A food processing pyramid designed by Udo Erasmus perfectly illustrates how processed foods rise in toxicity and potential health dangers as we move from the bottom, based on raw foods, to the top of the pyramid based on hydrogenated, superheated toxic foods which promote disease.
Generally speaking, the faster a food spoils, the higher the nutrient density it contains.
Living foods will perish within days to weeks while processed foods can last months or even years due to the removal of all microorganisms, enzymes, oxygen, and moisture in food.
As we move away from raw foods and progress to ultra processed foods, shelf life increases and so does disease.
1st Level – RAW FOODS
The base of the FOOD PROCESSING PYRAMID consists of raw foods.
Ideally, these should be fresh, whole foods, locally grown in your own geographical area. Foods should be grown organically without herbicides, pesticides or chemical fertilizers; they should be sun-ripened and in-season.
Human beings are the end-result of millions of years of successful evolution in Nature. Since time immemorial, raw, vital foods have formed the basis of diets for all living organisms.