Raw food diet - basic principles of nutrition and advice for beginners!

Hi guys.

The meaning of raw food diet

Hi guys.

Today I will talk about the basic principles of the Raw Food Diet. One of the transition options is a gradual abandonment of harmful products.

You will learn the benefits of this type of nutrition and some of my recommendations for beginners.

A raw food diet does not imply mindless consumption of raw food, but a competent and healthy diet in which a person eats high-quality and healthy foods that have not been cooked.

Vegetables and fruits, nuts, beans, grains, herbs - all this forms the basis of a full menu, however, it still needs to be systematized and finalized.

Contrary to popular belief, experienced Raw Foodists do not die from a lack of nutrients and vitamins, they receive them in sufficient quantities. This educational article will tell you how to understand the science of real nutrition and what supporters of this system eat.

The meaning of raw food diet

Before you begin to understand the basics of a raw food diet and the principles of nutrition, it is important to understand why it is necessary and what advantages such a system has.

Experienced and advanced Raw Foodists highlight the following benefits of their diet and lifestyle in general:

• abundance of vitamins and minerals;
• cleansing the body;
• weight loss.

As you know, heat treatment of foods deprives them of some of the beneficial components that improve human immunity and provide protection from many diseases.

Improves digestion

Raw vegetables and fruits have a beneficial effect on the teeth and gastrointestinal tract, and the human body as a whole. That is why the benefits of carrots and apples are noticeable.

Cleanses the body

The abundance of fiber reduces the appearance and development of constipation to a minimum, and over time this problem disappears forever.

Reduces the risk of heart disease

In addition, the absence of fried meat in the diet does not go unnoticed for the blood vessels - they are cleansed and freed from cholesterol.

Natural nutrition facilitates the functioning of internal organs, thereby extending their service life.

It has been noticed that the kidneys work better within 7 days of giving up processed food, and the liver is freed from toxins. It is important to know that Raw Foodists should not be too thin; their weight is normal.

A good mood is also a pleasant addition to this food system; a person feels the authentic taste of food and does not spoil it with artificial seasonings and a lot of salt.

Principles of raw food diet and their description

Eating food in its original form is not only a diet, but also a certain way of life.

Once you become familiar with the principles of a raw food diet, you will be able to understand the essence of the system and philosophy. It is important to know that it is not a fashionable trend and it is unacceptable to consider Raw Foodists as its followers.

Separate food

There are only two approaches to natural nutrition, the first involves eating only one product and does not allow mixing it with others. Eating one product.

Mixed

But adherents of a different point of view have learned to exquisitely prepare soups, sweets, breads and even amazing cakes that attract attention with their taste and appearance.

Refusal of chemicals and meat

Exclusion of meat

Fish replacement

Refusal of chemicals and meat

The principles of eating food are based on such things as avoidance of meat, chemicals, heat treatment, and raw foodists prefer to eat what grows in the ground.

As you know, no one wants to eat raw meat, and this food philosophy is distrustful of products of animal origin.

The goal of human life is to live a long life in a healthy body.

Therefore, all kinds of chemical additives, modified organisms and other components must be removed from the menu.

It is for this reason that raw foodists turn away from dairy products, because now it is very difficult to find them in their original form.

Do not use high temperature

Raw foodists also prefer porridge, but they do not cook it using the traditional method, but steam it in warm water - a temperature of no more than 40 °C is enough for the cereal to soften.

The last principle of this food system is based on the assertion that food grown in the ground is suitable for consumption.

In other words, you can eat everything that nature gives to humanity, with the exception of animals and birds.

Compliance with the principles of raw food diet

The doctrine of a raw food diet provides for a gradual transition from regular nutrition to the consumption of exclusively raw foods and the consistent abandonment of familiar dishes.

And only a few supporters of this system approve of the quick, without unnecessary hesitation choice of raw plant foods, which is not suitable for most modern people.

Exclusion of meat

The first step on the path to a raw food diet is the exclusion of animal and poultry meat from the diet, then a gradual refusal of fish begins. If desired, eggs are also removed from it.

