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Loading ...Raw Food Diets
There are a number of diet plans based on Raw Foods. Generally these diets are plant-based, and are comprised of at least 75% raw food. Apparently raw foods contain the enzymes that are thought to be removed during the cooking process.
Raw Food
A Raw Food diet is generally made up fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouted seeds and grains, dried fruit and juices, rolled or flaked grains, herbs and spices. Some people add cooked grains and legumes, good quality fish and poultry (although a number "raw food-ers" are strict vegans).
Sample Meal Plan
Breakfast
Fresh fruit salad topped with chopped fresh almonds, wheat germ, and pumpkin seeds; organic sheep’s milk yogurt or coconut cream.
Lunch
Mixed salad of various leaves, tomatoes, yellow capsicums, onions and parsley with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. Topped with sprouted lentils.
Dinner
Raw mixed vegetable soup (blended); home-made sunflower seed cheese; 1/2 avocado; raspberry and banana sorbet.
Drinks
Water, juices, fruit smoothies, coconut milk.
Raw Food for Weight Loss
Weight loss is almost a certainty on this diet, due to it’s vast differences to the conventional Western diet. Calorie and carbohydrate intake are reduced leading to weight loss. It is hard to overeat on a diet due to the high water and fiber content - another reason why weight loss may occur.
This diet can be very challenging to follow, particularly from a social and shopping perspective. However cooking time can be reduced!
Protein can be low unless appropriate levels of legumes, nuts, and seeds are eaten.
Generally a good diet, but potentially difficult to sustain. Proponents of the diet claim the diet has anti-aging properties.
Comments
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i am a raw foodist after struggling with an eating disorder and depression for years… once my body adjusted to the new diet and started getting rid of toxins, i felt REALLY good. like, really REALLY good. it’s not really a diet, it’s a lifestyle… and the changes your body undergoes are magnificent, if you’re ready for them and in tune with them. i urge anyone who wants to experiment with raw foodism to learn about it thoroughly so you don’t have any vitamin or calorie deficiencies, but to definitely try it if you’re interested.
hey is it ok to use mushrooms as its a good sorce of iron??
If your eating active and living nutrients then your body benefits massively, this truly is a very good diet.
sounds quite boring… i love my stir frys so i probably wouldn’t be able to participate in this diet
i am interested in this diet, anybody practice it already
thanks for the recommendation, oshinn i think i will try it sometime.
Although I am not a raw foodist (yet), I have seen so many examples of people who PROPERLY follow this diet and overcome so many health problems and yes, lose weight as well as look younger! This diet allows for eating more food, and yes carbs, (healthy ones- what is the anti-carb sentiment on this website- carbs are NOT the enemy, though refined ones can create problems. The bias against carbs in general is based on faulty science, though there is some truth to there being insulin resistance- which can come about from REFINED carbs and fat, as well as little or no exercise! BTW, insulin resistance can be overcome by exercising and changing your diet to a more natural one, such as this diet. There was a study fairly recently where people were able to overcome their diabetes and throw away their insulin in a relatively short period of time! I’m sure it’s on the net somewhere!)
Anyhow, after much research, this seems to be one of the healthier diets- IF someone can have enough willpower to stick with it and can design a well-balanced version of this diet. There are lots of good resources out there if you are interested in this type of lifestyle. There are those who are successful at it and can help you- look online for help and answers.
There are so many benefits to this way of living that after much thought I am going to do this when I am able to. Organic produce does cost more, and organic is the best type of produce to have, even though fruits and veggies have phytochemicals that can help to detoxify poisons from pesticides and other nasty man-made chemicals added to our food supply!
If you want to try it, good luck! If it’s not for you then I hope you can have success as well in your quest for weight loss and better health!
P.S. Mushrooms are fine to eat, and have Iron and lots of other phytochemicals in them that can even help prevent and treat cancer as well as other diseases! Reishi, Shitake, and Maitake are good ones to look for, though it would seem that other mushrooms would have similar effects, being in the same group.
To increase the amount of Iron you can have something with Vitamin C in it, like citrus and tomatoes.
