A raw food diet may include raw foods (around 75 % of the diet) and those cooked at a certain temperature such as slightly boiled potatoes. Eating right may sound difficult but thankfully, raw foods may easily be incorporated into the diet. This article discusses a few types of raw foods diet and their health benefits.
- Plant-sourced foods: This type of diet contains foods that are sourced strictly from plants; all foods sourced from animals, or processed foods are not included. And yet, not all foods from plant foods are allowed for people seeking to lose weight or maintain good health. Some examples of raw foods sourced from plants that you may include in your diets are raw and dried veggies and fruits, fresh veggies and fruit juices, nut, and butter fruits and oils, slightly boiled tubers such as potatoes, etc.
- Animal-sourced foods: While most foods sourced from animals have to be cooked before consumption, a few like meat, milk, and eggs can be taken in their uncooked. Yes, there isn’t a nutritional reason why uncooked meat may not be eaten except that cooking tenderizes the meat and breaks down the proteins for faster adsorption. Many people also prefer sun-cured, smoked, or dried meat to cooked meat. These may be combined with salads or veggies in a weight loss diet.
- A mix of both animal-sourced and plant-sourced foods is also eaten by many. The definition of raw foods is loose; while many consider strictly raw food, many others also consider those foods that may be slightly cooked. For example, Asians are known to cook fish for only a couple of minutes or consume it raw with herbs and veggies.
Benefits of raw foods
Perhaps the most important benefit of eating raw, unprocessed foods is that there are no artificial chemicals added, and nutrients can be taken into the body without destroying most of them via the various cooking methods. This greatly helps the body in retaining important natural chemicals it needs for good health.
The next important benefit is for weight loss and management. Raw foods are naturally low in calories and are best for portion control. Boiled potatoes, for example, give fewer calories than a meal of potato pies (to which processed flour, cream, and butter are added). Those looking for a way to lose weight may safely incorporate raw foods into their diets.
