Raw Food Detox Diet

Detox, or detoxification of the body is a common practice many people use in order to rid the body of toxic substances or lose some weight quickly. There are many different ways and many different diets to detox the body. Some of these are the dieuretic diet, the fat flush diet, an all liquid diet, liver cleansing diet and the raw food diet. Certain detox diets may be better for certain people, so it is important to look at each and decide which one would fit your day to day lifestyle the best. The detox diet that I would like to talk about here is the raw food detox diet, also sometimes called foodism. This detox diet is generally made up of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, dried fruits, herbs and spices that are all eaten raw.

The first thing you will want to do is prepare for the detox. The safest way to do so is to slowly remove the foods that are not allowed during the detox from your day to day diet for a week before you start the full on detox. This means that the first day of preparation you will replace one or two things that you regularly eat during the day with something that is a fruit, vegetable or other food allowed by the detox. By the seventh day, you will have replaced pretty much everything in your regular diet with someone that is allowed in the detox diet. The other thing that you will need to do to prepare is create a menu plan for your detox diet. You will want to make your menu as appetizing as possible for yourself, but don’t expect it to be as good as friend chicken or extra cheesy lasagna. With a little creativity and searching for recipes you can however find some very tasty meals.

Once you have created your menu plan, create a grocery list and go shopping the day before you start the detox. You are now ready to begin your raw food detox diet.

Generally the first couple days of any detox are the hardest days, so it is important to keep any temptations out of sight and as out of mind as possible. It may take a lot of will power but you will find as you are on the detox for longer that it will become easier, and believe me, when you start seeing those results of how much better you feel or how much weight you have lost, you will want to keep the detox going strong.

With the raw food diet it may be a little costly to purchase all of the fruits and vegetables that you will need, but it is important not to skimp or cheat. Some great meals you can make are fresh fruit salads, mixed salads with other various vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, parsley and other dressings, raw mixed vegetable soup, avocado and even raspberry and banana sorbet. You should be able to find these special raw diet recipes as well as many others with just a little searching online. The important thing with a raw food detox diet is that you make a plan and stick with it.

4 Ways to Improve Your Raw Food Diet

Recently I reviewed an essay on evolution and the human diet and concluded with 4 main ways to improve the modern human diet:

1. Eliminate Salt Intake
2. Eliminate Grains and Replace with Fruits and Vegetables, with an emphasis on sweet fruit
3. Exercise Everyday
4. Limit Fat Intake

Unfortunately, modern Americans with their SAD diet are not the only ones guilty of ignoring the lifestyle points above. Many health conscious individuals and their so-called nutritious diets fail as well.

For instance, vegans are known for eating tons of grain-based meals coupled with staggering levels of salt and oil. And while many vegans don't struggle with hyperadiposity, there is definitely no shortage of under-muscled veg-heads.

But what about RAW vegans? Well, it seems that there is much room for improvement amongst this special class of health hobbyists as well.

Salt

The average raw foodist eats too much salt, as well as other spices and condiments. Here's a raw soup recipe I found while scouring the web:

* South River unpasteurized miso
* Tomato concentrate by Premier Research
* Hijiki
* Goji Berries
* Hemp Seeds
* Raw Honey
* Sea Salt (pink himalayan salt is a great option)
* Other seaweed (optional)
* Nutritional flakes (optional)
* Agaricus mushroom powder (optional)

Can this really be considered a recipe? It seems to be made up of flavorings rather than actual nutritious food.

Grains Over Fruits and Vegetables

You would think that most raw foodists would naturally favor ripe fruits and veggies over difficult to digest grains.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Many cooked-made-raw recipes, like burgers, wraps, and pizzas, use sprouted grains.

Here's an example of a raw pizza:

* 400g sprouted wheat (or sprouted buckwheat)
* 2 medium fresh tomatoes
* ½ a medium sized onion
* 6-8 sundried tomato halves (ideally pre-soaked)
* About 10 leaves of fresh basil
* Liberal shaking of Italian dried herbs mix
* 1 clove garlic
* ⅓ cup of olive oil

And while many mainstream raw foodists do eat good amounts of greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., they put WAY too little emphasis on sweet fruit. Some even shun fruit completely!

