Raw Food and Weight Loss

What is the Raw Food Diet?

A raw food diet means consuming food in its natural, unprocessed form. There are several common-sense rationales for why this is a good idea. Processing and cooking food can take so much of the basic nutritional value away.

Think of some of the conventional wisdom you've heard about for years, such as: If you cook pasta just to the al dente (or medium) stage, it will have more calories, yes, but it will have more the nutritional value in it than if you cooked it to a well-done stage. Or you probably remember hearing not to peel carrots or potatoes too deeply, because most of the nutrients and values are just under the surface.

The raw food diet means eating unprocessed, uncooked, organic, whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, dried fruits, seaweeds, etc. It means a diet that is at least 75% uncooked! Cooking takes out flavor and nutrition from vegetables and fruits. A raw food diet means eating more the way our ancient ancestors did. Our healthier, more fit ancestors. They cooked very little, and certainly didn't cook or process fruits and vegetables. They ate them RAW. Their water wasn't from a tap; it was natural, spring water. Maybe they drank some coconut milk on occasion.

Doesn't it just make sense that this is how our bodies were meant to eat? It's a way of eating that's in harmony with the planet and in harmony with our own metabolisms.

Our bodies were meant to work, and need to work to be efficient. That means exercise, certainly, but it also means eating natural, raw foods that require more energy to digest them.

Why The Raw Food Diet?

Because cooking takes so many nutrients and vitamins OUT of food, your body automatically get what it needs when you stop cooking food and start eating uncooked, nutrient-rich foods. For Example, A raw carrot has exponentially more nutrition than a cooked carrot.

Cooking also alters the chemistry of foods, often making them harder to digest. This is why we have so many digestive problems. We are putting foods into our bodies in a form that our bodies weren't designed to absorb. High fiber, high water content, fresh produce abolishes constipation of the bowels, cells and circulatory system.

Obstructions are cleared and blood flow increases to each and every cell in the body.

Enhanced blood flow is significant for two reasons: as mentioned above, blood delivers nutrients and oxygen to living cells, and carries away their toxic metabolites.

Obesity is endemic in this country. The diet industry is more profitable than the oil companies. Why? Because the way we eat and prepare our food practically guarantees that we'll overeat. Psychologists tell us that we overeat because our souls are hungry. But in reality, our bodies are hungry, even though we may feel full.

"When you start giving your body the nutrients it craves, overeating will cease".

Eating raw foods is a boost to your metabolism as well. It takes a little more energy to digest raw foods, but it's a healthy process. Rather than spending energy to rid itself of toxins produced by cooking food, the body uses its energy to feed every cell, sending vitamins, fluids, enzymes and oxygen to make your body the efficient machine it was intended to be.

You'll naturally stop overeating, because your body and brain will no longer be starving for the nutrients they need. A starving brain will trigger the thoughts that make you overeat. The brain and the rest of your body don't need quantity; they need quality.

Why not processed foods?

Have you ever seen a picture of your blood plasma after you've eaten a meal from McDonald's or Burger King? It's not a pretty picture. It looks thick and cloudy. Fast foods are loaded with fat and sodium. They use white bread and rolls, which means they've used white processed flour, with very few nutrients in them.

And how do you feel after a Big Mac and French fries? You need a nap, don't you? All that fat will drag you down and make you feel sluggish.

Going on a diet is hard, but think about some of the things you do when you go on a diet. You eliminate those high fat, processed, high-sodium foods. You eat less, true. But you also eat more raw fruits and vegetables. You drink water. And the results of eating this way are increased energy, less need for sleep.

Processed foods, with their high fat content are hard to digest. They take an enormous amount of the body's energy to consume. When your body's energy isn't used up digesting all that fat, it's available for YOU - for work, play, love, exercise - in other words, for LIFE.

