Still think you need something warm/hot on a cold day?

[Guest guest]

Greetings In-Raws,

 

Many of you were probably reared the same as I was being told by your

mom, grandmother, nana or some mother figure to " be sure to eat or

drink something warm or hot to help warm you up on a cold day " . Of

course their intentions were good and from the heart, but just as

we've come to learn that many of the traditional practices were

potentially harmful and incorrect, I have yet another one for you to

think about.

 

The following article was written by Victoria Boutenko, author and co-

author of the two popular books " 12 Steps to Raw Food and The Raw

Family " .

 

" Can We Eat Raw Food in the Cold Climates? "

 

This is one of the most frequently asked questions about eating

raw. People commonly believe that without a bowl of cooked food on

a chilly winter day they would not be able to stay warm. I know man

persons who quit the raw food lifestyle because they were afraid that

they would become too cold during the winter.

 

Let take a closer look at this situation. Would a quarter pound of

rice physically keep a 160-lbs. body warm? In order to get warmed by

it, we would have to fill a bathtub with warm rice and sit in it for

20 minutes.

 

So why do we feel warmer after consuming cooked food?

A hot meal, a cup of coffee or an ice-cold shot of vodka warms our

body in the same manner. When any impure substances get into our

blood through the walls of the intestines, they irritate our adrenals

the endocrine glands located above the kidneys. The adrenals

immediately begin to produce epinephrine, norepinephrine and a

variety of steroid hormones. These hormones stimulate our

sympathetic nervous system, which is why we feel awake at first.

They also force our heart to beat faster and to pump larger amounts

of blood through our body, which makes us feel warm. This feeling

doesn't last long and we pay a high price for it. After 10-15

minutes our body gets exhausted from performing extra work, the heart

requires rest, the nervous system becomes inhibited, and we feel

tired, sleepy and even colder than before. However we remember only

the feeling of getting warmer after eating cooked food and repeat

such stimulation again and again. This harmful practice wears the

body out and by the end of the winter many people feel exhausted and

depleted.

 

Winter after winter of eating quantities of cooked food doesn't help

the human body to withstand cold weather better. On the contrary,

weakened adrenals eventually won't be able to work properly even at

warm temperatures. For example, most old people feel cold even in

the middle of the summer. Wool socks and sweaters become a necessity

to them.

 

Another reason why it is hard for many of us to tolerate cold

temperatures is because eating a cooked food diet severely impairs

our capillary circulation. According to Dr. Alexander Salmon, author

of " Sacred Wisdom of Human Body " (Paris, 1961) 80% of all blood in

any human body is located in the capillaries and only 20% in arteries

and veins. Tiny capillaries get clogged easily by unnaturally large

particles of cooked food, and the blood no longer circulates

adequately.

 

If you truly want to feel warm during the cold season, a raw food

lifestyle is an inevitable for you. During your first " raw " winter

you may experience some cold due to the weakened adrenals, so put on

an extra sweater, take a hot bath, or do some pushups. If you will

continue staying raw, your adrenals will rest and recover, your

capillary circulation will improve your nervous system and your heart

will naturally strengthen without any artificial stimulation.

 

In a year you will tolerate cold better than ever before. My family

is going now through our ninth " raw " winter. We do not feel any

discomfort from cold. We jump in icy-cold mountain rivers year round

for enjoyment. In fact that is how we celebrate Christmas and New

Year's Eve. We always sleep outside under the rain or snow. Sergei,

my son, goes snowboarding sometimes wearing only shorts. My daughter

Valya never wears socks. Igor, my husband, loves to take snow

baths. We strongly believe that staying on a raw food diet has

helped us feel comfortable in any weather and not to feel the cold.

 

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For those of you considering a transition to Raw (Live) Foods, I

highly recommend reading the two abovementioned books.

 

Good Health to You

Cooked food is poison!

 

Elaine