I'm not sure I understand the raw food diet?

Question

I'm a vegetarian, and I've heard of the raw food diet, but I'm not exactly sure what it is or what the beliefs are behind it...

Answer 1

Cooked food is unnatural.  Raw food is natural.  That's it.  Simple.  We are designed to eat food raw, not cooked.  Cooked bad, raw good.

Answer 2

You basically just eat fruits and vegetables without cooking them.

Answer 3

I believe the raw food followers believe that cooking (temperatures above 120F) destroys the natural enzymes in the food.  Instead of cooking, dehydration is a common preparation method.

The belief is the naturally occurring enzymes aid in digesting the food and making it nutritionally more available for our bodies.

The raw foods don't have to be vegetarian... it's all foods including meats.  

Also, the belief that cooking has caused our problems with obesity and illness.

Answer 4

It basically that you dont cook all the nutrients out of food. You would eat things like carrot sticks and salads apples. Instead of bathing them in some sort of sauce or cooking them, you eat them raw.

Answer 5

I know that part of the reasoning is that the more pure your food is, the better it is for you.  Cooking destroys cells and takes some of the vitamins and minerals with it.  However, on the flip side of the arguement is that fact that the undamaged raw cells are harder to digest, making said vitamins and minerals harder for our bodies to access.  Thus cooked vegetables, according to Alton Brown of the Food Network, actually are more nutritious in most cases.  You will find both sides of the arguement out there.

Answer 6

just do whats healthy