This can be a challenging diet, (I’ve tried it on a part-time basis and it’s hard since most don’t live this way and at social gatherings there aren’t usually many raw options. There are ways around this- bring your own or get together with like-minded people who are also trying to eat raw.)
There are lots of delicious raw recipes out there - including ones that are versions of traditional favorites- you can make bread, smoothies, salads, even desserts!
One doesn’t even have to go totally raw (such as if they aren’t able to or love certain cooked foods so they can’t give it up). There are health benefits to even being partially raw- like I mentioned- better health, weight loss, younger looking skin, and so forth.
So, sure it’s not everyone, but if you are curious and want to give it a try there are so many resources, just make sure it makes common sense and it’s balanced in nutrients. If you have questions, there are those who have lived this way who will probably be able to help you.
Good luck and good eating!
I am thinking about starting a raw/live foods diet. Just rescently many people in my life have died from cancer, been diagnosed with diabetes, and suffer from heart conditions. Personally, I am experiencing things like horrible digestive problems and gas-passing. I eat horribly! I eat the SAD. I do not exercise well, either. I love reading the many different articles and research papers on the benefits and drawbacks of a raw food and live food diet. I also grew up for a few years as a vegetarian. However, the more I think about this topic, the more obsticles I come up with. I have many many questions and am looking for advice about the practicality of a diet like this. My lifestyle is not at all conducive to a diet like this (and I’m not sure there is anything I could do to change much of that…in the near future. Does anyone have any adivice about where I can go for help?
Trust me /…IT WORKS!!! u know what i do…when i wanna grab that fried chicken wing…i just go like , u know what God made this apple beautiful and fresh so ill eat it the way he made it, no coocking no friying! Just keep ur faith in God. He wants us to eat, but not to overeat, you know eating proportionally and as healthy as possible. Do it for Him, thats why we give Him thanks b4 we eat,,,=so eat healthy for Him!
God Bless
ps-it doesnt mean i dont eva get tempted…im not perfect either!
Hi Hillary,
There are tons of resources, and though the change can be difficult to make, the benefits of the lifestyle change are AMAZING and you will not regret it. I’d be happy to guide you in the right direction, but am not sure how to contact you, as leaving an email on a public site would not be the wisest idea.
Hi I have oscillated between eating a raw diet and a cooked foods. I found that I developed high blood pressure and gained 14kgs over 18 months when I stopped eating raw foods and went back to cooked foods. I have since gone back to eating a raw diet and feel 100% better. I am in my late forties and look and feel a lot younger (so people tell me). On the raw food diet I have heaps of energy, never get colds,the flu or viruses. I had a skin cancer on my leg that disappeared when I ate totally raw food for a few months, and I need very little sleep when eating live foods, but wake up feeling refreshed. I am a health professional and do recommend that people at least try eating more raw foods in their daily intake for better health. I am a convert and will not eat cooked foods again.
I need help converting to a raw food diet for health purposes. Can someone help me? Please email me at wendlynn19@yahoo.com.
although this diet works wonders, and after struggling with an eating disorder for 6 years, helps shape a healthier lifestyle- YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL! there are too many people who don’t realize that although you are ”only” eating raw/live food, you can still get enough calories. any person who wants to diet smartly has to remember that the base physiological need of calorie intake/day is 2,000 calories. and that is at the very least. starving yourself at a 1,200 calorie diet like we’ve all been told is the calorie intake of weight loss (which, it does make you loose weight), is unhealthy. it does not only turn your metabolism into fat-storing mode, but also wreeks with sideaffects. (consuming 1,200 calories or less a day is NOT enough for your body, and your body WILL try to fight back). If long-term weight loss is desired, a long-term living plan is a necessity. So pick a ”diet”, or ”lifestyle”, that will work best for you, and for your life, and remember to stay healthy! Everything you can imagine is in your reach!
p.s.-this diet does work wondres. i just adivse anyone looking for solely weight loss to stay away. as we all have heard… ”detox” diets can be dangerous to some is misused and cause dehydration, poor concentration, rapid weight-loss (which your body won’t maintain when you’re done btw), etc….
good luck and good health wishes to all (: