Will It Work for You?
A relatively new food trend has appeared on the diet landscape.Its known as the raw food approach, and from California toConnecticut, the trend appears to be gaining strength. Thecenterpiece of the diet is uncooked, highly nutritious foods.The idea behind the diet is that a number of foods losenutritional value when they are cooked. For the most part,those who subscribe to the raw food diet eat fruits, vegetables,nuts, seeds, and legumes. Beverages consist of unpasteurizedmilk, water, juice, and tea, but the diet excludes beer andliquor. It is a revolutionary way to eat, and many of those whouse it say it keeps them thin and healthy.
However, while the raw diet is rich in some nutrients, it lacksothers. For instance, it tends to exclude such vitally importantnutrients as protein, iron, and calcium. Therefore, it may notbe an appropriate diet over the long term. Also, onedisadvantage to the raw food diet is that the food tends to beloaded with pesticides. Therefore, it might be best to consumeonly organic raw food.
For health reasons, the diet is not recommended for children,women who are pregnant, people suffering from osteoporosis, andthose who are anemic. Critics of the diet also note that it canbe extremely time consuming trying to prepare food with all thechopping and blending thats involved. As a result, a raw fooddiet isnt for everyone.
If you decide to turn to a raw food diet, you may have to havesupplements to make up for the nutrients you are not getting.These supplements include vitamin B12, zinc, copper, andchromium. Also, since proteins from plants do not have as manyamino acids as animal protein, youll have to consume a numberof different raw foods in order to remain healthy.
Some medical experts have suggested that a raw food diet is agood antidote to eating disorders. This is because such foodprovides nutrition without creating fat. Eating raw foods cangive you a positive outlook on food in general, enabling you tocombat psychological addictions to fatty and high sugar foods.
Some supporters of the raw food diet
believe that some rawfoods are superior to others. These experts recommend focusingon fruits and vegetables and eating only minimal amounts of nutsand seeds. They also say that the fresher the food, the better.In other words, the best raw foods come from your own gardenrather than from a supermarket.
At this point, it might be helpful to say some additional wordsabout proteins. According to the World Health Organization,people need to consume five percent of their calories fromprotein. Interestingly enough, five percent of the calories infruit are derived from protein, while as much as half of thecalories from vegetables are protein-based. Beans and grainsderive about a quarter of their calories from protein. Backersof the raw food diet insist that raw foods provide a bettersource of protein than cooked foods, since the cooking processitself may make as much as half of all protein unusable.
Some medical experts see great benefits in the raw food diet.In addition to enabling weight loss, the diet can ostensiblyincrease ones metabolism, making calorie burning easier. Onesimmune system can become stronger, and the body may rid itselfof harmful toxins while following the raw foods program.
The raw foods diet is also advertised as a stress-reliever and amethod for enhancing digestion. The diet may enable you tobalance your PH level and lessen your risk of heart disease.Some dieters even claim that the raw food regimen improves thelook of their skin. Finally, the diet is seen as a healthy wayof responding to hunger.
If you decide to try the raw food diet, you should attempt toplan your meals in advance. That way, you can assure yourselfthat you are receiving the maximum amount of nutrients. Also,those who follow the diet recommend eating fruit early in theday in order to boost your energy level and improve yourdigestion.
About the author:
As a Teacher of Sport and Physical Education, Tony Robinson hasa keen interest in Health and Weight Loss issues. For handyhints and tips for weight loss visithttp://www.weight-loss-arena.com
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