Lose Weight With Raw Foods

We're all familiar with the knowledge that in order to lose weight we must speed up our metabolism. Exercise is a great way to do this - especially aerobic or cardiovascular exercise. But there is another way - by eating certain foods you can also increase your metabolism, lose weight and get all around healthier!

Enzymes are the key factor here. Enzymes are proteins that trigger practically every chemical reaction in the body from digestion to moving your muscles. However, these aren't your muscle building proteins - they are non-digested catalysts that must be present in order for all other bodily processes to happen.

Usually when enzymes are mentioned, digestive enzymes are what come to mind. However, the enzymes we are talking about are metabolic enzymes. These are responsible for fat burning, strengthening the immune system and alleviating tiredness. Adding raw foods to your diet can help your body restore healthy enzymes levels of both kinds.

You can start by incorporating raw foods into your diet. The more raw foods you eat, the faster your metabolism will get. But as with anything - don't overdo it. If you are not used to eating raw foods, your body may have a difficult time digesting them. Read on for easy tips to get your fill of raw foods right away.

Start your day with raw, fresh, organic fruit. The morning is your body's normal cleansing time when your body's ability to metabolize fat peaks. Since fruits are the natural cleansers of the body, having one or two servings of fruits in the morning will help this process. But eat it alone - you want to give it time to digest. If you are having protein or cereal for breakfast too, wait about thirty minutes after you eat the fruit. Eating these foods too close together may give you a tummy ache.

For lunch, have a large raw veggie salad with protein. This is time of day when your digestion is at its strongest and your body is ready to rev up your metabolism. For protein, there is a variety to choose from such as sprouts or beans. If you prefer some cooked food, you can add chicken, lean beef or fish with your meal. If you prefer more cooked food at lunch, that's okay. Just be sure to start your lunch with a small, raw veggie salad - skip the high fat dressing, though.

To end your day, start your dinner with a raw veggie salad. Again, this gets your body ready to work and can help digest your dinner. Including this salad will help stabilize blood sugar as well as help your weight loss goals.

If you can't find time to eat your salads or snack on raw veggies (or want to do more), try drinking your vegetables. Raw, fresh made vegetable juice from carrots, celery and beets have plenty of live enzymes. These enzymes not only strengthen digestion, which can speed your metabolism, but they can also strengthen your immune system and keep you from getting overly hungry between meals.

Eating more raw foods will supply many benefits. Adding raw fruits and veggies will increase your metabolism, control blood sugar, help your body detoxify and can even minimize the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

You can keep your diet easy by simply replacing meals - or parts of your meals - with raw foods. Start with 50% raw and work your way up to 75% or even 100% raw. Search your local health food store for raw food recipe books to keep your meals interesting. The more raw foods you eat, the faster you will lose weight and the quicker you will receive all the other health benefits.

Type 2 Diabetes - Reverse It With Raw Foods

Type 2 diabetes can be reversed with raw foods. Implementing a raw food only diet has many benefits for diabetics. These foods are plant-based foods that contain no cholesterol, this is very important, as cholesterol is a major concern with people that have diabetes.

Our bodies produce cholesterol naturally, so we do not need to add more as this can cause complications and serious health problems. It may be hard to adjust to this kind of diet, but the beneficial results are worth it.

Some of the benefits of a raw food diet if you have type 2 diabetes are:

* Raw foods are easily digested
* Raw foods will allow you to lose weight effectively and safely
* It provides you with more energy
* You will notice your skin becoming healthier
* Lowers your risk of heart disease
* Lowers your cholesterol if it is too high
* Raw foods have healing powers that can help with many illnesses
* Beneficial with people that have allergies, and
* Beneficial for people that have a weak immune system

Following are some raw food recipes that are beneficial if you have type 2 diabetes:

Scrumptious Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

For the Pie Crust:

* 2 to 3 cups of almonds
* ½ cup of pitted dates that have been soaked
* For the Pie Filling:
* 1 large butternut pumpkin, shredded
* 1 cup of dates
* ½ cup of almonds, soaked
* ¼ cup of chopped parsley
* 1 tsp of freshly grated ginger
* 2 tsp of cinnamon
* ½ tsp of nutmeg
* ½ tsp of ground cloves
* ¼ cup of water

Method

To make the piecrust, place all the ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth, place into a prepared pie dish and coat the bottom evenly.

To make the pie filling, add the pumpkin to the food processor and process for a few minutes, and then add the rest of your ingredients and blend until well combined and smooth. Place this filling on top of your piecrust and serve with a green salad.

Banana & Chocolate Smoothie

Ingredients

* 2 large bananas
* ½ cup of raw almonds, soaked
* 1 tsp of cinnamon powder
* 1 tbsp of cacao powder
* 2 cups of water

Method

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth.

Implementing this kind of diet is truly beneficial for all of us not just diabetics. Reversing type 2 diabetes with raw foods can be achieved, you can see just how much it can help you to achieve optimum health once more and avoid the nasty complications that are associated with diabetes.

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.