For more on the problem with eating grains, check out my article here.

Exercise

I don't know what it is, but mainstream raw food vegans seem to HATE to exercise...not including meditation and low-intensity yoga, of course. ;)

Actually I DO know why: they don't eat enough calories! It's impossible to find the energy to work up a good sweat when you're living on heavy fats and low-calorie veggies.

This is why it's so common to see super skinny, yet still over-fat and under-muscled raw foodists.

Fat

Here's the big one: raw foodists eat way too many avocados, nuts, seeds, and oils. They're used in salads, soups, salsas, sauces, and even sweet desserts!

ESPECIALLY the desserts! Here are the ingredients for an almond cake recipe:

* 1 cup walnuts
* 2/3 cup almonds
* 1 cup pitted, packed medjool dates
* 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

And that doesn't include the almond creme...

* 1 cup cashews
* 1/3 cup almond milk
* 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
* 3 tablespoons maple syrup
* 1 1/2 -2 teaspoons pure almond extract
* 2 tablespoons chopped almonds

...or the whipped creme...

* 3/4 cup almond milk
* 1/2 cup cashews
* 1/2 cup walnuts
* 3 tablespoons cacao powder
* 3 tablespoons maple syrup
* 2 teaspoons carob powder
* Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean
* Pinch celtic sea salt
* 2 tablespoons melted cacao butter
* 1 tablespoons coconut oil

...that go along with it.

Holy Cannoli!

No wonder so many raw foodists have issues with candida overgrowth.

Raw Rules for Everyone

So yea, unfortunately cooked food lovers are NOT the only ones guilty of dietary sin. But that's okay, because you definitely don't have to follow the trend:

1. Eliminate Salt Intake
2. Eliminate Grains and Replace with Fruits and Vegetables, with an emphasis on sweet fruit
3. Exercise Everyday
4. Limit Fat Intake

No matter what your current diet, you will see tremendous health gains by adopting the 4 guidelines above.

Go raw and be fit,

Raw Foods Diet to Live Naturally and Long

Ever wonder as to why the average age of the Japanese people is 92 for males and 94 for females? For that matter the average age of the people in so many other Asian countries where most live above 80 years. It can simply be pointed to their diet which includes a lot of raw foods. Raw foods diet is a revolutionary albeit a very old concept of living a healthy, clean and simple life which is in harmony with nature. Raw foods are very rich in dietary nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Most people would have heard that the enzymes that are provided with raw food are usually flushed out along with all the vitamins and minerals when the food is cooked. However what most do not know is that when the cooked food is digested without these nutrients and the enzymes, the digestive process suffers and leads to disorders such as constipation, gastritis, and heartburns. Besides our bodies are just not designed to take in the kind of junk that is such a norm these days.

The oxidants that are added as a result steadily destroy the body's regenerative abilities and lead to severe diseases such as cancer and asthma. People who live on raw foods diet naturally have all these issues taken care of as the body gets what it requires. It is worth noting that people who live entirely on cooked food are the ones who face almost all the problems mentioned above apart from obesity and other chronic ones; while those who rely on raw foods diet are seen to experience almost no such issues while having existing health problems solved. Try some raw recipes and see the difference it creates in your life.

Ever wonder as to why the average age of the Japanese people is 92 for males and 94 for females? For that matter the average age of the people in so many other Asian countries where most live above 80 years. It can simply be pointed to their diet which includes a lot of raw foods. Raw foods diet is a revolutionary albeit a very old concept of living a healthy, clean and simple life which is in harmony with nature.

Raw foods are very rich in dietary nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Most people would have heard that the enzymes that are provided with raw food are usually flushed out along with all the vitamins and minerals when the food is cooked. However what most do not know is that when the cooked food is digested without these nutrients and the enzymes, the digestive process suffers and leads to disorders such as constipation, gastritis, and heartburns. Besides our bodies are just not designed to take in the kind of junk that is such a norm these days. The oxidants that are added as a result steadily destroy the body's regenerative abilities and lead to severe diseases such as cancer and asthma.

