Did you know that a species—living in the pristine wild and eating natural, uncooked food—typically lives to seven times its maturation rate? By these standards, you should live to be 140! So what went wrong? Why are humans getting sick, often at half our potential lifespan?

Research by Dr. Paul Kouchakoff (and later Dr. Howard Loomis) has proven that when you eat cooked food, your white blood cells increase. This means your body is trying to fight off an invasion. But if you eat the food raw, this phenomenon doesn’t occur.

Cooking foods above 118 F not only destroys the enzymes and other nutrients, but also creates chemical chaos which people will never be able to adapt to because of the unpredictability of the chemicals.

In 1916, Louis Maillard proved that cooking creates an endless chain of toxic molecules now called “Maillard molecules.” When proteins are cooked, up to 50% will not be assimilated. When cooked at high temperatures, cancer –forming mutagens begin to form at 154 F. Cooking meat forms heterocyclic amines. Cooking fats forms lipid peroxides. Cooking carbohydrates forms acrylamides. All of these age you faster, tie up a large chunk of your immune system, and put you on the path to un-wellness.

This explains why people who eat a large percentage of their diet as raw foods are more youthful, energetic, and healthy. If you must cook, cook briefly and at low temperatures. Use a wok or steam the food.

Susan Schenck, LAc, MTOM, is raw food coach, lecturer, and author of The Live Food Factor, The Comprehensive Guide to the Ultimate Diet for Body, Mind, Spirit & Planet. Go to

www.livefoodfactor.com to check out more free articles.