Editor’s note: This post was originally published in March 2017. It has been updated and republished in August 2019.
Almost everyone loves a nice, hot meal. Casseroles, stir fries, soups, stews, you name it… if it’s steaming, hearty, and brimming with tasty ingredients, most people will choose it over a plate of bland, cold veggies the majority of the time. But what many people don’t know is that the cooking process (as good as it makes many foods taste) changes the composition and structure of raw food. In fact, it can kill off a key nutritional element that our bodies need for proper digestion and assimilation: enzymes.
Though they don’t get nearly the attention they deserve, enzymes are the energetic stimuli that convert food nutrients into fuel that our bodies can actually use. They’re naturally present in rich supply in raw foods straight from nature.
On the other hand, foods that are cooked, pasteurized, and/or processed contain few or no enzymes. And yet these are the types of foods that many people rely on for daily sustenance, unaware of the fact that they are aren’t getting the nutrition they think they’re getting due to enzyme deficiency.
These “dead” foods are devoid of enzymes and place a heavy burden on our bodies’ own enzymatic reserves which have to be tapped in order for dead foods to be digested and passed through the system. Our bodies are programmed to correct this deficiency by working extra hard to redirect their inherent enzyme stores. But they can only do so for a time until finally reaching a point where they, like processed foods, end up depleted of enzymes.
It’s right around this time when enzymatic failure begins to rear its ugly head − manifesting as indigestion, constipation, and eventually much worse… chronic disease and death.
Raw Food Enzymes: Eating for Life Rather than Death
If this is the first time you’re hearing about enzymes, you’re certainly not alone. Despite the fact that they’re among the most important dietary co-factors for staying nourished, enzymes are usually one of the last things people think about when they eat. That’s because public health officials and others dispensing dietary advice in the mainstream rarely mention enzymes − probably because they themselves don’t even know what enzymes are and why they’re critically important for good health.
Either that, or they don’t want to admit publicly that the conventional ways of processing, packaging, and serving food destroys its enzyme content. Perhaps if more people knew the truth about this, it would drive them to make different food choices.
While it won’t do the big food conglomerates any favors, the truth of the matter is that enzymes are absolutely critical for life. Eating food raw, or as close to raw as possible, helps ensure that its nutrients are fully bioavailable for maximum health.
These are a number of enzymes necessary for the foods you eat to be digested and used by the body. These include:
- Amylase, glucoamylase, and phytase being among those that break down carbohydrates;
- Alpha galactosidase, hemicellulase, and invertase that break down sugars;
- Bromelain, papain, protease, and peptidase that break down proteins; and
- Lipase that breaks down fats
At What Temperature Do Enzymes Die?
You should know that any food that’s been heated beyond 118 degrees Fahrenheit has already undergone some level of enzymatic breakdown. If you think about it, most convenience foods, fast foods, and processed foods are cooked at temperatures well beyond this. Even traditional cooking methods render food that, enzymatically speaking, is as good as dead.
Now, this isn’t to say that your body can’t still derive nutrients from dead food. It can through its own input of digestive and metabolic enzymes. But this isn’t an ideal or sustainable situation, as the body’s own enzyme reserves are limited and can also become depleted with excessive use.
Eating raw foods, or what I like to call “eating for life,” means that your body won’t have to deplete its enzymes stores because raw food has its own enzymes. Raw food constitutes the full package your body needs to ensure that nutrients get to wherever they need to go without overtaxing it. Eating processed and overcooked foods, on the other hand, or what you might call “eating for death,” forces the body to have to compensate for enzyme deficiency by substituting its own enzymes.
Simply put, food is supposed to give life to our bodies with ease. But it can’t do this effectively when the foods we eat are lacking in enzymes, forcing the body to supplement this deficiency with its own metabolic enzymes.
This diversion of the body’s metabolic enzymes to fill the enzyme gap creates a situation where the body loses some (or in a worst-case scenario, all) of its ability to supply enzymes for energy production and cell regeneration and detoxification, leading to all sorts of health problems.