Fish replacement

People who have weaned themselves off meat and fish move more easily to the next step. It is important to know that an easy and decisive refusal of habitual foods is rare, so adults should be careful and not try to re-educate their digestive system in a short time.

The amount of time required for the transition depends on the age, habits, character of the person and his profession; for some people, addiction to raw food lasts many months or even years.

During the transition to a raw diet, specially developed nutritional principles help maintain health and avoid illness.

Transition option

In the morning and evening a person eats raw food, and in the afternoon - boiled food. In addition, it is allowed to eat boiled foods for breakfast, while lunch will be raw.

Sometimes it is useful to eat a raw, unprocessed dish first and then enjoy a boiled dish; it is better to eat fruits and nuts before the main meal.

You need to create the right menu and study different recipes. Thereby achieving variety in the diet.

Many people find it difficult to follow the rules that a raw food diet provides; the nutritional principles of this system differ from the usual lifestyle of a modern person.

Don’t immediately give up habits, never neglect other people’s experiences and learn to learn useful lessons from them rather than negative judgments.

Keep a diary

Experienced raw foodists highly praise the so-called food diaries, which help in the event of ailments or other problems to quickly understand their mistakes.

The environment for a beginning raw foodist is of great importance, because many relatives, friends and colleagues will not accept this food system.

Communication

It is important to find competent mentors and interlocutors on thematic resources on the Internet; psychological support during a difficult period will be of great benefit.

Have food for a snack

Have food for a snack

In addition, experienced raw foodists strongly advise carrying fruits and nuts with you, reading more motivational materials and doing interesting things.

That's all for today. Write in the comments what you think about the principles, and what nutritional principles do you adhere to?

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Basic approaches to nutrition

A raw food diet involves 2 main approaches to nutrition:

• Mixing raw products- Moreover, this can be done so skillfully that the taste of raw food will not differ from ordinary food. Raw foodists have learned to exquisitely and deliciously prepare sweets, soups, candies, cheese, sausages and cutlets, and even cakes. And most importantly, all this food is very beneficial for the body and is not stored in the body as fat, but is used for energy.
• Raw mono diet- this means that a certain category of raw foodists consumes only one product, without mixing it with anything. Thus, such a monoproduct is absorbed quite well.

A raw food diet is not a fashion, but a way of life. Some people can’t stand this image and go back to cooked food.

Products and enzymes

We have already mentioned above that when foods are cooked, their enzymes are destroyed. Enzymes are normally found in every living cell. Thanks to enzymes, some substances can be converted into others, and as a result, metabolism is built.

You will be surprised, but every product contains enzymes that are aimed at digesting the same product. In particular, the peel of apples contains the necessary amount of enzymes for processing the apple in the stomach and subsequently extracting vitamins from the fruit.

If an apple is subjected to heat treatment, this will lead to the death of enzymes.

A raw food diet involves eating exclusively raw, enzyme-rich foods.

First ration

The first raw food diet consists of: fresh fruits and berries, vegetables and freshly squeezed vegetable juices, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains, vegetable oil, natural honey, pickled vegetables, clean raw water. Moreover, juices from vegetables and fruits are considered food, not a drink. This diet is identical to the principles of veganism. The only difference is the absence of any heat treatment of the products.

Second ration

The second raw food diet includes vegetables, berries, fruits, nuts, beans, butter, but excludes grains, which can be soaked in cold water and eaten. In the second diet of a raw foodist, only sprouted grains are allowed to be eaten. Thus, the most complex and difficult raw food diet will be presented.

Third principle

In the third raw food diet, you can eat vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy products. Moreover, industrial milk is not consumed, only homemade. You can also eat homemade chicken eggs raw. If a raw foodist resorts to such a diet, then he is considered an omnivore.

Fourth diet

Such a raw foodist can eat everything described in the three diets above, but also includes whole grain bread without yeast in his diet.

Raw food diet basics

Raw foodists try to eat fruits and vegetables with the skin on, so as not to disrupt the nutritional complex (as they call it). Even chicken eggs and milk should be whole (whole milk is better than cream).

Also, the principle of food is to eat a little, but often - not for raw foodists. It is acceptable for them to eat a very large meal once a day, and a small amount of food the other two times permissible for eating.

