The Health Benefits of a Raw Food Diet

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A raw food diet is just that, eating your food uncooked. Believe it or not there are many people throughout the world who live on a raw food diet. Because of the socialization of some of us we may find this fact a little repulsive when we think about it, but it’s true.

We can look into every culture and find the consumption of some type of raw food within it. Many Asian cultures, for example, consume raw fish along with raw vegetables with their meals. In the western parts of the world those who maintain a raw food diet are known as foodists.

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A raw food diet will increase one’s energy. Often, when we cook food, many of the vitamins and nutrients that give us energy are lost in the cooking process, not to forget that whenever we cook food, major chemical changes take place in the food. What often happens is that the good stuff is cooked out and is replaced by toxins.

Upon consuming the cooked food the immune system then produces more white blood cells to fight off these toxins. The end result is a weakening of the immune system because it is working over-time to rid the body of invaders. Moreover, because the body is doing more work to process cooked foods, there is a loss of essential energy.

Eating raw foods can help reduce and even eliminate diseases and illnesses. In the eating of raw foods the vitamins and nutrients in those foods are left intact and are not lost or converted into toxins. The body can then use these vitamins and nutrients more efficiently and effectively to combat diseases and illnesses.

And this is another reason why those who eat raw foods have more energy. It’s because the body does not have to work as hard to process the raw foods into a usable resource.

Many people who eat raw foods are also able to maintain a more normal and balanced body weight. Often when we cook foods we use cooking oils, lard or butter. The body has a very difficult time breaking these fats down and rather than waste energy the body will store them within itself.

After a period of time these fats build up, thus adding weight to the body. Not only does fat affect the shape of the body, but it also causes the body to burn more energy to move about because of the extra weight.

There are a large number of diet plans and weight loss programs that suggest the consumption of raw foods. Eating raw foods is believed to be healthier because the enzymes in those foods are not lost as they are if they were cooked. Enzymes break down macromolecules into smaller building blocks the body uses to grow and maintain itself. Enzymes also help the body with basic house cleaning and the elimination of toxins.

Moreover, when we eat cooked foods the stomach produces more acid than if we to eat raw foods. The acid that is generated by the stomach to break down cooked foods can create indigestion, heart burn, and other unpleasant stomach problems. With a raw food diet the generation of stomach acid is greatly reduced and even nearly non-existent. Because of the reduction of stomach acids the digestive system functions much better. A raw food diet can certainly be an advantage for those who do suffer from stomach or digestive issues.

Raw food diets have also been shown to reduce the risks of circulatory and heart disease. As we have mentioned before, the vitamins and nutrients are not cooked out raw foods. These vitamins and nutrients are what help the body fight cancerous type cells. Additionally, many raw foods, like some vegetables for example, help dilate blood vessels so the blood flows more easily throughout the body. Again, it not only becomes an issue of health, but an issue of energy as well. It takes energy to pump blood through the body. The harder it becomes the more energy the body must expend to get blood to where it needs to be.

The Healthy Way to do Raw Food Diets

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In recent years, much has been said about the positive effects of a raw diet. Book after book, and article after article has spoken of the negative impact that too much heat can have on foods. Vitamins break down, carbohydrates loose their nutritional value, fats become toxic, and proteins are rendered virtually indigestible.

Still, that doesn’t mean you just eat any food at all that you want raw. There are some measures you do need to follow to ensure you stay healthy on the raw food diet. Like anything else in life, the key is moderation. Too much of anything, even something good, can be detrimental.

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As an example, years ago people were touting the grapefruit diet as a great way to lose weight. The idea was, you ate nothing but grapefruit (hence the name). You could eat as many as you wanted, so long as that was all you ate. Well, that’s not good for you! Fruits contain acid; too much acid can upset the pH of your body, and will also damage your teeth. On top of that, fruit is lacking in terms of some of the nutrients you need for good health. You need balance. So, point one: meet with a doctor or dietitian and set up a good, healthy raw diet suited to your needs.

Next, be sure you eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and that it’s locally grown wherever possible. Now, this does mean that you’ll have to do without some fruits for some periods of the year, but it’s best for your overall health. Too much dried fruits can give you stomach and/or intestinal troubles (sometimes as simple as just gas), and be bad for your teeth.

Or, eating fruit that’s not grown locally means you don’t know under what conditions it was grown. What sort of pesticides and chemicals were used on it? What sort of soil was it grown in? These days, with the global economy, you could eat fruit from any place on earth! That gives you variety, sure. But wherever possible it really is better to stick with what you know, and learn to do without when some things are out of season.

Nuts make up a large part of a raw food diet. Here again, moderation is called for. Too many people start in on a raw diet, and start eating too many nuts. Nuts are naturally high in fat. Now, your body needs fat as part of its normal biological processes, but only a certain amount. If you load up your diet with avocados, nuts, and oils, that’s not healthy. Not only is there the issue of the fat, but some people have trouble digesting nuts.

Here again, this is why meeting with your doctor to discuss a raw diet first is the key to adopting a healthy lifestyle. If you find yourself getting very tired after eating some nuts, your body is having trouble metabolizing them, and you should stop. Ironically, if your body has trouble with nuts, this can lead to you suddenly craving a host of other foods; some you may have never been interested in before!

Finally, there’s the issue of knowing your source. Not for the foods you eat, but the advice you get. Your best friend may tell you how great their raw food diet is, and that you should do the same. Well, thank them, and then go see your doctor. Something as simple as a food allergy can undo all the sincere advice your friend gives you. As an example, if they’re eating a diet rich in whole grains, and you have an allergy to gluten, your doctor will tell you to substitute whole rice for grain.

Just follow a few simple steps, and you can be sure that your raw food diet is perfectly suited to your needs. Why not give the raw food diet a go and see how you can benefit from it?

To Cook or Not to Cook: Heating Foods and What It Means

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Did you know that human beings are the only creatures on Earth that heat up their food before eating it? Think about it: do you know of any animals that cook anything that they eat in any way, shape or form?

Not only are we the only species that applies heat to what they consume on a regular basis, but in relation to the life span of other species, human beings have some of the shortest life expectancy rates of any other living creature.

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Only species that cooks food; shortest life expectancy compared to the rest of living things. Coincidence? Think again.

Humans, like other species on Earth, are biologically adapted to eating raw foods. The human body is built to be able to break down raw foods into the most basic nutrients, vitamins, minerals and proteins that are needed to survive, using them as effective body fuel for everyday living. Heat breaks down the chemical and nutritional makeup of food, eliminating important nutrients that our bodies crave and need. Add to that harmful toxins and pesticides, preservatives and artificial additives, and it becomes so much more evident why humans don’t live as long as they should. In essence, we are killing our bodies by feeding them inappropriately.

By contrast, eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has many countless benefits. It is widely known that a diet that focuses on raw foods is great for the skin, for example. Fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins that help your complexion stay soft, supple, and healthy, and, not surprisingly, they are a wonderful source of hydration and energy. In addition, grains, legumes and other raw produce are high in fiber and protein, helping with digestion and functioning of vital organs.

One of the most exciting and significant benefits found in eating uncooked foods is how it encourages the body to break down foods properly and efficiently, significantly decreasing and in some cases eliminating harmful toxins that are secreted out of our bodies. As a result, out bodies are able to maintain much healthier chemical levels. The human body then becomes a well-oiled machine, breaking down harmful chemicals, boosting the immune system and eliminating harmful excesses from the body.

It is no coincidence that conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension have all been linked to dietary habits, which is exactly why it should also come as no surprise that studies show a significant decrease in these illnesses among people who practice raw food and vegan lifestyles. But did you know that scientific studies now show that people who are on raw food and extreme vegan diets are at a lower risk for developing many types of cancers, including breast and colon cancers? Or that they are also at a lower risk of developing heart disease? In addition, those who practice raw food diets are less prone to mental conditions like depression and anxiety, all the while maintaining sharp reflexes and great memory.

These are just some of the ways that the human body is predisposed to the Raw Food lifestyle, and why in the long run it may be beneficial to you to consider changing your eating habits to a more natural, organic, and ultimately healthier way of living. By joining the ranks of those who are switching over to the raw food diet and ditching unhealthy eating practices, you will be helping both your body and your mind become the best that they can be.

Why go Raw? (A Wonderfully Fit Perspective)

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The raw food diet is becoming very popular these days. It is obvious what the raw food diet is. Most of the food that you eat on a raw food diet needs to be raw or as close to its natural state as possible.

Now don’t go getting all squeamish on me. We’re not talking about eating raw meat here. The raw food diet is a largely vegan diet. There is also some room for maneuver in the raw food diet too as the people who support it say that to get the maximum health benefits from the raw food diet you only have to make sure that approximately eight per cent of what you eat needs to be raw.