People who live on raw foods diet naturally have all these issues taken care of as the body gets what it requires. It is worth noting that people who live entirely on cooked food are the ones who face almost all the problems mentioned above apart from obesity and other chronic ones; while those who rely on raw foods diet are seen to experience almost no such issues while having existing health problems solved.

Try some raw recipes and see the difference it creates in your life.

Getting A Natural Food Diet

One of the advantages to changing to a diet consisting of natural food is that it plays an important role in preventing as well as controlling obesity. To be sure, people become obese because they eat an excess of processed foods, foods that are sweet, foods that are frozen and also foods that have been preserved. Of course, there are other causes for becoming obese including some genetic reasons as too endocrinal malfunctions, though these causes are quite rare as compared to the other reasons.

Obesity is also known to start as early as during childhood and part of the reason for this is that parents pamper their children by letting them eat whatever they set their hearts on and thus children end up lacking the ability to control their urges. Also, fast foods that they love to eat do not contain much by way of nutrition and in fact contribute to an unhealthy increase in the amounts of calories consumed.

Less Fat and High Fibers

However, if the parents ensure feeding their children proper and natural food it has been found that such a step can help control obesity in children. The same is the case when it concerns cholesterol because eating natural food can also lower your bad cholesterol as well.

A diet consisting of natural food should in fact, include eating foods that contain less fat, high fiber as well as should also include eating freshly grown fruits and vegetables, and in addition, you also need to lower your salt and sugar consumption as well as consume nuts and legumes.

Besides ensuring taking a natural food diet you also need to complement your diet regime with a healthy dose of exercises like performing aerobic exercises that help to maintain proper body weight and improve the blood circulation. You can also achieve better results by consuming natural food and by also doing some form of walking or running and perhaps even some swimming because these activities will help to burn unwanted fats and calories.

Other actions that you will need to do besides eating natural food include quitting smoking because that will help make your blood vessels stronger and the chances of suffering from a stroke too will be reduced.

In most cases, if you ensure that your diet consists mainly of natural food and you also exercise regularly, you should be able to control your cholesterol and obesity problems and so, the next time you go to buy your food supplies, makes sure to buy only natural food.

Why Eat Raw Foods Today - natural ?

Eating raw foods is natural. Our bodies thrive on all that is fresh and vital. A raw food diet (or increasing the amount of raw food that you eat) is bound to bring a feeling of increased wellbeing.

Raw food diets are based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, preferably organic, such as a variety of fresh fruits and vegies, nuts, seeds, grains, dried fruit, fresh juices and purified water.

Why Raw Foods?

Basically a vegetarian diet, the raw food diet promotes eating and drinking ‘living’ foods. Living foods and juices contain the maximum amount of fibre found in raw produce, fibre that can be lost in processing. Such foods are easily metabolised and tend to be lower in calories than the average diet.

Heating food above 116°F destroys enzymes in food that aid in digestion and in absorption of food, diminishing its nutritional value.

Benefits of a Raw Food Diet

A diet of at least 75% raw food offers numerous health benefits, such as increased energy, improved skin appearance, better digestion, weight loss and reduced risk of serious illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

A raw food diet contains little or no saturated fats, is low in sodium, high in potassium, magnesium, folate and fibre.
Raw food diets are also excellent detox diets. Different combinations of raw, living foods and juices can be used for colon cleansing, liver cleansing, kidney cleansing and skin cleansing.

The Basics of a Raw Food Diet

Any fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, beans, nuts, legumes, young coconut milk – even seaweed – can be menu items of a raw food diet. Your choice of foods may depend on your reasons for dieting, for example:

- sprouted brown rice slows glucose absorption and improves the metabolism

- cabbage supports healthy cellular function; radish leaves act as an anti-oxidant, as does Shitake mushroom

-carrots are a great source of vitamin A as well as encouraging healthy vision and a healthy cardio-vascular system

You can use a sprouter such as the Easy Green automatic sprouter to sprout seeds, grains, beans – even wheatgrass. Sprouts could be called a ‘super food’ – organic sprouts contain enormous levels of proteins, vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, chlorophyll pigments and enzymes, and are the ideal natural supplement.

