Articles by Donna DiMarco

I was watching the DVD, Food Matters, with my class and something jumped out at me.  The statement was made twice that if we ate a 51% raw food diet we would not have digestive leukocytosis.  Digestive leukocytosis is a condition where the body responds to an improperly digested food as if it were a foreign invader.  The immune system becomes activated and the body reacts as to any other stressor; the white blood cells “beef up” to fight the invaders. Cortisol is produced to fight the inflammation response. This puts a strain on the immune and endocrine systems.  If consistently over-worked the immune system can get locked into an over kill mode where the body cannot distinguish self from non self; that’s an autoimmune disease.  In addition, if the cortisol requirements remain high from constant inflammation, the adrenals become exhausted and are not available when we really need them.  This is why some people develop a sensitivity to a food or environment that they were consistently exposed to but without ever having a reaction.  They tired adrenals can’t hold back the reaction any more so symptoms manifest.

Raw foods contain enzymes that help break down the food into more digestible nutrients, which are then used to nourish the body.  When we cook food we destroy the enzymes.  Here are some examples:
A green banana is not very sweet; the carbohydrates are not broken down into simple sugars.  As the banana ripens the fruit is sweeter.  That is the results of enzymes.  If you’ve ever made Jell-O with fruit added, you know that you must only use canned pineapple, not fresh.  This is because the fresh still has active enzymes that can breakdown the protein in the Jell-O so much that it doesn’t set.  The heat from canning the pineapple destroys the enzymes so that it has no affect on the Jell-O.  Well, this is a benefit when making Jello but not for health. 

In the same manner, cooking foods over 105 degrees destroys the enzymes in the food.  As we age, we produce fewer enzymes in our bodies so that these external sources of enzymes become essential.  In fact, without them, our nutrient intake is significantly diminished, and nutrient deficiency leads to illness. 

Consider how few people really try to eat enzyme-rich foods.  Not many!  Our diet is mostly cooked, processed, powdered, canned, concentrated, frozen, reconstituted and nutrient depleted.  Obesity and illness is still climbing and the United States is the most over-fed and under-nourished country in the world.  Healthcare costs are rising and our research dollars are mostly directed to drugs to stop the symptoms, rather than prevention of disease.  Eating more raw foods is a way to stay healthy so that the drugs (and their side effects) are not needed.

How do we eat 51% raw food diet?  We can all eat more salads; but not just one a day!  Some of my clients only think of salads as some sort of lettuce based dish with a dressing of sorts.  They are surprised to learn that  there are many other types of salads.  Think about fresh fruit salads.  I recently made a raw salad from beet, white and sweet potato, carrot and onion.  Think coleslaw; raw cabbage with mayo, vinegar and spices.  Get a book of Raw Food recipes.  You’ll be surprised at the variety and ease of preparation.

Think about dehydrated foods, which are available at health food stores or you can make yourself if you have a dehydrator.  How about fresh made vegetable juices? Canned and bottled juices are lacking enzymes and pasteurization insures enzyme deficiency. 

Think about dried fruits, nuts, seeds; you can make wonderful snacks from raw nut butters, seeds and carob- see my recipes tab on my home page!

You can make a wonderful chocolate ice cream (without dairy) from bananas, raw cocoa, dates and ice cubes.
How about a chocolate pudding made from a ripe avocado mixed with cocoa powder and stevia; coconut milk is a great addition to a raw food diet. 

Be creative.  Getting in more raw foods is easier than you can imagine.  I will add a link to some books I recommend. 

Until next time, stay healthy!
Donna

This entry was posted on Friday, March 13th, 2009 at 10:03 am and is filed under Lifestyle, Meals, Food, Wellness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.