What is Raw Food?

 

 

Trends come and go in the world of healthy living and gourmet food.

I remember in the late ’80s when fats were “out” and carbs were “in.” Almost every magazine on the shelves was extolling the virtues of a high-pasta diet (that seems so funny now, but it really was the case back then)! A decade later, high-protein was all the rage. Carbs were considered a necessary evil, best indulged in the smallest amounts possible.

Which brings us to today, a time in which diets are more balanced, but no less extreme. What’s in style now are food regimens that are more primal, emphasizing more fresh fare like our ancestors ate, and less “conveyor belt” foods from the industrial age.

Currently, the two most popular lifestyle diets are probably Paleo and Raw Food.

It might seem that these diets are complete opposites, since Paleo is heavy on meat, while Raw Food is often considered a vegan undertaking. However, these two diets actually have meal plans with much in common. Namely, they emphasize the virtues of fresh, organic vegetables.
 
 

Is Raw Food the Best Lifestyle Diet Ever?

 
First, it seems important to say that the raw food regimen is not a weight loss diet.

Yes, one usually drops a great deal of body fat when eating an all-raw diet, but the primary purpose of raw food is to improve health and vitality (the fat loss is just an added perk)!

Technically, the raw food regimen is a way of eating that emphasizes plants and that limits food choices to those that are uncooked — or at least not exposed to temperatures of over 104° F (or 40° C).

There is no one way to follow a raw food diet:

• ▸ some raw-fooders are fully committed and do 100% raw, believing that all plant-based foods are healthier — with their complete enzymes in tact — uncooked

 

• ▸ other health enthusiasts believe that a mostly raw food diet is the way to go, and shoot for a 70% intake or above (there has been some talk that while most vegetables are better raw, there are a few vegetables that might have a broader nutritional spectrum when slightly cooked)

There are even more subsets within the raw food community:

• ▸ including those who eat all-raw but include raw meat (such as our ancestors ate before the era of agriculture — this is another place where the raw food diet and Paleo diet converge a bit)

 

• ▸ the spiritually inspired health-conscious who believe uncooked foods have a quality that is unquantifiable in a lab test: namely, an abundance of “prana,” or lifeforce

 

• ▸ there are even raw-fooders who drink red wine!

 

5 Tips for Successfully Following a Raw Food Diet

Adopting new healthy habits can be tricky, at least at first. Here are some tips that might help make experimenting with raw foods an easier, and more enjoyable, process.

Tip #1: Identify a Primary Goal

Your chief aim is probably going to be something like “to dramatically improve my health and appearance by gradually increasing the amount of uncooked plants in my daily diet.”

Tip #2: Make Outrageous Salads

Each night, experiment with making the most amazing salads you can. Include your favorite vegetables and lettuces, but also try varieties you’ve never before considered. Top off with microgreens (such as sunflower sprouts) and raw, sprouted nuts and seeds.

Tip #3: Get into Green Smoothies

Get yourself an excellent blender and discover the delicious and energizing effects of freshly made green smoothies. Your first few shakes might be a near-disaster, but with a little patience (and a sense of adventure) you can make the best green smoothies ever!

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