The first question to ask when evaluating the quality of any food is, “How far is the food or beverage from its natural state?”  The more processed a food is, the more difficult it is to digest.  The digestive potential for a food is the bottom line, and far more defining than a food’s calorie count. 

Simply, if a food takes longer to digest, it stores more readily as fat.  Raw sprouted wheat berries are in their natural state, while white refined flour has been so processed that the body can’t even recognize it as food and has a hard time digesting it.  So when shopping for functional foods (which you will learn about below) choose foods that are fresh and don’t come already packaged, in a box, bag or frozen with preservatives and unwanted additives. 

Now that we have a better understanding about nutrition-deprived low calorie foods, specifically processed and refined, let’s explore these more natural, nutrient dense foods that are lighter on digestion and help to heal and cleanse the body.  The more nutrient dense foods are those that are unprocessed and are raw.

Unprocessed and Raw Foods

Foods can undergo processes such as fermentation and dehydration, grinding and mixing, but a truly raw food has not been baked, broiled or cooked in any fashion.  These foods are functional, clean and the most nutrient dense foods because they have retained all their natural enzymes and nutrients.  A food loses most nutrients and enzymes when it is heated 115-118 degrees. 

Raw foods are a perfect example of nutrient dense foods that could also be high in calories.  All calories are not created equal.  In the case of raw foods, the portion matters, but the calorie count really does not apply as much because a raw food has all the existing enzymes so it will digest itself.  Raw foods can be high in fat, but they are good fats because they are fats that are natural to the body and the body can actually absorb and utilize these good fats.  What is more is that these natural good fats such as flaxseed, chia seed, hempseed and coconut oil can actually clean out the bad fats such as saturated animal fat, dairy fats, and refined vegetable and seed oils.

Below here are examples of raw foods and foods that have undergone processes that maximize the nutrition value and retain all the digestive enzymes:

• Fermented or cultured foods:  Our stomach and bowels need an acidic state for easy digestion.  To help restore and maintain the necessary acidity in our digestive tract, our diet should include some fermented or cultured foods.  The enzymes created during the fermentation and culturing, actually break down the food, creating little to no digestive effort once consumed into our bodies.  Because predigested foods require less digestive work and no extra enzyme output from your own enzyme pool, your body can assimilate the vital nutrients these foods contain. Examples: Kombucha tea, yogurt, saur kraut, probiotics, miso, sprouted breads/tortillas, raw sprouted pates, sprouted tofu / tempeh
• Nuts and seeds : Nuts and seeds are an excellent source of protein and calcium and are very important to a healthy lifestyle.  They are rich in Vitamin B, B-Complex vitamins, copper, phosphorous, calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium.  They contain unsaturated fat, which means they are easy to digest–with seeds being easier to digest than nuts.  Either can be eaten right out of the shell, soaked in filtered water, or sprouted.  Their nutritional value is enhanced and they become less fatty if they are soaked in water.  Examples: Hemp, chia seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts and almonds are great energy and nutrient-rich choices
• Dehydrated foods: The process of deyhydration dries the moisture, but retains all the live enzymes and nutrients because the food is dried under 115 degrees.  Examples: crackers, cookies, bars, nuts and seeds
• Fresh Fruits and vegetables
• Green Superfoods (green grasses, chlorella, spirulina,)
• Red Superfoods (acai & gogi berry, pomegranate, blueberries, bilberries, etc)
• Whole Grains: Whole grains are best when they have been soaked in water and sprouted.  They are easy to digest and provide sustained energy.  They can be eaten raw or ground and baked into products such as bread, tortillas, etc. 
• Raw Oils: Cold Pressed oils, such as hemp, coconut and flaxseed oil that are raw and organic will not make you gain weight and help to cleanse the colon and keep you feeling satiated longer.  Raw foods rich in good fats are also important and gentle on digestion including avocados, young coconut, raw nuts and seeds, etc.

Related posts:

1. Why We Need More Raw Foods
2. Get Healthier & Leaner with Alkaline Foods & Water
3. The Importance of Soaking & Sprouting
4. The Carbohydrate Dilemma
5. Enzymes: The Energy Lifeforce