Raw Foods and Enzymes

The more I study nutrition, the more I am convinced that we need to eat raw uncooked unprocessed food. In 1970, Americans spent about $6 billion on fast food. In 2000, they spent more than $110 billion.

In 1968, McDonald's had one thousand restaurants. Today McDonald's has about 30,000 restaurants and opens about 2,000 new ones each year. I recommend the book "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser for a better understanding of what has happened to the American diet in the last few decades.

It is becoming increasingly clear that one of the major reasons vegetable juicing works is that it is living raw food. I am confident that most of us would notice significant improvements in our energy and health if we increased the amounts of living raw foods in our diet. If you juice vegetables on a regular basis, it is quite easy to consume over 50% of your foods as raw.

The enzymes in raw foods are destroyed by heat

Most raw food, like our bodies, is very perishable. When raw foods are exposed to temperatures above 118 degrees, they start to rapidly break down, just as our bodies would if we had a fever that high. One of the constituents of foods which can break down are enzymes. Enzymes help us digest our food. Enzymes are proteins though, and they have a very specific 3-dimensional structure in space. Once they are heated much above 118 degrees, this structure can change.

Once enzymes are exposed to heat, they are no longer able to provide the function for which they were designed. Cooked foods contribute to chronic illness, because their enzyme content is damaged and thus requires us to make our own enzymes to process the food. The digestion of cooked food uses valuable metabolic enzymes in order to help digest your food. Digestion of cooked food demands much more energy than the digestion of raw food. In general, raw food is so much more easily digested that it passes through the digestive tract in 1/2 to 1/3 of the time it takes for cooked food.

Eating enzyme-dead foods places a burden on your pancreas and other organs and overworks them, which eventually exhausts these organs. Many people gradually impair their pancreas and progressively lose the ability to digest their food after a lifetime of ingesting processed foods.

The effect of raw food versus cooked food on the immune system

In 1930, under the direction of Dr. Paul Kouchakoff, research was conducted at the Institute of Clinical Chemistry in Lausanne, Switzerland. The effect of food (cooked and processed versus raw and natural) on the immune system was tested and documented.

Dr. Kouchakoff's discovery concerned the leukocytes, the white blood cells.

It was found that after a person eats cooked food, his/her blood responds immediately by increasing the number of white blood cells. This is a well-known phenomena called 'digestive leukocytosis', in which there is a rise in the number of leukocytes - white blood cells - after eating.

Since digestive leukocytosis was always observed after a meal, it was considered to be a normal physiological response to eating. No one knew why the number of white cells rises after eating, since this appeared to be a stress response, as if the body was somehow reacting to something harmful such as infection, exposure to toxic chemicals or trauma.

Back in 1930, the Swiss researchers at the institute of Chemical Chemistry made a remarkable discovery. They found that eating raw, unaltered food did not cause a reaction in the blood. In addition, they found that if a food had been heated beyond a certain temperature (unique to each food), or if the food was processed (refined, chemicals added, etc.), this always caused a rise in the number of white cells in the blood.

The researchers renamed this reaction 'pathological leukocytosis', since the body was reacting to highly altered food. They tested many different types of foods and found that if the foods were not refined or overheated, they caused no reaction. The body saw them as 'friendly foods'. However, these same foods, if heated at too high a temperature, caused a negative reaction in the blood, a reaction found only when the body is invaded by a dangerous pathogen or trauma.

The worst offenders of all, whether heated or not, were processed foods which had been refined (such as white flour and white rice), or pasteurized (a process in which milk is flash-heated to high temperatures to kill bacteria), or homogenized (also seen in milk where the fat in milk is subjected to artificial suspension), or preserved (chemicals are added to food to delay spoilage or to enhance texture or taste).

In other words, foods which were changed from their original God-given state.

Raw foods and digestive enzymes

Let's get back to enzymes. Raw foods are rich in enzymes. Enzymes are needed for the digestive system to work. They are necessary to break down food particles so they can be utilized for energy. The human body makes approximately 22 different digestive enzymes which are capable of digesting carbohydrates, protein and fats. Raw vegetables and raw fruit are rich sources of enzymes.

While all raw foods contain enzymes, the most powerful enzyme-rich food is sprouted seeds, grains, and legumes. Sprouting increases the enzyme content in these foods enormously.

Lack of digestive enzymes can be a factor in food allergies. Symptoms of digestive enzymes depletion are bloating, belching, gas, bowel disorders, abdominal cramping, heartburn and food allergies.

