The raw food diet consists of uncooked, unprocessed plant food. The fundamental principle is that unprocessed plant foods provide more nutrients than food that has been cooked. This is a very popular diet as many state that it leads to a leaner body, clearer skin, and higher energy levels. However keep in mind that this is a lifestyle choice. It should not be considered in any way a weight loss plan.
Clearly it’s not easy to stick to a raw food diet. If you like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen you can do this. The raw food diet implies a lot of peeling, chopping, blending, dehydrating. That’s because the diet is typically made up of 75% fruits and vegetables.
That’s not all ! Most raw foodies are vegans as this diet prohibits meat, fish and most diary products.
Are you ready to say goodbye to meat, alcohol, sweets and caffeine ?
Benefits :The benefits of the raw food diet have been acknowledged in many studies.
Researchers claim that diseases such as high cholesterol, diabetes, oral, pharyngeal, laryngeal, bladder, esophageal and gastric cancers can be prevented by eating raw.
Measures of precaution
There are certain measures of precaution when adopting this diet as a lifestyle eating pattern.
The raw food diet is rich in nutrients and it’s full of fibers, but eating raw can cause: B12, calcium, iron and omega-3 fatty acids deficiency.
This is because these vitamins and minerals can be found naturally only in animal products and they are critical to nerve and red blood cell development.
Deficiencies can lead to anemia, neurological impairment and low bone mass in the
lumbar spine. Taking supplements is highly advised !
American Dietetic Association guidelines for raw foodies:
In order to maintain the nutritious levels for our bodies to work at full speed, here are some guidelines from the ADA addressed to those that eat raw food.
- Eat twice the iron dosage as those you don’t follow this diet. Good sources of iron: tofu, legumes, almonds
and cashews. - Eat at least eight servings a day of calcium-rich foods like cabbage, soybeans and figs.
- Eat fortified breakfast cereals, nutritional yeast and fortified soy milk for B12. Take a B12
supplement too. - Eat flax seed and walnuts. Use canola, flax seed, walnut, and soybean oil. These are great sources of
omega-3 fatty acids.
Remember that the raw diet isn’t for everyone. The ADA does not recommend a raw food diet for infants and children. If you are determined to give up meat and diary and have plenty of time to cook, then the raw diet
lifestyle can help you feel energetic and have a leaner body in just a few weeks.
The success of this diet is probably due to the fact that nature always provides, from the beginning of time, what our bodies need to function properly.
So,if you think you are up for the raw diet plan, go for it !