Eating Raw, Juicing, and Supplementing With Enzymes
This is obviously a situation you want to avoid, which is why it’s important to make sure that you’re getting enough enzymes in your everyday diet. One obvious way to do this is to simply eat more raw foods, and especially raw juices freshly-pressed from vegetables and fruit. The reason why juicing is particularly beneficial as far as enzymes are concerned is that it concentrates not only nutrients but also enzymes from fresh produce into an easy-to-drink juice that you can take on the go.
Tip for getting maximum nutrition from fresh juices: Use organic produce, consume as soon as possible after juicing, and store any leftovers in glass containers instead of plastic.
Another way to ensure that you’re getting enough enzymes so as not to overburden your body’s enzyme stores is to supplement with a food-based enzyme formula. By taking a full-spectrum enzyme supplement with every meal − and especially those that involve a lot of cooked and processed food items − you’ll help ensure that your body is fully able to use its own enzyme stores for bodily maintenance and repair, rather than to digest enzyme-deficient food.
One of the great things about supplemental enzymes is that whatever enzyme surplus your body ends up with beyond what’s necessary to digest enzyme-deficient foods can be used by the body to perform various digestive and metabolic tasks. This assumes, of course, that you’re taking a high-quality enzyme supplement that’s been designed to withstand digestive breakdown and function at a systemic level.
Can Enzymes Increase Your Vitality?
Supplemental enzymes can also support the body with staying strong and youthful. Not in some kind of “miracle wrinkle cream” way that defies logic, but simply because our bodies need enzymes to repair and grow. Aside from the fact that processed and cooked foods are enzyme-deficient, our bodies progressively produce fewer and fewer metabolic enzymes the older we get. This means the more supplemental enzymes we can get, the better the odds for our long-term wellness and vitality.
All the way around, enzymes are a critical component of any healthy diet. And if you’re like the vast majority of people living in the developed world who don’t adhere to a strict, raw food-based diet, then chances are your body is in desperate need of more enzymes.
Truth be told, many of the chronic health conditions that people face today stem from an underlying enzyme deficiency. By simply making sure that you’re getting more than enough enzymes to keep all the systems in your body running smoothly − including the digestion of your food − you can help your body avoid the pitfalls of having to operate in enzyme overdrive due to a lack of food enzymes.
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I think that is from the PRIMAL DIET, some of this information – and it’s more at body temperature anything above 100 degrees is when depletion of nutrients happens. Also for about anything else like Saunas and baths as well the body has a hard time. The problem we seem to have with enzymes in cooked and processed foods is one addressed in that Primal Diet – it’s more like we have to manufacture artificial kinds of enzymes to digest these foods. So the more efficient one is at creating these, the seemingly more healthy one is. BTW I hear that all spices, and packaged herbs are irradiated; no matter what the label says. And too since the 70s all plants were sprayed with nano silver Organic included. Also they do spray fruit trees with fungicides on everything. Round Up is present in Organic Cane Sugars. Smart Dust is a real concern as it’s in the air as well. I think all berries are contaminated. See Tony Pantellaresco.
I agree with you Wayne that there is no longer any truly organic food due to the chemtrail aerosol spraying fallout in the form of aluminum particles, barium, strontium and other toxic substances being sprayed on us and the planet.
I strongly recommend that Ty Bollinger dedicate his next series to the chemtrail spraying/geoengineering issue because if this crime against humankind and life on this planet continues, the human race risks becoming exterminated, which seems to be the psychopathic elites’ agenda.
Unfortunately the psychopaths appear to be in charge, and unless we can hold them accountable for what they are doing, things don’t look too bright for us and future generations. In fact, things are in my opinion pretty much hanging in the balance, and we need a massive awakening to tilt things in our favour.
Geoengineering, vaccinations, GMOs and fluoridation in my opinion all need to be abolished as a matter of priority. WIFI technology has also become an ever-present and continuously increasing danger. Cord cutting and clamping must also be replaced by Lotus Births in order to put an end to the criminal practice of early or immediate cord clamping and cutting.
