In the 1930’s Dr. Paul Kouchakoff conducted research to compare the effects of cooked food versus raw food.  He found that cooked food can be perceived by the body as a threat, setting off the immune response.  When the immune response is chronically activated by something we do as regularly as having three or more meals a day, this causes a cascade of physiological problems   This process, called Digestive Leukocytosis, occurs only when cooked or processed food is consumed.  When we eat food in a natural, unprocessed state – food that has not been denatured or cooked over 118 degrees, there is no immune response.  Another way of describing the optimal diet is one that contains a high percentage of “living foods.”

This is completely alien to the way most of us have been trained to eat.  Traditional pairings of meat and potatoes, chicken and rice, bread and processed meats (sandwiches), while comforting and customary, are really at the root of many of the chronic conditions that many individuals do not attribute to their food intake.

However, if you can relate to any of the following symptoms, they may be a result of years of digestive leukocytosis, our systems being in a constant “state of emergency” due to irritants of cooked foods with very little natural and unprocessed food to counterbalance:

Runny nose, post-nasal drip, sluggishness and low energy, prone to sinus congestion or infections, intestinal disorders, muscle or joint pain, chronic headaches.  And the list goes on…

According to Kouchakoff, if at least 50% of our daily intake is not raw and unprocessed, our health declines NOT as a result of the aging process, but rather in response to the continual wearing down of our defenses, day after day, meal after meal.

I healed myself of ALL of the above symptoms once I embarked on a raw fusion lifestyle.

Raw Fusion teaches you how to blend the incredible benefits of the raw foods lifestyle, with the comforts and convenience of conscious mainstream meals.

Raw Fusion is a hybrid of the best of the raw foods world, intermingled with an informed and conscious mainstream lifestyle.  Individuals who find a high raw diet too limiting, may find ways to integrate more variety into their meals without compromising nutrition.  High raw foodists seeking healthy ways to add cooked foods into their diets will enjoy the versatility and variety of these tips. Families or individuals accustomed to more mainstream meals, but searching for tasty and convenient ways to increase their nutritional intake, will be surprised at how effortlessly one can fuse more raw ingredients into meals.

This manageable lifestyle is for people who understand that eating better is vital to their long-term health and to the conservation of the planet; who recognize that “green is good” and want to have a better relationship with fruits and vegetables.   There are no specific rules to follow, no prescribed diet or plan —  just plenty of information, guidance, tips, techniques and recipes that hopefully will inspire you to achieve ever-increasing levels of health and well-being.

Sources:  Raw Fusion: Better Living Through Living Foods, volume 1 by LindaJoy Rose, Ph.D.  Quantum Mind Press

www.purelyraw.com

 Looking for an easy way to get started

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• Easy-to-prepare recipes
• Vegan and non-vegan choices
• Recommended handy pantry items  NOT SURE HOW THIS SOUNDS – COR DO YOU HAVE A BETTER SUGGESTION?
• (if there is space)  Includes side dishes and salad enhancers

Here’s a sample recipe:

Black Beans and Greens

As good as black beans taste over rice, that combination is a lot for the body to metabolize.  That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them together every once and awhile.

Ingredients:

can of organic cooked black beans*

2-3 bay leaves

celtic sea salt, to taste

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

scallions or chopped vidalion onion

½ lemon

Variety of your favorite greens — baby spinach, romaine, kale, dandelion leaves, collard greens, arugula, bok choy are examples —  (chop in food processor with S blade to break into smaller, more manageable pieces if you are not used to greens)

*Canned beans are an acceptable shortcut for busy people.  I’d recommend getting an organic, low sodium brand.  If you have time to soak the beans overnight, drain, rinse and cook in a crockpot while at work, try adding some fresh garlic, bay leaves and onions and when you come home you will have an incredible pot of goodness!

Empty beans in a saucepan and on medium heat simmer with garlic, salt and bay leaves.  Serve over greens with chopped onions or scallions and a squeeze of fresh lemon.  Optional:  Add nutritional yeast.