The Health Benefits of Eating Raw Food

November 12, 2012

The Health Benefits of Eating Raw Food

Science has long understood the healthy benefits of eating raw food or foods that are not fully cooked. When food is cooked the chemical components of that food change. During that change, valuable healthy vitamins and minerals are lost. Our body is a chemical processing plant. We know that our body breaks down proteins to make different and more complex chains of proteins. We know that our body uses certain vitamins for specific purposes, such as, fighting off infections, growing new cells, etc. It should come as no surprise to most people that eating raw foods brings a health benefit. In the following paragraphs we will look briefly at some of the health benefits of eating raw foods.

The Health Benefits of Eating Raw Food – Nutrition

What happens to food when we cook it? The first thing that happens is it loses water content. Water content in foods is an important source of daily water. Another reaction that occurs when raw foods are heated past 118 degrees Fahrenheit is that proteins split and begin to dissolve. Vitamins too are reduced as food is heated. Foods that contain minerals are important to the human body, but when foods are heated or cooked, those minerals change and form concoctions that are difficult for the body to absorb. Cooking food reduces the health benefits that are naturally found in food because it reduced the quality of vitamin and minerals found within the food. The healthy benefit of eating raw foods are that raw foods have amino acids, vitamins and minerals in a form that our bodies can easily absorb. Food is fuel to our bodies if we do not use quality fuel then the result is poor health. The popular Superfoods available are a great source of nutrient dense raw foods, such as chia seeds and goji berries.


Enzymes are a protein based substance that all living organisms create. Chemically, they can be considered positive charged molecules that aid the body in biochemical conversions and absorption. Enzymes are found in raw foods, and they add positive benefits to people who consume raw foods. Cooking food destroys enzymes. This serves as yet another example of why raw foods are a healthy benefit.

The Health Benefits of Eating Raw Foods- The Breakdown

There is no doubt that raw foods contain more nutrition and are better for us. Here are some examples of why:

  • Raw foods contain more and better vitamins.

  • Raw food contains live enzymes.

  • Raw food contains useable minerals.

  • Raw food contains live water.

  • Cooking food past 118 degrees Fahrenheit destroys vitamins, enzymes, and changes minerals in to hard to use forms.

  • Raw foods provide health benefits to your body, like improving intestinal track health.

  • Cooking foods often brings other issues like added oil/fats, salt, and chemicals.

  • Organic raw foods are free of harmful chemicals.

  • Raw foods are easily broken down during digestion and absorbed by our bodies.

  • Raw foods help to overcome many health issues like high cholesterol and in some cases even diabetes.

The health benefits of eating raw foods are many. The medical community is slowly embracing the consumption of raw foods as a preventative of social diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Eating raw foods is not just about munching on carrot sticks. The industry around raw foods has created many gourmet methods of producing delicious meals.


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