Have you been hearing a lot more about the Raw Food Diet lately? It certainly has been gaining popularity and buzz in recent times. Especially as a diet, to successfully help you to lose weight. And to hopefully help you to lead a healthier way of life.
We eat so much in the way of processed foods that we don’t even stop to think about what we’re actually putting into our bodies. Or how far we’ve come nutritionally from our ancestral, agrarian roots.
So What Exactly Is Raw Food?
Raw food dieting means consuming foods in their natural, unprocessed form. So there is very little cooking involved in a this type of diet, when you think about it.
There are several common-sense rationales for why this is a good idea. Processing and cooking our food can take so much of the basic nutritional value away from it.
Meaning that when we cook our food, we do lose some of the essential vitamins and minerals as a result of the cooking process.
But the raw food diet means eating unprocessed, uncooked, organic, whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, dried fruits, seaweeds, etc. It means a diet that is at least 75% uncooked!
Cooking takes out the flavor and nutritional value, from vegetables and fruits. A raw food diet means eating more like the way our ancient ancestors did. Our healthier, and fitter ancestors cooked very little, in fact. And they certainly didn’t cook or process fruits and vegetables.
They consumed their foods RAW. Their drinking water didn’t come from a tap; it was natural, spring water. Maybe they even drank some coconut milk, or something similar, on occasion.
Doesn’t it just make sense that this is how our bodies were meant to eat? It’s a way of eating that’s in harmony with the planet and in harmony with our bodies metabolism.
Our bodies were meant to work, and need to work to be efficient. That means daily exercise, certainly, but it also means eating natural, wholesome, raw foods that require more energy to digest them.
This Is What The Raw Food Diet Is All About?
So a raw food diet is basically eating foods that are raw and uncooked. It doesn’t get any easier than that. Fresh fruits, vegetables, sprouted grains, nuts and seeds etc will form a large part of this diet plan. And Sashimi, which is a Japanese delicacy, can be a part of this diet and is often served with soy sauce.
There is very little cooking involved with this particular method. But to really get the best value out of following a raw food diet plan long term, you should also cook a small percentage of your meals.
Because cooking also helps to release a lot more essential nutrients from within the different food groups. For example, cooking tomatoes releases more Lycopene from the fruit, which is a powerful anti-oxidant.
Remember that to stay on a this type of diet plan long term would be a difficult task to achieve. Only because you will find yourself limited on your daily meal choices? You can prepare salads easily enough, but what about quality protein sources?
The human body requires at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. This should be the minimum you absorb each day from your diet, for essential repair of body tissue and for good health.
Nuts and seeds will provide protein as will eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, consumed on a daily basis. Combined these foods will provide protein. But the quality is not as high, in comparison to eating meats or animal based products.
Protein from animal sources contain the essential eight amino acids for growth and repair. Raw fish or sushi will provide high quality protein.
That is not to say that you can’t get your daily protein requirement from a raw food diet. Because you can, but you have to put a lot more thought into your meal choices and what you will be eating on a daily basis.
Vegetables alone will not help you to meet your daily protein requirement. That’s why you have to get a variety of different food groups into your new way of eating day to day. You really don’t want to be preparing the same meals each day.
You want variety from your meals and be able to enjoy the different flavours possible, at the same time.
To get your minimum protein requirement each day, you will have to put forth some effort into your meal preparation. Because protein is the most essential part of following a raw diet plan, long term.
If that is really what you plan to do, as hard as that will be to achieve?
Most of the bodies energy needs will come from the fresh fruits and vegetables consumed on this this type of diet.
The Health Benefits Of A Raw Food Diet?
Well, if you were to follow this diet for a length of time you will be eating wholesome, tasty meals that are full of nutritional value. And there is minimal cooking involved. You will also be consuming less junk food each day, as a result.
Most of the foods / meals you will be preparing each day, like tasty salads, fruit mixes, nuts, seeds and whole grains are certainly the healthiest foods you can eat. Consuming more of these food types daily is going to fortify your health, and boost your well-being.
If you are determined to pursue this raw food diet and follow a healthier way of preparing meals on a daily basis, then go for it and at least stick to it.
If you actually hate the thought of cooking your food, then this Raw Food Diet just may appeal to you? And if it does, then do give it a try. See how you get on? Monitor your health over time and your well-being.
And honestly judge for yourself if this is the right path for you?
More information about Raw Food Diets…..
