As we all know uncooked (raw) foods are good for our bodies, this is because they have not lost all their nutritional value in the process of cooking. By accepting the thought of eating most of your meal in a raw state, you are well on the way to a more healthy life-style.

Now don’t expect to change your eating habits overnight as it is not as easy as you think to start eating foods in their natural state. We have been consuming most of our foods cooked, so we need to change from cooked to raw one step at a time.

Do not think you have to eat all your food raw straight off. This will lead to failure, rather mix cooked and raw (by adding one raw food weekly) and take the change slowly. Make your raw choices wisely and don’t abandon the foods you love, keep the balance (of raw and cooked) to suit your taste as some foods are better digested by the body when cooked, while others are just fine in their raw state.

What is good raw you ask?

* Most vegetables are very tasty raw (but you probably would not eat pumpkin or squash raw)
* Nuts and seeds – some do need to be cooked but most can be eaten in their raw state.
* Sprouts – still cannot get my head around these, though there are a lot of people out there who love them.
* Fruits – other than the odd baked apple I tend to eat all my fruit raw.
* Fish – some fish are very tasty in their raw state, and if you are lucky enough to have freshly caught fish on hand you will never cook it again. Sushi is probably the healthiest way to eat fish, why not give it a try.

A good starting point for changing to raw is to rather add the raw to your normal meal rather than take away your familiar and favorite foods. You may think that adding will increase your weight – nope – because of the raw state of the extra food, more energy is used to digest it thus causing more use of the extra calories you have consumed. An important point to remember here is that you do need to balance the raw foods with the cooked foods, this is to maintain the correct nutrition your body needs.

Remember, once you have started eating most of your food raw, your energy level will be a lot higher, you will feel a lot healthier and cooked food will have less appeal. So start reaching for the Raw Foods when you feel a snack attack, there is nothing healthier than a handful of mixed nuts or a juicy apple.

This change of eating habits will assist in maintaining your weight and some weight loss will occur if you are overweight (and not over eating the cooked foods).

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The raw food movement has been growing rapidly over the last few years, by now you have probably heard someone talking about a raw diet, or their friend on a raw diet. What does this mean, and why would anyone want to eat raw?

Food that’s considered raw ranges from fruits and vegetables to unpasteurized dairy, raw nuts and seeds, and uncooked meat products. Most people who eat raw consume a mainly vegan diet, so raw milk and sashemi are not consumed regularly. Most who convert to a raw diet do so to achieve the health benefits that many claim to attain after changing their diet. Some of the reasons people eat raw are as follows.

1. Nature knows more about digestion and nutrition than science. It’s true that our scientific knowledge about the body and nutrition is growing steadily, but the amount that is unknown is still astronomical. Some people dislike the compartmentalization of the body by science and the isolation of singular nutrients from food, saying a holistic approach is much more effective to health and vitality.

2. Raw food contains enzymes that help with digestion. These enzymes are destroyed by heat, so once food is cooked over a certain temperature the enzymes become damaged. Some people think this is why those who eat mainly raw food tend to look younger than their years.

3. Uncooked and unprocessed foods have life force. Also known as chi or prana, life force is the energy that is contained in living foods. Consuming this life force has spiritual and health benefits for the consumer.

If these are a little too ‘airy fairy’ for you, there are more tangible reasons to eat Raw Food. People report substantial weight loss after switching to a raw food diet, and all the health problems that came with their weight problems disappear. With the help of a healthcare professional, people have ‘cured’ their diseases including (but not limited to) high blood pressure, allergies, skin conditions, bowel conditions, cancer, diabetes and more. You can find a success story for just about every condition out there, that someone has cured themselves of using mainly dietary changes.

So, how much is enough? The general consensus is the more the better. If you want to receive the best health benefits, more than half of your food intake should be raw fruits and vegetables, with a few nuts and seeds. There is also evidence to show that organic and fresh food is best. Although depending on your location, it’s more important to do your best than to stress about eating 100% organic.

