Are raw foods healthy?  Yes and no.

Some foods are meant to be eaten raw, and can strengthen our health, depending on what they are, where you live, your present condition, and the time of year.

Here are some good reasons why you should be VERY careful with raw food at this time of year (mid to late Winter):

• We need mostly well-cooked foods this time of year: roots, bean dishes, boiled grains, and well-cooked land/sea vegetables, with sea salt or shoyu/tamari.
• Raw foods such as broccoli and cauliflower can harm us, especially our thyroid gland.
• Many vegetables and fruits are grown with pesticides, which are toxic to the liver, cause allergic reactions, and are weakening. When cooked, the pesticides are transformed into less-harmful molecules.
• If tropical foods such as avocado, kiwi, bananas, coconut, pineapple, grapefruit and papaya don’t grow in your climate (in Greater Boston e.g.), eating them often is weakening. These are grown in tropical (warmer and wetter) climates. In the winter, it’s a more pronounced difference.
• Raw foods are often unwashed. Please wash thoroughly to remove bacteria, pesticide residues, etc.