In my attempt to find a healthy source of cost effective protein, and being interested in raw food diets, I stumbled upon Garden of Eden’s protein formula. The originators believe that the advantage of consuming protein in a raw form directly from nature is that one obtains more than just protein. In its raw form, protein sources from plants and especially from animals have a more complex structural make-up including vitamins, minerals, probiotics, living enzymes, and the 8 essential amino acids, explain the creators on their website. In fact, one of the reasons that Asian people are generally referred to as having very healthy eating habits, is because they are one of the few remaining cultures that consume large amounts of raw protein—fish.  

Garden of Eden contends, “the importance of consuming live probiotics and enzymes with your protein is critical. In order for your body to get the most out of it, you must first break down and then absorb the protein. Certain enzymes, known as proteases, help digest protein so that your body can properly use it. While your body can produce protein digesting enzymes, raw foods provide both the protein and the enzymes for utilization together as they should be.” 

Before agriculture became industrialized, people naturally consumed these complex proteins. Today, Garden of Eden has found a way of reproducing these natural proteins in their two formulas: RAW Protein, and RAW Meal. What’s more the protein formulas are less expensive than hormone free meats, and offer the benefits of being raw. For example, someone weighing 180 pounds would be able to get their protein needs fulfilled for about 5 days on this protein formula that costs $28. For most people interested in balancing the cost and quality of protein, $5.60 a day is a reasonable expense. For more information check out: http://www.transformyourhealth.com/webnewsletters/aug10/crackingtheproteincodearticle.htm