Raw Food Haven

In this day and age many people are experiencing the ill health of body, mind,and planet. Commercialism, fad diets, and rampant consumerism reign supreme and finding simple, clear, and affordable solutions can seem difficult to achieve. However, this is really not the case. As time goes on, an increasing number of people are gravitating to time honored methods such as consuming organic food, growing food locally, and utilizing medicinal herbs. Theses methods which our ancestors used for ages worked well at healing the human body without causing the kind of environmental degradation we see today. This modern industrial schism that has occurred between our minds and the physical world has resulted in a great deal of mental/spiritual degradation. Mental health has at its root physical health.

In recent years there has been a growing popularity of raw and living foods. In the past, and especially the distant past people largely ate a diet of raw greens, herbs, nuts, and seeds. Cooked meats, in the diets of our ancestors where an augmentation of the diet and the exception, not the rule. Often times pre-industrial or indigenous cultures would eat meat raw. Sushi, jerky, or straight raw meat are some historical examples of raw meat consumption. The scientific theory propounded by raw food activists is that by cooking, food enzymes are destroyed, nutrients and water content are diminished, as well as the vital life forces, or scientifically measurable bio photons within the food.

Today’s diets are largely comprised of non organic, highly processed, highly cooked or fried foods with very little vegetables included in the meal. Obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are the pernicious and “conventionally” incurable angels of death that plague our society. Ill mental health is also on the rise and no doubt connected to one’s physical health. For example, Niacin (vitamin B3) is a natural neurotransmitter regulator. By simply eating a handful or two of raw cashews or another niacin rich food regularly one could be rid of the need for antidepressants. Artificially synthesized antidepressants offer the same function of regulating serotonin levels but are toxic, expensive,and to some unobtainable. While some find buying organic food to be expensive, it is far cheaper than paying for exorbitant hospital bills and expensive pharmaceuticals for extended periods of time. A diet of locally grown, organic Raw Food is a form of health insurance, paid in full, on the front end. One that helps the body, ecology, and local economy.

There is, within us, the need to heal the wounds of separation from our earth-mother. By purchasing organic food from the grocery store or farmers market one can help heal our body/mind/ planet. This simple act leverages dollars into sound agricultural practices and local economies. Even better still is the act of gardening and wild crafting as it connects one directly with nature. Organic, locally available foods are higher in nutrient content because they have not lost their nutrients by being picked green, sitting in warehouses, on trucks, and on store shelves for extended periods. Organic. fresh raw food often tastes better and is also light and easy to digest. If you grow your own, or forage for wild foods it is the best of all possible worlds. Then your food is fresh, organic and free. By engaging in these acts, one can see the direct relationship we have with our earth-mother, and that though our efforts, we can re-engage with the community of nature and heal our physical and psychic wounds.

Raw foodism promotes a diet where raw foods are consumed for at least 75% of the time. Foods that have been cooked above 115 degrees Fahrenheit are avoided for the most part, simply because the cooking process destroys the enzymes and lot of vitamins and minerals that the body needs in order to function properly.

On top of the food losing its nutrients, cooked foods also become toxic to the body. According to studies these toxins can cause many age related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and more.

So What is Raw Foodism?

Raw Foodism can be divided into several different diets, all of which focus on eating Raw Foods.

The most popular Raw Food Diet is a raw vegan diet, which is said to be the healthiest diet. This diet restricts all animal products, and focuses on eating only foods that come from a plant source. This diet is able to provide you with all the nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids that your body needs in order to live a long and healthy life.

The diet promotes a lot of fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts and seeds as well as many superfoods such as sea vegetables, acai berries, goji berries, raw cacao and protein powders.

Organic foods are also highly promoted because they contain more nutrients than conventionally grown foods. In addition, organic foods do not contain any pesticides, herbicides or any other chemicals that are often found on conventional produce.

Next is the raw vegetarian diet, which also focuses on eating the same foods as the raw vegan diet. But this diet allows you to have dairy, eggs and honey. However, there are some raw vegetarians who refuse to eat eggs, but will consume dairy, and others are the opposite and refuse to consume dairy, but will consume eggs.

Another diet is the raw omnivore diet which actually promotes eating raw meats such as beef, chicken, fish as well as other sea animals. The diet allows you to eat basically anything that you want as long as it is raw at least 75% of the time. Thus you can eat all the raw vegan foods, the vegetarian foods as well as raw meats.

