We’re asked this question a lot from our friends and acquaintances, and it makes sense since the benefits of raw aren’t widely known. To be fair, it wasn’t that long ago that we had to ask this question ourselves and now we are more than happy to share. And when we talk about raw foods, we’re talking about foods that haven’t been heated to above 118 degrees Fahrenheit.
Put simply (pun intended), our on-the-spot answer is that raw foods still have the natural enzymes that help break down the food and improve digestion. Since digestion is one of your bodies most energy draining activities, less energy spent on digestion frees up more energy to be used on cleansing and recovery. Thus, one of the benefits you’ll hear from individuals when they eat raw foods, including us, is that they have more energy.
Another reason is that for certain foods, cooking reduces the amount of nutrients and the body’s ability to absorb the nutrients that are in the food. Vitamins B and C are two nutrients that are reduced when food is cooked. And the roasting of nuts reduces the availability and absorbability of protein.
Cooking also changes how food tastes. While this ‘huge insight’ probably isn’t news to you, the point is that our RAW BALLS™ have a unique flavor that you won’t find in other snacks that use baked or roasted ingredients. Taste is a matter of preference, and we believe the combination of raw ingredients in our RAW BALLS™ and other raw foods provide a culinary experience you won’t find in cooked foods.
In a nutshell, these are the points we touch upon when we’re asked, “Why Raw?” There is a lot of information online (some science-heavy and some not) and we encourage everyone to take a look when they have the chance. While we don’t follow a purely raw diet, we’ll always reach for raw when there’s a great tasting raw alternative!