RAW FOOD DIET-Amazing Health Benifits

October 4, 2008

Many are saying that the RAW FOOD DIET has changed their life. And there are lots of animals that we eat, that thrive on a raw food diet…so why can’t humans? I have been looking into Raw Diets so that I could report to you…to see if it was a safe, healthy and reasonable way to diet. I have also talked to a few Baby Boomers, who are eating natural raw foods. Here is what I found…

What is the Raw Food Diet?

The raw food diet is a diet based on unprocessed, organic or natural foods and uncooked plant foods. Also, freshly juiced fruit and vegetables, purified water, young coconut milk. These include fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, even seaweed.

Typically, at least 75% of your diet must be living or raw, to be on a Raw Food Diet .

Why do Raw Foodists say, “It is the way to diet?”

They say that if you heating food above 116 degrees F, it is believed to destroy enzymes in food that can assist in the digestion and absorption of food. Cooking is also thought to diminish the nutritional value and very importantly the “life force” of food.

What are the Health Benefits of the Raw Food Diet?

Increased energy
Improved skin appearance
Better digestion
Weight loss
Reduced risk of heart disease

These health benefits are because the Raw Food Diet contains fewer trans fats and saturated fat than the typical Western diet. It is also low in sodium and high in potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber and health-promoting plant chemicals called phytochemicals.

Basically these properties are associated with a reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. So, the consumption of a raw food diet will lower plasma total, cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations.

If you decide to go on a Raw Food Diet, you will need to read up on some special cooking techniques so that your foods are more digestible and will also add variety to your diet.

Specific Cooking Techniques

Specific cooking techniques make foods more digestible and add variety to the diet. Here are some foods you might not be used to preparing, but are essential in a raw food diet:

Sprouting seeds, grains, and beans
Juicing fruit and vegetables
Soaking nuts and dried fruit
Blending
Dehydrating food

The equipment that you will need for processing these foods are:

Dehydrator, a piece of equipment that actually blows air through food at a temperature of less than the required 116 degrees F.
Get a quality juice extractor for juicing fruit and vegetables (the cheap ones will not last)
Blender
Food processor or chopper to save time
Large glass containers to soak and sprout seeds, grains, and beans
Mason jars for storing sprouts and other food

That might all sound complicated but it isn’t. Most of you will have a couple of those items gathering dust somewhere..drag them out and start using them.

Side Effects

As with most diets, some people experience a detoxification reaction when they start the raw food diet, especially if their previous diet was rich in meat, sugar, and caffeine. Mild headaches, nausea, and cravings can occur but usually last for several days. If you start out slow and increase your raw foods as you go, you should not have this reaction.

Precautions
The raw food diet may not be appropriate for certain people, such as:

Children
Pregnant or nursing women
People with anemia
People at risk for Osteoporosis (people following a raw food diet had lower bone mass)

OK, Baby Boomers, time, energy, and commitment is needed to be healthy on the raw food diet. Many of the foods are made from scratch. You will find some ingredients may be hard to find, such as Rejuvelac (the fermented liquid drained from sprouted grains), sprouted flour, date sugar, young coconut milk, carob powder and Celtic sea salt. But they have them at health food store and if you are like me the more you stay out of the regular stores, the better off you are.

Before you go on this diet consult your Physician because some times there are certain certain nutritional deficiencies can occur on the raw food diet, such as:

Calcium
Iron
B12 (raw food diets increased levels of homocysteine due to vitamin B-12 deficiency)
Protein
Calories

Some dietitians say the flip side of the coin, they say that the raw food diet does active some enzymes…BUT…when foods are heated they are inactivated, but it doesn’t matter because the body uses its own enzymes for digestion. THEY ALSO CLAM THAT cooking makes certain phytochemicals easier to absorb, such as beta carotene in carrots. So, it seems the grass is all ways greener on the other side of the fence for some.

Still others claim…that the human body has changed in response to eating cooked foods. Examples are that jaws and teeth have become smaller, our stomachs have shrunk, and our small intestines have grown longer, lengthening the digestive surface area. In other words, we are no longer in the Garden of Eden or Neanderthal Man

There is also the other alternative diet theories, such as macrobiotics, Ayurveda, and traditional Chinese medicine, who say that a natural raw diet may not be appropriate for people living in colder climates or for people with certain constitutional types.

My personal interviews with people who have chosen the raw foods diet say that they have never felt better, they have lost weight, their cholesterol’s levels are way down and one told me he no longer needed pain pills for his bad back.

My personal thoughts are that this is a good diet, I could easily implement this diet. But, if it is not one that you could live by…don’t try it. Never pick a diet that you are doomed to fail with. I do think you should work your way into the raw food diet, not a sudden change to shock your body. And take vitamin supplements to replace what you are not receiving, for a balanced diet.

Vegetarians and Vegans this is definitely the diet for you,

Remember Baby Boomers, I am not a doctor, just someone always looking for a better or another way to lose weight, be healthy and enjoy life.

~The Baby Boomer Queen~

Here Are Some Products T Help You Get Started On A Raw Food Diet…

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