Standard American Diet

For about six years now, I have scrutinized what I ate. I usually lived by two rules: 1.) the less ingredients the better and 2.) no eating 3 hours before bedtime. But not until I started this raw food diet transition did I notice some bad habits of mine beyond my scrutiny. Almost everything I ate was either cooked or processed (cooked/preserved before packaging). Except for my raw salads, I boiled, stir-fried, or baked everything. I also had a heavy dairy intake and I never ate fresh fruit.

In general, food in its natural state is better for you. We are the only creatures on earth that cook our food. All carnivorous and herbivore animals eat their food raw. According to the Hallelujah Diet and other raw food resources, heating food over 120 degrees "kills" it. By not eating "living" food, we apparently eat less nutritious and harder to digest food.

According to the Hallelujah Diet and other raw food sources, animal products are terrible for humans. Both meat and animal by-products like dairy and eggs are extremely hard to digest.

Foods to Avoid - Hallelujah Acres website recommendations

How many of you know people who are struggling with digestive tract issues? I know at least eight people in my small circle of Lancaster County friends that have major issues varying from IBS to Celiacs Disease. They are all females and in their late twenties and early thirties. Some have had children, some do not. Most have excruciating pain and their lives are turned upside down by doctor's visits and near constant diet changes. Many times, they receive no answers and have to live with these issues. What if our Standard American Diet is the contributing factor to these problems?

I plan on researching this much further before I make any personal conclusions. I welcome input from anyone who struggles with digestive track issues.

On another note: Dinner tonight = Indian food!! Basmati rice, split peas and lentils in curry, vegetarian sausage and a big spinach salad with nuts, other fresh veggies and homemade vinaigrette dressing. Dessert? Maybe a few Fuji apple slices :)