it is for my body. I also know what fresh juice is a wonderful way to fill your body enzymes found in living foods.
BREAKFAST, LUNCH & SNACKS:
I have been paying more attention to the juice recipes I am drinking and how they make me feel. I have noticed something interesting.
Juices that seem to impact every taste sensation are much more satisfying to me.
For instance: I am LOVING a Carrot Beet Juice I have been drinking (4 beets, 4 -6 carrots, 1 cup cranberries, 1 inch ginger root). It is sweet, salty, sour, spicy, earthy and savory. When I drink it it is like an explosion of flavors. I sip it forever and enjoy it immensely.
I have read that when all the taste sensations are incorporated it provides a more full, satiated feeling. This juice definitely does that for me. Not to mention it is as thick as gravy.
Today I had 2 of these Carrot-beet juices & 4 green juices.
DINNER:
For Dinner I had a creamy seafood soup (yes, I made it). I used the pulp (left from juicing) of 10 stalks of celery and 8 carrots. I also diced up 3 onions & threw them in. I sauteed all the vegetables in a stick of butter….. added it to the seafood broth and blended it into a lovely creamy soup with an immersion wand. The soup was great and my kids had no idea it was swimming with vegetables.
XO,
Cj
