What is a Raw Food Diet?
Raw Food: What is it? Let’s start with what it’s not.
It is not a commitment to living a life entirely void of flavor.
It doesn’t mean having to invest in equipment you’ve never heard of it or buying ingredients that come in jars twice as small and cost four times as much.
And it isn’t just for hipsters, or hippies or hard-core vegans; it’s for everyone. Yes, that’s right, even you.
Enjoying a raw food diet simply means eating foods the way nature intended: uncooked. Officially, foods are never heated above 42 C/118 F degrees. Ideally, as per The Best of Raw Food, they are also unprocessed (as fresh as possible) and organic (preservative, pesticide and GMO free).
Why Eat Raw?
A welcomed side affect for some, thanks to the high water content of many raw foods, which makes them extra filling, eating raw isn’t actually about losing weight. A raw, natural, fresh food diet means shaping a healthy lifestyle by optimizing your nutritional intake and lessening the amount of toxins that enter your body.
Cooked Vegetables vs. Raw Vegetables
It goes without saying that eating cooked vegetables is definitely better than eating no vegetables at all. That being the case, many of the nutrients and natural enzymes found in certain raw vegetables, which are known to help with digestion and keep your entire body aligned, are destroyed once heated to a temperature of more than 42 C (118 F).
For example, according to BBC Good Food, cooking broccoli can kill enzymes that reduce the potency of anti-cancer compounds called glucosinolates, and cooking tomatoes for even two minutes reduces their Vitamin C count by 10%.
What can you eat on a Raw Food Diet?
A fully raw diet consists mainly of fresh, whole, unrefined, living, plant-based foods including fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, all consumed without cooking or steaming. If you can’t force yourself to go entirely raw, there’s no need to panic. Consuming a diet of 70% - 80% raw foods is still going to benefit your body and lead to a dramatic shift in how you feel, inside and out. Start out easy and experiment with substituting some of your favourite cooked meals for a raw alternative!
The possibility to create delicious meals using all raw ingredients is easier than it sounds and tastier than you ever imagined. Unsure where to start? Check out our delicious assortment ofraw recipes that will convert you into a raw food lover in no time.
Want a little push in the raw direction? Sign up for our Live Food Plan that provides a high vitamin, macrobiotic diet, created out of raw, live foods and supplemented by our Juice Cleanseproducts like our Green Vitality and Fresh Start Juice. Enjoy fresh raw meals delivered to your home or available for pick-up at one of our convenient pick-up locations!