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Copyright © 2010 Eighty Percent Raw, LLC
WHY EIGHTY PERCENT?
by Tracy Partridge-Johnson
and Ela Harrison Gordon
So, why Eighty Percent?
You might be thinking "Why not 100%?" After all, eighty percent seems like kind of a random number, doesn't it? I mean, if you're going to do something, why not really GO FOR IT?!? Total commitment or nothing at all!
We'll get to that in a minute...
First, let's think about why we should consider increasing our daily intake of fresh foods at all.
Common sense comes to mind.
Let's think about why we eat. Food is FUEL, right? Our bodies require energy in order to function at optimal capability. And we get that energy from the food and beverages we consume. We need to keep our bodies in good working order so that they’ll serve us well. Take us where we want to go so we can have experiences. Build relationships. See and do all the things we want and need to see and do. So, if we think of our bodies from a purely mechanical standpoint, food is primarily to keep our gear in good working order. Ok, I'll grant you that food serves more than this one purpose alone. After all, if taste and smell weren't important we probably wouldn't have those sensory inputs, right? Well, that's all relative. For instance, if you were a cave-dweller living at the dawn of civilization smell might help you locate foods that were edible, and taste would, in most cases, help you determine if the food was safe for consumption. But in today's socially advanced and high tech world of immediate gratification taste and smell have come a L-O-N-G WAY BABY!
But, back to the FOOD AS FUEL concept for a minute...
Let’s say you just spent $35,000 on a brand new sports car. You're probably going to make sure you put good quality fuel into the thing and schedule regular tune-ups and maintenance checks so that your automotive showpiece stays in tip-top working order, aren’t you? And you're probably n-o-t going to try filling the tank with high fructose corn syrup just to see if it will run on that stuff...right?
I thought not.
Then why do we do it to our bodies?
After all, we can conceivably replace that $35,000 automobile if it gets totaled. But we can NOT go out and get a brand new replacement body. So, it seems pretty important that we take the best possible care of the one we've got...since everything else in life depends on our ability to continue using this one body to experience all the universe has to offer.
That said, the western world is currently in a pretty sorry state of affairs. Obesity and diabetes are at an all-time high in the United States of America and even our children are now so overweight and sedentary that they are at serious risk of disease.
It's a well known fact that refined foods, especially, are not healthy for our bodies. White flour and white sugar are two of the worst culprits. And if you stop to think about it, we're hard pressed to go out for a meal where one or both ingredients are not a core part of the meal composition.
Even "home-cooked" meals, in most households, include some sort of noodle, tortilla, bread, gravy, bun, etc. Add to that the inclusion of fatty, fried foods and those containing high fructose corn syrup and you've defined a WHOLE CATEGORY of foods consumed by the average American, on a daily basis, which are essentially nutrient dead and do more harm than good when it comes to fueling our bodies. The only thing these foods contribute "of value" to our diet is calories. But the calories are so nutrient deficient that they do nothing but make us fatter by the day and seriously increase our risk of deadly diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc.
So, what can be done about it?
Let's get back to thinking about raw foods. Humans are mammals. And we’re the only mammals on the face of the earth who cook our food. In our evolutionary past, this technology may have been significant in helping us to obtain enough easy calories to end up with our larger brains and smaller guts compared to other primates. Nowadays, however, with the prevalence of overly processed foods, overweight people, and diseases that were unheard of a hundred years ago, it is time to look at what real food is and what we get out of it.
Raw Almonds
Honey Roasted Almonds
1. Consider this - The FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) assigns the same nutritional value to both a raw almond and a roasted almond. But are they really the same? Well, let's take one of each and plant them in the ground. Only one will sprout and grow. The raw one. Now, why is that? Because the naturally occurring enzymes in the roasted almond have been destroyed. Science has taught us that when foods are heated above 118 degrees Fahrenheit these enzymes are killed. The enzymes are the "living" part of the food.
There are many other differences between raw foods and their cooked counterparts: more, in fact, than are fully understood. But generally speaking, cooking destroys many micronutrients (vitamins and antioxidants) and creates some toxic by-products (e.g. trans fats from heating polyunsaturated oils, acrylamide in potato chips prepared at high heat). On the other hand, cooking softens fibers and expands protein molecules, making it so that the macronutrients (the calories) can be extracted more easily. It also kills bacteria and destroys certain toxins that are part of a plant's self-defense mechanism, making certain foods edible that would be off-limits raw. So, the more cooked food you eat, the more calories you can absorb for the less vital nutrients.
2. Wild animals all over the planet survive and thrive without cooked foods. And, while every species suffers from its own diseases and parasites, no wild animal eating raw foods ever gets sick with diabetes, obesity, allergies, or other diseases associated with modern civilization and highly processed foods. However, pets and domesticated animals fed highly processed diets do succumb to these ills. See the connection?
3. Imagine there was no fast food or processed food to grab when you're on the go. What food would provide the most satisfaction as well as the best flavor without needing anything done to it at all? Fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts, are available almost everywhere nowadays, and with no preparation whatsoever, they are ready to eat and so much more satisfying than any greasy, chemical-laden fast food. They are, perhaps, the original 'fast food.'
4. The fact that cooking kills bacteria means that it makes certain foods safe for consumption by destroying nasties like salmonella. But it kills all the good bacteria too. A healthy human has 70-100 trillion good bacteria in their gut. Nowadays, with antibiotics, birth control pills, chlorinated water and highly processed foods, many people are sadly deficient in these friendly flora, hence the prevalence of yeast imbalances, irritable bowel syndrome, allergies and many other ailments. Eating foods that are alive with good bacteria helps to remedy this. Try some sauerkraut or kim chee, culture nut and seed milks into cheese, or enjoy the fizz of kombucha or kefir with the benefits of live bacteria instead of the poisons of soda!
So, why Eighty Percent Raw?
Because the more we eliminate refined foods from our diet and increase our daily intake of whole, raw, living foods the healthier we will become.
Why, then, not 100%?
Because, honestly, that's a LOT to ask of most regular people living in today's society. It tends to make one a bit of a "fanatic." Not only can it be a challenge socially...trust me, you become a real downer at a party or gathering when you choose not to eat anything the host has prepared. And on the flip side, you begin to feel deprived when you go out to eat and find the only thing you can choose on the menu is the dinner salad...and at that, most of the dressings will have some ingredient that is invariably "cooked." When you start to make a religion out of taking care of your health, it's often not quite so healthy...
So, really, it's all about balance. Enjoying life while improving your health, preventing, eliminating or even reversing most disease, and just juicing your overall experience for all it's worth! If the average person’s diet were composed of approximately 80% raw, living foods just IMAGINE how much their quality of life would improve! Digestion and elimination are NOT a problem when you're following an Eighty Percent Raw Lifestyle! And that alone is a HUGE improvement in many people's health and well-being!
So, allow yourself that piece of baked salmon. Steam some broccoli and drizzle it with some extra virgin olive oil and minced garlic. Have a dark chocolate bar! Sip a nice glass of red wine. Even eat a slice or two of pizza occasionally. But let those things represent the other 20% while the bulk of your diet consists of healthy, whole, raw foods that provide your body with the nutrients it needs to heal, slim down and THRIVE! Then you'll be a long way toward providing your body with the FUEL it really needs to function properly!
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