Learn a step-by-step algorithm on how to switch to a plant-based diet without animal protein foods. Eating raw food is becoming more and more popular and for many, a raw food diet turns from a mere hobby into a lifestyle. This often leads to major life changes. However, there are always not only supporters, but also opponents in any business, and a raw food diet is no exception. Today we'll show you how to get started on a raw food diet. Many people do not understand what it really is - another fashionable dietary nutrition program or a new standard of living.
To begin with, a raw food diet does not involve eating cooked foods. As a result, you need to give up not only fried foods, but also boiled, pickled, canned, stewed and smoked foods. Note that some raw food diets also involve avoiding fish and meat. In practice, this is a real power supply system that has many features and nuances.
Raw Food Basics
If you want to know where to start a raw food diet, then you need to first familiarize yourself with the basic concepts of this food system. After that, it will be easier for you to decide on the appropriateness of its use. The basis of the system is the statement that humans are part of nature. This implies the exclusion from the diet of those products that simply do not exist in nature, namely those that have undergone heat treatment. Thus, your menu will be significantly different from what was previously used.
Raw foods contain the maximum amount of nutrients that will be destroyed during heat treatment. Only by eating raw foods, you have the opportunity to get a complete set of all micro- and micronutrients. From this follows the second principle of a raw food diet - wash and eat.
For raw foodists, any processed food is considered toxic to the body, and this applies not only to fast food and other harmful foods. This is partly confirmed by the results of scientific research, because after cooking, some products not only lose most of the nutrients, but also toxic substances appear in them.
You should also remember that raw vegetables and fruits contain enzymes. These are substances that allow foods to be processed quickly in the body. In the baby's body, the number of various enzymes is maximum, and as they age, their concentration steadily decreases. If you eat raw food, then you can make up for these losses.
Most people's diets contain foods that have been refined or peeled. However, very often the peel or shell contains the maximum amount of nutrients. All products intended for long-term storage contain various carcinogenic compounds.
An equally important postulate for raw foodists is the compatibility of all food products. Often they are simply not compatible, which leads to a large expenditure of energy that could be used for self-healing of the body.
Types of raw food
If you want to know where to start a raw food diet, then you should get acquainted with the types of this food system. Note that there is still no consensus among scientists about the benefits or harms of each type of raw food diet, and when choosing them, you should focus on the state of your body.
- Omnivorous - it is allowed to eat food of plant and animal nature, but only fresh meat, fish, eggs in this case can be boiled. In addition, you can use jerky, vegetable oils, honey and a small amount of salt or pepper.
- Vegan is the most popular raw food diet and only plant-based foods can be eaten. There are two types of raw food that are also vegan: the Jusorians and the Sprutorians. Representatives of the first trend use exclusively freshly prepared vegetable and fruit juices, calling them "green cocktails". The Sprutorians, in turn, consume only sprouted cereal grains.
- Vegetarian - in addition to plant products, you can eat eggs and milk.
- Fruitarianism - only berries and fruits are consumed, and all other foods are excluded from the diet, including vegetables. An orthodox raw food eater can wait for the moment when the fruit itself falls to the ground, since at this moment it is as rich in nutrients as possible.
- Carnivorous - vegetables and fruits are rarely found in the diet, and the main emphasis is on raw seafood, fish, eggs, animal fats that replace carbohydrates, and meat. Many peoples living in the northern regions of the planet have eaten in this way since the Paleolithic.
- Raw food diet (monotrophic raw food diet) - only a specific product should be consumed at one meal, for example, apples for breakfast, sprouted cereal grains for lunch, etc.
How to start a raw food diet: the benefits
According to the main theories of the raw food diet, after switching to this principle of nutrition, our body begins to independently cleanse itself of various toxins and toxins. At the same time, he adapts to new conditions. You must understand that this is not a quick process and it will take a certain amount of time. If you want to know where to start a raw food diet, this is something to keep in mind.
According to the adherents of this nutritional system, the time spent on the adaptation of the body is then more than compensated for by excellent health and a decrease in body weight. It is believed that the transition to a raw food diet is a step towards immortality. Since all consumed products are processed in a short time, all the energy saved can be spent on other tasks. It is with this fact that an improvement in mood is associated, the disappearance of apathy, mood swings and bouts of depression, which are often observed in people during the cold season. According to well-known statistics, the expenditures of the population in any country for food depend on the general level of well-being of its population. At the same time, a high standard of living often becomes the main reason for the development of "modern diseases" - diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and tumor neoplasms.
Even if you go back to the question of financial costs of food, the raw food diet will be more economical. Summer and early autumn can be considered a raw food paradise, because the market offers a huge amount of nuts, herbs, fruits, vegetables, etc. More and more often, show business stars pay attention to this power system and show us beautiful fit figures. However, there are still no definitive research results that could scientifically confirm the perfect benefits of a raw food diet for the body. Anyone who wants to know where to start a raw food diet should remember that any changes in the nutrition program are individual in nature.
Disadvantages of a raw food diet
A raw food diet can be beneficial for the body, and science tells us about this, however, this nutrition system also has its drawbacks, without which it is impossible to do:
- Due to restrictions on the use of specific foods, some nutrients may not be supplied to the body. Which can lead to metabolic disorders.
- If you completely abandon the use of seafood and fish, iodine deficiency will appear, which will have a negative effect on the body, in particular on bones and teeth. It is with this fact that raw foodists now urge all their associates to spend more time in the sun in order to increase the concentration of vitamin D in the body.
- There is evidence that with strict adherence to the principles of a raw food diet, the body becomes deficient in vitamin B12.
- The benefits of this nutritional system for women during pregnancy and lactation are highly questionable, because for the normal development of the child, the mother needs to consume all the nutrients.
- It is well established that a raw food diet is contraindicated for children.
Doctors advise against switching to a raw food diet before the age of 30. This is due to the fact that up to the age of 25, the systems and organs of the body continue to develop. But at the age of 30, the body is fully formed and it is at this time that it is worth starting to be interested in the issue.
How to start a raw food diet: recommendations
You must first decide for yourself what you need a raw food diet for. If this is just an experiment or even a tribute to fashion, then you should just switch to proper nutrition, excluding fast food and other unhealthy foods from the diet. If you are interested in the issue, since this power system is a reference for you, then approach the matter with the utmost responsibility.
There are two options for switching to a raw food diet:
- The gradual introduction of raw foods into the diet instead of those that have undergone heat treatment. In this case, you need to give up fried and smoked food, sweets, and coffee from the first days.
- Immediately switch to raw food and, according to many raw foodists, this method allows you to quickly adapt to a new diet.
It is quite obvious that the transition to a new food system often does not go smoothly and various difficulties arise. Very often, raw food beginners do not have a clearly defined goal, which leads to breakdowns. It is difficult enough to abandon a nutritional program that has been in use for several decades.
The topic of a raw food diet is very extensive and is not limited only to the question of where to start the transition to a new food system. Today we talked about the basic principles of a raw food diet and gave recommendations on how to take the first step. In future articles, we will continue to cover issues related to the raw food diet.
How to get started on a raw food diet, see the following video:
