Raw foods must be foods not cooked above 115 degrees in order to preserve the vitamins and minerals found in vegetables and fruits. Most all raw foodists have chosen not only to eat only raw foods, but also to eliminate all animal fats and byproducts such as meats and dairy in order to optimize their healthy results with a raw foods lifestyle. This is due to the fact that most animal fats and dairy cause not only improper digestion in our bodies, but can also be the source of allergy and intolerance for many people.

The raw food diet is not only helpful in the short term with the feelings of health and wellbeing that come from proper digestive health but it is also necessary in the long term in order to prevent serious conditions and chronic disease, such as Lupus.

Lupus is a serious autoimmune disease that can cause mild to severe inflammation in the joints, blood, brain, kidneys, heart, and skin. These inflammations are characterized by extreme pain and swelling in one or more of the noted areas of the body. Lupus is a chronic disease most commonly develops between the ages of 15 and 45, and is currently like most autoimmune diseases in the body, incurable, but depending upon the severity, still treatable.

Approximately, 2 million people in the U.S. have some strain of Lupus with about 15,000 developing Lupus each year. The prevalence of the Lupus disease in America is found predominantly in more women than men, by about 90%. Moreover, the disease is found most often to occur in Native American, African American, Latino, and Asian women than Caucasian women.

The cause of Lupus is still unknown, though many studies have linked its prevalence to age, sex, and lifestyle factors such as diet. Of course, it should be noted that like with all diseases and conditions a healthy lifestyle should not be overlooked as vital factors in deterring disease, such as: regular exercise, not smoking, and overall healthy choices.

So how is it that eating certain foods could have a direct impact upon not only our susceptibility to certain autoimmune deficiency diseases, such as Lupus but also the speed of progress that these diseases display in our bodies? Many studies and research has been done on the origin and cause of autoimmune diseases, such as Lupus, but few can tie this disease directly to one thing or another, though there are some common trends. One of these is diet.

Due to a variety of worldly factors such as environment, economy, and technology, the all American diet has become more and more dependent upon processed foods, refined sugars, and low-enzyme, low nutrient content foods. These foods, though convenient and cheap, offer no quality ingredients to our body's functions, processes, and overall maintenance of health. Our bodies need certain amounts of certain vitamins and minerals to be able to function properly and efficiently and to ward off disease. Without proper nutrition, our bodies become infected with poisons that deteriorate our system and incapacitate our abilities to protect ourselves from infection and disease. Lupus is just one example of improper nutrition.

Though a variety of other factors can contribute to the onset of mild to serious Lupus, one thing is certain: proper nutrition is necessary for bodily health. Without bodily health, our immune systems suffer and can turn on themselves-such as is the case with an autoimmune disease such as Lupus.

Well, a diet that is rich in vitamins, nutrients, and minerals that offers enzymes for optimal digestion and bodily health. These foods are primarily raw vegetables and fruits. Raw vegetables and fruits, as mentioned, carry with them vital nutrients for our body's function and processes. With raw vegetables, fruits, grains, and seeds, the raw food diet our bodies can digest and process foods for proper energy use, storage, and elimination of wastes so that all organs, tissues, and blood is never overworking or being impeded by extraneous material as is found in animal fats, dairy, and cooked or processed foods. This, in turn, limits the onset of disease, condition, or autoimmune deficiency.

Raw foodism has come to gain ground not only for how it makes people feel emotionally, psychologically, and physically but also for the strong links it has to more and more cases of repressed disease and prevention of disease. Scientists and doctors alike have started to put more importance upon digestion in our overall bodily health than ever before, and they are seeing that the connection to chronic and mild conditions is not a factor to be ignored.

Food is vital for our subsistence, so wouldn't it make sense that we must choose wisely when deciding how to subsist? Our bodies were not designed to be able to handle foreign material such as cooked or modified foods, refined sugars, processed foods, and supremely fatty foods; because these foods contain extraneous material that we just do not know how to digest. These indigestible materials have no choice but to be stored in our bodies, and ferment into a condition in the organ or tissue of its choice. Making a return to nature with all raw foods and veggies is now our only means of bodily health and survival.

By TTS Cofounder Botanical Chef Omid Jaffari