You need to eat very slowly, chewing your food thoroughly. And it is right! If you don't chew raw foods well enough, they will begin to ferment in the stomach, causing gastrointestinal diseases and severe bloating.

A raw food diet does not allow the use of salt, herbs, spices and aromatic seasonings.

Raw food menu

A sample daily menu for a raw foodist looks like this:

For breakfast- apples and nuts.

For lunch– fruits, some greens, fresh vegetables, nuts or freshly squeezed juices.

For dinner- everything is the same as for breakfast.

Apple salad

To prepare apple salad you need:

• Oatmeal 1 tbsp. soak for 12 hours in cold water;
• Add the juice of half a lemon to the oatmeal;
• Milk – 1 tbsp;
• Honey – 1 tbsp;
• 2 apples, grated;
• Nuts – 1 tablespoon (chopped).

All ingredients are mixed together and used in the form of a raw salad.

A raw food diet has been proven to promote rapid weight loss. In some clinics, raw food nutrition is used as a method of treating severe inflammatory processes and infectious diseases.

You can add greens, rowan and blueberries, berry and vegetable powder, as well as nettle leaves for variety to raw food salads.

To become a raw foodist, you need to go a long way and have strong motivation and conviction in this way of eating. Many raw foodists cannot withstand such deprivations and return to the path of vegetarianism.

Important! You need to switch to a raw food diet gradually so as not to provoke rejection from food in the gastrointestinal tract and, as a result, bulimia and anorexia.

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The raw food diet system has nothing to do with eating cheese, although this is the first thing that came to my friends’ minds when they heard this concept)) Raw foodists simply do not heat-treat food above 43 degrees.
However, at this temperature, enzymes are destroyed and food loses many of its beneficial properties. Moreover, harmful and even toxic substances can form in it. Raw foodists eat raw vegetables and fruits, nuts, soaked grains and some legumes. Although some raw foodists eat meat and fish (raw or dried, without heat treatment), most often raw foodists are also vegetarians. Eggs and dairy products are also consumed very rarely, only by certain people, and most raw foodists refuse them.

2 approaches to raw food diet

There are two approaches to a raw food diet. Some raw foodists mixing raw foods and they prepare real masterpieces, which not every person can distinguish from normal food: cutlets, cheeses, pates, cakes, soups and sweets. All this is from raw and healthy products.

Other raw foodists believe that it is more advisable to consume only one raw product at one meal. This is the direction called raw mono diet. This is motivated by the fact that food consumed in this way is most well and fully absorbed, since the digestion of different foods requires different enzymes, which can sometimes have a neutralizing effect on each other.

Both raw foodists give very convincing arguments for their way of eating. I will definitely cover these topics later. In my opinion, such a preference depends on the individual characteristics of each person and his body. There are many raw foodists who mix foods and who have greatly improved their standard of living, gotten rid of many chronic diseases and are happy with their choice. There are many of these among mono-cheese eaters. There are, again, those who returned to cooked food, regardless of whether they cooked the dishes or took only one product at a time.

It seems to me that if you are not sure which path to choose, no arguments have convinced you or persuaded you to any option, you should just try both for yourself, and for some time. From my own experience, I know that when you switch to such a diet, the body’s needs become more tangible and it is much easier to hear its preferences. You will figure out for yourself what is right for you.

What are enzymes?

When talking about a raw food diet, one cannot fail to mention enzymes and special organic substances. Often in the literature they are called enzymes, although this is not exactly the same thing. Enzymes are present in all living cells and help convert one substance into another. They act as catalysts in almost all biochemical reactions occurring in living organisms, and also play a vital role in all life processes, directing and regulating the body’s metabolism.