These meats however, are not the kind that you can get in the grocery store, but rather these come from free range or grass-fed animals. According to studies, these animals contain far more nutrients, and do not contain near as many harmful bacteria such as E. coli, than those animals that are raised conventionally.

For more information on how to prevent disease and live a long and healthy life, visit LivingFood101 For more on the raw food diet visit: http://hubpages.com/hub/Variations-of-the-Raw-Food-Diet

Millions of people suffer from problems with digestion, weight loss, and fatigue. Unfortunately, most fail to realize just what is causing them such discomfort. The answer is, ultimately, their diet. Humans were never intended to eat cooked food. In fact, no animals were. Evolution created a planet that can provide for all our nutritional needs without ever touching a stove. That’s why more and more people are switching to a raw food diet. This means giving up all cooked food, but it also means leading a healthier, longer life.

Food is meant to fuel our bodies and keep us healthy. However, many people maintain a diet that is potentially harmful to their bodies. When you fail to eat nutritious food, you do not get the elements you need to survive. In fact, you may even be adding toxic substances to your body through many of the foods you eat. The raw food diet is the only diet that is truly all natural. This means only nutritious, healthy food enters your system. Subsequently, your diet will reap only positive results.

There are many positive reasons to adopt a raw food diet. Perhaps the most appealing, though, is its ability to help you lose weight. Obesity can have dire consequences on your health. However, those who follow a Raw Food diet are at virtually no risk for becoming overweight. Plus, if you switch to a raw food diet, you will lose any extra pounds you have already accumulated. Raw food eaters are able to maintain a healthy weight no matter how much they eat. This is because raw foods are especially low in calories and fat. So, you can pretty much eat as much raw foods as you want without worrying about your physical appearance or bodily health. Easy to digest raw foods also boost your metabolism, which is a proven way to drop pounds.

In addition to developing a healthy weight, a raw food diet will keep you healthy and energized. By refusing to ingest harmful substances, your body will naturally detoxify itself. This will results in lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and other risky health problems. Plus, raw food is easy for your body to digest, which means you get optimum energy from what you consume. This also means you will not suffer from digestive problems like acid reflux or indigestion. Finally, raw foods also contain healthy bacteria that can improve the function of your immune system and help stave off common infections.

Another great benefit of a Raw Food Diet is that in improve cognitive function. This means your mind will function better when working, studying, or simply playing a recreational game. Those who eat mostly raw foods have been shown to think more clearly, retain greater focus, and maintain a more active lifestyle. Furthermore, raw foods make food preparation much simpler. You do not need to invest in expensive appliances or risk burns while cooking. At most, you may need to peel, chop, or puree the food you eat. This usually takes only a few minutes, which is a vast improvement on the hours many people spend preparing cooked dishes. You will also save money as raw foods are cheaper than processed alternatives and fewer utilities are needed for preparation.

Before adopting a raw food diet, you need to understand what raw foods are. First, they are not anything that has been processed, canned, heated, or refined. Rather, they are foods that are considered “living,” and, as such, are better for your life. These raw foods include fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds. Raw foods are also grown organically. This means they are free from any added chemicals that are unnatural and potentially harmful. While it may not seem like it, there is actually a great variety of these raw foods available. Be daring and try some new fruits and vegetables every week. Also, take a look through an organic food store to find new varieties of nuts and seeds.

Many people are concerned about adopting a raw food diet because they fear they will miss out on vital nutrients. The truth, though, is that cooking food makes it harder to get the vitamins and minerals we need. That’s because, in most foods, heating breaks down healthy elements. Furthermore, raw foods are extremely high in fiber. Even without eating bread, you will get all of the fiber you need. That’s because raw fruits and vegetables contain natural plant fiber that is easily absorbed by the body.

Other people feel uncomfortable about giving up meat from their diets. However, it is important to realize that our bodies were not naturally designed to consume large quantities of meat. Our teeth, saliva, and digestive tract are all better equipped to handle raw foods like vegetables and nuts than heavier products like beef and pork. Furthermore, meat increases the amount of bad cholesterol in our bodies. If we avoid meat, we lower our cholesterol and, subsequently, our risk for numerous cardiovascular diseases.

Adopting a raw food diet means you will look, perform, and live a better life. Most importantly, though, you will be able to live a longer and more active life. To get started, try making a slow transition to raw foods. Make the choice to start tomorrow with fifty percent of your diet from raw foods, and increase your intake from there. Soon, you will be looking and feeling better while enjoying the benefits of a raw food lifestyle.

