Embracing a Raw & Vibrant Lifestyle: A Guide to Raw Food Benefits
Everyone knows it’s healthy to eat fresh, uncooked fruits and vegetables every day. That isn’t a new concept. A raw food diet simply says that these foods should be most of what we eat.
Including raw foods and salads as part of your metabolic balance diet is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to support your body's natural processes. Salads made with a variety of fresh vegetables and leafy greens provide an abundance of vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants that are crucial for cellular health and metabolic efficiency.
By regularly eating raw foods, you help maintain a steady supply of essential nutrients that improve digestion, support weight loss, and give your metabolism the boost it needs to function optimally. The fibre from raw vegetables also plays an essential role in keeping you feeling full, helping you manage portion sizes, and reducing unhealthy snacking.
Salads are also an excellent tool for promoting a healthy gut, which is key to balanced metabolism. Raw vegetables, particularly those rich in prebiotic fibres, help nourish the beneficial bacteria in your gut. These bacteria are crucial for breaking down food and producing essential nutrients that your body needs for balanced energy levels.
Moreover, raw foods tend to have a lower glycemic index, which helps prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes that can negatively impact metabolic health. Adding fresh, colourful salads into your daily meals doesn’t just support your metabolic goals – it also provides a satisfying, crunchy, and refreshing component to your diet that keeps your meals enjoyable.
Reason to eat raw:
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Vitamins and micro-nutrients:
Many vitamins and other micro-nutrients are damaged or destroyed at temperatures above 130 degrees F (55 degrees C). Many of these newly discovered micro-nutrients are thought to help prevent cancer and other diseases.
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Enzymes:
Enzymes are the most heat sensitive of all nutrients, and are damaged or destroyed at temperatures above 115 degrees F (46 degrees C). Raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds contain the necessary enzymes to make digestion easier on our bodies.
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Water:
Our bodies are about 70% water. Fruits and vegetables have a high water content, which will keep you well hydrated.
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Good Fats:
Natural fats are very sensitive to heat (think of avocados and flaxseed oil). Heated and processed fats no longer have antioxidant qualities, and can be carcinogenic. Cooked fats are also sticky (think of a lasagna pan), which can cause blockages in the arteries and digestive tract, inhibit the absorption of nutrients, and reduce the body’s ability to transport oxygen.
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Good Elimination:
The soft, soluble fibre in fruits and tender green vegetables keeps you regular and keep constipation at.
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Proper acid-alkaline balance:
Processed food, cooked food diets, pollution, and stress leave most people too acidic, which prevents optimal immune system functions, and leaches alkaline minerals from the body. Fruits and vegetables help keep you alkaline. For more info on acid/alkaline balance click here
Fruits, vegetables, nuts & seeds, algae, seaweed, grasses, sprouts and superfoods are the main food groups in a raw foods diet. Some raw superfoods are goji berries, cacao, maca, bee pollen, coconut water and raw honey.
An easy way to increase your raw food intake is to have a salad with every meal. Let the raw salad take up 1/2 of your plate which will reduce your cooked food to only 1/2 of your plate. This will aid digestion, increase the nutrient content of the meal and reduce the calories on your plate. Give it a try for a week and see how you feel.
If you're struggling with alkaline meal ideas see my 7-Day Alkaline Meal Plan - a delicious and nutritious way to kickstart your health journey! This meal plan is designed to promote an alkaline state in the body, which can have a range of benefits such as increased energy, improved digestion, and reduced inflammation.
By focusing on nutrient-dense whole foods and limiting acidic foods, this meal plan can help you achieve optimal health and wellness. Whether you're a seasoned health enthusiast or just starting out, this meal plan is the perfect way to nourish your body and feel your best.