Each product has its own enzymes that contribute to the digestion of this and only this product. For example, the peel of an apple contains enzymes that help digest the apple and extract from it the maximum nutrients and valuable substances for the body. The enzymes of the body itself are not spent at all on digesting the apple and, accordingly, are not “distracted” from its other important tasks, for example, from working to cleanse the liver, protect against tumors or evacuate waste and remove toxins from the body. Enzymes have a lot to do))

When the same apple is cooked, the enzymes are the first to die. Therefore, in order to digest this apple, the body will have to switch the enzymes that are used in the body to regulate metabolism to digest food. Everything would be fine, but the number of enzymes in the body is limited. When a digested apple “leaves” your body, your own enzymes, unfortunately, leave your body with it. And this happens with every meal of cooked food, which no longer contains its own enzymes. Thus, leading nutrition experts believe that by the age of 40, the average person has only 30% of the supply of all enzymes left, and a large amount of them is spent on digesting food and removing toxins, which are often supplied with the same food. For many functions that enzymes can do, they are simply not enough. Hence the emergence of various chronic diseases and disorders. The natural metabolic process in the body is simply disrupted. Strength and energy are spent in the wrong direction.

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What is a raw food diet?

Raw foodists themselves like to repeat that they eat live food. This is how they emphasize the main principle of their diet - to include in their diet only raw foods that are not heat-treated. This involves giving up many of our usual dishes, which are fried, boiled, stewed, steamed, baked.

There is controversy surrounding the raw food diet, and opinions about it vary dramatically. Some believe that this is a method of prolonging youth and getting rid of all diseases. Others switch to live food only temporarily - to lose weight and cleanse the body of toxins. There are also ardent opponents of a raw food diet. They are convinced that such a food system is harmful, and its adherents are ruining their health. Allegedly, they do not receive enough nutrients and microelements for the normal functioning of the body.

Despite criticism, the raw food diet is becoming increasingly popular and continues to gain followers in different countries. It can be divided into several types:

Philosophy of raw foodists

The essence of a raw food diet is that a person consumes the energy of the sun accumulated by plants. Initially, people ate only raw vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Frying, boiling and other types of cooking appeared later. Therefore, live food is biologically natural for the body, and therefore cannot harm. This is the philosophy of raw foodists, which they adhere to in life.

Scientists explain the fact that after eating a person falls asleep due to the costs of heat treatment. When exposed to temperatures above +40 degrees, products lose their enzymes. They become "dead".

Enzymes are active substances found in food. They ensure high-quality digestion of food in the human gastrointestinal tract. Since enzymes are destroyed when heated, food is difficult to digest. Heat treatment also destroys vitamins and other nutrients. As a result, the nutritional value of the food decreases. The danger also lies in the fact that processed foods contain trans fats and various carcinogens that harm the body.

Raw food is “living” because all the enzymes in it remain intact. Therefore, raw foodists refuse to heat-treat foods. They do not prepare dishes from a large number of ingredients. The concept of a raw food diet implies that food should be simple and natural.

Authorized Products

Raw foodists refuse heat treatment, but the list of foods that they can eat remains large. It includes:

• fruits and berries;
• vegetables and herbs;
• mushrooms;
• nuts and seeds (including sprouted);
• green buckwheat and some legumes (chickpeas, mung beans, peas, lentils, soaked in water at room temperature for 8-12 hours);
• naturally dried fruits;
• seaweed;
• honey and pollen;
• seasonings;
• natural sweeteners;
• cold-pressed unrefined vegetable oils.

Benefits for the body

Patients are often prescribed therapeutic diets. According to raw foodists, the same is necessary for all people who eat thermally processed food. Such food is difficult to digest, and the body spends a lot of energy on this. Raw foods are easily digestible and, on the contrary, provide energy. As a result, a variety of diseases are cured, including arthritis, hypertension, urolithiasis, headaches and migraines. There is evidence that switching to a raw food diet helps chronic alcoholics overcome their addiction.

The fact that some diseases can be cured with the help of a raw food diet is confirmed by scientists from different countries. In 1834, Sylvester Graham recommended that people switch to live food during the cholera epidemic in the United States. Everyone who listened to him remained healthy. The anti-cancer diets of Gerson, Evers, Ann Wigmore, and Cornelius Moerman are also based on a raw food diet. The founder of Soviet nutritional science, M. I. Pevzner, used a raw food diet to treat digestive disorders, heart disease, kidney and liver disease, skin disease, as well as neurasthenia, epilepsy, fungus, schizophrenia and diabetes mellitus.