All of us loose our ability to produce concentrated digestive enzymes as we grow older. In cases where age is a factor, or where lack of digestive enzymes causes food allergies, supplementation may be helpful. You may also want to explore food combining.

The following digestive enzyme supplements aid digestion:

• AMYLASE works to breakdown carbohydrates i.e. starches, sugars
• BROMELAIN taken from pineapple plant, helps break down proteins
• HCL hydrochloric acid stimulates pancreatic secretion, activates pepsin and sterilizes the stomach from bacteria and parasites
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• LACTASE needed to break down lactose found in milk products
• LIPASE works to break down fats into fatty acids and glycerol
• OX BILE improves fat digestion, stimulates bile flow, aids gallbladder
• PANCREATIN contains protease, amylase, and lipase, functions in the intestine and in the blood
• PAPAIN extracted from papaya fruit, aids in protein digestion
• PEPSIN breaks down proteins, function depends on availability of HCL
• PROTEASE works to breakdown protein into amino

The more food that you can eat raw, the better.

If you do cook your food, the best way to cook food is to lightly steam, stew, or use a slow crock cooker. Eat as few over-processed and over-cooked foods as possible. The body has a difficult time digesting fried, pasteurized, barbecued, dried, and other over-processed and over-cooked foods which you find in boxed and processed foods.

I would encourage you to consume at least 50% of your food as uncooked. A good vegetable juicing program will easily put you over that volume.

Raw eggs are another important part of the raw food approach. If you are healthy, the salmonella is not going to be an issue for you, especially if the eggs are organic and free range.

The health benefits of juicing are immense for adults and children.

Lesson 1: Drink vegetable juice for breakfast.

Vegetable juice is a great breakfast when balanced with some essential oils and a bit of chlorella. Please remember that vegetable juice and fruit juices are two completely different substances in terms of nutrition. I am confident that fruit juices should be avoided. Although vegetable juice is processed, it doesn't raise insulin levels like fruit juice. The only exceptions would be carrot and beet juice (and most vegetables that grow underground), which function similarly to fruit juice.

Lesson 2: You can eat the pulp, too!

When you juice, you will produce pulp. What should you do with it? It's best to mix it in with the juice and consume it. In my experience when I first started juicing, I would juice every day, and my stools would frequently become loose. Once I started adding the pulp fiber back into my juice, this problem went away. There is a benefit to eating the fiber, as it serves as fertilizer for the good bacteria in the colon.

Eating the pulp increases the time it takes to consume the juice, but it is healthier. One can gradually add the pulp back in over time to get used to it. If you add the entire pulp back in, the mixture becomes almost like a green vegetable porridge that can be eaten with a spoon.

The method I currently use is to drink about 75 percent of the juice and then pour the other 25 percent of the juice back into the pulp. I add some ground seeds into the mixture, stir it up and eat it like porridge.

Try it both ways. Listen to your body and see what works best for you.

Lesson 3: Get ready to juice!

Step 1: Now that you're ready for the benefits of vegetable juice, you need to know what to juice. I recommend starting out with these vegetables, as they are the easiest to digest:

• Celery
• Fennel (anise)
• Cucumbers

These aren't as beneficial as the more nutritionally intense dark green vegetables. Once you get used to these, you can start adding the more nutritionally valuable, but less palatable, vegetables into your juice.

Vegetables to avoid include carrots and beets. Most people who juice usually use carrots. The reason they taste so good is that they are full of sugar. I would definitely avoid all vegetables that grow underground to avoid an increase in your insulin levels.

If you are healthy, you can add about one pound of carrots or beets per week. I do believe that the deep, intense colors of these foods provide additional benefits for many that are just not available in the green vegetables listed above.

Step 2: When you've acclimatized yourself to juicing, you can start adding these vegetables:

• Red leaf lettuce
• Green Leaf lettuce
• Romaine lettuce
• Endive
• Escarole
• Spinach

Step 3: After you're used to these, then go to the next step:

• Cabbage
• Chinese Cabbage
• Bok Choy

An interesting side note: Cabbage juice is one of the most healing nutrients for ulcer repair as it is a huge source of vitamin U. The "Eat Right for Your Type" approach does not support lectin compatibility for blood type A individuals like myself and so I avoid it.

