Lemon Cayenne Pepper Diet & Lemonade Cleansing Diet

The raw food diet is the next logical step in vegetarianism. It takes the idea of vegetarianism to a new level, by keeping all ingredients in their natural state and therefore keeping all the essential vitamins and minerals and goodness locked into the food.

Many people who try it, find the raw food diet quite compelling due to its dramatic weight loss possibilities, and its profound effect on the body. Indeed, one of the great benefits of the raw food diet is the amount of extra energy that it gives you.

We may think of the raw diet and something new and fashionable, but in fact that’s not necessarily the case. The diet may be traced back through many cultures including a paleolithic man and Eskimos (Eskimo actually means eater of raw food).

Essentially the raw food diet is a subset of the vegtarian diet. The most common ingredients are raw fruits, raw vegetables, nuts and seeds. Some raw foodists also go as far as eating raw meat, although that is much less common.

As with any diet, there are varying degrees of raw food diet. Many people will eat just a partial raw food diet, preferring to take in some cooked foods occasionally.

At the next level are true raw foodists, who will not eat anything cooked, or containing ingredients that have themselves been cooked. Within this group, there are again two subsets; those who will use a dehydrator, and those who will not.

Another level of raw food diet is the living foodist. These are people whose diet is made entirely of plant food, in which the plants enzymes are still active. Such diets are predominently comprised of sprouted seeds and nuts.

Finally, there are juicarians. Juicarians only take food in the form of homemade juices. Often the body finds it easier to digest food in juice form, so this can be a very effective way of eating raw food.

Some raw foodists will eat unpasteurized milk and some raw meats, but this can be a concern as cooking is often necessary to kill any unwanted bacteria. Temperatures need to be very high or very low to kill these bacteria, and eating food raw is an infection risk. Pasteurizing is a method of preserving milk, and unpasteurized milk needs to be very fresh to be safe.

A small group of raw foodists will not eat food that has been processed by a machine at all, including juicers, dehydrators, blenders, and/or food processors. They believe in eating food in the most natural state possible.

What Are Living Foods?

By some definitions, raw foodist are also life foodists, but a more specific definition implies that in living foods, the enzymes are active, and are therefore considered living. It is the difference between sprouted and unsprouted seeds or nuts (sprouted seeds or nuts are living). Some people will only or mostly eat living foods, believing in the health benefits of greater enzyme activity.

What Foods Do You Eat On The Raw Food Diet?

On the raw food diet, you should eat foods in their uncooked state. Raw foodists avoid cooking, freezing, and anything involving chemical preservatives. Some raw foodists refuse to use juicers, blenders, or food processors, believing that food should be eaten in its natural state. Most raw foodists will use kitchen appliances such as a juicer that do not change the chemical makeup of the food. Some raw foodists will not do anything more than cut their foods, believing they should eat food in its most natural state. You need to decide for yourself where on the spectrum you are.

Some examples of foods you might eat include: fruits, vegetables, nuts, sprouts, seeds, and different types of seaweed. These foods contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, and with care, it is possible to get all of the essential amino acids (amino acids are what make up proteins). It may be necessary to take a nutritional supplement in order to be sure to get all the essential nutrients.

You need to make sure you get at least 2000 calories a day from your food and drinks, just for basic energy needs. If you eat less than 900 calories in a day, your body will go into starvation mode, which is not an efficient way to lose weight. Your body will want to hold onto its energy stores, as well as protect your brain (which is mostly made up of fat), by breaking down muscle tissues instead of fat tissues. These numbers vary from person to person depending on weight, but it is important to aim for about 2000 calories per day.

What people drink on a raw food diet:

On a raw food diet, drinks should also be raw. Raw foodists will drink purified water, freshly made juices straight from the juicer, and coconut milk. Coconut milk comes from young coconuts, which you can often buy during the right season at a produce stand. Soda, juice, and other drinks purchased in stores have often been processed in some way, and thus are not raw.

Juice made from the juicer can be made from a variety of fruits or vegetables, such as apples, carrots, lemons, and mangos. You can experiment with your own combination, or pick up a book on juicing. Be sure to clean the juicer very well in between, or it will quickly become an unpleasant mess.

Tea leaves from stores have often been dried at high temperatures, and so are not considered raw. Tea leaves can be made at home by growing your own herbs and laying them in the sun to dry. The tea made with these leaves is often called Sun Tea. Do not immediately follow this by putting your new tea leaves in boiling water, as that would not be considered raw by some. Use warm water that is below 100 degrees, and you should be fine. Mint leaves can make nice teas if you are thinking about growing your own, or experiment with different herbs. Some honey can be an easy addition if you like your drinks to be sweet, or add a lemon for extra flavor.