Human beings have been eating raw foods for all of human history. Trend diets come and go, and controversies about what to eat for optimal health go on and on, but there is no disputing the fact that raw fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts have always been an important part of a healthy diet.

The modern history of raw, living food diets stretches back thousands of years to the people of ancient Greece. Herodotus, the father of history, the Essenes, Pythagoras, Plato and Socrates all ate and thrived on living and raw foods.

In the early twentieth century, Dr. Max Gerson discovered the healing effects of raw foods and began using them with great success in his practice. Gerson saw firsthand how raw foods enhance the immune system, protect against disease, and support the vital regenerative force of the entire body. Gerson also cured cancer with live foods and in 1958 published the book Cancer Therapy-Results of 50 Cases.

Raw foods gained prominence throughout the 1900’s, as proponents such as Ann Wigmore, founder of The Hippocrates Institute, and Herbert Shelton, prominent American health educator and author, claimed that a diet of raw fruits and vegetables is the ideal diet for humans.

Today, the raw food lifestyle is practiced widely. Still, it is not necessary to eat exclusively raw foods to begin to experience the increased vitality and health that raw foods promote.