Written by: Adrienne Brookbanks
The raw food diet is more than a ‘new craze’ – for many, it’s a way of life. There are many diet fads that come and go but it seems that the raw food diet is probably here to stay. In New York, there are entire restaurants and grocery stores dedicated to providing raw food cuisine.
What is the raw food diet?
The raw food diet works on the basis of – you guessed it – eating raw foods and portion control. The main train of thought behind this diet is avoiding alien chemicals from processed foods which have the ability to throw your natural sense of being off balance. The idea of eating only raw foods is supported by the fact that cooking foods destroys a portion of the enzymes your body could have used (enzymes help your body to absorb all the minerals and nutrients it needs).
Many people see the raw food diet as a lifestyle change and not necessarily a temporary diet that is followed for a few weeks. A large portion of raw food diet followers don’t necessarily only eat raw food – but rather try to incorporate a healthy amount of raw food into their daily meals. A raw food diet is not exclusively for vegans as an abundance of raw food enthusiasts thrive of the likes of Sashimi, Carpaccio and/or Cheviche. These can be accompanied by fruit, raw vegetables and nuts.
Famous raw foodists
In order to draw attention to raw food lifestyles, many celebrities have been vocal about their love of raw food diets. These celebrities include:
- Demi Moore is one of the most famous raw foodists and her rock hard body in Charlie’s Angels helped raise awareness about the raw food diet.
- Donna Karan, a 54-year- old celebrity fashion designer that dresses Hollywoood’s A-list actors and whose fashion empire sold for £430 million in 2001, shed over 10kg following the raw food diet.
- Former US President Bill Clinton decided to follow a mainly vegan/raw diet last year.
- Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs was a raw foodist when he started the company. According to reports, he threatened to call the company “Apple Computers” until someone suggested a more interested name by five o’clock that day.
- Actor and 30 Seconds to Marsh front singer, Jared Leto, had to gain a lot of weight for his role in 27. He lost the weight by eating raw foods.
Make your food taste better by soaking and sprouting your food
The process of cooking is thought to denature the enzymes that are naturally present in food. While many food diet followers eat their food completely raw, heating the food is acceptable as long as the cooking temperature stays below 45 degrees Celsius.
Some of the foods that lose a lot of their nutritional values through cooking include raw beans, seeds, nuts and legumes. In order to preserve the enzyme inhibitors (and avoid the food tasting too dull), people soak (known as “germination”) and sprout their foods. This process softens up the nut/bean and awakens some flavours. Soaking time can vary from 2-20 hours; some believe its best just to leave your rinsed nut/bean in purified water over night.
Dehydrating your food
On the other hand various foods can also be dried, or dehydrated. This is done by using a dehydrator that blows lukewarm air over food in order to remove a majority of the moisture. Ideas for dehydrated foods include the likes of raisons and tomatoes.
The above methods can also be combined with blending in order to make raw foods drinkable in the form of smoothies. This saves time and energy as your body will be able to absorb more nutrients expending less energy.
Benefits of the raw food diet
Selecting a raw food diet has several advantages and disadvantages that you should be aware of. Advantages include the likes of increased energy as your body adapts to absorb more nutrients and vitamins; clear complexion as you will have less toxins and impurities in your system; reduced risk of illness as your immune system gets a big boost from all the healthy, uncooked foods as well as ultimate weight loss.
Disadvantages of the raw food diet
Disadvantages to the diet can include initial headaches and chills caused by the shock the system experiences after the massive change in routine; mid-day drowsiness as your body needs to adapt to the new set of food you are consuming as well as concentration problems caused by irritation.
Overall the raw food diet is a good option to take when compared with all the unnatural alternatives. This said, it is easier said than done and – like most diets – will require quite a bit of planning and change of routine. The raw food diet should be seen as a life altering step towards a healthier existence and not just a 30 day improvement plan.
The liveeco team