Step 4: When you're ready, move on to adding herbs to your juicing. Herbs also make wonderful combinations, and there are two that work exceptionally well:

• Parsley
• Cilantro

You need to be cautious with cilantro, as many cannot tolerate it well. If you are new to juicing, hold off. These are more challenging vegetables to consume, but they are highly beneficial.

Step 5: The last step: Only use one or two of these leaves, as they are very bitter:

• Kale
• Collard Greens
• Dandelion Greens
• Mustard Greens (bitter)

When purchasing collard greens, find a store that sells the leaves still attached to the main stalk. If they are cut off, the vegetable rapidly loses many of its valuable nutrients.

One important note: I prefer to juice my vegetables at room temperature. I leave my vegetables out overnight, or for at least one hour in the morning, as I do not enjoy drinking cold fluids, especially when it is cold outside.

Lesson 4: Make your juice a balanced meal.

Balance your juice with protein and fat. Vegetable juice does not have much protein or fat, so it's very important for you to include these fat and protein sources with your meal.

• Use eggs. Eggs will add a significant amount of beneficial fats and protein to your meal. An egg has about 8 grams of protein, so you can add two to four eggs per meal.I suggest that you add the whole eggs, raw, into the vegetable pulp (not the juicer). The reason I advocate this is because once you heat the eggs, many of their nutrients become damaged. If you are concerned about salmonella, purchase organic eggs; it's unlikely you'll have any problems. Additionally, if you are not sensitive to milk, you can add some raw milk cheese, as it will improve the flavor.

There is a potential problem with using the entire raw egg if you are pregnant. Biotin deficiency, a common concern in pregnancy, could be made worse by consuming whole raw eggs.

Please read my recent article, Raw Eggs for Your Health -- Major Update, for further information on consuming raw eggs.

Incorporate seeds. Raw seeds, freshly ground and alternated regularly, are another great addition to the pulp. The simplest way to grind the seeds is to use an inexpensive coffee grinder. The seeds are full of protein and essential fatty acids that bring a juice into balance beautifully. I recommend pumpkin and flax seeds. If you use flax seeds, please note my special caution.

• Use chlorella. Chlorella is an incredibly powerful nutrient from the sea and is a form of algae. I use it quite a bit for mercury detoxification as it binds very strongly to mercury to eliminate it from the body. The normal dose is one teaspoon in the juice. However, about 30 percent of people cannot tolerate the chlorella, so if it makes you nauseous you should definitely avoid it.
1. Is a useful source of chlorophyll.
2. Adds magnesium and protein.
3. Binds to heavy metals and pesticides.

If you have high iron or vitamin D levels you will want to avoid chlorella though as it is loaded with both of these nutrients.

• Add spirulina. Spirulina is another algae that has many similar benefits and is a good balance to chlorella. However it does not bind to heavy metals like chlorella.
• Consider a protein powder. While protein powders are convenient, I believe them to be far inferior to whole food choices like eggs or chlorella. If you can't tolerate eggs or chlorella you can consider them. Glutamine is an amino acid and the majority of our skeletal muscle is made of it. You can obtain glutamine powder and add one teaspoon into your drink for a very effective healing addition. You can also use protein powders. My two favorites are whey and rice protein. Some people are concerned about my milk avoidance suggestion and taking whey protein. Although whey protein is from milk, most people tolerate it quite well as the major protein in milk that causes an allergy is casein. I would strongly advise against the use of soy protein powders.
• Add some garlic. Don't worry; this won't give you "dragon breath." I like to add one to two cloves of garlic in my juice, as it incorporates the incredible healing potential of fresh garlic. I strongly advise you to do this regularly to balance out your bowel flora. The ideal dose is just below the social threshold where people start to notice that you have eaten garlic. One large clove, two medium cloves or three small cloves is the recommended dose.
• Add oil. But not just any oil! I highly recommend cod liver oil for the winter months and fish oil for the summer months. If you live in a primarily sunny climate, however, I wouldn't advise taking cod liver oil. The reason for this is that cod liver oil has a level of vitamin D that can prove toxic to those in very sunny climates. If you are at all unsure of your vitamin D levels, please get yourself tested at your doctor's office.

