The Right Raw Food Diet for You

There are many different raw food diet choices that you can go with. If you want to start a diet that features raw foods, then you need to start by understanding what you are getting into with one of these diets. You have to be aware that the wrong diet can be very hard on your body, but if you choose the right diet, you can really improve your health.

The raw food diet insists that you eat many uncooked and unprocessed plant foods and this will lead to a leaner body, give you more energy, and clearer skin. Many also believe this type of diet can take away some of the risk of disease you may have in your future. It is important to understand what a raw food diet is and why you may want to start one.

What a Raw Food Diet is

The fundamentals of the raw food diet include eating many plant foods in their natural state. This means eating them without cooking or processing them at all. This is supposed to be very wholesome for the body and this is more than just a diet. It is a lifestyle choice and it is not really a weight loss plan at all.

It is not easy to just eat raw foods and you will have to spend more time peeling, straining, blending, dehydrating, and preparing everything you are going to eat. The dies it made up of about three-fourths fruits and vegetables, which means you have to spend time getting all of those foods ready for you to eat.

You will eat many things like sprouted seeds, whole grains, beans, nuts, dried fruits, seaweed, sprouts, vegetables, and fruits. On the raw food diet, you are not allowed any alcohol, caffeine, or refined sugars. This may be the hardest part for most people, but it can be a very healthy choice if you go through with it.

Most of the people that make this lifestyle change are considered raw food vegans and they don't eat any animal products. Some will eat raw eggs and cheese that is made from unpasteurized milk, but this is it. Whether you decide to go this drastic or not with your raw food diet, it is important to understand what is involved.

Preparing meals for the raw food diet is not as easy as a regular meal. You will not use a typical stove or oven because this takes away from the raw diet fundamentals. Instead, you will use a food dehydrator to create cookies, crunchy vegetables and to dry out fruits. You can find many recipes and different things you can do for the raw food diet online with a simple search.

The Raw Food Diet and How Healthy it is

When you are considering the raw food diet, you have to be aware of whether it is healthy or not. There have been many studies done and they have found that using the raw food diet can help to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. However, it also shows a deficiency in vitamin B12 because this is only found naturally in animal products. This can lead to anemia and neurological impairment.

Through all the studies done, it has been found that the long-term effects of a raw food diet can be dangerous with some vitamin deficiencies and even a lower than average level of lycopene and even a lower bone mass. Maybe the raw food diet is not the right one for you because of these things, but others have found ways to supplement the deficiencies on one way or another.

By eating things like tofu, legumes, cashews, and almonds you can get some of the vitamins and minerals that are not found in plant based foods. A few other good choices are figs, cabbage, soybeans, fortified soymilk, walnuts, flaxseeds, and canola or soybean oil. These are things you can add to the raw food diet to help you get the minerals and vitamins you need.