The raw food diet

I believe I have a healthy diet. I like to indulge on certain foods from time to time, like anyone else, but I try to chop up plenty of fruits and veggies on my cutting board, and I always think to use a clean butcher block to prepare lean meats like fish or chicken on it. Then one day, while searching the Internet, I stumbled upon the term “raw food diet”. I always though raw food was limited to sushi or Carpaccio, but it isn’t, and there are plenty of benefits to eating your food raw.

Why you should eat raw foods:
Because according to many raw food aficionados out there, eating raw food is extremely good for you. Unlike what you might believe, raw food can be cooked, but the heat source used to cook the food cannot surpass 42 °C / 115 °F. Cooking foods with heat that is more intense will spoil it in more ways than one. Raw food contains more enzymes than food that has been cooked for a long period of time, and those enzymes help the digestion. Our bodies can create enzymes on their own, but it’s a long and tiring process. This is why many of us feel so tired after eating a big cooked meal. Cooked food is more acidic than raw food because the pH levels change once the food is cooked and acidic foods turns our bodies into breeding grounds for diseases. Minerals like calcium become harder to absorb once the food has been cooked in intense heat, which is why some of us develop calcium stones. Raw food also has more vitamins and it will leave you feeling more energized throughout your day.

What you can eat:
Not only should raw food not be cooked in high heat, it should also be unprocessed (like fresh or wild fruits and vegetables) and organic (no irradiation, preservatives, pesticides or GMO). A normal raw food diet is composed of at least 75% of raw fruits, vegetables, (germinated) seeds, nuts and foods that are referred to as super foods. They can be consumed as they are or blended into juices to facilitate absorption. If eating gourmet foods is one of your guilty pleasures and you don’t want to give up dining in a fancy restaurant while being on a raw food diet, rejoice. Many raw food recipe books can be found on the market along with guides that will direct to the top raw food restaurants available in your neck of the woods.

For more information on how to start a raw food diet, visit: http://www.thebestofrawfood.com/raw-food-diet.html