When it comes to raw food and diet,  it is important to understand that every body is different. Every body has different needs. We rarely think about this. But it you take into consideration what the range of “normal” is for many medical tests, it is vast. It is going to be up to you to figure out what is best for your body in terms of raw food.

I happen to love garlic. I have friends who can’t tolerate it. I have a girlfriend who gets violently ill from green peppers and another one who can go into shock from crab. We even know that peanuts can kill some. Others can eat them by the truck load. My point?

It’s all about biochemical individuality. Introduced by world renowned biochemist Roger Williams, PH.D. back in 1956, biochemical individuality points out, amongst other things that nutritional needs vary among different people for optimal function. He even discovered that identical twins could have different needs.

The most exciting piece of research that he introduced is that your nutritional profile, or what you eat, can have a direct impact on the expression of your genes. What was old is new again as today’s molecular biologists are intently studying this and reporting the same findings.

What does this mean? It means that there is a direct relationship between what you eat and your body’s ability to fight off disease and also heal itself. This is a very important piece of information to keep in mind as you figure out what what works and what doesn’t work for your own body.

There are some basic premises that we can start with. We know that nutrient void highly processed, highly sugared foods are not good for us. Our bodies are designed to be self-healing. But they can only do this if they get the right nutrients. Real problems arise when we fill up on empty calories, neglecting the nutrient rich raw foods. I compare it to putting water in your gas tank and expecting your car to not have problems.

We know that nutrient dense food is the best for our body. Raw food has the most nutrients, fiber, vitamins, photo chemicals, etc. in tact. It is like giving your car the highest octane fuel possible. But assuming that every raw food is great for every body simply because it is raw can create problems for some. Never assume that because something works great for you, it is the only answer for everyone else.

I encourage you to find out what is working for you and what is not. If you are present and really listen to your body, it will tell you. If you suspect a food is giving you a problem, eliminate it for a while. See how you respond when you bring it back in. Let’s also remember, what works for us might not work for others. It is all about discovering your individual needs and realizing other people’s needs might be different.