So, we have our work cut out for us. If we care about what kind of environment we and our children live in and future generations are born into, each one of us needs to become an activist in a particular area of their choice. Ignorance and apathy are our worst enemies. If we all become aware and informed and actively involved in creating a safe environment and a reality conducive to health and sanity, we can change things in our favour.
Wayne Eligur: Just wanted to comment in response to your post above about enzymes, and why we don’t do well with them when consumed from cooked foods. It isn’t so much the body temp, as when we, and all mammals, run a fever, we have no appetite typically, rather what happens to food when it is heated. At 110 degrees Fahrenheit, damage to the enzymes begins, and when it reaches 117 degrees, within 3 minutes, most of the enzymes are damaged, with many destroyed, leaving the food ‘dead.’ So, as you see, it’s not a question of having difficulty digesting the enzymes in cooked food, but of the body having to produce far more than it was ever designed to produce to replace the now very dead enzymes that it needs (they are essential, not optional), causing great stress, and in some cases disease and failure. Also, the body doesn’t produce artificial enzymes, but it is taxed greatly due to producing far more digestive enzymes than the organs that they come from were designed to produce. The organs that produce these were designed to produce only minimal amounts of certain digestive enzymes, as they should be in the foods that are ingested. Eating processed and cooked foods, these enzymes are destroyed, so the poor organs are forced to work constantly. This also inhibits the immune system, as it needs ‘down time’ to rest, repair and regenerate. It doesn’t get that when it’s constantly working to digest ‘dead’ food…
Some consideration needs to be given to that population of colon cancer survivors who have had resection surgery. For some survivors, many raw foods are not digested and absorbed very well, and probiotics are an irritant. I would like to see someone address this situation.
Couldn’t agree more. We just ate a salad first course of capsicum (bell pepper), tomatoes, celery, and garlic followed by a vegetarian, but cooked, second course. I remarked to my wife (who hadn’t been the chef, that was me) as to which I had preffered.
Thank you for this Ty! I’m curious… what are your thoughts on the argument that raw foods may not be as easily digested due to human’s lack of ability to break down cellulose and therefore lack bioavailability of various nutrients? I know that research has shown that the heat may break down plants’ cell walls which could arguably increase the body’s uptake of some nutrients that are bound to those cell walls. For instance, some research shows that cooked carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage, peppers..etc supply more antioxidants to the body than they do when raw. Conversely, some nutrients such as Vitamin C and enzymes like myrosinase in broccoli degrades easily when exposed to heat. I’m looking at this from a unique perspective as well, as I am a Chinese Medical practitioner and part of our eastern dietary philosophy is that foods should be fairly neutral in temperature (not raw/too cold or too hot) in order to maximize the body’s ability to efficiently break down food matter into nutritive compounds we need to rebuild our cells and maintain immunity.
I would also like to know.
These are great points and questions, ladies.
For the best answers, I would advise that you hear Carol Alt’s presentation on raw foods at this year’s Live Event. We’ve just opened up the bronze package for a more affordable price if you’re able to attend our 3-day Live Event in Anaheim, CA. We’ll have 40+ experts from whom you can learn how to create your personal “roadmap” to healing and healthy living: http://bit.ly/ttac-live-bronze
Not sure I agree re juicing. Yes, it provides the states benefits but at the massive cost of the blood sugar curve. We don’t juice and eat as whole as possible, I eat whole lemons (everything bar the green pip at one end), whole apples (the pips are a natural aspirin), carrit tails and tops etc, etc. Primal man wasn’t squeamish, didn’t waste anything edible, and certainly didn’t have a juicer!
Have you discussed this with a seasoned TCM? If yes, what did they say?
what is TCM? 🙂
Traditional Chinese Medicine
I do not agree with everything, look at India as people eat very healthy. Look at Ayurveda.
These prepare the food almost always boiled and steamed. They even say that cold food is not healthy, the same as a cold drink.
Eating for life…lots of raw food recipes on the cansurviving site- the one stop free shop for body, mind and spirit…thanks a lot for this post…we cansurvivors need to know!
I too, always thought raw foods were better for you but wonder about such claims as cooking tomatoes releases a beneficial nutrient that one does not get when consuming them raw. I have heard similar claims about other vegetables, that is cooking them is better. So I ask: Is raw always best?