The best way to get started eating raw food, is to switch one meal per day to be raw. If it’s breakfast you could start juicing your own fruits and vegetables and switch that out for your regular cereal and milk. You’re likely to lose a few pounds just making that one small change. If you don’t want to splurge on a juicer, make your lunch a raw salad every day and try making your own salad dressings to keep things interesting. Once you create the new habit for yourself, it only gets easier.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kimberly_DM_Sawchuk

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If you have ever tried dieting before, you know that there are certain foods that seem impossible to give up. There is a mental connection that attaches them to good feelings, and so we call them comfort foods. Everyone’s comfort foods are different, but there are some common ones that most people enjoy and have a hard time giving up. Unfortunately for us, this often stands in the way of getting to our ideal weight or health. One of the diet plans growing in popularity for health and weight loss is the raw diet. Eating a diet consisting of 50-100% raw foods can be an easy way to lose weight quickly, and people who go 100% raw have claimed health benefits ranging from lower blood pressure and cholesterol to fighting cancer and diabetes. As with any change in diet, there are bound to be some comfort foods that give you cravings when you try to leave them behind. One of America’s most popular foods is ice cream. Especially during the summer months, an ice cream cone is a universal treat enjoyed by many. So, what’s the problem with ice cream? For starters, it’s loaded with cholesterol and saturated fats. The next time you take the pail from the freezer, check out the nutrition label, most ice cream also states the serving size as 1/2 cup, which is about half of what’s normally served up. The good news is that there are delicious alternatives to ice cream. You can purchase non-dairy ice cream at the supermarket, but you can also make your own healthy recipes. My favorite ice cream alternative is Banana Fruit Creme. Which is just blended up frozen bananas. It comes out thick and creamy, just the texture of ice cream. It’s also a great way to use up bananas that are getting brown. What you’ll need:

• at least 5 bananas, depending on how much fruit creme you want to make
• a good blender or food processor

What to do:

1. First peel the bananas, and break each one into 3-4 pieces.
2. Put the pieces into tupperware and into the freezer.
3. Let them freeze overnight.
4. When you are ready to eat, put the frozen pieces into your blender with a little bit of water. Use less than 1/4 cup, you just want to help the blender to mash up the fruit.
5. Blend like crazy!
6. Enjoy right away, the fruit creme doesn’t keep well in the freezer, so it’s best to eat it all the first time.

This stuff is really delicious and satisfies that ice cream craving. It’s a hit at parties, especially with kids. Try making a berry sauce and drizzling it over the fruit creme.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kimberly_DM_Sawchuk

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The notion of eating RAW foods sounds foreign… even odd… to most of us when we first hear it.

When I first moved to Los Angeles and heard of eating this way, the very first thing I envisioned was sushi and steak tartare (which I tried once and thought was awful). But usually when someone is talking about raw foods, they aren’t talking about these foods at all.

What they’re talking about is live, nutritionally-dense, organic (when possible) minimally processed plant-based food. Not the “food-like products” that we’ve become accustomed to grabbing on the go.

Live foods that nurture our bodies, strengthen our immune systems and help keep us healthy. Foods that consist of raw vegetables, greens, fruits, seeds and nuts. Sounds pretty boring, right? But it’s not. I promise.

Although some people are purists, meaning they eat 100% raw 24/7, you will reap benefits from ANY additional amount of raw food that you add to your diet.

My twin toddlers and I aren’t purists. We’re what is considered “high-raw,” which means that our diets consist predominately of raw, live foods.

Personally, I strive to feed myself and my sons 90% plant-based foods with 60-70% of those foods being raw. A significant portion of the other 30% is lightly steamed or gently sauteed.

There are several compelling reasons for adding more raw foods to your diet. Here are 7:

1. ASSIMILATE MANY MORE VALUABLE NUTRIENTS

When food is cooked, its biochemical structure is altered from its original state and up to 90 percent of water soluble vitamins (vitamins B and C) and lipid soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E and K) can be lost.

When eating a good portion of your foods raw, you reap the full nutritional benefits of your foods and every cell, tissue and organ of your body benefits.

2. REDUCE RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASE

The typical American diet consisting of mostly commercially processed refined “foods” is very acidic.

And an acidic body is also an inflamed one. Inflammation plays a central role in heart disease-the number one killer of Americans.

