* What is RAW food?
~ Raw actually means what it implies, 'NONE COOKED', however RAW food is what is generally regarded by most as 'Vegan uncooked food'. Fruit, Vegetables, Pulses and Grain, prepared in a number of 'uncooked' ways so that they are yummie and most importantly healthy. Uncooked here also includes the avoidance of most processed foods.
* Why eat RAW food?
~ One main purpose for this is the retention of healthy enzimes and minerals which cooking & processing tends to destroy.
* Why the modern trend in RAW?
~ its hard to say for sure, as there are many sources of RAW followings, and also various schools of thought, however, I believe that there are several common reasons shared:
1. the cooking of natural food tends to remove and/or destroy a high precentage of its original enzymes & nutrients. (some studies suggest 80% + are lost through cooking).
2. aim to eat as freshly produced foods as possible. (we have had almost a century of pesticides and intensive farming placed upon our soils, and the soil itsself has become exhaused of its minerals and nutrients, so you'll find that a modern vegetable in some instances may only have 20% of its traditional nutrient value).
3. because of these reductions in nutrients, the extra amount of food we have to consume in order to make up for the lack of nutrients, can surpass ten times the amount traditionally requred to fuel our bodies efficiently.
4. I'm sure when celebrities join a trend, it becomes interesting to a larger market, and I'm sure this has had an effect on the international popularity!
If we multiply these factors together, it becomes obviouse that we are likely to receive only a fraction of the nutrients traditionally available from fruit and vegetables. Not only that, the extra amount required to make up the difference, leaves our bodies stuffed with larger amounts of unnourishing mass, which can play havoc on our metabolism and our digestive and energy storage systems, leaving us fatigued and physically more full yet nutritiously dissatisfied.