These aren't drastic concepts. You don't have to make drastic changes in your lifestyle. But take a good look at what you consume without even thinking about it. We reach for the potato chips, or stop at McDonald's or Taco Bell when we're hungry and we want something in a hurry. Don't get me wrong, I love a good burger. But, at what cost?

It's much easier these days to have snacks on hand so you don't have to stop at a fast food place when you're hungry. If you're on the road a lot, and get hungry, pick up a bag of vegetables or apple slices at a grocery store. Yes, it's easier to drive up to Wendy's, but taking a few extra minutes, not to mention a few extra steps, will be well worth it in energy and vitality.

Benefits of going "RAW"?

Now that you know what a raw food diet is all about, you need to decide, is it right for you? You do not need to incorporate raw food 100% of the time. You can just eat more fruits and vegetables and no processed foods. Try drinking fruit juices until lunch time and then eating a healthy veggie sandwich.

For dinner, eat some blanched vegetables with a cooked meal with no meats. When you gradually detoxify your body, you will see dramatic results. First, you will go through the detoxify process, where you will feel tired, have headaches, skin eruptions, etc.

• Feel light, not dragged down, energetic, vitality, and conscious,
• Have more mental clarity and therefore be more productive,
• Your body will feel cleansed,
• Be able to treat disease and prevent new ones from forming,
• See dramatic weight loss, for instance, five pounds a week,
• Stronger immune system,
• Save money because you can either grow your vegetables or buy them at a farmers market.
• Save time and money. Because you will spend less time in the kitchen cooking up a storm.
• Not be eating animals, which have been pumped with high hormones that wouldn't benefit you anyway, but instead toxify you,
• Not be plagued with depression, pms, or acne. In fact, your skin will be absolutely glowing, you will feel rejuvenated,
• Slows the aging process,
• Your senses will be enhanced,
• Be more flexible and fertile,
• Be more creative, motivated, and also relaxed,
• Focus more on relationships and be more environmentally attuned and inwardly attuned.

In Conclusion:

You might agree on an intellectual level that eating raw foods is a good idea. But does the thought of abandoning a lifetime of eating habits for the sake of what seems like a good idea seem like more than you can do?

So don't! That's silly and the surest way to guarantee you won't give a raw foods diet a fighting chance. "Everything in moderation" and we think that applies to even the healthiest notions. It's not healthy if you won't do it!

Don't think of trying a raw foods diet as taking anything AWAY. Try adding them in. We think if you add in things like raw vegetables, sprouts, fruits and juices, you won't be as hungry and when you're not hungry, you won't give into impulsive eating. If you want that steak, or even a McDonald's hamburger, plan for it and enjoy it. Once you start eating raw foods though, and notice how good you feel on them and how much more energy you have, that hamburger just won't look as good to you.

You do want to be sure though, that you're getting enough of the right kinds of nutrition. Eating raw foods doesn't mean eating only the raw foods you like. Watermelon is good for you, but it's not enough. The same with most foods.

You'll need to do a little research into which raw foods have the essential proteins, or what combinations of food you need to eat to get enough protein. Raw food eating is intended to nourish your body in a completely different way, but just being raw isn't enough. You want to do this to be in balance, and you need to balance the raw foods you're eating for proper nutrition.

One way to ensure that you are getting enough nutrients is to incorporate a new vegetable every week. Buy something you have never heard of, like a "leek", or "Swiss chard." You will find a whole new world of tastes and textures open up to you. You will feel more and more deterred by fast food. I guarantee it.

First name:       E-mail address:

We hate spam as much as you do!
We will never share, rent, sell or compromise your privacy.

Related Articles

Raw Food Preparation | Raw Diet & Cooked Foods | Children & Raw Food
Organic Products and The Raw Food Diet | Vegetarian vs. Raw Food
Junk Food and The Raw Food Diet

Recommended Reading

The Raw Secrets

How To Do The Raw Food Diet With Joy

Link Exchange

Join Our Link Exchange Here!

Contact Us

Click Here