Raw Food Diet-Yes or No?
Posted: Wednesday, July 22, 2009
by Ralph Wilhelm
rji unlimited
Eating raw foods is well accepted. Our bodies thrive on all that is fresh and vital. A raw food diet (or increasing the amount of raw food that you eat) is bound to bring a feeling of increased well being.
Uncooked food diets are based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, preferably organic, such as a variety of fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, seeds, grains, dried fruit, fresh juices and purified water.
Basically a vegetarian diet, the raw food diet promotes ingesting and drinking living' foods. Living foods and juices contain the largest amount of fiber found in raw produce, fiber that can be destroyed in processing. Such foods are easily digested and tend to be lower in calories than the average diet.
Heating food above 116F destroys enzymes in food that aid in digestion and in absorption of food, diminishing its nutritional value.
Benefits of a Raw Food Diet
A diet of at least three quarters raw food offers many health benefits, such as increased energy, improved skin appearance, better digestion, weight loss and reduced risk of serious illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
A raw food diet contains little or no saturated fats, is low in sodium, high in potassium, magnesium, and fiber.
Raw food diets are also excellent detox diets. Different combinations of raw foods and juices can be used for colon cleansing, liver cleansing, kidney cleansing and skin cleansing.
A Basic Raw Food Diet
Any fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, beans, nuts, legumes, young coconut milk even seaweed can be part of a raw food diet. Your choice of foods may depend on your reasons for dieting, for example:
- sprouted brown rice slows sugar absorption and improves the metabolism
- cabbage supports healthy cellular function; radish leaves act as an anti-oxidant,as does Shitake mushrooms
-carrots are a great source of vitamin A as well as promoting healthy vision and a healthy cardio-vascular system
You can use a sprouter to sprout seeds, grains, beans even wheat grass. Sprouts could be called a super food' organic sprouts contain enormous levels of proteins, vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, chlorophyll pigments and enzymes, and are the ideal natural supplement.
Essentially, the idea of a raw food diet is to eat unprocessed foods for at least 75% of the time. If the idea of raw food isn't very appetizing to you, you can warm the food a little as long as the food isn't heated above 116F.
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