Is A Raw Food Diet The Key To Health Or A Freakish Trend?
By Stefania Moffatt
A raw food diet, or “living food” diet, has the potential to be healthy and healing. Vital elements are contained in raw foods because the sun’s energy, water and nutrients from the earth remain intact in the fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds. The raw diet definitely goes against the flow of Western dietary traditions but who can argue with the “healthiness” of such foods?
Quality Foods and Quality Life
The fuel we give our bodies comes directly from the foods we consume. The foods we eat contain nutrients. Nutrients sustain life by providing us with the basic materials our bodies need to carry on their daily functions. A deficiency of necessary nutrients will cause a body to malfunction and eventually break down. To keep our bodies working properly and slow the aging process we need proper nutrition, exercise and a healthy lifestyle or outlook on life. A common problem with Western diets is that much of the foods consumed are cooked and/or processed. Cooking food at high temperatures and conventional food processing destroys vital nutrients the body needs to function properly.
Raw Foods: A Vital Supply Of Nutrients
According to the USDA Economics Research Service, the typical American diet is composed of 25 percent animal products, 62 percent processed foods and only 5 percent of calories from fruits and vegetables. Keeping the balance between acidity and alkalinity…A delicate balance exists within our bodies; it’s a balance between acidity and alkalinity. Constant consumption of highly acidic foods such as animal protein and sugar takes a toll on our kidneys, which regulates our acidity and alkaline balance. Foods in a plant based diet, which are consumed when following the raw lifestyle are alkalizing. These foods include leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, seaweed, nuts, and seeds, etc.
Easy To Digest And To Keep Balanced
The beauty of raw foods is that they are highly digestible, passing through our system with minimal effort. Animal protein and processed foods, on the other hand, digest slowly and may cause problems such as constipation and heartburn. Although following a raw food diet is healthy, and in most cases, fun, it needs to be balanced. A raw diet can provide good vitality and nutrient content but does need careful planning or some deficiencies may result.
Its Part of Life
Education regarding the nutritional content of foods is important. A common complaint with people who follow a raw food diet is that the body is cold. Eating heat-producing foods and nonstimulating, herbal teas will help in most cases. The quest for optimal nutrition is not a trend but a part of life. Consuming raw foods, in any amount, will always increase well being.
About Stefania Moffat
Wife and Mom * Writer and Editor * Holistic Nutritionist * Self-proclaimed Event and Travel Planner.
You can also follow her on her blog HERE