RAW FOOD AND JUICES

By Lawrence Wilson, MD

© January 2010, The Center For Development

This article explores the pros and cons of raw foods and juices as part of nutritional balancing programs and for general health. In short, I have found that raw food diets are not best.

Article summary. This is a very important and controversial article. We find that cooked food is best, except for 10-12 ounces of carrot and perhaps some green juice daily. The reasons are explained below.

BENEFITS OF UNCOOKED FOOD

The main benefit of raw or uncooked food in its natural state is that it usually contains its full complement of vitamins, minerals, fibers, food enzymes and other phytonutrients. The rationale for eating at least some raw foods daily is to obtain the greatest quantity of these nutrients.

Another advantage of raw foods is the ease of preparation because cooking is not required. However the food should be washed thoroughly. The effects of cooking include the following.

Vitamins. The vitamins most damaged by cooking are C and E. Fats and fatty acids are also all damaged to some extent. Protein is also denatured by cooking long enough. The protein structure is altered and often becomes hardened and less digestible.

Cooking for about 10 minutes begins to destroy vitamin C. Vitamin E is destroyed in about 20 minutes or a little more, depending on the temperature of cooking and the way the food is cut up, at times.

However, stir-frying for under ten minutes can preserve most vitamins C and E.

Fats and Oils. Fatty acids, sometimes referred to as vitamin F, are also damaged by cooking. Processing of vegetable oils except olive oil involves sustained heat which damages most vegetable oils sold, even those labeled ‘cold-pressed’.

The damage occurs after the pressing. Vegetables oils may be further damaged by sustained high heat, for example when frying food. Frying oils used in restaurants are often unhealthful as they are used over and over for several days.

Butter, olive oil, coconut and palm oil are much more stable when cooked than are other vegetable oils. Meat fat is often more stable as it is more saturated and therefore less affected by cooking at low temperatures. High temperature frying, however, can change all fats and oils into harmful products.

Starches. Uncooked starches are mainly not digested well at all. This includes the grains such as rice, wheat and others. Vegetables starches like potatoes are somewhat better digested but not much. While they have lots of fiber, the nutrients in the starch are not too useful and just pass through the body as fiber or roughage.

Sugars. Sugars can be altered by cooking if the cooking time is long. They form caramel and other unhealthful products. Honey and molasses are better eaten uncooked, as cooking makes them less digestible.

Protein. The structure or shape of proteins is changed by cooking. However, the amino acids themselves are not usually damaged.

Minerals are not affected by cooking. In fact, they are often made far more bioavailable by cooking because the cooking breaks down fiber in which the minerals reside.

Enzymes. All foods contain food enzymes that are destroyed by most cooking. Gentle steaming, however, preserves a few of them. However, food enzymes are not the same as the digestive enzymes we give to everyone. This is a very important point. The body does not require the food enzymes to digest the food. In some cases, in fact, one is better off without them.

At one time, I was an advocate of natural hygiene and was very familiar with the rationales for eating raw foods. However, since then I have learned more and shifted my views about raw foods.

PROBLEMS WITH RAW FOODS

1. Cleanliness. This is one of the most important and serious problem today with raw foods. It is particularly a problem in restaurants and with all meats, fish, eggs and seafood. Do not eat these raw!

They contain bacteria, parasites and other microorganisms and many are killed by cooking. While some advocate eating raw meat, eggs and fish, all may contain harmful parasites and bacteria. Raw certified dairy products are generally very healthful, however.

2. Reduced Digestibility of raw fibers, in particular. Most people cannot digest raw food fibers very well. They lack the enzymes to digest cellulose and the others. This is a fact, even if one does not like it. Taking a cellulase enzyme will help, but will not overcome this problem.

Some vegetable-eating animals have three or four stomachs and regurgitate the food several times to help them digest raw food. Many people also have weak digestion in addition.

Many nutrients are locked within the starch matrix of vegetables and fruits. These are unavailable to most people if eaten raw, as raw starches are very difficult to digest. Cooking breaks down the starch and cellulose and other fibers, releasing the nutrients.

3. Raw vegetables and fruits take much more time to eat correctly, as much more chewing is required with raw food. Most vegetable-eating animals eat most of the day. Cooking condenses foods, so less food is required. Vegetable-eating animals in particular spend a good part of the day eating to get what they need.

Also, energy must be expended to heat up raw food in the body. Slow oxidizers and anyone with impaired digestion cannot derive as much nutrition from raw foods for this reason.

4. Raw fruits and vegetables are extremely “yin”. This is another significant problem with all raw diets and, in fact, even with eating a lot of salads and other raw foods. Cooking makes foods more ‘yang’ in Chinese medical terminology.

The bodies today are all quite yin to begin with. This is due to radiation, toxic chemicals, toxic metals and electromagnetic stress we all must cope with.

This problem is relatively recent in the twentieth century. Older books about diet often suggested raw foods and they were correct!

However, things have changed drastically in the past 50 years due to ionizing radiation in the environment. For this reason, raw food is no longer as healthful.

Yin and yang is an ancient Chinese medicine concept that is quite subtle. It is described in a separate article entitled Yin and Yang Healing.

5. Raw foods are generally lower in etheric energy. This has to do with the yin quality of raw foods. Cooking can actually increase the etheric energy content of foods a little. This consideration may seem unusual, but it is quite important.

6. Cooking concentrates some foods, allowing one to eat much more of the food. A good example is spinach, for example, and other leafy greens. This is very helpful for people today who need the minerals in food.

