Raw foods fortify your body against aging.
BE Healthy magazine offers information about the science behind raw food, and some recipes to make the most of it.
“If you ignore your health it will go away,” says Shelley Fitzgerald, of Everything Fitz. Fitzgerald is a former biology teacher, a nurse and a mother who is currently a wellness coach and certified health educator. “Whole food nutrition, plant-based eating is the right way to go for quality of life and preventing disease.”
“As far as aging goes, this happens because we create free radicals everyday, from normal metabolism, just by breathing and producing energy. This causes cells to wear down, and when they die off, we age. To slow that aging process, we need to protect ourselves with antioxidants, which primarily come from fruits and vegetables that neutralize the free radicals and prevent rusting out.”
Fitzgerald adds: “Oxidation involves the creation of unstable molecules (missing an electron) in the body through burning fuel, and these unstable molecules (free radicals) want to grab an electron from the next molecule it can, which can cause damage, aging and disease. Antioxidants provide those electrons and act as a shield to protect your healthy cells.”
In addition to needing antioxidants to protect us from cellular damage, our bodies need enzymes to break down the food we take in and to get access to its components for all the other enzymatic activities of the body. According to Fitzgerald, we have a limited supply of enzymes, and if we don’t make deposits into that enzyme bank, we’ll deplete it and age faster.
Although the enzymes in most foods degrade with cooking, some foods actually improve their availability, and these include tomatoes and broccoli. In order to reduce the destruction of enzymes however, steaming to cook will be easier on all foods.
What can we do?
Eat a Rainbow diet: When you’re preparing a meal, remember that every color represents different antioxidants, so you want a colorful plate.
Raw foods: Raw foods generally have more abundant antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins and phytochemicals.
Choose vine-ripened: Local food is important. Real vine-ripened food is grown until it is ready to be picked and eaten, not shipped hundreds of miles after it is picked. Fresh vegetables have the highest levels of all the good things.
As close to nature as possible: Avoid processed food. The farther you remove it from its original form, the less nutrition it has.
To help you get on the path of eating well, here are some raw food recipes to use in your arsenal in the fight to age gracefully.
Recipe
Watermelon salsa with jicama chips
This raw food salsa is a nice change from tomato salsas. Sweet yet savory, you’ll enjoy the bright colors. Use a small, individual-sized watermelon, cut it horizontally with a decorative edge, scoop out the flesh and it becomes your serving bowl. Jicama is a root vegetable that originates from the Southern Hemisphere. Its flavor is reminiscent of a potato but sweeter and brighter.
1 personal watermelon or 4 cups of flesh of watermelon, seeded and diced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
1 fresh lime, juiced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 small jicama, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch chips
In large bowl, mix melon, chilies, onion, ginger. Refrigerate, add lime juice, cilantro and seasoning, and toss lightly. Serve with jicama slices.
Garlic mustard pesto
This pesto is made with a wild invasive weed, but don’t fear, it’s edible. Garlic mustard was brought to America by European settlers. Choose small, delicate leaves on young plants, and don’t pick by the roadside; find a nice patch in an area you are familiar with to avoid chemical spray. Or substitute basil, parsley or other leafy greens.
2 cups garlic mustard leaves, packed
2 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup Manchego cheese (I like Reny Picot from Benton Harbor), grated
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste
Place garlic cloves and walnuts in food processor. Puree while adding oil. Open, stir, add garlic mustard leaves. Puree 5 seconds. Open, scrape sides, and add cheese. Puree 5 seconds. Open, scrape, then taste. Add salt if desired. Add vinegar and water. Pulse 2 or 3 times until well combined. Serve with vegetable crudites.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Channon Mondoux is a personal chef, food historian, author and culinary teacher who lives in Portage with her husband and three sons. Her work reflects years of exploring the relationship between food, health and happiness. Learn more about her at www.rencuisine.com.
Watermelon salsa with jicama chips