Anthony is a raw food enthusiast who runs a complete raw food resource website [http://www.rawfoodshealth.com] who has years of experience in the field of nutrition and weight loss. He has changed his own health by switching to a raw food diet. Visit his website now to see how you can start your journey to a happier, healthier you!

I made a discovery the other day while watching TV.

I know, pretty astounding.

Anyway, I came across one of those hour-long presentations on space exploration.  Those shows are always so fascinating to me and I like to watch them from time to time.

However, each time I try to watch one of these documentaries, I always end up changing the channel in just a few minutes time.

In this way, I’m much like a little puppy.

At first, I’m really eager and alert, soaking up every bit of information I can.  After about 5 minutes, I’m off searching for something else a little bit easier for my wee puppy brain to handle.

Why does this happen every time?  Am I really like a pea-brained little puppy dog?

It’s not because I’m stupid or a slow learner.

Quite simply, the technical jargon used is just too much for me.  I’m not an expert in the field of space exploration, astronomy, or even physics so I have to make a huge effort to understand even a tiny bit of the information presented in these shows.

What is the point of tuning in if I can’t understand a word of what anyone says?

Well, besides staring at the pretty space pictures.

Then it dawned on me…

While I try to be super clear and concise in my writings, I realize that sometimes I might go into more detail than I mean to.  The topic of health is dear to my heart and it can be hard at times not to just go off on a crazy  “eat more fruit” tangent!

So I said to myself, “Self, wouldn’t it be nice to provide your readers with a list of all the common raw food terms you use, along with a short definition of each?”

So here you go!  A rather long, but not quite exhaustive list of the raw terms that you will undoubtedly see me use in my articles.

And you can even thank the boob tube for this one.

Low-Fat Raw Vegan

A low-fat raw vegan is someone who, *surprise*, eats a low-fat raw vegan diet!  But what is “low-fat” exactly?

Typically, a low-fat diet is generally 20% or less of one’s daily calories from fat.  In the Raw Food movement, this usually means 10% of fat at most.  This is also the definition that I stick to.

High-Fruit Raw Vegan

A high-fruit raw vegan is someone who eats a diet predominated by sweet fruit.  Generally, this is no less than 80% of daily calories from fruit.

Like many people, I use low-fat and high-fruit interchangeably.  Most people who follow a low fat raw diet eat lots of fruit and vice versa.

This makes sense because if you are not getting your calories from fatty foods, your only alternative (on a raw diet) is fruit.  Vegetable foods simply do no contain enough calories to satiate you.

And if you are eating a high-fruit diet, you simply will not have enough room for large amounts of fat!

High-Carb Diet

See high-fruit raw vegan

80/10/10

80/10/10, also 811rv or 811, refers to The 80/10/10 Diet written by Dr. Douglas Graham.  It stands for a minimum of 80% carbohydrates, a maximum of 10% protein, and a maximum of 10% fat.  The diet is 100% raw and consists of 80-90% sweet fruit, 1-2 pounds of greens, and no more than 10% of overt fats (avocados, nuts and seeds).

The use of salts, spices, and other condiments, as well as superfoods, supplements, and colonics are discouraged on this diet.

All 811ers are low fat raw vegans, but not all low fat raw vegans are 811ers.  Some low fat raw vegans eat only fruit (fruitarians), while other eat less greens and non-sweet fruits.

Frugivore

A frugivore is any animal that eats/prefers a diet predominated by fruit.  This includes many primates, such as bonobos, orangutans, and spider monkeys, toucans, fruit bats, and even this adorable Maned wolf!

When the term “frugivore” is used in reference to humans, it generally means a raw food diet of 80-90% fruit, accompanied by greens and minimal avocaods, nuts and seeds.

Fruitarian

A fruitarian is different from a frugivore in that a fruitarian only consumes fruit.  This generally includes sweet fruit, non-sweet fruit, and fatty fruit, but does not include greens or nuts and seeds.

High-Fat Raw Vegan

A high-fat raw vegan is someone who eats a diet predominated by fat.  The foods commonly consumed are avocados, nuts, seeds, and oils.

Gourmet Raw Vegan

See high-fat raw vegan

Average Raw Foodist

An average or mainstream raw foodist is someone who follows a high-fat raw vegan diet of primarily avocado, nuts, seeds and oils.  Other foods that are commonly consumed are sprouts, vegetables, vinegars, liquid amino (i.e. Braggs), and even sprouted grains and legumes.