JUICING

Juicing has some of the same benefits as raw foods with many nutrients from the foods. In addition, juicing concentrates the nutrients by eliminating the fibrous part of the raw vegetables and/or other foods that are juiced.

Juicing also eliminates the problem of raw food needing lots of chewing. In this regard, juices are a lot easier to digest than raw foods and supply many more nutrients as well. A few nutrients are lost in the pulp of the plant that is usually discarded, but not many of them.

Unfortunately, juicing also has many of the problems of raw foods. For this reason, I only recommend 10-12 ounces of carrot juice daily, perhaps with some greens added. One or two ounces of wheat grass juice is also excellent for most people and essential in some cases in which a person is very debilitated. Problems with juices are the following.

PROBLEMS AND CAUTIONS WITH JUICING

1. Cleanliness. This is the same as with other raw foods. For example, never have carrot juice from a juice bar unless you are sure the carrots and other ingredients are thoroughly washed in very clean water and soap.

Also, after juicing, the juicer must be washed well after every use, as it can harbor molds and bacteria.

Otherwise, you could easily pick up parasites, bacteria or worse from a glass of even very fresh juice.

Packaged juice is not as good, but is probably cleaner, although even there it can become moldy quite easily.

2. Very, very yin. Juices are extremely yin products, even more so than other raw food because the food is broken up. This tends to make it a lot more yin in its esoteric quality. Fruit juices are even more yin than most vegetable juices, and this is one reason to avoid them.

A little goji berry juice or other berry juice is okay at times, but not much, for this reason, and these are never essential foods.

3. Very low in etheric energy. This is essentially the same as the problem with raw foods.

4. Too much is hard to digest, especially when taken with food. Some people drink a lot of vegetable or fruit juice. It is very high in sugar and overloads the system with certain nutrients. Therefore always limit the amount and do not add sweeteners or fruit to vegetable juices.

5. Juices can concentrate toxic substances found in fruits and vegetables. This is often a hidden problem with juicing today, even when organic vegetables are used. It is hard to overcome. For example, pesticides may be concentrated in juices. Fiber in foods helps prevent absorption of some of these chemicals. To help prevent this, use only organic vegetables for juicing.

6. Juices with high sugar content, including even carrot juice, can upset the blood sugar level. Be careful with juicing if your blood sugar is unstable. If you eat a food with fat and protein with the juice, or after it, it may help this problem. However, ideally juice should be taken without other food for about 15 minutes on either side of it for best absorption. Ideally, swish the juice in your mouth to help you absorb some of it in your mouth.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The only foods that I suggest people eat raw is certified or good quality raw dairy products and some oils such as olive, flaxseed, hempseed, coconut, palm and other oils.

Certified raw dairy products are among the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, other minerals and other nutrients. They are also quite safe, not too yin and needed today by most people. They include raw organic certified milks, cheeses, yogurts, kefir and butters.

If possible, also eat all vegetable oils raw or only lightly cooked. Animal fats and proteins should also be cooked minimally to preserve most of the goodness of the fats in the meat.

Certified means the animals and equipment are rigorously inspected and tested for bacteria. Years ago certified raw milk was the only kind fed to babies and children. The milk industry, which often sells unclean milk that is ‘fixed’ by pasteurizing it, lobbied heavily to eliminate the competition of the raw certified dairies.

A little salad is okay as part of an overall diet, but should not be more than about 5% of one’s vegetable intake. Of these, the best vegetables are ones such as jicama that is a root vegetable and is therefore more yang.

A few nuts or some nut butter is also okay, though it is yin. At least most nuts are clean. Avoid peanuts in all forms as they are often moldy. Nuts such as almonds, pecans, filberts and others are good sources of protein and minerals, but must be chewed very thoroughly. Nut butters are much easier to digest. Almonds and cashews are also excellent foods, though they are better eaten toasted.

A few raw seeds now and then are also excellent foods. Some contain enzyme inhibitors and may be easier to digest when soaked overnight. Seeds can also be eaten sprouted.

PROPER COOKING

One to three cooked vegetables should be the major part of at least two meals each day. Steaming, baking, stir-frying, or roasting or broiling are best. Do not overcook vegetables, but they should not be crunchy.

Eggs are best eaten soft with the yolks runny. The yolk is a fat and fats are best eaten raw or very lightly cooked. Also, hard boiling an egg makes the protein very difficult to digest as well. Good ways to cook eggs are poaching, soft boiling, soft-scrambled or even fried over easy but not overcooked so the egg is rubbery.

Meats should be lightly cooked, just enough to kill all surface bacteria and parasites, and cooked through enough to kill most germs in the meat itself. Do not overcook meats. None need to be cooked on a stove top more than 10-30 minutes or in an oven more than about 2 hours. A problem with crock pots is it is easy to overcook food.

Whole grains such as rice, millet, oats, rye, barley and quinoa should be cooked thoroughly so they are soft and easily eaten. They may also be sprouted and eaten as vegetables in a few cases. Avoid all wheat products and all refined carbohydrates.

To this basically cooked regimen, add 10-12 ounces of carrot juice, with perhaps a few greens added, and no more than this.

In restaurants. I do not recommend eating any raw food in most restaurants. Most is not fresh, and it may not be washed well, either. Cleanliness is also an issue at health food juice bars. Bottled fresh juices may be cleaner if produced under healthful conditions.

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