Furthermore, when you eat an acidic diet, you provide a fertile breeding ground for chronic diseases such as cancer. Dr. David Servan-Schreiber discusses this in great detail in his book, “Anti-Cancer, A New Way of Life.”

Vegetables, greens, sprouts and some low-sugar fruits all add to the alkalinity of your blood, making it much more difficult for diseases like cancer to breed-therefore protecting you from heart disease and cancer… and many more serious-and potentially fatal-diseases.

Then there are the nutritive components of a diet high in unadulterated plant foods: the invaluable phytonutrients, fatty acids and antioxidants that further reduce your risk of disease by adequately feeding your tissues and boosting your immune system.

3. INCREASE ENERGY LEVELS

The increase in energy is amazing.

I’ve fallen off the wagon several times in the last 5 years that I’ve been practicing a high-raw lifestyle-and there’s a huge difference in the way I feel.

When my diet is low in raw foods, I’m very lethargic. When it’s at its highest, I enjoy a natural energy.

Why is this?

It’s because digestion is a very energy-intensive process, especially when the body is faced with heavily processed foods and large amounts of animal proteins.

When we free up some of this energy by fueling it with easy-to-digest foods, we FEEL it-and our enzymes are free to do other important work, like releasing toxins and healing itself.

4. EASY WEIGHT LOSS

When I first became interested in the raw lifestyle, I lost five very stubborn pounds pretty much overnight. Weight that I’d been trying to lose for months. This weight and a couple more pounds came off easily and stayed off.

The body has no trouble digesting most raw foods. It processes them easily and fully.

According to Natalia Rose, author of “The Raw Food Detox Diet,” this isn’t the case with processed and some cooked foods. Foods that tend to create a type of waste that the body has a difficult time processing.

Some of this waste remains in the body, stored indefinitely, contributing to issues such as weight gain and toxicity.

5. BETTER DIGESTION

Raw plant-based foods contain live enzymes which actually help your foods digest themselves.

Also, unless you’re eating a lot of improperly combined, complex raw dishes (which you can easily do at a buffet-style raw food function), you won’t have to deal with much-if ANY-bloating when eating high-raw.

I never feel bloated when eating high-raw. Never. Even if I’d just had three raw brownies with sweet raspberry sauce. I definitely can’t say that when I’m eating mostly cooked foods.

6. MORE YOUTHFUL APPEARANCE

Raw fruits and vegetables will hydrate and nourish your organs and keep everything more youthful.

A lot of raw foodists report the return of youthful, dewy skin and clearer eyes when they take up the raw lifestyle.

7. YOU JUST FEEL MORE ALIVE

You just feel more alive when eating raw foods.

I’m serious. You do. I think most (if not all) raw foodists and enthusiasts like me would attest to that.

I sometimes get an amazing “high” from some of my raw soups and smoothies. I also feel happier when eating high-raw. There’s a sense of “wellness” that you feel when you nurture your body with nutrients-especially when you eat large amounts at one sitting.

The consumption of Raw Foods is one of the most important keys to good health and longevity. Do yourself and your family a favor and begin adding more raw foods to your diets today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Minar-Jaynes

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At New Years, I gave up sugar. Of course, this does not mean that I never have sugar but I make a conscious choice to not eat sugar or sugary stuff. If you had told me a year before that I would no longer be driving up to the Right Bite for an incredible cinnamon roll (or two). It was a short leap from no sugar to Raw Food.

Leap might not describe it best because the journey begins with short steps. I stopped sugar by avoiding the cinnamon rolls and the candy and sweets and desserts that were a large part of my life. Then I began extending my sugar free journey by cutting out other sources of sugar.

I knew I had it the sugar addiction over and done with when I went to my friend’s house for a meal. She served home made beans, rolls, red wine, and fruit cocktail. It sounds healthy enough. Lentils, fruit, and a glass of wine now and then is good for you. After I ate, my heart began to pound. It was literally knocking against my chest the sugar rush was so bad.

Her beans were made with brown sugar and molasses, and the fruit cocktail was canned and she had added pumpkin preserved in a heavy liquid. The wine was a sweet wine. There was more sugar in that meal than in three cookies. I was sugar sensitive and the journey had been almost invisible. Just one step at a time.
Raw food transition would be about the same procedure.

