Nothing we can ever ingest is better for our bodies than living foods. This makes perfect sense because the basic unit of the body – the cell – is alive and needs the energy and life force from living, raw food. When our food is cooked to death [literally!] then how can our cells gain any nourishment? Obviously, the can’t. This is so obvious and is the source of the popularity of that diet today. But it’s nothing new, even though we always think that our culture is soooooooooooooooooo modern. So what is the history of the raw foods diet?
I recently read an article that stated, “On the ladder of evolution, cooking foods is a new conception.” What? That’s ridiculous! Back in the cave days, our ancestors had to have eaten raw nuts, seeds, grasses/grains, etc. Meat, especially in early civilization when our hunting skill were meager, had to have been a rare ‘treat’.
Still, we’ve gotten into a cooked-food habit in our culture and have remained in that mindset for a long, very long, time. The problem with this is that the enzymes available in raw food are lost along the way.
In the United States, the claim to fame for a raw foods diet goes to … drum roll … Sylvester Graham (1794- 1851). Yes, he’s the inventor of the famous graham cracker, one of my favorite non-raw foods.
Other famous advocates of living foods that get mention in our “History of the Raw Foods Diet Rollcall” are:
* Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (1852 to 1943), the originator of the famous Kellogg cereals, among other products. Dr. Kellogg lived mostly on nuts and apples and would undoubtedly be horrified by the sugary garbage that today bears his name.
* The famous health spa “Our Home” began because of Dr. James Caleb Jackson (1814-1895). Our Home served vegetarian foods that were served either raw or lightly cooked, so as not to destroy the valuable nutrients and enzymes.
* Bernarr MacFadden (1868-1955), became extremely wealthy with a publishing empire and was friends with famous people like Temple, Clark Gable, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Will Rogers, and Rudolph Valentino. He lived on raw foods and promoted physical fitness, owning and operating many “healthatoriums” which promoted vitality through enzyme-rich raw foods and physical fitness.
* Dr. Herbert Shelton (1895-1984) was a well-known pacifist and believer in the power of fasting and raw foods to cure disease. In 1956 the American Vegetarian Party chose Shelton to run as its candidate for President of the United States. Dr. Shelton wrote “How Diseases Are Cured” and stated: “What does the average individual know about keeping well? Almost nothing. The people and their doctors are all in the same boat together with a blind man at the helm. They lack the chart and compass and drift aimlessly on a sea of ignorance and misinformation.”
* Arnold Ehret (1866–1922) was the original father of naturopathy. Naturopathy is a system of medicine based on the healing power of nature and is a “holistic” system, meaning that treatment doesn’t focus on ‘parts’ but instead sees the patient as a whole system. Most naturopaths use a wide variety of therapies and techniques such as [no surprise] the power of raw food. Naturopathy focuses on two primary areas: supporting the body’s own healing abilities, and empowering individuals to make lifestyle changes necessary for the best possible health. Ehret believed that a diet consisting of starchless fruits and green-leafy vegetables is the only food fit for human consumption and he wrote the “Mucusless Diet Healing System”.
The first raw food restaurant in the US, called “Euthropheon: was founded in 1917 while the first health food store – which promoted raw foods – opened in 1934.
The point of this history of the raw foods diet is to show that the use of raw foods isn’t some stupid “fad”, but is an integral part of every healing system and prevention method that makes sense. There will be much more on raw foods on this blog since I am doing a holistic detox right after Christmas of 2008 and living foods will be an indispensible part of that detox.
Jim says
We eat raw foods mostly vegetables on a more or less regular basis. My favorite is raw broccoli and cauliflower. It is amazing how good I feel after two days of binging on lots raw vegetables. This is especially true after long periods of intense training. We also snack on raw vegetables daily. Raw fruits and vegetables also clean your digestive system of bio-crud.
Growing up in the far North woods we used to eat raw meat in the form of hamburger mixed with seasonings. We butchered our own free range farm and wild game animals so that there was little chance of getting sick. In fact I cannot ever remember any one ever getting sick from these raw meat dishes and they really tasted great as well. Raw and rare cooked meat produced the energy necessary for the tough heavy work of logging and commercial fishing. I would never attempt this with store bought meats that are full of drugs and hormones. Commercial slaughter houses are filthy as well.
Four years ago I contracted salmonella from raw salad makings that I purchased in a grocery store. I ended up in the emergency room. If you are going to eat raw foods then it would be wise to know the source of your food. I would suggest that you consume nothing from outside the country especially from South of the Border. Fecal coli form related diseases are an ever present threat to our food system.
Growing your own food is the easiest way to control the quality of your food source. Keep it free of commercial pesticides and other chemicals. Do not use compost with animal feces in it. Gardening is also a great hobby.
Just a Biologist
John says
I knew nothing about the long history of the raw foods diet. I am amazed that this has been known for such a long time and which is unfortunatly not known by the majority of the American people who would benefit so much from it.
Ashley says
I agree with your post. Raw foods are great for the healing system. Not only do they help us live healthier, but they taste great!
Sydney Johnston says
Jim, I know that there are people who eat raw meat and I know that it can be quite healthful IF you know the source. But I can’t even stand cooked meat, so the thought is horrifying to me. Obviously, different bodies are … well, different (duh! :-) … because some folks seem to really need meat. The “one diet fits all” is clearly ludicrous.
Jessica says
The article makes an interesting point, that in many cases, cooked food is only a habit, rather than a necessity. I’d guess that the habit originated with the need to preserve and can foods, but with fresh produce now available all year long, there’s really no need.