Sushi is not Raw Food
Posted By: Aaron Van Gossen | January 27, 2010 | 3 comments
by: Aaron Van Gossen
When my wife and I tell people that we’re getting into raw/living foods one question always comes up first; “You mean, like, sushi?” No, we don’t mean, like, sushi. Sushi is not a raw food and I’ll tell you why later. The first thing in understanding the raw/living foods diet is to understand what it is not.
The raw/living foods diet is not a fad diet. Long before Atkins, South Beach, Jenny Craig even before Weight Watchers, we were raw. Long before humans began cooking and processing and pasteurizing food, we ate it raw. We pulled vegetables out of the ground or picked fruits off the tree and ate them as they were. Clearly it was healthy because here we are, millions of years later. “But we’re healthier than our ancestors!” you say. Are we? Heart disease, obesity, cancer and diabetes, among many other debilitating and fatal conditions, have been steadily on the rise over the last century. Ever since we began to pasteurize and process our food.
A raw/living food diet is not munching away at carrot sticks and eating cardboard all day pining away for a cheeseburger. Raw/living foods consist of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds (you can even get raw milk and raw cheese), and there are literally hundreds of thousands of recipes from basic to gourmet that are raw and delicious. And most raw food dishes are as easy, if not easier, to make than most cooked dishes, mainly because you don’t have to waste time cooking it. Hungry when you get home, most raw recipes can be made in less than 30 minutes.
Most importantly the raw/living food diet is not even a diet. A diet, as defined by Merriam Webster, is eating sparingly to reduce one’s weight. On a raw/living foods diet you don’t have to eat sparingly. In fact you can eat large quantities of food, if you desire. Although, one advantage to a raw food diet is that raw foods contain more nutrients and protein than cooked food. That means we actually need less of it to get the fuel we need. And any excess we eat is not stored as fat but burned off as energy. So from here on out I will no longer refer to it as a raw/living food diet. There, no more. Raw/living foods are a lifestyle.
Now, why isn’t sushi raw? Raw/living foods are defined as any food that is not heated over 118 F, that is the temperature where all the living enzymes, nutrients and amino acids get killed off, thereby making your food essentially dead. These natural enzymes and nutrients assist in the natural digestion of food. When they’re killed off your body has to do more work to digest your food and it gets less nutrition and energy for the effort. Spiritually some people also believe that not cooking your food allows you to absorb the life energy of the food. But at the moment I’m more concerned with the physical health attributes associated with eating better.
You will hear people talk about being raw as a way of not raping the environment, a way of becoming spiritually closer to your food and the Earth and a way of not harming God’s creatures. If that’s how you feel then great, I support you. Personally, I tend to take a more selfish approach to eating raw/living foods. Selfish? You bet. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is based on a pasteurized, processed diet full of chemicals and additives designed to make food cheaper to make, cheaper to buy and have a longer shelf life. This means that most crops are grown with genetic manipulation and pesticides to control growth. You’re eating foods not just covered in poison, but grown in it. Washing them won’t get rid of it because the poison seeps into the food at a molecular level. You’re also eating meat from animals, who not only wallowed in their own feces, but who’ve been raised on growth hormones that make them grow twice as fast and abnormally larger. And don’t think those hormones aren’t in the meat you buy from KFC and McDonald’s.
I could go on about the dangers of eating the SAD as given to us by corporations, but that could fill a book. Dozens of books actually, and I have read many of them. I am not writing this column to convert you to a 100% raw diet. In fact unless you truly make being raw your life, as in owning a raw food restaurant or raw foods store or hit the road and lecture on the benefits of being raw, being 100% raw is not only nearly impossible, it’s also quite impractical. Most people, myself included, believe that a good ratio to eat is around 80-85% raw. With the rest of your diet being as healthy as you can make it. If you prefer remaining vegetarian or vegan the occasional meal of steamed or cooked vegetables is a very healthy option. If you enjoy meat and dairy make sure you find organically raised/free range meat. This means that the animals were allowed to pasture (not pasteurized).
Basically what I’m saying is that corporations put their profit margins before our health. Just like big tobacco lied about cigarettes not causing cancer, the big farming corporations are lying to you about how healthy their food is for you. This is why being raw is a selfish move. Take care of yourself, not the corporation’s bottom line.
In future columns I will address these and other dietary concerns more in depth and share with you recipes you can make easily in your own home to help you transition to a healthier lifestyle. You can also visit my blog, rawmuffin.blogspot.com where I share recipes for raw desserts.
Oh, why is sushi not raw? Not all sushi is made with raw tuna and the rice in sushi is cooked. Usually they use toasted nori for the wrap as well. But I have a few good recipes for truly raw sushi, if you’re sushi lover.
Stay healthy.
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Aaron Van Gossen March 13, 2010 at 12:33 am
Ilene, that is an excellent book. If anything it’ll make you a vegetarian.
Ilene March 2, 2010 at 11:16 pm
Interesting article, Aaron. I felt relieved at your suggestion for an 80-85% ration of raw to cooked foods. I’d find it really difficult to give up bread and pasta, etc. Have you heard of the China Study by Campbell? We’ll probably eventually make our way to being vegan and not just vegetarian. Looking forward to reading more of your articles.
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