Tag Archives: living food

Raw Diet: Strategies For Success

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The hot summer months are rapidly approaching, and that means it’s time to shake up your food menu. Just as a hot bowl of soup is the perfect meal for a chilly winter’s night, fresh, raw food is the ultimate way to cool down at dinnertime.

Even if you’re not ready to fully commit to the raw food diet, the summer is a perfect time to experiment with adding cooling raw fruits and vegetables. Incorporating elements of the diet can even be slimming over time, plus fruits and veggies are some of the best foods you can eat for your health. Living food is said to increase vitality and overall health.

DO

  • Buy and use helpful tools. US News reports that it is important to invest in the right tools, like a juicer, dehydrator, and blender.These devices will give you unlimited options when preparing your raw food, like creating raw bread in the dehydrator made from flax meal and sprouted wheat berries.
  •  Juice often. Carrot juice is a great base for other vegetable and fruit juices, like orange, ginger, beet, and apples.

DON’T

  • Eat anything that has been exposed to pesticides or herbicides. This will mean buying all organic produce and other foods. Because you won’t be cooking food, which reduces pesticide residue, this is very important if you don’t want to be exposed to these substances.
  • Get discouraged. Incorporating raw food can be a challenge. Making small goals will help. Trying raw for 30 days or two weeks are good benchmarks.

If you’re not interested in subscribing to a very restrictive diet, incorporating elements of the raw diet can be a great way to experiment while keeping your options open. You never know what you might learn by switching up your habits!

Source:

  • “Raw Food Diet Do’s and Don’ts”, U.S. News & World Report
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Raw Food Diet Revealed

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Medium, Rare, or Raw?

According to WebMD, raw foodism is based on the principle that eating uncooked, unprocessed food in its natural state is the most healthful choice. Followers of this lifestyle believe that heating food destroys important enzymes and nutrients that are important to digestion and overall health. Therefore, raw foodists don’t eat any food that has been heated over 116 degrees. They also advocate for living food, like recently sprouted beans.

Why Go Raw?

Raw foodists have several reasons for making the change from cooked foods. First and foremost, going raw is meant to improve health. While raw foodism can cause drastic initial weight loss, it is not meant to be used as a weight loss strategy.

Raw food has been shown in some studies to be nutritionally superior to cooked food. Other studies have suggested that raw foods may be cancer fighters. Also, because no cooking is involved, it takes less electricity to prepare these foods. This has environmental and financial benefits. And of course, as raw foodists don’t eat meat, some feel this diet is a more humane and ethical choice.

Preparing Raw Food

Going raw might mean no more slaving over a hot stove, but preparing meals this way can be complicated and takes a lot of dedication and preparation. Raw vegetables and fruits can be strained, blended, or dehydrated, so many raw foodists invest in tools that will help them. A dehydrator can make be used simply to dry fruit, or can be used for more complicated foods like raw cookies or crackers.

According to the WebMD, staples of the diet include:

  •             Nuts
  •             Beans
  •             Seaweed
  •             Sprouts
  •             Dried Fruits
  •             Sprouted Seeds
  •             Whole Grains

Raw foodists also abstain from alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco.

Are Raw Foodists Vegan?

While many raw foodists are also raw vegan, some do partake in raw milk and eggs. According to the Mayo Clinic, advocates for raw milk say it is a sweeter and fresher alternative to pasteurized milk and can ward off allergies and boost immunity. Some proponents even claim it can fight autism, eczema, arthritis, and learning disabilities. These claims are not supported by the FDA, however, and in same cases raw milk can carry food-borne illnesses like salmonella and E. coli.

Raw foodists do run the risk of becoming malnourished. Vitamin deficiencies can have serious consequences, like anemia, low bone mass, and neurological impairment. The choice to go raw should be done mindfully and carefully in order to avoid diminish this risk. But done in the right way, this lifestyle can be healthy. In any case, everyone can take a cue from this eating philosophy and incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables into their healthy meal plan.

Sources:

  • “Raw Food Diet”, WebMD
  • “Raw Millk Debate Heats Up”, Mayo Clinic

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