With respect to the juicing recommendation, I have heard that drinking fruit juice rather than eating fruit is not the way to go. That argument goes something like: chewing the fruit releases enzymes that help the body digest and absorb the nutrients while drinking juice actually gives one a big sugar hit straight up without that beneficial aspect of chewing.
Can someone clarify?
I agree with the points you make, Jake. I used to juice but now make raw fruit and vegetable smoothies, as for one thing the fibre is eaten instead of thrown away.
Jo Robinson’s book, Eating on the Wild Side, is a good source of information about source and preparation of produce in relation to nutritional components
Jake, I have heard the same as you . . . Also that in juicing you don’t get the fiber you normally would in eating the actual fruit as the good Lord created it. I would love to know the answers to your questions.
I left a comment with a link to a study that extensively looked at the bioavailability of nutrients in plant foods. Indeed, tomatoes should be cooked for maximum lycopene benefits, as well as those with high carotene content and some cruciferous as well, which should be lightly cooked anyway because of goitrogens. Anyway, they did not post the comment. I’m not a huge fan of juicing partly because of the reasons you stated. Chewing begins the process of thermogenesis as well.
I would love to read this. Please post AGAIN
Hi Lori –
Thanks for letting us know.
Your comment may have been filtered into spam by default as some comments with website links do auto-filter.
Please feel free to share again. 🙂
Blessings and love!
Fruit juices are mostly void of the fiber that the fruit originally contained. Without the fiber your body won’t process the sugars the same way, which can cause a spike in your blood sugar levels. You’d be much better of with a smoothie using the whole fruit, as opposed to juicing that fruit and removing the fiber.
I don’t agree 100% that everyone should eat raw either. My Doctor of Chinese Medicine has diagnosed me with a spleen deficiency. My body doesn’t do raw well… at all. I need to eat vegetables lightly steamed (not until they’re mush, still crispy but slightly cooked) to help my spleen heal. For me, raw isn’t that beneficial. As soon as I started steaming the veggies, I noticed an improvement in my health. A one-size-fits-all diet doesn’t exist.
smoothie made with a blender causes oxygen, causing you to lose the antioxidants. you better take them all in, smoothie and juice
This article will generate discussion, which is a good thing. If you look at gut length, the amount of small intestine between humans and herbivores, like cows or goats, theirs is much longer, which means they have a lot more surface area than do humans to absorb nutrients. Although people rave about raw diets, those diets have been around long enough for well-informed health care practitioners like Dr. Chris Kresser, the acupuncturist in California who is one of well known doctors who practice functional medicine, to take a look at raw food diets. What becomes clear is that 100% raw is just as unhealthy as a diet in processed carbohydrates. What this suggests is that 100% anything is unhealthy, as people on Paleo diets (grain free) are also unhealthy, although the manifestation of disease is quite different for both groups. Diets that are mostly plant based (here I include legumes), with lots of fat and some animal protein have the best health outcomes; that being said, raw diets, like Paleo diets have their place in nutritional therapy in any whole body health care paradigm. The science on animal based diets by and large do not control for animal quality (treating grass fed and CAFO raised animals the same) and IMO bad science. The few that do control for how animals are raised (and slaughtered) show that vegan or raw diets have very little if any measurable benefits over eating JUST animals raised in their natural environments, in which they are free to exercise and roam, along with some legumes and fruits and vegetables.
I think any person or group who espouses the LONG TERM benefit of one type of diet over another is doing a disservice to the health conscious consumer. There is no such thing as one size fits all and some people can be very healthy with a 100% raw vegan diet, while others can be just as healthy with a Paleo diet. What matters is how much high quality fats are in both diets and any diet lacking in certain types of fat is deficient whether they eat grass fed, pasture raised animals or wouldn’t touch an animal with a 10-ft pole.
What about freezing? Does that kill the enzymes? I like to buy the organic frozen berries at Costco for my smoothies.
I beg to differ. Many people, like me, cannot digest raw foods properly due to an overgrowth of “bad” bacteria in the gut. These bacteria love raw food and can crowd out much needed beneficial bacteria. In addition, many foods are more inflammatory when raw than they are when they’re cooked.
