Eating Raw

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What do we really know about the food that we put inside ourselves? If our body is our vessel and our vessel is filled with products that we know nothing about then how are we to keep that vessel chugging along?

A new and upcoming wave of Healthy eating has caught Toronto's attention, Raw Food. If you actually take a minute, sit back and think about what you have put inside your body in the last few days you would be astonished by the level of nutrients that your body is in fact not receiving. Even if you are boiling vegetables for dinner, intent on eating healthy, you are stripping that veggie of its true potential to make you healthy!

In the Raw, is one of three raw food companies here in Toronto. Owner Lindsay Gorrie explains how most people are not eating properly.

“Anything that is raw has live enzymes, when you cook or heat a carrot, per say, above 112 degrees you are killing the enzymes. Enzymes are essential for the Human body as they aid with digestion, help with metabolism and support blood flow to the brain.”

Raw Foods are more Alkalizing then cooked foods, especially animal foods, as they are more acidic. Alkalizing or having high levels of Alkaline, is when your body is at its most optimal health. Having high levels of Acid in your body is very bad for you. Our body’s acid/alkaline state is measured on a ph (Potential Hydrogen) Scale. The ph scale ranges from the most acidic state (0) to the most alkaline state (14). It is believed that an ideal ph level, for optimal health, is an alkaline ph around 6.5.

A lot of people, especially in a busy city like Toronto, have inadequate food intake. With 90 percent of your immune system in your digestive track, Gorrie explains how a high level of acid can seriously harm you.

“When you have waste sitting in your digestive track it can seep through the walls and your body can start to absorb it. You can end up suffering from IBS (Irritable Bowel Symptom), Cromes Disease and Colon cancer.”

A lot of women suffer from Candida which means you have too much yeast in your body. This is fed by too much sugar, coffee and alcohol. It can produce poor skin, lack of energy and multiple yeast infection, all caused by too much acid in your body.

Most people suffering from an acute or chronic disease are found to be in an overly acidic state. People whom have cancer, for example, are generally found to have more acid in their body as well as a low level of oxygen in their blood. Cancer cells thrive in a acidic/oxygen-depleted environment.

Raw food is not just a new health craze that “the hip” people are looking to pick up, it has been proven to have healed or helpeda range of minor and severe illnesses, conditions and symptoms. Such as Diabetes, Hypoglycemia, Heartburn, Fibromyalgia, Colitis, Gas, Acne, Diverticulitis, Bloating, Migrane, Candida, Skin Diseases, Back Pain, Arthritis, Obesity, Neck and joint pain, Serious allergies, Chronic Fatigue, Asthma, Depression, Cancers, high Blood Pressure, Anxiety, High Cholesterol, Mood Swings and many more.

Gorrie and her business partner Erin Kelly, have noticed that since opening In the Raw last year, their business has significantly increased. After Kelly herself was quite ill, she tried the Raw Food diet and immediately saw results. The two Torontonians then became fanatics of the Raw food idea. They took courses, attended raw food classes and potlucks.

“We became obsessed with the idea of Raw food and the health benefits it can have for people. After doing a lot of extensive research, we came up with an idea to help people use the benefits of Raw food.

In the Raw is a hand crafted Granola that is unique to the city and is extremely healthy. With all the ingredients coming from here in Toronto, their granola is dairy, soy and transfat-free, has low sodium, local organic buckwheat  and includes agave which makes it diabetic friendly. With two different flavours Cranberries and Coconut, and Pumpkin Spice, the company is booming as a unique Toronto born business. With a slogan like Delish.Raw.Organic. how could this raw food company not turn heads.

Hopefully with more knowledge out there people will start to realize that we need to take care of ourselves and although we live crazy hectic lives here in Toronto, there is no substitute for a long and healthy life.

Raw food is the answer for that life.

- Briony Douglas -