Most of the information about the raw food detox diet can be found on the Internet or in published form in a book of the same name published by author Natalia Rose. This diet, as defined by Rose, consists of five levels of food with variations in the percentage of raw food that is consumed at each level. Dieters can decide at which level to begin and progress through the stages as desired.
A dieter can enter the program at Level 5 which is the most lenient. In this phase, you eat approximately 3/4 of your food choices from raw foods. This level includes foods that are cooked in one meal each day. A typical choice is a vegetarian dish such as pasta. Level five allows moderate animal products which might be selected from fish, chicken or eggs, but goat cheese is the only dairy product permitted.
At the other end or the levels is Level 1. It is the most severe. It consists only of juices, raw vegetables and raw fruits until the evening meal. On most days the dinner meal is also a raw vegan repast, but salmon is permitted once per week.
The raw food diet is a totally different way of eating for most people. You may find that you can't progress to the more strict levels comfortably, but that's acceptable, since the program is meant to be used at your own comfort level. Because the body naturally cleanses and detoxifies itself over time, you will usually find that you feel better and lose weight at the same time, but it may be a more gentle pace than with other types of eating regimens.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to eat 100 percent raw foods in order to benefit from the diet. Keeping some cooked food helps to prevent detoxification that is overly rapid. Cooked foods are also helpful to maintain emotional satisfaction in the foods you eat. Getting bored with a meal choice too quickly will be detrimental in staying on the diet.
There are some disadvantages to the raw food diet. This is not a diet for those people who must eat out often, Meals are prepared fresh and from scratch in most instances. If you are sensitive to carbohydrates or to grains, the diet is not for you. The early phases of the diet include large amounts of grain and pasta. There are numerous rules to follow in order to avoid combining foods incorrectly. In many instances, you must purchase a juicer or other kitchen equipment, which can be costly. Finally, the diet doesn't recommend exercise, so it is unbalanced in one sense.
On the other side of the equation, there are many good features about the diet. The wide variety of foods included means it is better balanced nutritionally than many other weight loss or detox diets. Desserts are allowed on all levels with certain restrictions. A specific kind of chocolate is allowed as a treat. Dieters can proceed at their own pace.
The raw food detox diet is healthy eating at its best, but it is not for everyone. You don't have to be a vegetarian or vegan to enjoy the diet, but it helps. Even though there is little cooking in the later levels of the diet, you have the opportunity to eat a wide variety of nutritious and delicious foods.
