As we were growing up Mom told us to clean our plates. "Children are starving in India." So, kind--hearted as we were, didn't we suggest Mom pack up all the yucky green stuff and ship it to those poor kiddies?
We weren't really too sure what an artichoke was--it may have choked Artie, but it sure wasn't going to choke us! Spinach was for Popeye. We were on Wimpy's side. A hamburger (with trimmings) was the only way to fly. Throw in the french fries and milkshake and most of the basic food groups were covered.
Today messages from the American Heart Association, National Cancer Institute, National Institute for Health, and Mom are telling us to eat at least five servings each of raw fruits and vegetables every day. It's not fair!
"Real" experts out there do care about our health, and they want us to care, too.
What is all this about Fiber, Enzymes, and Phytochemicals, anyway?
We hear now that we are not getting enough raw ripe fruits and vegetables to keep us healthy. We are too busy in this Turbo--paced society to take the time to fix balanced meals for ourselves and our families. If we do fix a meal at home it is usually nuked in the micro-wave oven which kills any semblance of enzymes that may have been present when the food was picked. Enzymes? What's that? Those are the little critters found in raw foods that help your body digest its food and utilize it correctly.
Eating raw carrots, beets, spinach, & kale gives you vitamins and fiber. Fiber does good stuff for your body. It shortens the time it takes your system to digest food and eliminate it therefore helping prevent constipation and bowel diseases.
Phytochemicals are therapeutic chemical compounds in plants that actually help prevent diseases! Such a hot item the drug companies are trying to synthesize them!
So, Mom was right. She told us to eat our fruits and vegetables, but at least she didn't make us eat em raw!