 

 

People who support the raw food diet as a healthy lifestyle argue that foods on their natural state contain the optimum balance of enzymes, vitamins and minerals that we need. They argue that the enzymes contained in raw food and which are killed off by cooking, will help people to digest their food more fully and so derive more nutritional value from it. That places less stress on the body to produce its own digestive enzymes.

Raw food supporters also believe that the cooking we normally do to our food destroys their natural vitamins and minerals and that food takes longer to digest in this cooked, unnatural state. The cooked food therefore hangs around longer in the gut while the body attempts to digest it. The proteins, carbohydrates and fats which have not been fully digested therefore become waste products.

These waste products slow down the food’s transit through the gut, causing constipation, bloating, stomach cancer etc, while the fats tend to clog up the arteries. A raw food diet, which is higher in fiber too, pushes the food more quickly through the gut and there are fewer waste by-products which are left around to cause problems to the body.

Basically, a raw food diet makes your whole digestion process a lot more efficient. It delivers more of the essential vitamins and nutrients which our bodies need and leaves behind fewer waste products which can become harmful to our bodies.

The health benefits of the raw food diet include an increase in energy as your body is maximizing the amount of nutrients it actually gets where it needs it; plus the body has to work less hard in order to process the raw food.
You should find that your skin looks more clear on the raw food diet. That is because your body is taking in fewer toxins which would cause skin eruptions. The raw food diet is a good detox!

Your digestive system will work more efficiently on the raw food diet. Food will pass through the gut more quickly and waste will be expelled regularly. That is great for avoiding health problems like IBS and stomach cancer.

You may also find that you lose weight and manage your weight more effectively on the raw food diet. It is lower in fat that most people’s eating habits. There is less fat hung around in the body to clog up arteries and pile on the pounds. That in turn reduces your risk of contracting heart disease.

All in all, then, you can see that eating a diet that is comprised of at least eighty per cent raw fruit and vegetable sis great for your health. You will lessen your risk of serious diseases and generally look and feel better while you follow the raw food diet.

What is Raw Foodism?

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Alternative diets, like raw foodism,  have been present since time began. Today, when human beings have a greater understanding of the environment and their own bodies, there are several alternative diets that have been embraced on a worldwide basis.

Raw foodism, better known as Rawism or the Raw Food Diet, is just one of the many alternate diets around today. It has grown in popularity because of the great health benefits it is said that one can derive from eating in this way.

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The raw food diet arises from the concept that fruit and vegetables, when eaten in their raw state, are more beneficial for the human being. Some individuals believe that the food eaten in its raw state is more beneficial to the human body as well as making them more energetic. Therefore, the people who follow a raw food diet will largely eat uncooked food. These individuals also eat unprocessed food or organic foods.

Usually eighty per cent of the raw food diet is commonly consumed its natural state. It’s a popular misconception that everything you eat on a raw food diet must be totally raw. Most experts who support the raw food diet say that you can get all the benefits of the raw food diet from eating eighty per cent of your diet in the raw state.

Benefits:

Apart from the benefits like energizing the body, there are several benefits that are attributed to raw foods. For example, having a raw food diet is claimed to work wonders for health conditions like diabetes and skin diseases. A raw food diet is also known to be instrumental in helping individuals achieve that ‘glow’, which is basically a healthy skin. Raw food diets are also known to help people in good digestion. Raw food diets are also known to be instrumental in the weight loss of an individual. Raw food diets have a lesser quantity of sodium. Also, they are high in potassium and fibers, which add to the health of an individual.

Side Effects:

Just as the raw food diet has advantages, there are some disadvantages of a raw food diet. However, these raw food diets may cause the individuals to have a detoxification-like feeling if their previous diet was quite heavy in caffeine, meat and sugar. Also, some individuals may face side effects like nausea, cravings for the food and headaches. Also, individuals who have a risk of anemia, osteoporosis, and pregnant women should not adhere to a raw food diet. Also, there are chances of some nutritional deficiencies in calcium, proteins and iron.

There are several recipes for raw food. These recipes can be easily found on the various websites that cater to raw food and individuals who follow the raw food diet. A simple search on any search engine will give you the links to all the major websites that cater to the raw food diet and have the recipes for the same.

If you are thinking of trying a raw food diet, break yourself in gently, gradually increasing the proportions of your diet comprised of raw foods. If you try to do it all at once it will be too much of a change for you and you will almost certainly give up and return to your old eating habits. That would be a real shame as then you will never realize the great health benefits that you can get from following a raw food diet.