Functions of Selenium and Absorption

In the body, selenium becomes a part of various enzymes that protect us from “oxidative stress.” As part of the antioxidant team (with vitamins C and E), selenium prevents oxidative damage to heart cells, red blood cells, and other cells by transforming free radicals into harmless molecules. Selenium-containing enzymes convert a thyroid hormone to its active form, and thyroid problems can be linked to low selenium intakes. Selenium is best absorbed and utilized in the organic form that is present in foods and where it is linked with the amino acid methionine.^108–110

Dietary Sources of Selenium

As with iodine, soil levels of selenium vary greatly from one part of the world to another. Soil levels of selenium in Europe and central Asia are low, whereas soil levels and dietary intakes in North America tend to be higher. Some favorite raw-food sources of this mineral are asparagus, cherimoya, most seeds, and the selenium superstar, the Brazil nut (which is botanically a seed, not a nut, and generally comes from Bolivia, not Brazil). Half of a large Brazil nut provides a day’s selenium supply! Nutritional yeast and shiitake mushrooms also provide selenium. Cooking does not change selenium from its organic to its inorganic form.^108–110

SODIUM

Raw Research

Humans evolved on diets that were much lower in sodium than they are today.^{9, 111} Over history, salt was not always easy to come by and was highly valued, hence the biblical saying “the salt of the earth.” Roman soldiers received salt as part of their pay, and the word “salary” originated from this practice. Now, 10 percent of the sodium consumed by North Americans is from what occurs naturally in foods, 75 percent comes from processed foods, and 15 percent is from salt sprinkled on foods at the table. Average sodium intakes from natural and processed foods exceed the recommended upper limit (UL) and are in the range of 2,320–4,720 milligrams per day—and that’s without any added table salt.

Most young adults should keep their daily sodium intake between 1,500 and 2,300 milligrams; however, people over the age of forty, those with hypertension, and all African Americans should limit their sodium intake to 1,500 milligrams. For those age fifty to seventy, the lower limit of the range is 1,300 milligrams per day, and for seventy years of age and older, it is 1,200 milligrams per day. In the raw diets of the people studied, many of whom were over fifty years of age, average intakes of sodium cluster around the lower end of the recommended ranges (see table 9.2, page 185) due to an avoidance of processed foods. The favorable balance between relatively low sodium intakes and high potassium intakes is a positive feature of raw diets.^{70, 85}

Functions of Sodium

Due to its ability to attract water, sodium plays an important role in maintaining the proper amount of fluid between the cells of our body. It’s a central part of our body’s internal communication system, because sodium is essential for the electrical current that allows the transmission of nerve impulses. This mineral is also a part of the digestive secretions from the pancreas.

A sodium deficiency can occur when considerable salt is lost through perspiration over the course of many hours of physical labor or during endurance athletic events, particularly in hot environments. Excess sodium intakes (above 2,400–3,000 milligrams per day) are problematic for older people with established hypertension and for salt-sensitive individuals.

Dietary Sources of Sodium

Sun-dried tomatoes and sea vegetables tend to be rich sources of sodium in raw diets. The raw condiment Nama Shoyu provides 240–282 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon (5 milliliters). Condiments that are not raw but are used in similar ways include tamari (with 233–320 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon) and Bragg Liquid Aminos (with 217 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon). Check the product labels for exact amounts in various brands.

Many people on raw diets find unrefined, unheated sea salts to be preferable to regular table salt that has been refined, heated, and then enriched with iodine. Unrefined salts contain trace minerals in amounts that are miniscule compared with the DRIs, plus they deliver miniscule amounts of heavy metals, such as lead. Unfortunately, unrefined salt lacks iodine, as this is lost in the drying process. Some unrefined salts are mixed with kelp, making them a source of iodine.

ZINC

Raw Research

Studies have shown that adults on raw vegan diets consume less than the recommended amounts of zinc, especially when their calorie intakes are low. In the Giessen study in Germany, average intakes met the DRI for women but not the higher DRI for men (see table 9.2, page 185).^{40, 71} In the Hallelujah Acres diet, average zinc intakes fell below the DRIs for 62 percent of the group. In the subgroup, whose low caloric intakes were 60 percent or less of recommended levels, almost no one met the goal for zinc intake.^{72, 103} A Finnish study showed average zinc intakes of those on living-food diets to be 92 percent of the DRIs. Lab tests showed the Finns to have higher levels of antioxidant enzymes that depend on zinc, which the scientists took as an indicator of good zinc absorption from the sprouted and fermented foods in the diet.⁷⁴

Functions of Zinc

Zinc takes part in numerous highly important reactions throughout the body. It is essential to cell division and the generation of new cells. Zinc is necessary for the elimination of carbon dioxide, other aspects of respiration, maintaining the acid-base balance in the body, wound healing, immune system functions, and our ability to taste. It helps build protein, blood, and DNA and is crucial at times of growth and reproduction. Symptoms of zinc deficiency include poor appetite, a reduced ability to taste, and a weakened immune system. Certain tissues and fluids in the body contain relatively high concentrations of zinc; these include the iris and retina of the eye, and also the prostate, sperm, and seminal fluid.⁶⁹ In fact, men lose about 0.6 milligrams of zinc with each seminal emission—about 5 percent of the recommended intake for the day.¹¹² (This can be replenished with a handful of almonds, cashews, pine nuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds.)

Dietary Sources of Zinc

Zinc is concentrated in plant parts that are closely involved with the generation of new plant life—legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. It also is present in berries that have seeds in them, durians, and nutritional yeast. Because nuts and seeds are good sources of zinc, keep a bowl of them handy to snack on, or carry a supply of trail mix. Sprouting lentils and mung beans and soaking nuts, seeds, and whole grains greatly increases our ability to absorb zinc from these foods. These processes break down phytate, allowing our bodies access to the zinc we need for abundant good health.^{65, 85, 95, 113}

TABLE 9.4 Minerals in raw foods

CHAPTER 10

The Great Enzyme Controversy

In the raw-food community, food enzymes are commonly considered the single most important dietary component for longevity, disease prevention, and overall well-being. Certainly, vitamins and minerals are recognized for their contributions, but enzymes are viewed as the missing link to health. In the mainstream medical world, food enzymes don’t even rate a paragraph in a textbook; they are considered rather irrelevant to human health. When it comes to the enzymes in food, the two schools of thought couldn’t be further apart. In this chapter, we’ll investigate the roots of the food-enzyme theory (also known as the food-enzyme concept) and scrutinize the scientific literature to try and make sense of this discrepancy.