July 29, 2013 @ 3:41 PM

by Cliff Smith

Raw Food Diet ScepticMore studies today are revealing that raw foods are better for you than cooked.  However, it is extremely difficult for even the most conscious health food consumer to get the right nutrients each day from an all-raw diet.

First, it is important to understand why raw foods are best for your health.  Most obviously, in addition to the formation of toxic byproducts, cooking food depletes valuable nutrients.  For example, raw milk is more beneficial in its raw state than after pasteurization.  With raw milk, the body is able to easily absorb the calcium, but after it is pasteurized, the enzymes that aid in absorption are destroyed.  Then, the excess calcium that is not absorbed ends up in joints, contributing to arthritic symptoms such as stiffness in the knees, hands and back.

Another disturbing example of overcooked food was in a recent report on the dangers of Acrylamide in potato chips, “Cancer in a Can: The Shocking True Story of how Pringles are Made” by Dr. Mercola

Potato ChipsIn the report, Dr. Mercola points out, “One of the most hazardous ingredients in potato chips is not intentionally added, but rather is a byproduct of the processing.  Acrylamide, a cancer-causing and potentially neurotoxic chemical, is created when carbohydrate-rich foods are cooked at high temperatures, whether baked, fried, roasted or toasted. Some of the worst offenders include potato chips and French fries, but many foods cooked or processed at temperatures above 212°F (100°C) may contain acrylamide.”  This toxic substance is also found in French fries, bread crusts, toast, cereals and coffee.

French FriesAlso noted in Dr. Mercola's report, "The federal limit for Acrylamide in drinking water is 0.5 parts per billion." Unfortunately, a serving of fries can contain up to 500 times that allowable limit.  Potato chips are so high in Acrylamide that in 2005 the state of California sued potato chip makers for failing to warn consumers about the health risks. A settlement was reached in 2008 when Frito-Lay and some other chip manufacturers “agreed to reduce the Acrylamide levels in their products to 275 parts per billion (ppb) by 2011”.

Another report issued as early as 2005, “How Potato Chips Stack Up: Levels of Cancer-Causing Acrylamide in Popular Brands of Potato Chips,” issued by the California-based Environmental Law Foundation (ELF), was one of the first to reveal the dangers of Acrylamide.  It reported that “all potato chip products tested exceeded the legal limit of acrylamide by a minimum of 39 times, and as much as 910 times!

Grilling MeatAcrylamide is not the only dangerous toxin produced when food is heated excessively.  In 2007, the report, Heat-Generated Food Toxicants (HEATOX), mentioned more than 800 compounds created from cooking foods.  Generally, cooking food at high temperatures is a bad idea. 

From Dr. Mercola’s report here are a few of the most well-known toxins created in high-temperature cooking:

Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs): These form when meat is cooked at high temperatures, and they’re also linked to cancer. In terms of HCA, the worst part of the meat is the blackened section, which is why you should always avoid charring your meat, and never eat blackened sections.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs): When fat drips onto the heat source, causing excess smoke, and the smoke surrounds your food, it can transfer cancer-causing PAHs to the meat.

Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs): When food is cooked at high temperatures (including when it is pasteurized or sterilized), it increases the formation of AGEs in your food. When you eat the food, it transfers the AGEs into your body. AGEs build up in your body over time leading to oxidative stress, inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.”
NuPlus
How to Eat Without the Heat

Some of our consumers have been raw foodists, some meat lovers, and some vegetarians. They all realize how much better they look and feel when they use the Sunrider products in addition to their regular routine.  The Sunrider foods and drinks are all processed at minimal temperatures to avoid destruction of valuable nutrients.  This is why NuPlus and VitaShake are the perfect foods.  The nutrients are instantly and perfectly absorbed by the body then put to use as valuable fuel.

NuPuffsFor healthy snacks, we recommend avoiding all those overly processed chips and bars out there and instead reaching for Sunbars or NuPuffs.

Stop drinking toxic chemicals, drink naturally perfect Fortune Delight or Calli Tea.