I eat loads of raw vegetables daily for lunch, my main meal. I have recently read that raw cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.) actually inhibit thyroid function and cooking (lightly steaming for example) is recommended for these vegetables. Potentially a raw food diet could cause thyroid problems. How does this mesh with your information?
We eat a fairly healthy raw diet when in season and grown by us personally. When food is sourced non locally and out of season we always cook our veggies. Well written article and thanks for the share ..
Dear Ty. Have you heard of Dr. Steven Gundry and his amazing product…Vital Reds? What do you think? also, Dr. Simoncini in Italy what do you think of his method? and the Essiac Tea do you think that helps cancer? Blessings Leah
This is precisely why people, like me, have adopted a Vegan lifestyle. Dead food includes all animal corpses that are spiced and cooked to make them palatable. When we take in live foods and stop using our bodies as graveyards for dead animal corpses, we see a substantial difference in our health. Life begets life. It’s quite obvious, really.
Thank you for your comment Benny!
I have always learned, particularly from Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayruvedic practitioners, that not all people can handle or properly digest raw veggies. This seems to be very true for me. If a person has compromised digestion then adding more challenge to the situation is never great. Many people have little digestive acid so raw foods and meat etc present a challenge. I have also learned in my herb school that the cell wall of some especially hearty veggies needs to be broken (via blanching or steaming) in order for your body to access the nutrients such as with brassicas. I would love to hear your thoughts. I know that the “one size fits all” diet is definitely risky since we all have different constitutions and health challenges.
You are not advocating raw meat, poultry and fish are you? To only eat vegetables, one would have to eat a LOT to get enough nutrients for the body.
It would be nice if someone who realy knows the answer on our questions. What I wonder is how is it with smoothies? I personally think it is more healthy then juices as in juices the so needed fibres are out! And for our gut we need them very much. That is what I have learned from Dr. Russel Jaffe. And I also learned that chewing is important because of the enzymes. And with smoothies you tend to chew more then with juices. That is what I think. Could on of the real food specialist or docters answer these important questions please?
Indeed chewing exercises gums and blood flow for healthy gums and teeth. Juices and smoothies cause bloating because gut is designed for tender fibre of fresh fruit and vegetables, not great quantities of liquid that stretch stomach and gut and slow down gut peristaltism.
I left a comment citing a science – based study looking at the bio-availability of plant nutrients. It shows that vegetables with a high carotene content, along with some other (yes, like the lycopene in tomatoes) are better for us if they are lightly cooked and accompanied by fat. This is nutrition science. I’m curious why the comment was not approved? A great read : Catching Fire, How Cooking Made Us Human by Harvard anthropologist Richard Wranger. By cooking, humans acquired larger brains. Some raw is great, but some vegetables should be cooked. I’m wondering if only comments that are in general agreement are printed…
Hi Lori,
Thanks for your comment.
We do not allow comments to have links in them when posted. Hope this clarifies things for you!
This is definitely one school of thought, there are others with equally valid reasons that express the benefits of cooking food. It is a problem that makes eating healthily a problem because there is so much I’m the right way and you are wrong, in the alternative health area. Perhaps there is a need to allow for the huge difference in people and the fact that no ‘one size fits all’.
Well said William Strade.
I use an electric steamer to cook wild salmon, vegetables, rice and meat. Is that any better than other methods or does it also destroy the enzymes?
I feel that carrots, broccoli, cauliflour, and spinach taste much better raw than cooked because when they are raw, they have more nutrients. When I drink freshly squeezed orange juice, I find that it tastes more natural than orange juice bought in a store, because store bought orange juice consist of too much sugar. I am thinking of buying a juicer and try to juice my own fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices to see, if it would make any difference to my body.
Juicers are noisy and long to handle and clean. Chewing is enjoyable and necessary for gum and teeth health by stimulating blood circulation . Juicing removes the necessary tender cellulose fibre on which bacteria generate B12 Vitamins for healthy red blood cells. Juicing is for infants or people without teeth. The human gut is designed and adapted to tender cellulose fibre not large quantities of liquid that stretch the stomach and gut. Juicing causes constipation by lack of fibre….
