Raw or Cooked? My Dietary Personal Program

Why go raw: Heat can change the molecular structure of foods and destroys enzymes and nutrients (for certain kinds of vegetables, not for all of them). If consumed raw certain enzymes can be more properly digested.  

Why cook: Cruciferous vegetables when eaten raw can block thyroid hormone production. This will make you gain weight, get cold hands/feet, turn hair dry, and make you tired. When you cook them you reduce this effect by 2/3rds. Leafy greens have oxalic acid that blocks iron and calcium absorption.  

Why ferment: It improves digestion, supports the good bacteria in our gut, our body can absorb the nutrients more

http://www.thekitchn.com/10-photos-that-show-you-your-daily-recommended-servings-of-fruits-vegetables-207261

Recommended # of Vegetables a day: 2 1/2 cups, 5-7 servings

Recommended # of Fruits a day: 2 cups, 5-7 servings

Should we juice or Blend?

Juice: extracts water and nutrients, gets rid of indigestible fiber. Beware when juicing only fruits, it can cause a spike in blood sugar levels that creates mood swings, loss of energy, and memory problems

Blend: contains all the fiber, creates a slow release of nutrients so no sugar spike

Rules: Try not to combine fruits with vegetables but if you must then only combine a green with an apple, drink it no more than 15 minutes after made

Food combining

What it is: certain food groups are incompatible together so proteins and carbs should not be eaten together and fruit should always be eaten alone

Is it worth it: No. Our bodies are designed to break down and absorb different things in different parts of the body. Bread and meat are branded as complex "difficult to digest" foods because the teeth break it down, the stomach muscles break it down again, enzymes are released into small intestine and are broken down into so the food can be absorbed; this is the reason these foods take longer to digest. This is not a bad thing, it keeps us full longer. High fiber foods like whole wheat bread promote good gut health because they can't be digested. Undigested the high fiber foods produce fatty acids in the colon that prevent abnormal cell activity and allow for softer easier-to-pass stools. The main flaw in the food combining idea is that the body can't digest different groups of food. Wrong. The liver and pancreas produce digestive juices that contain all the enzymes needed to digest proteins, carbohydrates, and fat. Why would the body do this if it wasn't meant to have all types of food put into it regardless of timing? The body is under no strain to "keep up" with everything we eat. It is a natural process. Besides, most foods contain both carbs and protein so the theory doesn't stack up.

So how come people report feeling better afterwards? They are eating healthier. Simple as that guys.

Fruits

Raw Foods: Kiwi, cherries, blueberries, oranges, apples, banana, red/purple grapes, strawberries, Papaya

Vegetables

Raw Foods: Beets, Broccoli, Onions, Red peppers, Garlic,  Red Bell Peppers, Green Leaf Lettuce, Arugula, Cucumber, cabbage

Boiled foods: Asparagus, Carrots, Mushrooms, zucchini

Cooked/Steamed: Spinach, cauliflower, collard greens, chard, carrots, Shitake mushrooms, Winter Squash, Tomatoes, Kale, Sweet Potato, Edamame

Fermented: Kimchi, cabbage

Seeds

Raw Foods: 4 tablespoons Chia Seeds, 2 tablespoons Flaxseed,

Spices/Herbs

Raw: 1 teaspoon tumeric on cauliflower popcorn or rice, 1 cup dandelion, 1 teaspoon Maca, 1 teaspoon Camu Camu powder, 2 teaspoons Lucuma in green tea or smoothie

Nuts

Raw Foods: Pecans, Walnuts

Dessert

Raw Foods: Cacao, Goji Berries

Grains:

Cooked Foods: Brown Rice, Quinoa

Tea

Raw Ingredients: Himalayan Sea Salt, White Tea, Black Tea, Green Tea

Bioflavonoids: citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, root vegetables

*These help strengthen capillary walls that link arteries to veins, allow nutrients to pass through easily
Antioxidants: colorful fruits and vegetables

*Fix free radical damages that hurt our cells
Phytochemicals: citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables, herbs, leafy greens

*Regulate our hormones and kill off cancer

End Result: I have decided to follow a mix up of my own dietary program. I agree with being raw but doing it 100% isn't better. In the end, no matter the label, just be healthy and knowledgeable of where you are getting those vitamins and nutrients. Be responsible for your health and educate those who are not. Its all about balance and avoiding the extremes....and full vegan or fully raw is something extreme. Eating a few pieces of chicken or a turkey or fish for a example along with vegetables while avoiding all processed carbs/sugars and drinking lots of water is the healthiest safest way to go.

MY dietary program: "Listen to the body"

1. I drink raw vegetables in the morning (2 carrots, 1/8 cucumber, 1/2 beet, 1/2 apple, 1 celery stalk, red cabbage, 1 sweet potato, 1 bunch of kale) then wait 20 minutes later to eat my protein/starch combination (brown rice, 2 boiled eggs, and 1/2 an avocado) 2 water bottles
2. I eat cooked vegetables at lunch (spinach, tomatoes, cauliflower) with 1/2 a red bell pepper, 2 tangerines, 1 watermelon square, 1/2 pear, 1/2 plum  2 water bottles
3. I eat banana bread with 1 tablespoon chia seed, 1 tablespoon hemp seed, 1 tablespoon flax seed 2 water bottles
4. Workout 2 water bottles