Should We Eat a Raw Food Diet Because of Enzymes?
Friday, April 8th, 2011One of the great reasons people tend to adopt a raw food diet is due to the fact that raw foods contain enzymes that can aid in human digestion . The idea is that if we consume “living” foods with their enzymes intact, our bodies can actually utilize these enzymes in the digestion of the food.
This reasoning has just never sat right with me and here’s why :
Enzymes are for the Plant, Not the Person
Raw foods contain enzymes that are necessary for proper development of the plant . For instance, an unripe banana contains enzymes that allow the starch in the fruit to convert to sugar, i.e. to ripen.
Once the process is complete, the enzymes are gone . So in order to actually consume these enzymes, you would have to consume unripe, acidic, nutritionally-underdeveloped food.
Kind of defeats the point of eating nutritionally-packed raw foods, eh?
And even if you did decide to consume unripe fruit, there is no reason to believe that the enzymes in the PLANT would be capable of functioning in YOUR digestive processes.
In short, these enzymes are important for the plant, not for us. Our bodies have their own enzymes that allow us to properly digest the foods we eat.
So Why Eat a Raw Diet?
The main reason to eating raw foods are the nutritional powerhouses associated with these types of foods . The food has not been damaged via heat or processing and retains its nutritional integrity.
And, actually, for the enzymes!
As I mentioned, enzymes are very necessary in plant growth. By letting your food fully ripen before consumption, you will allow the enzymes present to work their magic, making the food much tastier and easy to digest…
So what do ya know, plant enzymes DO aid in human digestion after all!:D
Go raw and be fit,
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