Silvia, a juicer is a step in the right direction. Store bought orange juice is not only loaded with sugar. It is also pasteurized which alters its qualities and makes it a complete deadwood. No nutritional benefit at all. We are programmed to think whatever we ingest acts on our body. Nothing is further from the truth. Our bodies act on whatever is taken into them. Our bodies can only use live vitamins and minerals.
raw spinach is toxic, betther you not eat that!
The raw versus cooked is a complex issue. I consumed a mostly raw diet for a long time, not so much now. I have a couple of concerns re a mainly raw diet. How does one adequately deal with the goitre genic effect of raw brassicas and the impact this has on Thyroid health? I think enough is not said about the beneficial enzymes added to a cooked meal from properly prepared lacto fermented condiments such as sauerkraut.
I’m disappointed to not see enzymes in raw animal foods and fermented foods included on this list. What about raw milk, kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, and pastured raw egg yolks? Rich sources of enzymes and I feel so much better and my digestion is better when I eat them regularly.
I forgot to include sprouted nuts and seeds on my list, and grains that have been prepared with sourdough methods.
1. Haven’t we been cooking food since fire was first utilized?
2. Good luck with eating raw meat.
Thank you TY for reminding us to eat raw. Back from 1976 working at ” A Movable Feast” in Houston Texas, one of only five health food restaurants at the time, I learned from a yogi that eating coconuts and raw fish was about all one needed. However eating food heated less than 130°F, juicing (and yes the fibers prevent bowel straining), and 75% raw diet (fresh is better), I understood was a better lifestyle. Living with no cooked meat, bread or milk (pasturization is heat) for two years thereafter and realized I had NO colds or disease! Sprout your seeds! Processing or hydrogenation of seeds was good to stay away from as well.
Remember digestion starts with mouth juices.
What are we supposed to do with grains that we can’t eat raw? Wheat, barley, rice, lentils, beans, garbanzos, etc? Are you saying that they shouldn’t be part of our diet?
All of these can be sprouted. There are many extremely tasty recipes in DR. Cousin’s Rainbow food Book. Some of these have the potential to ferment, as well. Think humus.
What about bone broth when it comes to cooking what’s the difference
I respect and appreciate all that Ty and his team have sacrificed to bring much needed information to the US that has been known on other parts of the world for years regarding the healing of cancer and healthy living. However, every time I get an email that sells a product at an average of $40+ dollars a bottle per person, I get very discouraged that so many of these products are said to be “necessary” for optimum health, yet many people cannot afford these products for a family. I’m sure I am not only speaking for myself when I say that I’d like to see more information from this organization who claims they have the best interest at heart for everyone’s health to offer home-made alternatives to these products on sale, i,e, enzymes from kefir, fermented foods, kombucha, etc. versus these bottled enzymes. I am sure there are plenty of people who can afford all of these products who can help continue to fund all of these important endeavors to keep Ty’ and others who are in the industry of health products important missions funded, but I am speaking about the rest of society who are on a budget while still trying our best to eat an organic, grass-fed, raw milk, pasture raised chicken/eggs diet with a few supplements to maintain health.
I love to eat fresh raw foods where possible, but surely a lot of the enzymes etc that are contained in them are broken down into protein components in our digestive system anyway, allowing our bodies to make plenty of enzymes from our pancreas and other organs.
I think the whole eating of enzymes is something to be wary of as most are acid sensitive, so you could be wasting your money!!
I live in a state (Arizona where Raw Milk can be sold in Grocerys Only 8 states allow this 2 others touch Arizona ( CA and NM)
In my experience, there is not a one size fits all diet. It is irrational to think that one way of eating works for 7 billion different systems, imo. What IS CRITICAL is for people to research, explore and find out what works for them, to become skilled at tuning in and taking responsibility for their thrival. If one is dealing with life threatening disease, of course there will be adjustments. I find there are foods that my body loves on some days and does not want on others. There are some foods that my body says yes to regardless of time of day. Yes, it is tricky yet it is quite empowering to be able to listen daily to what the systems want. I agree that with the depletion of our growing systems, supplements are quite beneficial.
