Foods that are consumed in an unheated, unprocessed and non-chemically altered state.

A raw foods diet is one in which foods are not heated above a certain temperature (typically between 112ºF and 116ºF). These foods are believed to contain enzymes, nutrients and vitamins that are destroyed if the food is heated or processed. Proponents of a raw food diet, called raw foodists, believe that foods that are cooked-and therefore stripped of enzymes-are toxic. The enzymes, they say, aid in digestion and a raw food diet can give one more energy and even prevent or cure diseases.

Most raw foodists are vegan (eschewing any animal-derived products, including dairy, eggs and honey); however, some will eat raw eggs, unpaseurized dairy products and raw honey. Many raw foodists get creative with their recipes and preparations in order to make food that resembles more traditional fare-they'll make "bread" from grains and dried fruit that has been soaked until soft, then processed in a food processor, formed into loaves and dehydrated, and they'll make "pasta" from strips of zucchini.

One component to a raw food diet is living food, in which foods such as nuts, seeds and grains, are soaked in water and sprouted. These living foods are believed to have a higher enzyme content as the sprouting activates dormant enzymes.

Some raw foodists even become more selective in their diet, becoming fruitarians, sproutarians or juicearians (eating only fruit, sprouts or juice, respectively).

Context

Before man discovered fire and tools, our prehistoric ancestors subsisted solely on raw foods, including fruits, vegetables, leaves, seeds and nuts. So, even though the concept of a raw foods diet seems to be a recent trend, it actually dates back to earliest civilization and had its followers throughout history. In ancient Greece, the philosopher Pythagoras encouraged his disciples to eat raw foods, and Native Americans often ate most of their foods in its raw form.

In the early 1800s, Sylvester Graham (who later became the namesake for the Graham cracker) advocated a raw food diet in his book, Lectures on the Science of Human Life. Other prominent 19th and 20th century figures who adhered to a raw food diet included Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, inventor of flaked cereal, and Dr. James Caleb Jackson, who ran the country's first successful health spa, where he served raw and lightly cooked vegetarian meals. At the turn of the 19th century, a group of Germans in Southern California helped start the modern raw foodist movement, as documented in the book, Children of the Sun, by Gordon Kennedy. The Germans embraced raw foodism and other naturalist beliefs such as nudism and hydrotherapy as a protest against the heavy pollution of modern industrialization. Members of the group were instrumental in furthering the raw food cause; one member founded the first health food store in Santa Barbara in 1934, while another couple opened the first raw food restaurant, in Los Angeles in 1917. The restaurant, Eutropheon (Greek for "good nourishment) was open for 25 years.

Today, numerous raw food cookbooks and restaurants make raw food diets more prominent in the American culinary landscape. Some restaurants, such as the now-closed Roxanne's in Larkspur, Calif. and Pure Food and Wine in New York City, even have taken raw foods to the level of haute cuisine. Celebrity followers of the diet also bring it into the spotlight, including Woody Harrelson, Demi Moore, and Carol Alt, who has written a raw-foods cookbook.

Some nutritionists and health experts remain skeptical of the benefits of a raw food diet. Critics, including experts from the American Dietetic Association, caution that people who stick to a raw foods diet will have difficulty finding enough protein sources.

Others contend that vitamin loss in cooking is minimal, and that the enzymes in a raw vegetable don't really assist the human body.

Finally, some scientists believe that our prehistoric ancestors' discovery of how to cook food is directly related to our ability to evolve as a species, since cooking food made it more easily digestible and enabled our ancestors to eat more calories and expend less effort on digestion, therefore giving our bodies more energy for brain development.

Additional Resources

Living and Raw Foods

Hippocrates Health Institute

History of Cooking and Thoughts on Raw Foodism

Raw History

Raw Food

Books

Living Foods for Optimum Health: Staying Healthy in an Unhealthy World by Brian R. Clement & Theresa Foy Digeronimo

Your Natural Diet: Alive Raw Foods by T.C. Fry & David Klein

The Complete Book of Raw Food: Healthy, Delicious Vegetarian Cuisine Made with Living Foods by Lori Baird & Julie Rodwell

The Raw Secrets: The Raw Vegan Diet in the Real World by Frederic Patenaude

The Raw Life: Becoming Natural in an Unnatural World by Paul Nison

Blatant Raw Foodist Propaganda by Joe Alexander