What to Eat on a Raw Food Diet

What to Eat on a Raw Food Diet

On the raw food diet, you should eat foods in their uncooked state. Raw foodists avoid cooking, freezing, and anything involving chemical preservatives. Some raw foodists refuse to use juicers, blenders, or food processors, believing that food should be eaten in its natural state. Most raw foodists will use kitchen appliances such as a juicer that do not change the chemical makeup of the food. Some raw foodists will not do anything more than cut their foods, believing they should eat food in its most natural state. You need to decide for yourself where on the spectrum you are.

1. Raw Food Usually Includes

Some examples of foods you might eat include: fruits, vegetables, nuts, sprouts, seeds, and different types of seaweed. These foods contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, and with care, it is possible to get all of the essential amino acids (amino acids are what make up proteins). It may be necessary to take a nutritional supplement in order to be sure to get all the essential nutrients.

2. Make Sure You Take at least 2000 Calories per day

You need to make sure you get at least 2000 calories a day from your food and drinks, just for basic energy needs. If you eat less than 900 calories in a day, your body will go into starvation mode, which is not an efficient way to lose weight. Your body will want to hold onto its energy stores, as well as protect your brain (which is mostly made up of fat), by breaking down muscle tissues instead of fat tissues. These numbers vary from person to person depending on weight, but it is important to aim for about 2000 calories per day.

What to Eat on a Raw Food Diet
What to Eat on a Raw Food Diet

3. Drinks on a Raw Food Diet

On a raw food diet, drinks should also be raw. Raw foodists will drink purified water, freshly made juices straight from the juicer, and coconut milk. Coconut milk comes from young coconuts, which you can often buy during the right season at a produce stand. Soda, juice, and other drinks purchased in stores have often been processed in some way, and thus are not raw.

Juice made from the juicer can be made from a variety of fruits or vegetables, such as apples, carrots, lemons, and mangos. You can experiment with your own combination, or pick up a book on juicing. Be sure to clean the juicer very well in between, or it will quickly become an unpleasant mess.

4. Herbal Tea or Sun Tea

Tea leaves from stores have often been dried at high temperatures, and so are not considered raw. Tea leaves can be made at home by growing your own herbs and laying them in the sun to dry. The tea made with these leaves is often called Sun Tea. Do not immediately follow this by putting your new tea leaves in boiling water, as that would not be considered raw by some. Use warm water that is below 100 degrees, and you should be fine. Mint leaves can make nice teas if you are thinking about growing your own, or experiment with different herbs. Some honey can be an easy addition if you like your drinks to be sweet, or add a lemon for extra flavor.

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