How to Go on a Raw Food Diet

Raw food consists of (usually plant) food that is uncooked and unprocessed, such food often termed "live" or "living". The raw food diet is based on the belief that a high-enzyme diet will ensure optimal health. Enzymes help us to digest food; raw food contains enzymes already to assist this process. When we cook food, the naturally occurring enzymes are destroyed by heat (over 118ºF or 48ºC), and our own bodies need to produce the enzymes to digest the food. It is thought that this places too much pressure on our bodies, having to both manufacture the enzymes needed, and digest the food at the same time. Cooking is also thought to diminish the nutritional value and "life force" of food. As well as this basic reason, other reasons for why people follow a raw food diet vary. Ani Phyo says that the range of reasons include losing weight, anti-aging properties, health benefits, physical performance benefits, and for a growing number of people, as a way of fitting in with a green lifestyle. Many raw food diet followers are vegan owing to a personal belief that consumption of animals is unethical and unhealthy. A raw food diet can be incredibly delicious and diverse. Provided also that you do adequate research, a raw food diet can be well-balanced in nutrients, providing for optimal health and ideal weight. This article provides some guidance for getting started on a raw food diet, including what to purchase for your kitchen and the types of foods to consider.

Tips

• Remain aware of changes in your digestive system or overall well-being.
• Supplement your diet with Vitamin B12 to prevent anemia. Some products include this but beware of processed products that have been cooked or heated to preserve them.
• Raw foods and ingredients may include nut milk, pudding, smoothies and frozen banana cream.
• If you dine out, bring a few of your own ingredients, such as an avocado, lemon, herbs or natural salad dressing. Although, note that most health codes prohibit bringing your own food into a restaurant, so it's best to call ahead and ask for your needs to be catered for. If this isn't possible, have a drink and a salad and fill up later at home.
• Choose to buy organic if a certain type of produce is being treated with a large amount of pesticide. This data can be easily researched online.
• Be secure if you choose to eat raw animal products. Ask questions about their quality and source and be totally reassured that they have been handled hygienically and with the optimum of care.
• Did you know that young adults have thirty times the enzymes of the elderly? The older you get, the harder digestion becomes. Keep this in mind as you age; the benefits of a raw food diet for healthy aging can be enormous.
• If you've noticed that raw food diet is heavily dependent on modern equipment such as freezers, fridges, and electrical equipment, this doesn't need to be. You can have a raw food diet without these conveniences – it just requires more diligence, more daily preparation and daily harvesting or shopping for ingredients. It all depends on how much time you have available.
• Blended drinks can be better than juiced ones because the fiber is left intact. Naturally, the drinking experience is quite different, so keep this in mind when choosing.
• Some sources prefer the heating temperature of raw foods to be kept under 116ºF or 47ºC rather than the 118ºF or 48ºC suggested in this article. Ani Phyo defines living foods as food not heated over 104ºF or 40ºC. Do the background reading and decide for yourself which temperature for heating to settle on.
• Raw food blogs are a great source of raw food recipes, often including hints and tips of the blogger as they found what did and didn't work when they tried recipes in popular books.

Warnings

• Not everyone can be healthy on this diet; some body types are better suited than others. Listen to your body's needs and reactions. Speak to your doctor if you have any concerns.
• Not everyone appreciates the intensity of the work seemingly required for this diet if you follow the fussier food preparation examples. For example, Julie Powell of the New York Times felt that on a raw food diet she would have "spent an entire day doing nothing but trying to feed myself. It is advisable to leave the trickier, fancier raw food diet suggestions for special occasions if you find they consume too much of your time in preparation. A raw food diet should not add to your anxiety levels, nor turn you into a crazed martyr to a cause that's rapidly depleting your patience. Initially, expect some of the learning to be time-consuming as you switch preparation methods; after all, you are unlearning "cooking" and that can take some doing until it becomes second nature. After a time, it should become a lot faster, especially as you learn to prepare suitable items in batches. And, there is always the option of adding some raw food to your diet rather devoting your entire dietary habits to it.
• Speak to your doctor if you have any health conditions prior to starting a raw food diet. You're still the master of your ship but wise advice is worth heeding.
• Obtain enough protein and healthy fats for proper metabolism.
• Some people experience a detoxification reaction when they start the raw food diet, especially if their previous diet was rich in meat, sugar, and caffeine. Mild headaches, nausea, and cravings can occur but usually last for a few days.
• This diet is not recommended for children, pregnant or nursing women, people with anemia and people at risk for osteoporosis. If you have any sort of illness, immune disorder, or health fragility, discuss the options with your doctor. Even simply removing processed foods from your diet and increasing the amount of hygienically prepared raw foods can improve health, so don't dismiss the possibilities outright.
• Some foods need to be cooked to be safe, such as red kidney beans and cashew nuts. Always be aware of food that requires cooking for safety.
• Cooking can change the chemistry of some foods, making them easier to digest, or even possible to digest. Also, the body digests some foods more efficiently in cooked form.