A raw food diet is beneficial because it helps the body remove toxins and waste. This is where the surge of vitality and energy comes from. Raw foodists claim that they feel invigorated and ready to move mountains. This is especially important for people who lead an active lifestyle and play sports.

Those who eat only live food have less time to sleep. After just 6 hours they feel rested. Unlike other people, raw foodists find it easy to get up in the morning. They can get to work right away, without the need to stimulate themselves with a cup of coffee.

A raw food diet is often used as a diet for weight loss. If you strictly adhere to such a nutrition system, then within a month you will see tangible results - minus 4-8 kg. This effect is achieved not through a raw food diet as such, but through the rejection of flour and fatty foods, the main culprits of excess weight. A raw food diet also helps remove toxins from the body. As a result, the appearance of the skin improves and your mood improves.

Possible harm and side effects

All raw foodists initially complain of a sharp deterioration in their health. This is how the body reacts to a new, unusual diet, which is also not balanced. When switching to a raw food diet, your arms and legs may go numb, and allergic reactions and apathy are possible. Such symptoms usually go away within a few months, after which the body gets used to and adapts to the new diet.

Eating raw foods can cause digestive problems. Convinced raw foodists find a logical explanation for this. They believe that beginners do not take diet planning seriously, do not delve into food combinations, and sometimes still eat thermally processed food.

When you give up the usual bread and cereals, the body develops a deficiency of B vitamins. Without them, a person becomes more aggressive and unbalanced. After adaptation to the new diet, these symptoms usually disappear.

Rules for switching to live food

Despite the benefits of a raw food diet, you need to change your usual diet gradually. A new nutrition system is stress for the body. For those who have decided to become a raw foodist, the following recommendations will be useful:

1. The optimal time to change the power system is summer or autumn. Seasonal foods will help balance your diet.
2. Giving up your usual food should be smooth. First, you can give up meat, then fish, and even later - eggs.
3. A semi-raw food diet is a good place to start. It consists of a combination of raw and cooked foods. First you can eat fruits and nuts, and then a boiled dish.
4. You should not drink during or before meals.

When the body begins to get used to raw food, you should try switching to a complete raw food diet for 2-3 weeks. If the new menu does not cause problems, then the adaptation is complete. From this moment on, the main thing is not to lose your temper and not eat sausage or other food from the prohibited category. Indeed, in this case, all efforts made to switch to a new diet will be in vain.

Diet planning (steps)

A raw food diet is not only about selecting certain foods and prohibiting the use of heat treatment. There are methods for creating a diet called steps. There are 2 of them in total:

1. Mixed raw food diet. It is allowed to eat several products at the same time, but these must be components that are compatible with each other. Some vegetables can be combined with nuts and seasoned with vegetable oil. Fruits are combined with dairy products.
2. Mono-eating, also known as monotophytic raw food diet. This is the final stage of a raw food diet, to which a small part of adherents of such a food system reach. It involves consuming only one product. But the number of meals is not limited. You can eat a few oranges when the feeling of hunger appears again - satisfy it with the help of apples. There are raw foodists who eat one type of fruit for months.

Detailed raw food menu

To make the transition to a raw food diet painless, it is important to choose the right recipes. A sample menu for the day looks like this:

1. Breakfast - fruit puree, you can dilute it with milk, make eggnog. The second option is a fruit salad seasoned with lemon juice.
2. Lunch - salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and carrots, dressed with olive oil. It is allowed to add raw nuts.
3. Dinner - a glass of milk or carrot puree.

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Each person has his own reasons for becoming a raw foodist. And everyone has the right to independently choose the depth of immersion in the system. Lacto-raw food eaters can include dairy products and raw eggs in their diet, while those who adhere to omnivorous and carnivorous types of raw food diet can eat thermally unprocessed meat and fish. However, in the classic raw food diet there are certain principles of effective nutrition on which the method is based. Here is a list of them:

• Refusal of animal products. Food products must be alive, capable of providing a person with living energy;
• Refusal of thermally processed foods. Temperatures above 43 degrees during cooking destroy almost all beneficial substances. Raw foodists can only eat foods whose exposure temperature does not exceed 43 degrees;
• Refusal of chemical additives and chemically produced products. A raw food diet is, first of all, a system of healing the body that does not involve eating chemically processed foods. You cannot use refined oils, margarine, spread, various E-components, etc.;
• Products must be of plant origin. You can only eat natural plant foods. Plants contain a huge variety of vitamins and minerals and charge a person with life energy.

