Rawish is the consumption of unprocessed, preferably organic, whole, plant-based foods that have never been cooked. It’s ranked as one of the seven most popular diets in the world - some thirty new raw-food restaurants have sprouted up (excuse the pun!) in America and I recently noticed the first raw-food restaurant in London - but is it just another celebrity fashion statement or a way of life for many to come?
Raw foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, sprouting legumes, dried fruits, seaweeds, freshly pressed juices and purified water. They are believed to provide optimal nutrition for the body, as they contain more essential enzymes than cooked foods. Enthusiasts believe that enzymes are the life force of any food and offer numerous health benefits - improved digestion, sustained energy levels, maintaining a steady weight, reducing heart disease - all in all, a general way of feeling better about ourselves. When food is cooked, it is heated above 116°F, the temperature at which natural enzymes are destroyed. The only ‘cooking’ in a raw-food diet is done in a hydrator, which dries food via hot air blowing at a temperature below 116°F.