I love talking nutrition. I'm a hobbyist at this point. My daughter is raw vegan (not pushy about it at all) and now I'm looking into enzymes (which we lack as we age and I'm turning 48 soon) and how they are absolutely essential to good health.
Now I'm on this kick of trying to incorporate more enzymes in the form of fruits and raw vegies into my diet. It is amazing to not only see, but experience the difference in the way your body looks and functions when you're eating more raw fruits and vegies. My favorite fruit just happens to be . . .
kiwi.
Enzymes 101:
Enzymes are things that God put in fruits and vegies. Enzymes break down the food it is in and this makes digesting it (and meats and dairy) easier on our bodies
Anything containing enzymes and heated above 118 degrees is considered dead food since the vitamins and enzymes (that God put in the foods to break down its flesh to something more easily digestible) were cooked out if it. (Nutritious as thorns and thistles, come to think of it.) For instance, nuts. Nuts are always roasted when you want to really bring out their flavor, but you can go into convulsions if you don't chew them (add enough saliva) enough before you swallow them. Happened to my father in his 20s.
When we're young our bodies produced enzymes in quantities we need to break down our food (if our bodies were in proper working order); not so as we age -- when we age we manufacture less enzymes.
And I cringe when I think of how most of my meals were all cooked, so obviously I wasn't getting the nutrients I needed. That's where the term "overfed and undernourished" comes from. I was basically starving my body (not intentionally) potentially leaving me vulnerable to all kinds of diseases.
Still, others aren't interested in eating healthy and I understand that too. I'm not judging. And I'm not saying a person has to be vegan to be healthy. Lord knows I love a good prime rib steak (and I'm not apologizing for it) with a little dollop of horse radish on the ssssiiiiiide.
Dinner tonite: raw smoothie of soaked cashews, spinach, and sliced banana and berries (with a side of egg salad). Surprisingly I didn't have to choke down the smoothie--though it didn't help that it's soooo green. I don't know why I don't like green food. It's actually a very nice color. I guess I don't like the way it looks at the end of my fork or in my smoothie. I tend to think it should stay right where it came from -- out in a meadow somewhere where Bambi and Thumper can enjoy it. ;-D