Typically, these foods are not eaten whole but in dehydrated mixtures such as “mock” meatloaf and “raw” pizza.

Because there is so little emphasis on sweet fruit, the average raw foodist has to turn to fatty foods to satiate himself/herself.

Did you know that around 60% of the average raw foodist’s calories come from fat?

Mainstream Raw Foodist

See average raw foodist

Traditional Raw Foodist

See average raw foodist

Sweet Fruit

This one seems pretty obvious, right?  But it is important to note that sub-acidic fruits like strawberries and even acidic fruits such as oranges are also included in this list.

So whenever you see me harping on about how the majority of people do not eat enough sweet fruit, you know exactly what I’m talking about!

Mono-Fruit Meal

A mono-fruit meal consists of only one fruit, eaten in its whole state until the person is full.  This generally refers to a sweet fruit, not a vegetable fruit (see below).

Greens

By greens, I mean tender leafy lettuces.  This includes, but is not limited to, romaine lettuce, boston lettuce, beet greens, mesculin, and iceberg lettuce.

This does not include hard-to-digest vegetable matter such as kale, broccoli, and cauliflower.  However, these foods are fine on occasion and in moderation.

Greens have a higher mineral content than sweet fruits do and are generally eaten in a fairly large quantity.  Think 1-2 pounds a day on average.

Non-Sweet Fruits

This includes tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, bell pepper, etc.  These foods contain a high mineral content like greens do and are included as part of the 1-2 pound daily green requirement.

I also refer to them as “vegetable fruits” because they are savory in taste like vegetables.

Vegetable Fruits

See non-sweet fruits

Fatty Foods

Fatty foods refer to foods that have the majority of their calories from fat.  When I use the term “fatty foods”, I am typically talking about raw avocados, nuts and seeds.  However, there are also other raw fatty foods, such as breadfruit.  Even durian and mature coconut meat are pretty fatty.

You will also see me refer to these foods as overt fats.  The high-fat content of these foods makes it obvious (overt) that they are, indeed, fatty foods.

Oil is also a fatty food, and you may see me refer to it when I discuss the diets of mainstream raw foodists.  However, oil is a refined product and is clearly *not* a raw food.  It is not a food that I recommend on a healthy Raw Food Diet.

Overt Fats

See fatty foods

Covert Fats

The term “covert fats” refers to the fats present in non-fatty foods, such as fruit and greens.  These are the fats that are seemingly hidden (covert).

Many people think that fruits contain no fat at all.  They are mistaken.  For instance, did you know that bananas contain 3% fat?

Many people are often very surprised when they find out just how much fat they are actually eating.  That’s why it is always important to monitor your overt fat intake, especially when you first go raw.

Mild Herbs

Mild herbs include parsley, mint, basil, cilantro, etc.  These are herbs that do not result in a negative effect when eaten (i.e. production of mucus, tearing, sweating, burning, etc.)

I generally separate these foods from other greens because they are not typically eaten in large quantities or on their own.  However, I did recently hear of a parsley and cilantro salad, which sounds pretty tasty…

Supplements

Supplements are taken in order to make up for supposed deficiencies in a person’s diet.  A Vitamin D pill is an example of a supplement.  Vitamin B12 is another supplement popular within the raw food movement.

Dehydrating a food and grinding it into a powder does not make it any more useful for the body.  In fact, this process only succeeds in *removing* the most important nutrient of all…water.

In most cases, supplements are completely unnecessary.  The best, and often times the only way to truly nourish your body is to eat healthy raw foods in their whole states.

Superfoods

These are “super” foods because of their supposedly high levels of certain nutrients.  For instance, the pomegranate is now touted as a superfood because of its antioxidant properties.

Some popular superfoods within the raw food movement are goji berries, acai berries, and raw cacao.

The promotion of superfoods by the mainstream raw food movement stems from the “more equals better” fallacy.  Just because a food has more of a certain quality does not mean that it better meets our own nutritional requirements.

Whew!

Hopefully that helped to clear things up.  If I forgot something, which I’m sure I did, or if you have anymore questions about a healthy raw food diet in general, just say so!

For more information on the best raw vegan diet, be sure to visit http://www.fitonraw.com and subscribe to Swayze’s newsletter Peachy Keen Ezine. By subscribing, you will also receive the free report The 4 Principles of a Healthy Raw Diet as well as the 5-week mini-course The Fool Proof Transition to Raw.