At least for me. I plan to begin slowly by trying vegetable juicing and cold vegetable soups.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joanne_Reid

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Digestion is among the most critical functions our body performs. When digestion is poor, and substantial levels of food remain undigested, these food residues can become toxic and seep into the bloodstream.

Digestive enzymes are proteins specially tailored to break down foods into nutrients that your body can then readily digest. The human body produces some 22 different digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes release valuable nutrients from your food which are absorbed into the blood and used by your body to build and repair vital organs and tissue, to produce energy and to maintain a strong immune defense. Digestive enzymes, secreted along the upper gastrointestinal tract, help break down food so nutrients can be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Enzymes are proteins that are a component in digestion and in every chemical reaction in your body. These enzymes are energized protein molecules found in all living cells. The breakdown of large carbohydrate molecules begins in the mouth. In addition, they are protein catalysts, or specific substances that allow biologic processes to occur in the body.

Enzymes are a fundamental element of the digestive process. Enzymes can also be extremely sensitive and many can only exert their effects within narrow environmental conditions, especially to heat. Enzymes are an crucial factor in converting the food we eat into a form our bodies can use for nourishment and energy.

Enzymes and digestion problems are similar in many people no matter which behavioral, physical, or medical diagnosis you face. Enzymes are highly specific, both in the substrate they affect, and in the reactions they catalyze. Living foods retain their abundance of enzymes and nutrients. Living foods are the key to our health and longevity. In their book, Living Health, Harvey and Marilyn Diamond emphasize: “It is physiologically impossible for your body to use an inorganic mineral.”

The role raw food enzymes play in aiding weight loss cannot, and should not, be ignored. They can be integrated into a diet easily and have ample essential vitamins and minerals. Without these raw food enzymes your body is forced to create and use its own enzymes too survive. All raw food enzymes are destroyed by heat. Most raw food, like our body, is quite perishable.

Health care practitioners and others have used enzyme therapy for more than half a century. Raw food diets are also extremely high in fiber, and which is necessary for the body to perform detoxification. Today, there are many resources to help people into a Raw Food Diet: cook books, online courses, raw food restaurants and more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_R_Russell

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What I’m about to say goes against much of the conventional conventional thinking about diet, especially in health-food and natural health circles, but here goes: Eating raw food might not be better for your health, and in fact IT COULD EVEN BE MAKING YOU WORSE!

Now wait, before you start writing to me telling me why I’m wrong, let me explain…

I’m not saying that raw food is a bad thing, or that we should never eat it, just that it doesn’t suit everyone. Raw Food has a specific effect on the body, and if you don’t understand that effect, you can easily make the wrong decisions about your diet, in the mistaken belief that raw is always better.

To decide whether raw food is a good thing for you to be eating or not, you first need to understand what the effects of eating a lot of raw food is, and then you need to know something about your own state of health of well-being to see if the two match up.

Let Me Explain…

One of the most detailed and advanced ways of understanding food ever created comes from China. Over thousands of years, the Chinese came up with a way of classifying foods according to the holistic principles of Chinese medicine.

This incredible system allows Chinese Nutritional Therapists to exactly match specific foods to specific people, depending on their own unique imbalances or health issues.

Raw-Foodists promote the ‘Raw Is Good’ mantra, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s common sense that what suits one person doesn not always suit the next, and Chinese medicine gives us the tools to easily work out exactly what kind of people will benefit from a raw-food diet, and which won’t.

Why Soup is a Super-Food

Take a second to picture the digestive system in a simple form. The food you put in your mouth gets chewed up into a pulp, then goes down into the stomach, where the digestive juices continue to break it down into a kind of a thick soupy consistency. Your body then extracts all the nutrients and goodness it needs, and the bit that’s no use is discarded.

So, it follows that the more like thick warm soup your food is when it goes in the less work your digestive system has to do, and the easier it is to get the goodness from the food. This is why soups are traditionally given to invalids, or people recovering from illness.

At the opposite end of the scale is raw food, which takes a lot of processing by the body before it’s in a useable state. The Chinese would say that we get Qi (energy) from our food, but we also use Qi in the process of digestion. The more Qi we have to use to digest food, the less net gain we have at the end.

