Raw Food Haven

There are several different approaches to eating raw. I am going to examine some of them and tell you which raw foods are considered to be the most nutritious according to recent research. So if you want to use raw food diet weight loss methods and want some tips on what foods to include read on.

What is Raw Food?

Anything that has not been heated to above around 115 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees centigrade) is considered to be raw but some people like to put a further definition on what a raw food diet is. They will say that it consists of unprocessed raw vegan foods, that is no meat or fish or dairy foods. However there is no reason why you should not eat raw fish and meat, the Japanese do well eating raw fish. However if you plan to eat raw meat there are some that should be avoided including pork and chicken, because they can contain salmonella which gives you food poisoning. Think about what you might eat rare in a restaurant and you will know that these meats are OK eaten raw. Some people also eat raw dairy, however there is also a small amount of risk of salmonella poisoning from eating raw eggs.

What are the benefits of raw food?

People who support eating a Raw Food Diet claim that there are many benefits to eating raw foods, including more energy, better skin, slowing down the aging process, better digestion and weight loss. There is certainly a growing body of evidence that eating a large percentage of raw food is beneficial and does promote weight loss, which in itself has significant health benefits. Heating food is above around 115 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees centigrade) is believed to destroy enzymes in food that are beneficial to help the digestion and absorption of food. Cooking is also believed to diminish the nutritional value in food and in some cases even change the structure of food so that it becomes harmful to health.

Which raw foods are best for weight loss?

If you want to lose weight just eating a greater portion of raw foods than cooked foods will help. It is also important to eat those foods that are packed with nutrition.

A USA based Dr (Dr Fuhrman) has established a new system for measuring the nutrition in foods and a new weight loss diet system called the Nutritarian diet. Her studies indicate that the most nutritious foods are brightly coloured fruits and vegetable so increasing your intake of raw fruits and vegetables will help you lose weight while still getting plenty of nutrition.

Which foods are included in a raw food diet?

A raw food diet consists of much more than fruits and vegetables. It includes nuts and seeds, sprouted grains and juices. It can also contain some fermented and processed foods such as raw soy sauce and miso, raw nut butters and cold pressed oils such as olive oil.

A raw diet does not have to be cold food only. You can heat food so long as you do not take it to boiling point, anything under 115 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees centigrade) is fine.

Options for going raw

If you want to go on a completely raw diet, eating raw foods that have higher fat/calorie content will help to keep your energy levels ups but while still losing weight. This includes nuts and seeds, avocados and bananas.

If you want to lose weight but are not going completely raw you are better off sticking to fresh raw fruits and vegetables as these will provide you with nutrition without adding many extra calories. You need to include at least 50% raw food with every meal and avoid too many fatty, starchy, processed foods such as French fries, fried food in general, white rice, white bread, cakes, full fat dairy products and anything laden with sugar.

Increasing the amount of raw food, especially raw fruits and vegetables, in your diet will help you with weight loss and give you a healthier diet.

If you need help with planning a weight loss diet that includes plenty of raw options and is easy to follow I recommend you check out http://www.healthyweightlossways.com/strip-that-fat-review

If you want to find out more about which foods are packed full of nutrition and the Nutritarian diet read this article: http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/what-is-a-healthy-diet-the-nutritarian-way-3587205.html

Linda May writes articles about health and well-being and specialises in finding quality products to review and promote.