I do not profess to know it all, yet I am feeling so much better now that I am taking the time & effort to learn what works and what does not for all the layers of my Being.
Good post, William.
Nutrition science shows that when high carotene and cruciferous vegetables are lightly cooked, the nutrients are more bioavailable, particularly fat soluble. Cooking breaks protein bonds that allow for release of nutrients.
If you break these raw foods down, by taking time, masticating, enjoying the food, or grind it up into more palpable food, it digests well. When cooking there is general risk that the nutritional content will be destroyed. That isn’t necessarily a bio-available solution to cook spinach, broccolli, etc. It has much to do with how the study’s people chew and consume food, as much as the cooking of it.
Boiling temperature (100C.or 220F.) destroy 100% of Enzymes and 95% of Vitamins. Frying or Baking Temperatures 22 C. or 400F. also denature Protein…
Agree with Alysia and William different cultures different DNAs require varied approach to diet. I’ve tried totally raw food diet health went down straight away due to gut absorption issues. Also see a experienced Chinese doctor and now seeing gret improvements in health. I now et to suit my DNA a mixture of lightly cooked, fermented, steamed and raw ORGANIC foods. Also specific herbs and spices in their natural form NO EXTRACTS or funny, destabilizing concoctions! This is why Chinese people especially in rural parts of China live active, healthy lives to well over 100 years its all about living and eating a more balanced life. Rest and reasonable exercise also helps.
TO THE MODERATOR: I wrote a very relevant, verbally decent and acceptable comment on March 12th regarding the importance of living a Vegan lifestyle and that we need to stop eating flavored, cooked animal corpses, and thus stop using our bodies as “graveyards”. I don’t see my comment posted here.
Hi Benny,
Thanks for the comment!
According to my records your comment was approved and is on this article. I will comment on it as well so that you can see it.
This is what bothered me about both truth about cancer series. It seemed to come from a paleo or at least ketogenic perspective. I believe a cancer patient should reduce meat to a minimum to make for much easier digestion as well as avoid so much of the toxicity of eating what the animal ate. There are so many clinics that are vegan and raw which were not really given much time in the documentary yet that is the segment of the holistic cancer industry that seems to be having the most success. On the ketogenic side there is a lot more confusion and guru following whereas a raw diet is so simple as long as its organically grown.
How come most times when juicing is mentioned, people assume it’s mostly sweet fruit. The real juicing community has graduated beyond mostly juicing sweet fruits. Adding a green apple or even sweeter juices for energy like running, etc. And of course if a person is challenged with healing of some sort, then the diet may need to be altered to include steamed or cooked food for a period of time. There are always steps to achieving health. I think the point is that food is already cooked by the sun & we really don’t need to improve it in general. The thing about increasing lycopene content my cooking tomatoes may be true, but you can rest assured that eventually they will find out you’re loosing another key ingredient. There are so many nutrients that haven’t been discovered yet & I know from experience I have evolved to a state that my health is much improved & I actually weigh less, have better blood pressure, etc, etc. when consuming mostly raw. But I’m not buying enzymes, I have noticed a substantial increase in selling products, one after the other, that I find a little distasteful. It seems to be the focus of this site nowadays.
Marilyn I totally agree with you. All of these products get very expensive. A family of four cannot afford all of it, particularly if one lives in another country as I do and have to apply the exchange rate which hikes the price up even more. Homemade alternatives have to be an option. Having said that much appreciation to Ty and the team but please be mindful that some of us do have to live on smaller budgets. The have to for family health has to balanced with keeping a roof over the head, clothes on the back and food on the table etc.
Yes! Excellent comment!!
Hello I had colitis in 2015 and the LORD showed me that I was going to get worst. Between 2016 and 2017 I lost more than 30 lbs. I got worst I had a pain in my low abdominal and end up in the hospital the doctor did blood test and CT Scan and they found me a colon cancer so he said I had to do surgery right away otherwise I will die. I prayed to the LORD to use the surgeon so He will do the surgery because He knew where exactly was and that’s how exactly it happened. When the surgeon came out from the surgery he said to my husband “so many surgeries he has done this is the most wonderful surgery he has ever done”. Praise the LORD!
