Seven Ways to Access the Health-Giving Power of Raw Foods

Would you like to make a big positive difference in your nutrition with a minimum of effort? All you have to do is access the power of raw food.

Although some fruits and vegetables really have to be cooked to be edible (potato and rhubarb spring to mind instantly), there are many that will lose most of their nutrients if you overcook them.

We had a joke in naturopathic school about the 'old' Australian style of boiling vegetables until they were mushy and colourless: You could cook your veg this way, but you would benefit most if you then threw out the vegetables and drank the water they were boiled in; as that was where all the nutrients went to.

Vegetables do sometimes need to be cooked. Many contain phytic or oxalic acid, naturally occurring plant chemicals which deter insect pests. This phytic or oxalic acid will get in the way of mineral absorption, and also prevent us from absorbing the minerals in the plant. So by lightly cooking foods like silverbeet we are actually helping our digestion.

Because its hard to tell which vegetables have high levels of oxalic or phytic acid and which don't, the trick is to only lightly cook your veg, so that the phytic/oxalic acid is destroyed but the cooking hasn't continued long enough for nutrients to escape. A general rule of thumb for non root vegetables like beans, carrot, broccoli and cauliflower is 90 seconds cooking, either steaming or stir frying. Obviously some vegetables need longer cooking to make them palatable; like brussels sprout, potato and pumpkin.

Fresh fruit actually tastes better when its raw, and its so easy to prepare. By choosing to eat your fruit raw you're including more vitamin C and other antioxidants in your diet.

On a day to day basis, here is how you can increase the proportion of raw fruits and vegetables in your diet:

- leave the cans of fruit and vegetables on the supermarket shelf. Head for the fresh food department instead. Ideally, choose organic for better flavour and nutrition.
- avoid dried fruit; its really high in sugar
- when buying yogurt, buy the natural variety and add your own fresh fruit.
- Make sure you enjoy 2 to 4 pieces of raw fruit every day.
- Choose a salad for lunch either as a meal on its own, or as part of a salad sandwich.
- Use chopped fresh carrot and celery sticks for dips rather than crackers.
- Lightly steam or stir fry your dinner vegetables for only about 90 seconds so they're cooked but still crisp.

Naturopaths often refer to the 'life force' in raw fruits and vegetables, as these foods contain the optimum levels of vitamins and minerals. After a few weeks of choosing raw rather than cooked food, you will find that your wellbeing starts to improve naturally.

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