An effective raw food diet allows you to almost completely replace animal products with living plant components. Thus, in order to provide the body with the substances necessary for the normal functioning of cells, it is extremely important to properly organize the diet. The issue of choosing foods is not so important here as maintaining a balance of consumed proteins, fats and carbohydrates. So, every day a raw foodist’s table should contain products from the following list:

1. Fruits– charge with energy, rich in various vitamins. The emphasis should be on seasonal fruits in your region, because... it is more likely that they are grown without chemical treatment, but we definitely include: citrus fruits, melons, avocados, quince, pineapple, kiwi, banana, pomegranate, figs, etc.;
2. Vegetables– seasonal ones are better for the same reasons. Be sure to eat broccoli, eggplant, zucchini, kohlrabi, cabbage and cauliflower, carrots, beets, Jerusalem artichoke, radish, daikon, turnips, etc.;
3. Dried fruits– all are extremely useful, but you should not eat dried fruits that have been dried incorrectly, as a significant proportion of the nutrients may be lost;
4. Nuts, legumes and mushrooms- perfectly replace animal protein;
5. Seaweed– source of important trace elements and iodine
6. Unrefined vegetable oils– contain essential polyunsaturated fatty acids;
7. Berries;
8. Greenery;
9. Cereals;
10. Seeds;
11. Honey and its derivatives.

For raw foodists, it is very important to consume large amounts of fresh greens in various forms.. Its share in the diet can be increased to 50%. The protein content in green foods is much higher than in meat and it is absorbed much better. Don't limit yourself to just the popular parsley, dill and salads. It is advisable to add arugula, cilantro, celery, vegetable tops, and medicinal wild herbs to the menu, collected only in environmentally friendly places. It is better to eat fresh greens by chewing them well and do not add accompanying products to them. But this method is not always convenient. Therefore, greens can be consumed in the form of cocktails from fresh herbs prepared in a blender.

There is an opinion that this kind of cocktails radically change the structure of cells in the human body and can cure even the most severe diseases. Whether this is true or not is difficult to say, however, properly prepared smoothies will help the body become much healthier, stronger and more resilient.

An important point when applying raw food diet practices is the proper preparation of products for consumption. It is no secret that vegetables and fruits are often treated with pesticides, so they should be thoroughly processed before eating. Baking soda is suitable for this. In addition, you can find special eco-products for processing fruits and vegetables on sale.
A raw food diet does not imply a complete rejection of heat treatment: foods can be heated up to 43 degrees. For these purposes, there is a wide variety of household appliances designed to help raw foodists in the difficult pursuit of proper nutrition: dryers, thermopots and other modern achievements.

Vegetables, fruits and berries can be prepared for the winter using the pickling and soaking method. Thus, sauerkraut, pickled apples and cranberries will retain their healing properties and help you eat properly in the winter.

It is very useful to consume sprouted cereals, because... the seeds carry an extremely powerful energy charge. The seed contains a program for growth and development, therefore, along with it, a person receives a message for healing and self-healing.

In general, a raw food diet is a way of thinking based on a conscious attitude towards nutrition and a continuous desire to improve the quality and length of life.
Search, choose, be creative, and the desired result will not keep you waiting: you will become healthier, lose weight, cleanse your soul and body of negative energy and feel unprecedented strength.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm6UEsCEE_M

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The benefits of a raw food diet

Contrary to existing stereotypes, supporters of a raw food diet are not at all deprived of proteins - foods such as cabbage, wheat, spinach and, of course, nuts contain them in sufficient quantities. Switching to “live” plant foods helps cleanse the body of waste and toxins. Such food quickly fills the entire volume of the stomach and is quickly absorbed by the body. This helps stabilize a person’s weight, as well as normalize the functioning of the digestive system. It is believed that in the fight against obesity, a raw food diet is more effective than fasting. Switching to raw food helps treat skin diseases, including acne and wen. Thanks to a large number of useful microelements, hair and nails become stronger, and women experience less pain during their menstrual periods. Raw foodists are less likely to experience cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Cons of a raw food diet

Although a raw food diet seems to be a panacea for all diseases, in some cases the transition to it can be accompanied by a number of difficulties. First of all, new raw foodists often complain of weakness, dizziness and headaches. This is primarily due to a lack of vitamins caused by an unbalanced diet. An incorrectly designed menu can cause exacerbation of chronic diseases such as gastritis and pancreatitis. Also, all allergy sufferers should treat “live” food with great caution.

