Ayurved Online Message Digest Number 372

February 6, 2004

i dealt with this issue extensively in earlier posts

but here are the highlights:

1. raw food is cold in energy, antipathic to agni

2. humans lack the specialized mechanisms of herbivores to completely

digest raw foods; besides which, most humans don't chew their food to a

liquid state, and thus for most raw foods pass through the body mostly

undigested

3. raw foods can contain microbes and pathogens that can adversely

affect health; cooking deactivates these

4. ayurveda isn't based on an understanding of enzymes, or a strictly

scientific understanding of food, so logically, the arguments don't

apply (of course, neither are the arguments of raw foodists entirely

scientific - its a highly reductionist approach

this is not to say that the typical Indian diet is healthy: its not

i do believe there is such a thing as over-cooking vegetables, and i

generally recommend steaming as the best method

i also recommend juicing as part of a cleansing program, but not

regularly

On Friday, February 6, 2004, at 04:15 AM,

> Message: 3

> Thu, 5 Feb 2004 12:04:22 -0800

> blackber

> Enzymes

>

> Enzymes are highly recommended in some health systems, obtained by

> eating uncooked food, especially fruit and vegetables. Often the

> recommendation is 50% raw.

>

> In Ayurveda it seems that raw food is discouraged. How would Ayurveda

> explain the lack of needing these enzymes?

>

> Thanks for any help you can offer.

> Janaka

Caldecott

phyto

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