Enzymes
Enzymes are the energetic life force of food – they do more than just help digest and absorb food – they’re responsible for every chemical reaction in every cell in the body. You cannot function without them, so it is important to get the best supply of live, healthy enzymes you can – if you eat cooked, ‘dead’ food without live enzymes, the body cannot use it efficiently and it causes toxicity.
Heating food over 40-45°C (104-113°F) destroys enzymes and eating such foods can lead to depression, weight gain, diseases, etc. If you do not get enough nutrition from your food, the body begins to store fat to prevent starvation, while making you hungry – an unhealthy spiral.
If you eat predominantly ‘dead’ cooked/processed foods, you don’t get enough enzymes and the body is forced to scavenge from other metabolic processes in the body, wasting energy and resources.
If you eat predominantly ‘live’ foods however, you intake a huge amount of enzymes to use, increasing energy levels and vitality. Live raw enzymes also aid weight loss – for example, lipase, a fat-splitting enzyme abundant in raw food, breaks down body fat – if you don’t get enough lipase, body fat stagnates and accumulates around the stomach, buttocks etc. Another enzyme, protease, helps eliminate toxins stored in body fat, so when burning fat, it is essential to have lots of protease to help get the released toxins out of the system. If you eat plenty of raw, live foods, you obtain enzymes like these in abundance, aiding the process of natural weight loss and detoxification.
Vitamins and Minerals
One of the benefits of eating food raw is that the vitamin and mineral content isn’t damaged by heat, so you get more of what you need, naturally. Getting your vitamin and mineral requirements met by your food, rather than supplements, is a much healthier approach. The following is a list of which foods contain a good supply of different nutrients. This list is by no means exhaustive, it is just a rough, raw vegan guideline I have developed – to find other foods, try resources like books ‘Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Juices‘, or ‘The Sunfood Diet Success System‘, available from The Raw Food World Online Store.
Vitamin A – antioxidant, good for skin, night vision, fighting infections.
Spinach, green leafy veg, peppers, yellow veg, fruit, dried apricots, watercress, tomatoes, broccoli, asparagus.
B group – B1- energy production, B2 – converts fats, sugar, proteins to energy, B3 – energy production, skin, balancing blood sugar, B5 – energy production, metabolism of fats, healthy skin and hair, B6 – using proteins.
Green leafy veg, avocadoes, mushrooms, currants, watercress, courgette (zucchini), asparagus, mushrooms, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, lentils, onions, seeds and nuts.
B12 – for using proteins.
Seaweed, unpasteurised miso, spirulina, chlorella, fermented foods, unwashed produce.
(I would also recommend supplementing with this B12 supplement HERE – this is the one I take.)
Biotin – helps to use essential fats.
Lettuce, tomatoes, almonds.
Vitamin C – antioxidant, protects immune system.
Green leafy veg, peppers, broccoli, parsley, potatoes, watercress, melon, tomatoes.
Vitamin D – bones, teeth.
Sunlight.
Vitamin E – antioxidant, helps skin.
Tahini, nuts and seeds, avocadoes.
Folic Acid – brain/nerves
Spinach, asparagus, sesame seeds, hazelnuts, broccoli, avocadoes.
Vitamin K – blood clotting.
Green leafy veg, seaweeds.
Iron – blood, energy.
Avocadoes, dried figs, deep green veg, spinach, parsley, dates, dried apricots, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), almonds, brazil nuts, sesame seeds.
Calcium – bones, skin, heart, muscles.
Tahini/sesame seeds, green leafy veg, parsley, broccoli, almonds, brazil nuts, chia seeds.
Zinc – growth, nerves, bones, hair, energy.
Sesame seeds/tahini, almonds, ginger, brazil nuts.
(It is challenging to get an ample amount of zinc into the body, so you might want to use this supplement HERE to be sure you’re getting enough of this essential mineral.)
Iodine – thyroid function.
Green leafy veg, seaweeds.
Magnesium – bones, energy.
Green leafy veg, almonds, broccoli, brazil nuts, garlic.
Phosphorus, Sulphur – growth, maintenance, tissues.
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans), many fruits and veg, peas, onion, garlic.
Potassium – nutrient flow, energy, metabolism.
Many fruits and veg (esp. bananas), watercress, parsley, courgettes, mushrooms, chia seeds.
Selenium – antioxidant, metabolism.
Brazil nuts, mushrooms, courgette (zucchini).
Bioflavonoids – aid Vitamin C uptake, bruise healing.
Berries, limes, lemons, peppers, tomatoes, grapes.
Choline – helps break down fat.
Whole grains, nuts, pulses.
Co-Enzyme Q10 – energy, metabolism.
Spinach, sesame seeds.
To read more of Angela's thoughts on how to go raw successfully, happily and for the long-term, see her books HERE.