Remember that the transition to a raw food diet should be smooth and best done under the supervision of professionals. And if the desire to eat something from your usual diet turns out to be unbearable, do not limit yourself and your body!

kto-what-gde.ru

Basic principles

A raw food diet is a special nutrition system that excludes heat-treated foods from the diet. According to the classics, this is a vegan movement, as its followers refuse food of animal origin. It is about them that we will talk further. We will leave aside various branches, which will be discussed a little later.

Basic principles of raw food diet:

1. Consumption of fresh, unheated food of plant origin.
2. Meat, fish, milk, eggs and other products associated with the exploitation of animals are excluded.
3. Products must be environmentally friendly: without mold, nitrates, external chemical treatment (for example, apples are often rubbed with wax for shine), GMOs.
4. There are 5-6 meals per day: 3 main meals and 2-3 snacks. The interval between them is no more than 4 hours.
5. Distribution of nutrition between main meals. Breakfast, which in other food systems should be the richest, is as light as possible here - some kind of drink that will give you energy until lunch. Lunch should be complete, and dinner should be the most satisfying.
6. Raw foodists are not limited in portion sizes, unless, of course, this nutritional system was chosen for weight loss.
7. The raw food diet is classified as veganism, so its supporters in everyday life refuse items in the production of which animal extracts were used or which were tested on our smaller brothers.
8. The same reason does not allow them to visit hippodromes, zoos, circuses, etc.
9. Medicines are also prohibited.

Veganism is already famous for its strictness, but here things are even stricter. Not everyone can withstand this.

Kinds

Recently, within the framework of the raw food diet, various branches have appeared that complement the basic rules with their own - either expanding or limiting the classic diet.

• Classic raw food diet

This is exactly what we are talking about in this article. The basic principles were stated above: a ban on food of animal origin and heat-treated products.

• Mono-raw food diet

Mono-raw foodists do not deviate from the principles of the classical raw food diet, but tighten it, guided by the basics of separate nutrition. They only eat one food item at a time. For example, for breakfast they prepare freshly squeezed juice only from oranges, without mixing them with anything. For lunch - tomatoes and tomato juice. For dinner - pea porridge, sprouted peas.

• Fruitarianism

One of the most popular raw food diets, followed by many celebrities. Their diet includes exclusively fruits. Some people supplement them with berries. Someone is expanding this list to include nuts. But there are no grains or vegetables on their menu.

• Sproutorianism

A very tough system, its supporters are few. Not every stomach can withstand such a test - eating only sprouted seeds and grains.

• Partial raw food diet

Some raw foodists still heat their food, but only slightly. There are strange numbers of 24 °C and 40 °C, at which supposedly vitamins and other useful substances remain safe and sound. Anyway, they use the oven and frying pan to dry and lightly heat some foods. They also pour warm water over herbs and sprouted grains and drink these infusions.

• Complete raw food diet

A very interesting branch that has nothing to do with vegetarianism at all. They eat raw meat, fish, eggs, and unpasteurized milk. This requires good health without pathologies and a strong stomach. It is not possible for city residents to practice this technique. We ate raw fish from a nearby supermarket and went to the hospital with salmonellosis. In their raw form, these products are sources of various diseases. It’s one thing when you drink fresh milk that has just been milked from a cow before your eyes. And another thing is to buy it raw from hand.

Causes

Why do people become raw foodists? The reasons can be very different.

• Medical

Plant foods contain more vitamins and beneficial microelements than meat and dairy products. If consumed raw, all these substances are not destroyed by high temperatures. The result is good health, excellent immunity, and excellent well-being. Raw foodists themselves believe that this increases life expectancy, but there is no scientific evidence yet. But it is a fact that a raw food diet reduces the risk of developing many diseases.

