'describes a material that is in its natural unprocessed form'  Wikipedia 

	Any new concept takes time to integrate & become the 'norm'. 'Green & organic' are almost passe marketing buzz words & part of our everyday vocabulary. Only 10 years ago organic & green products appealed to a much smaller % of the population. Chef, Jaimie Oliver, highlighted the horror of what we feed our children with his TV series, School Dinners.  It prompted people to prioritise children's nutrition, reminding us that food has a direct effect on our health & general well being.   Now words like 'raw & live' food ask us to take a closer look at what we are getting out of our organic food. Raw is interested in how nutrients are used & absorbed by our bodies. Nutrients like anti-oxidants, amino acids & vitamins are responsible for healing, rejuvenating & energising our tired cells. All nutrients in raw food are intact & undamaged by heat. Many nutrients & enzymes are damaged or removed from food when heated over 48 C/ 120 F. Living foods have a much higher enzyme content. Sprouting seeds & nuts activates 'dormant' enzymes through germination, they are then considered living.  Sprouted grains & seeds, fruits, vegetables & greens make up a basic raw food diet. Any raw grains, seeds or beans can be easily sprouted, & are powerhouses of goodness.

          why eat raw? - why not?

                                     "Let food be your medicine" HIPPOCRATES

For generations we have eaten cooked food - why? People in cold climates like hot food, & simple things like 'what's available?' are key. The majority of our grandparents would have been brought up on 'organic' produce - not because there was a choice - but because unless you grew your own fruit & vegetables your eating habits were dictated by grocers who would have sold locally farmed produce.  Imported air freight from less developed countries providing 'exotic' foods, out of season produce & genetically modified (GM) food has certainly given us more choices than the potatoes & leafy greens we were happily boiling up to this point :) However, supermarkets are creating a generation with little comprehension of the term 'seasonal vegetables' or local produce. what foods are best eaten raw Knowing what foods are best eaten raw is your starting point, from there you can integrate them into your diet. All fruits, greens, seeds, sprouts & nuts are at their nutritionally best raw. They can be made into milks, juices, smoothies, salads & raw food recipes can be as yummy as cooked food recipes.  Taste tips: ILR interviews Note: Raw potatoes are horrid & raw kidney beans are poisionous. grow your own With a healthy dose of enthusiam it is very easy to grow your own vegetables. With the help of window sills, patios or gardens you can use pots, tubs, old tyres, watering cans, ice cream/ margarine tubs - to plant seeds or seedlings. evolution Breast milk is raw & offers us the most powerful nutrients & fuel for growth & development. All animals eat raw food. Humans are the only species that cook their food. Supposedly the most intelligent species, yet the most diseased. heat damage Science tells us that nutrients are damaged or totally removed from food when cooked above 48C/ 120F. Ingesting live food helps boost natural immune levels & aids the body's ability to heal itself. Raw food promotes sustained energy, avoiding refined sugar & caffine highs & lows. chimpanzees & gorillas In her acclaimed book Green for Life, Victoria Boutenko compares human & chimpanzee DNA. Primates consume mother's milk & once weaned eat a variety of fruit & greens. Some primates occasionally eat small animals but it is not part of their main diet & does not contribute to their overall growth. This is a big topic, & the research is not my own - but it does prompt us to think for ourselves & make up our own minds about ideas that may not yet be mainstream. Gorillas are depicted by their large strong frames, yet eat only greens. Something to ponder for those who feel we need meat for protein.   ILR clinic>protein A diet including varied greens provides complete amino acid profiles which our bodies can directly convert into proteins. Proteins from animals (meat) need to be broken down by our body & then converted into proteins it can use. smoothies Raw smoothies are great for kids as they contain vitamins, nutrients, FIBER & energy. You can put whatever you like in a smoothie - green smoothies are a fantastic way to get large amounts of greens into your diet without having to munch through bales of leaves! ILR food>green smoothies & juices