The raw food movement originated during the Natural Hygiene movement of the 1800s.

This movement defines “raw food” as food that is not heated/cooked at temperatures greater than 115 to 118 degrees F. This is thought to preserve nutrients, enzymes, diminish the energy used for cooking, and keep food in its most natural form.

A raw food diet is generally based on fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouted/soaked grains and legumes. Typically, raw foodists are vegan (100% plant-based). However, some raw foodists also consume raw fish, meat and dairy.

Digesting raw vs cooked foods

It’s been reported that raw foods elicit a minimal response from the immune system after we eat them. Conversely, after consuming cooked food, white blood cell levels can increase, which may indicate a mild stress response in the body.

Raw food is costly, metabolically speaking, to eat and digest. We need to chew a lot, and the body needs to do more work to break down what we consume. We tend to obtain less energy from raw foods.

Today, some might view this as beneficial. Yet, in times of scarcity, the idea of getting less energy from food while expending more energy to eat and digest it wasn’t very appealing.