Past newsletters have repeatedly mentioned the lack of nutrition found in many of today's foods. In addition to our overuse of soil and it's concomitant depletion of minerals and enzymes, even our grown fruits, vegetables, and nuts are full of toxins, i.e., pesticides, herbicides, preservatives, etc. They are also radiated and genetically altered all in the name of science and money. The idea is that the food lasts longer when they are "tampered with" AND we are told they are safer for consumption this way!

But there's another way in which our foods are being nutritionally depleted in our own homes: we're cooking them to death! That's right, in addition to all the difficulty getting really nutritious food, we are destroying nearly any remaining enzymes, vitamins and minerals by cooking our foods.

So how can we possibly eat to get the most nutrition out of today's meals? Please keep reading...

Eating primarily raw foods is a growing trend around the country, and has been practiced in many parts of the world for thousands of years. The reason is simple: raw foods are better for you! Raw milk, raw cheeses, some raw meats, raw nuts, raw fruits and vegetables simply contain more stuff that's good for you! Think what a difference it would make in your health if you started eating more raw foods.

I know what you're thinking: "Haven't we heard that eating raw foods is dangerous? That's why we cook our foods which includes killing germs and bacteria through the pasteurization of milks, cheeses, fruit juices, etc." Yes, that's what we've been brought up to believe. Remember the germ theory? Today's misguided thinking is that germs cause disease. Let me explain...Without getting into the supervirus controversy, we are surrounded by practically every bacteria, virus and germ known to man. The reason we don't drop over is because we are designed to live with these entities in perfect harmony. It's our immune system, i.e., our resistance to these germs that determines how well we are. Therefore, the better we take care of our bodies, the better we will be able to fight off disease.

Now, getting back to cooking our foods. The bacteria we are killing off in our foods is not bad. I'm not speaking of the bacteria that invades food when it spoils, I'm speaking of the good ol' everyday common bacteria. Most of these same bacteria are actually present in us all the time and do us no harm - our immune systems are strengthened because of them. But when we pasteurize or cook our foods, we not only kill any bacteria present in them, we are also eliminating the essential substances vital for our health - enzymes, vitamins and proteins. Certainly we do glean some nutrition from cooked foods, enough to live, but over the long run our bodies are suffering. Why do you think we acquire so many ills as we age! It's a cumulative effect.

Unfortunately today, very few meals are eaten that include raw nutrition, except for the occasional salad. Most of our diets are organized around cooked or heated food. In general, the act of heating food over 116 degrees F destroys enzymes in food. Enzymes, the catalysts of all biological processes in our bodies, actually start to degrade in as little as 106 degrees F. ALL cooked food is devoid of enzymes and it changes its molecular structure rendering it toxic and very difficult to digest. Raw organic food is not only easier to digest, it also is not as acidic as much of our cooked foods. It lowers the acidity of the stomach, and thus changes our body from a primarily acidic pH environment to one that is alkaline and healthier!

My wife is a vegetarian and a question that she always gets is: "But how do you get your protein?" There is a quite a bit of misinformation that A. we need a lot of protein, and B. plant protein is not "complete". This is based on studies done on rats in the 1940's. This false conclusion was drawn before we discovered our bodies ability to "complete" any amino acid mix from our bodies amino acid pool, regardless of the composition of a meal.

According to the World Health Organization and the USDA, we only need about 5-6% of our calories to come from protein. Fruits consist of around 5% protein, while vegetables are about 20-50% protein. Sprouted seeds and beans are about 10-25%. Therefore, even vegans are getting more than an adequate amount of protein. We've been conned into believing that we need much more protein than we actually require. Many studies have shown the daily need for protein only needs to be about 25-35 grams per day.

I once read that "It is easier to change a man's religion than to change his diet." Does eating raw foods mean a complete overnight lifestyle change? Well, it can! It's really up to you. You can begin to eat mostly raw immediately or you can "ease" into it. Start adding raw foods to your diet and make gradual changes. When selecting raw foods to eat though, it is important to choose only organically grown produce, since "conventional" produce are grown with pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, and other chemicals. Rinsing does not help much since these chemicals are absorbed by the foods. Although it's not necessary to eat 100% raw or organic, I recommend eating as much organic food as possible. And, organic food even tastes better!

So now that I've convinced you to start eating raw....let's summarize some of the benefits:

1. A raw food diet invariably results in improved general physical and mental health, more energy, weight loss, detoxification, and a sturdier immune system that better resists and recovers from just about any kind of disease.

2. By buying, growing and consuming foods which have not been altered in any way, shape, or form, we honor the planet which God created, and hopefully can begin to reduce or even reverse the destruction we have caused.

3. Raw foods are better quality, therefore you eat less to satisfy your nutritional needs. The heat of cooking depletes vitamins, damages proteins and fats, and destroys enzymes which benefit digestion. As your percentage of raw foods increases you feel satisfied and have more energy on smaller meals because raw food has the best balance of water, nutrients, and fiber to meet your body's needs.

4. Raw foods have more flavor than cooked foods so there is no need to add salt, sugar, spices, or other condiments that can irritate your digestive system or over-stimulate other organs.

5. Eating a diet of raw foods can reverse or stop the advance of many chronic diseases, including heart disease and cancer. Remember, cooking creates free radicals. When you lower the number of free radicals your cells are bombarded with, you lower your risk of cancer.

As long as you combine raw food properly with the proper hygiene, you can soon reach a level where you no longer suffer from heartburn, gas, indigestion or constipation.

One last thing...although eating raw results in a major increase in many of the nutrients that are lost through cooking, it's still not enough due to reasons already mentioned. A good, liquid, organic supplement is key to getting all the nutrients needed for optimal health, such as those found in intraMax, intraMin and intraKid.

Once again, it has been my sincere pleasure bringing this information to you this month. I wish you all a healthy and wonderful Thanksgiving.

Yours in health,

Dr. Mike