R for Raw Food Diet

David Wolfe’s Longevity Now, after reading so much about David Wolfe and some other leading authorities in the area of raw foods I became so intrigued to myself dive in and try out rawing way of life or lets say the hunter-gatherer way of eating from the 1400BC.

So this is what I learnt in all my findings, a raw food diet focuses on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, dried fruit, and seaweed. The diet omits foods that are processed or significantly cooked. Typically, at least 75% of foods must be living or raw on this diet. Most people include a limited amount of foods that have undergone some cooking as long as the food is never heated over 115 degrees Fahrenheit. The most popular raw food diet is the raw-vegan diet, but other forms include raw animal products and/or meat. However, I never tried the raw meat as even the thought of it kind of put me off.

Raw foodies (the nickname for devotees of this diet) believe that heating food above 115 degrees Fahrenheit destroys critical enzymes that are there to aid digestion and absorption of food. They believe that foods cooked above this temperature lose a significant amount of their nutritional value and are harmful to the body, whereas uncooked foods provide living enzymes and the highest possible nutritional value. Followers believe that the raw food diet improves overall health and immunity, prevents degenerative disease, slows the effects of aging, boosts energy, and balances emotions.

During food preparation, there are specific techniques used to make foods more digestible and add variety to the diet. These include: Sprouting seeds, grains, and beans, juicing fruits and vegetables, soaking nuts and dried fruit, and dehydrating fruits and vegetables. I used my dehydrater to its maximum during this point.

It is shown by some statistical data that, a raw food diet may lead to deficiencies in calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, and zinc in some people. It has also been found to be too low in calories for some people. Raw foods are also associated with greater incidences of food borne illnesses such as food poisoning, gastroenteritis, or stomach flu. This diet may not be appropriate for children, pregnant or nursing women, people with anemia, or people at risk for osteoporosis.

What worked for me in this diet, that I tried for just 3 weeks was, I lost about 3kgs of weight and my skin quality looked amazingly good. And some things that did not work for me in these 3 weeks were that eating out  (even at vegan places ) was difficult and I did not see it being long term kind of diet for me. However I am glad I tried and I now know that I can be on it for a few days and that it.

Give it a try, may be it works wonders for your system or may be not and share with me all your pros and cons….. HAPPY RAWING

 


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