Raw Food Terms
The Language of Raw Food
Before embarking on the raw food journey, it might be wise to explore some of the lingo associated with it. Here is a short list of some terms you may encounter:
Raw foodists or Rawists: those who thrive on the live energy of raw foods
Living Food Diet or the Raw Food Diet: a diet made up of organic, natural plant foods
Natural Hygiene: is a science of health and its advocates are called “natural hygienists”—most of whom follow a raw foods diet
Fruitarianism: is the practice of a diet that excludes everything but fruit, seeds, and certain vegetables.
Raw veganism: is the practice of a diet that disallows consumption of all animal products but allows for uncooked fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains and legumes in the diet
Raw vegetarianism: is the practice of a diet that excludes all animal flesh, including poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustaceans; vegetarianism allows for uncooked fruit, vegetables, sprouts, nuts, seeds, grains, legumes, dairy, eggs and honey in the diet
Sproutarianism: allows for mainly sprouted seeds in the diet
Dehydration: is the process of heating foods at a maximum temperature of 100-120 degrees. This supposedly preserves digestive enzymes and increases the life of the food.
Living foods: foods which still have live enzymes circulating in them
Raw food: food that is grown and eaten in its uncooked form
Enzymes: catalyzed proteins that break down food so that the organism can absorb it; raw foodists say that raw foods are packed with enzymes
Enzyme inhibitors: present in seeds and nuts, these can interfere with the body’s enzyme production. Sprouting the seeds/nuts is said to reduce enzyme inhibitors.
Sprouting: involves soaking seeds, nuts or beans for several hours until the food begins to develop a tail-like protrusion on one end