There’s no denying that cooking vegetables destroys some of their nutrients. HOWEVER, what we’re talking about here is how available are the nutrients to the body? Although a raw carrot may have higher vitamin levels than carrot soup, it’s possible that the body extracts more from the soup than the raw carrot, because they are much more accessible.

So What Does All This Mean?

Raw food has its place. It is considered Cooling and cleansing in Chinese medicine. On the other hand cooked food is easier to digest, and is more nourishing and Warming.

So, if you have a strong physique, and good energy levels, with a strong digestion, and you tend to be more Warm than Cool, then raw food will help to you to cool down and detox.

On the other hand, if your digestion is poor, or if you are frail or weak, or feel more Cold than Warm, then too much raw food will strain your system, and on balance more cooked and warm food will probably suit you better.

As always, a balance is key, and it’s important that we eat a wide range of foods within the context of a balanced diet. But next time you reach for a salad as ‘the healthy option’ it’s worth considering whether or not it’s the right thing for you considering your personal constitution.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Neil_Kingham

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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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jesse_E_Boudreau

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A Raw Food Diet is simple. It consists of eating food in their natural state. The food is neither cooked nor adulterated in any way. By eating the bulk of your food in its natural state, you will enjoy a huge improvement in your health and vitality.

The Raw Food Philosophy

More than just a weight loss plan or a fitness diet, this diet is a philosophy based on a lifestyle choice. It demands awareness of the live nutritional value of unprocessed food and provides numerous health benefits. They are low in saturated fats and sodium and high in antioxidants and magnesium, and low in sodium. They are almost free of harmful trans-fats. A raw food diet will detoxify your system. It will lead to natural weight loss.

Raw Foodists

Switching to a Raw Food diet will be much easier if you are vegan, or at least vegetarian. Those who choose this diet are referred to as raw foodists. This diet is popular with those seeking to be disease-free and full of energy. There are no useless calories, hence no weight gain. The diet also optimizes the nutrition in your food because cooking often kills essential vitamins and minerals in food. By not eating animal flesh or animal byproducts, there are no steroids and hormones to absorb. In addition, the body will quickly begin to flush out toxins with this diet.

Since the diet consists of nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits, sometimes it is necessary to take dietary supplements like protein shakes. However, supplements are not necessary if the diet has been precisely calculated for the various macro and micronutrients the body needs to be healthy and strong.

Variety is added to the diet by making food combinations, using food dehydrators, processors, and blenders. For instance, you can make crackers by blending various raw foods into dehydrator. Chopping or blending it can alter the texture and taste of food.

Digestion is improved on a raw food diet because of the abundance of enzymes in the food. Cooking–microwave heating, frying, or baking–denatures enzymes and this makes it harder for the body to absorb the nutrients in the food. Besides enzymes, raw foodists also believe that certain beneficial microorganisms help break down the food in the body.

The general idea is that the higher the amount of uncooked food, the better the health results. It is not the same as a vegan diet because although no animal flesh or byproducts are eaten with that diet, most of the food is still cooked. In addition, this type of diet may, depending on the philosophy of the dieter, include animal products that are eaten in their raw state. Besides seeds, nuts, vegetables, and fruits, the diet may also have eggs, sashimi fish, carpaccio, and unpasteurized milk, cheese, and yogurt.

The Value of Raw Foods

Consuming these type of foods have many benefits:

- They’re full of vitamins and minerals.

- The food is digested better because of food enzymes.

- The food has been charged with the energy from sunlight.

- The diet can be included into a regular diet, or it can be completely uncooked.

The inconvenient aspect of fresh food is that it is subject to spoilage, as there are no preservatives to increase their shelf life. So the food has to be regularly purchased in smaller increments. Uncooked food can be defined as anything not heated above 40 degrees Celsius.

Raw foods are foods from the earth that have not been altered or processed. Since they are rich in fiber, plant phytochemicals, magnesium, and potassium they metabolize into energy quickly and one does not need to eat much because of the abundance of nutrients in each meal. These foods are also alkaline and not acidic, and they don’t cause inflammation in muscle tissues.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Parks

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