Getting Back to Nature with a Raw Food Diet

Summer is a great time to get back to nature and one way you can do just that is by adopting a raw food diet. A food raw diet is comprised of
a meals that are mainly unprocessed, and plant foods, at least 75 percent of which should be raw.

The food items should be organically grown so that they are not contaminated by pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, or genetic modification such as:8.10.15-BackToNature-RawFoods-Health#135_735x1100

  • fresh vegetables
  • nuts
  • seeds
  • legumes
  • grains
  • fruit
  • beans
  • dried fruits
  • seaweeds
  • sun-dried fruits
  • fruit and vegetable juices
  • wheat grass juice

Advocates of this diet claim that one of the main benefits of eating raw food is that it is rich in enzymes depleted by the cooking process. These enzymes are destroyed in food cooked at temperatures higher than 116 degrees Fahrenheit.

Techniques used to prepare foods in the raw diet include dehydrating vegetables and fruits, sprouting seeds and grains, juicing cereal grasses and rehydrating dried fruit. Why are enzymes so important?

Digestive enzymes are vital for breaking down the carbohydrates, fats and protein in our food.  Cooked foods can also take longer to digest.

Added Benefits of the Raw Food Diet

  • improved energy levels
  • fresher looking skin, nails and hair
  • improved digestion
  • healthy weight maintenance
  • reduced risk of hypertension
  • healthy cholesterol levels
  • reduced risk of heart disease
  • less risk of digestive disorders such as IBS or Crohn’s disease

If you are considering change your diet to raw food only, you should make sure that you plan each meal carefully so that it is nutritionally balanced. This way you will get your daily recommended vitamins and minerals and prevent illness.

You may also wish to talk to your nutritionist about taking daily dietary supplements such as calcium, iron and B12. Before changing to a raw food diet, you should consult your physician if you suffer from any of the following conditions:

  • diabetes
  • anemia
  • cancer
  • liver disease
  • kidney failure

Dehydrating Food

Dehydrating food is a great way to create raw food snacks. This can also be a great way to make the transition to a raw food diet. It’s also a good way to preserve fresh produce. A dehydrator uses very low temperatures and a fan to remove the water from food. Although it removes any liquid, the food retains the beneficial enzymes.

Dehydrating food is also a means to adding unique textures to your raw food diet. For food to still qualify as raw, the dehydrating temperature should be between 105 and 115 degrees Farenheit. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can use a conventional oven, a small toaster oven or even sun dry your food.



Raw Food Recipes

If you’re ready to change to a raw food diet, here are some recipes to get you started.

Olive Tapenade

Olives are extremely good for your health. The many benefits include: boosting your cardiovascular health, reducing your risk of cancer, improve skin and hair health, alleviate allergies, and improve digestive health.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup black olives
  • ½ cup green olives
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Preparation

  1. Blend all the ingredients in a food processor.
  2. Serve on crackers or toasted bread.


Carrot and Ginger Soup

This delicious soup has a number of health benefits. Carrots are rich in beta carotene, which is good for your vision, reduces your risk of colon, breast and lung cancer, improves the look and tone of your skin, and can help prevent heart disease.

Ginger helps to improve the absorption of essential nutrients from your food, it is also beneficial for your circulation and can also reduce inflammation related to osteoarthritis.

Ingredients

  • 10 carrots
  • 1 green apple
  • 1 avocado
  • Juice from ½ lemon
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. ginger, chopped
  • ¼ tsp. allspice

Preparation

  1. Juice the carrots and the apple.
  2. Peel and dice the avocado.
  3. Put all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
  4. Serve slightly warm.


Yam Burgers

Yams are a great source of vitamin B6, which your body needs to protect the walls of your blood vessels and can reduce your risk of heart disease. They are also an excellent source of potassium, a vital mineral that help regulate your blood pressure, maintains fluid levels and helps your muscle contract.

Ingredients

  • 1 large yam
  • 1 ½ cups of sprouted wheat
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 1 tbsp. miso paste
  • 2 tbsp. powdered dulse

Preparations

  1. Peel and dice the yam and onion.
  2. Place yam, onion and wheat in a blender and pulp.
  3. Put mixture in a bowl and stir in miso paste and dulse.
  4. Make into burger patties and dehydrate.


Taco Delight

This recipe is packed with the health benefits of avocados, which include lowering levels of bad cholesterol, helping you maintain a healthy weight and reducing your risk of cancer.

Ingredients

  • 3 ripe avocados
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • ¼ cup of lemon juice
  • ¼ cup of fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 ½ tsp. cumin
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 cup of sundried tomatoes, chopped
  • 2-3 jalapenos, chopped
  • Romaine lettuce

Preparation

  1. Peel the avocado, remove the pit and dice.
  2. Cover the avocado in lemon juice.
  3. Chop onion into small pieces.
  4. Chop jalapenos.
  5. Add all ingredients to blender and process until smooth.
  6. Place a spoonful of the mixture in a lettuce leaf and wrap.
  7. Serve with assorted raw veggies.

ENJOY!