Now I’ve been eating organic fruits and vegetables. Drinking green smoothies and fruits smoothies in the morning. Do I need supplements? Protein? Essential oils? Herbs? Teas? How long do I need them to take? Please contact me through my email. Thank you for all the information, it has given me hope and help me a lot. Blessings!
Hi Gladys,
It sounds like you have gone through quite a journey. We cannot provide you with medical advice, so the best advice we can give you is to consult with one of the doctors/experts that we interviewed in our Global Quest Series. Here is a link to get their information: https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/experts-info-sheet/
Hello from the UK,
This post will probably be off topic but I’m confused, I see articles that say raw food is best, I see articles that say cooked foods is best, I see articles that say medicine can only cure you, I see articles that say food can heal you.
I’m stuck in the middle, who do I believe what is wrong and what is correct ?
I’ve tried to read several books about our own Microbiome and I think that I’m starting to understand what its all about but then I see text stating otherwise.
What I have started to do over here in the UK is to read the ingredient list on the food in the Supermarket, I picked all the following and read the ingredients, they all had 1 thing in common
Box of Bran Flakes
Tub of Coleslaw
Tin of Sardines
Bread
Tin of Soup
Guessed yet? They ALL contained sugar, am I correct in thinking that this has been added? Why add sugar to a tin of sardines?
So the reason I have started eating just fresh veg and fruit is that I can see what is in these, no added sugar or anything else.
sorry to waffle on
Wow some comments have missed the point, Ty did not say 100% raw, he’s stating high raw to increase enzymes and clearly states our bodies CAN handle a degree of cooked foods as we have an enzymatic supply to utilize but we should be mindful with eating enough varity and sufficient raw food in our diets to maintain a high storage of various enzymes for optimal digestive health and nutrient absorption. A big grean salad with variety of salad veggies, pickled beetroots, some cooked potatoes and beans of choice dressed with a healthy oil free dressing that includes some healthy seeds and you got yourself a perfectly balanced High enzymatic meal right there. Don’t like all cold? , start with the big salad first course ad the beans to make a nice spicy bean chilli to top a baked potato and you got it covered once again. Its not that hard folks one of my faves is mashed potatoes, both sweet and white, lightly steamed greens and whatever veg and to make a “gravy ” ( steak Dianne) from pureed black beans to pour all over, my kuds didn’t notice the difference at all, once again all bases covered making sure to have had a big salad for lunch and or a super green smoothie for breakfast, we can satisfy our desires with compromise and creativity 😋😋😋
Thanks for sharing, Joanne! We appreciate you! 🙂
I gotta mention fermented foods and sushi. How about a well balanced raw egg in that smoothie?
Hi! I love this article, but here is my problem. I have latex food allergy. This causes me to become very sick when I eat many “raw” vegetables and also many fruits. I take a high quality digestive enzyme because of this. Is there anyone else here who is in the same boat as I am?
I have been reading these some what negative replies and I have to tell you, I had IBS, Lime disease, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, and some bad elbows and knees. I went to eating 5 raw organic eggs a day, nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables, raw cheese, and juicing and I have to say all problems are gone. I have no pain anymore. I have never felt better in my life and I am 57. Happier, plenty of energy, optimal body weight, no more brain fog wich means a higher level of concouesnes. All my food is raw and organic. So if you have not tried it, your opinions are’t to valuable. I don’t mean to sound harsh or intolerant but I can tell you I have been on this diet for about a year and for me its a miracle from the LORD. Read the Essene Gospel of peace by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely. Jesus instructs this diet.
Wow – we’re so glad to hear that you’ve healed from the health challenges you had faced.
It’s always best to find the diet that is best for your individual body type.
God bless you, Mike!
I’m with you, Marilyn. I eat organic as much as possible, but cannot afford all the supplements that we are told we MUST have. Do all of those supplements have to be so expensive?