Sprouts can be used in salads and soups, or can be juiced. Fresh juices are a great ready energy supply and a good quality juicer, such as the Kempo Greenpower juicer, produces living juices that are full of essential nutrients.
A great juicing recipe to complement a raw food diet is carrot juice with potato, fennel and apple. Simply juice 4 medium carrots, 2 apples, 1 small potato and 1 small stalk of fennel.
Fennel has been shown to reduce and control inflammation of arthritis, it evens mood fluctuation and depressive states and has the rare nutrient called manganese, plus zinc and vitamin B complex.
The nutritional value of grains and seeds is impressive. They contain most of the vitamins – particularly A, B, and E. They’re also fantastic natural sources of unsaturated fatty acids and lecithin, and an excellent source of proteins.

You can even use soy milk makers (such as SoyQuick) to make non-dairy drinks from different beans, rice, nuts, seeds and grains to have with breakfast. If you want something a little more substantial than soy milk you can make your tofu (or, of course, visit a good health food shop).

Essentially, the idea of a raw food diet is to eat unprocessed foods for at least 75% of the time. If the idea of raw food isn’t very appetising to you, you can warm the food a little as long as the food isn’t heated above 116°F.

Cautionary Note

As with any major change in diet, it’s wise idea to consult your doctor before beginning a special diet. This is especially true for children, pregnant women, anyone with anemia and anyone with a pre-existing medical condition.

Even natural foods can conflict with certain medications, so please ask your doctor or pharmacist if you’re taking any medication.

Because a raw food diet is detoxifying some people suffer a mild detox reaction including mild headaches, nausea and cravings. These symptoms may last for several days and you’ll get more enjoyment out of your raw food diet if you cut down on things like meat, sugar and caffeine a week or so before commencing the diet.

Last But Not Least…

A raw food diet is certainly a good way to improve your overall health and wellbeing. Like anything worthwhile it takes time, energy and commitment. Because many of the foods for this particular type of diet are made from scratch there is some preparation time involved. There are many great products on the market that can help you prepare your own living food and save you some time as well.

Combined with regular exercise, a raw food diet is also an excellent weight loss method. If you’ve been feeling ‘a little off’, or just need a pick-me-up and some extra energy, then a raw food diet is certainly a good way to go.

Raw Food Diet- Weight Loss And Raw Foods

Here are a few important tips to healthy weight loss and raw foods:

* Eat as much raw food as you can (Many people fallow the 80/20 rule. 80% raw foods and 20% cooked/processed foods)
* Eat Organic 99% of the time! Anything that is not organic, is not only completed depleted of nutrients but also filled with toxins such as herbicides, insecticides, hormones, antibiotics, etc.
* Eat a majority of alkaline foods rather than acidic foods. Out bodies are already acidic due to a number of causes and so we must balance that out by adding alkaline food and water to our diets. Here are some suggestions for alkaline and acidic foods.



Alkaline Foods

* Mineral rich water is going to be one the MOST IMPORTANT alkaline substances you should be feeding your body.
* Vegetables- especially RAW ORGANIC green leafy vegetables
* Fresh herbs and spices – parsley, basil, cilantro, cayenne, ginger
* Fruits – watermelon, avocado, cucumber, young coconuts, wheat grass
* Sprouts – alfalfa, mung bean, broccoli, etc.

Acidic Foods

* Junk/Processed foods
* Sugar
* All animal food (meat, eggs, chicken, fish, lobster, oysters)
* Grains (white; wheat, rice, pasta, flour, bread etc;)
* Some Fruits
* Dairy Products (milk, cheese, butter)
* Bad fats (processed safflower oils, butters, etc.)
* Peanuts and Cashews



Now you are probably wondering how any of these suggestions help you lose weight. The answer is simply this: if you choose to eat wholesome, raw, organic, alkaline foods, you will absolutely loose weight. Your body adds and holds onto storage fat to protect itself from all the harmful toxins we are putting in our bodies. Your body is retaining that fat because your body is acidic! (Although, it is good to remember that we must have a BALANCED body. Too acidic or too alkaline can both be harmful.)



To maintain a healthy long-term weight loss you must have an alkaline pH. The more green vegetables and herbs you eat the more alkaline your body will be. Also through eating an organic raw food diet you will receive a much higher dose of alkaline nutrients and minerals, thus eating organic will speed up your weight loss.