The reason why fat is important is that green vegetables contain vitamin K, which is very important for gluing the calcium into your bone matrix. Additionally, new research suggests that vitamin K significantly reduces calcification in the arteries. However, vitamin K is not absorbed very well unless there is some fat. Additionally, the vitamin D in the cod liver oil will work with the vitamin K to increase calcium absorption and build stronger bones. The dose for cod liver oil or fish oil is one teaspoon for every 25 to 40 pounds of body weight. Please be sure to read my comprehensive explanation on sunlight and vitamin D testing, and please review my updates on vitamin D information. Adding raw egg yolks, as described above, will also help you to absorb all the vitamin K from the juice. You could also use flax as a source of omega-3 fat, but many people have problems digesting it.

Lesson 5: Make your juice taste great.

If you would like to make your juice taste a bit more palatable, especially in the beginning, you can add these elements:

• Coconut: This is one of my favorites! You can purchase the whole coconut or use shredded coconut. It adds a delightful flavor and is an excellent source of fat to balance the meal. Coconut has medium chain triglycerides, which have many health benefits.
• Cranberries: You can also add some cranberries if you enjoy them. Researchers have discovered that cranberries have five times the antioxidant content of broccoli, which means they may protect against cancer, stroke and heart disease. In addition, they are chock full of phytonutrients and help many women avoid urinary tract infections. Limit the cranberries to about 4 ounces per pint of juice.
• Lemons: You can also add half a lemon (leaving much of the white rind on). If you are a protein Metabolic type you will not want to use lemons as they will push your pH in the wrong direction.
• Fresh ginger: This is an excellent addition if you can tolerate it. It gives your juice a little "kick"!

Lesson 6: Drink your vegetable juice right away, or store it very carefully.

Juicing is a time-consuming process, so you'll probably be thinking to yourself, "I wonder if I can juice first thing and then drink it later?" This isn't a great idea. Vegetable juice is very perishable so it's best to drink all of your juice immediately. However, if you're careful you can store it for up to 24 hours with only moderate nutritional decline. To store your juice:

• Put your juice in a glass jar with an airtight lid and fill it to the very top. There should be a minimum amount of air in the jar as the oxygen in air (air is about 20 percent oxygen) will "oxidize" and damage the juice.
• Wrap the jar with aluminum foil to block out all light. Light damages the juice.
• Store it in the refrigerator until about 30 minutes prior to drinking, as vegetable juice should be consumed at room temperature.

Most people juice in the morning, but if that does not work out well for your schedule please feel the freedom to choose whatever meal works out best for your lifestyle.

Lesson 7: Clean your juicer properly.

We all know that if a juicer takes longer than 10 minutes to clean, we'll find excuses not to do it. I find that using an old toothbrush works well to clean any metal grater. For the Omega 8003, the whole process takes about 5 minutes. Whatever you do, you need to clean your juicer immediately after you juice to prevent any remnants from contaminating the juicer with mold growth.

Warning: Don't follow the juicing recommendations that come with the juicer, as they most often emphasize carrot and fruit combinations.

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Recommended Vegetables List

Eating more vegetables is as central to a healthy nutrition plan as lowering/eliminating grains and sugars, drinking more water, or consuming omega-3. But while almost all vegetables are good, some are clearly far better from a nutritional standpoint than others. The general rule is, the greener the better (though a few vegetables make that are not green make the best-of list below).

At least one-third of all the food you eat should be raw, as cooking and processing can destroy essential micronutrients. Vegetables are an easy and obvious choice to enjoy raw. While vegetable juicing is an essential part of my nutrition plan at the advanced level, even beginners will find that it is a highly enjoyable and easy way to consume your raw vegetables on a daily basis. If you are searching for a juicer, read about the juicer I use and highly recommend, which includes a link to my juicer comparison table.

Finally, if at all possible, always try to buy organic vegetables. If no organic vegetables are available, carefully wash your foods and remove peels and cores to minimize your exposure to pesticides and other chemicals.

Highly Recommended Vegetables

• Asparagus
• Escarole
• Avocado (actually a fruit)
• Fennel
• Beet greens
• Green and red cabbage
• Bok Choy
• Kale
• Broccoli
• Kohlrabi
• Brussel sprouts
• Lettuce: romaine, red leaf, green leaf
• Cauliflower
• Mustard greens
• Celery
• Onions
• Chicory
• Parsley
• Chinese cabbage
• Peppers: red, green, yellow and hot
• Chives
• Tomatoes
• Collard greens
• Turnips
• Dandelion greens
• Spinach
• Endive
• Zucchini

Use sparingly due to high carbohydrate levels

• Beets
• Jicima
• Carrots
• Winter Squashes
• Eggplant

Vegetables to Avoid

• Potatoes