• Evolutionary

Raw foodists believe that man was originally created as a herbivore, and fire was used to process food much later. So our gastrointestinal tract is supposedly not designed to digest warm and hot food.

• Ethical

The classic raw food diet excludes animal products from the diet in order to avoid even indirect participation in the killing and exploitation of animals.

• Ecological

The refusal of milk and meat is dictated by the desire to improve the environment. Farms and poultry farms pollute water, air, soil and waste natural resources.

• Psychological

Various eating disorders are often associated with a raw food diet. For example, several cases were noted at once when people simply pretended to have switched to this food system, but in fact were hiding anorexia. The second psychological reason is that they feel guilty for consuming milk and meat and thereby being involved in the killing and torture of animals. Therefore, they constantly try to become raw foodists, break down, reproach themselves for this (the development of internal complexes is obvious), then again there is a restriction in food - and this circle can be endless. Only a psychotherapist can break it.

• Economic

It is believed that a plant-based diet will be cheaper than meat and dairy. However, during the off-season, prices for fruits and vegetables skyrocket, and the same nuts are a very expensive product. Well, unless you no longer have to use an electric stove, yes, there will be savings. But do not forget that to prepare raw food dishes you will have to mercilessly use a blender, and this is the same energy expenditure.

Advantages and disadvantages

Modern scientists argue about what is more beneficial or harmful to the human body from a raw food diet. Regular scientific research is still in the process of finding answers. Therefore, we will only note the obvious pros and cons.

Advantages

Can get rid of:

• hemorrhoids;
• bad breath;
• carcinogens;
• swelling;
• acne, acne;
• obesity.

Can improve:

• immunity;
• water metabolism in the body;
• performance;
• condition of gums and teeth;
• digestion;
• skin and hair condition.

Reduces the risk of diseases:

• oral cavity;
• kidney;
• rheumatism;
• hypertension;
• atherosclerosis;
• gout;
• bladder stones;
• oncology;
• heart and blood vessels.

Flaws

• The risk of deficiency of those vitamins and microelements that are found mainly in meat and milk is too great;
• in winter, prices for fresh vegetables and fruits soar quite high;
• There is no need for you to go to catering establishments now: they are unlikely to offer anything 100% raw and fresh;
• at banquets you will feel out of place;
• the quality of many store-bought products, even of plant origin, leaves much to be desired - so the risk of poisoning with nitrates, pesticides and other components of the modern agricultural industry will increase;
• Raw foodists often have a deteriorating complexion due to an excess of retinoids in food - it becomes yellowish;
• it is difficult to find like-minded people;
• Losing weight doesn’t always work out: the abundance of sweet fruits in the diet contributes to the formation of a small, but still noticeable tummy.

You will receive a more detailed answer to the question about the advantages and disadvantages of this nutrition system in the article: “The benefits and harms of a raw food diet.”

What do raw foodists eat?

The most pressing question: what can raw foodists eat? The proposed list of products will most fully answer this question:

• legumes - everything except beans (fresh ones contain phaseolunatin and the glycoside phasin, which cause severe poisoning);
• mushrooms: porcini, champignons, oyster mushrooms, saffron milk caps and truffles;
• greenery;
• dried seaweed;
• green leaves of medicinal herbs;
• water - only raw, melted water;
• drinks: smoothies, cocktails, fresh juices, homemade fresh juices;
• vegetables - everything except potatoes;
• nuts;
• stevia as a natural sweetener;
• cereals in swollen form after soaking or sprouted;
• seeds;
• vegetable oils prepared using cold pressing;
• spices;
• seasonings;
• dried fruits;
• fruits;
• berries.

All other foods are prohibited for raw foodists. Honey is a controversial point, but here everyone decides for himself whether he will consume it or not.

Sample menu

The most difficult thing is to create a menu. On the one hand, a plant-based diet does not allow you to go wild like before, since many goodies are prohibited. On the other hand, it should be as balanced and varied as possible in order to prevent vitamin deficiency. The sample menu successfully solves this paradox and shows how rich the menu can be for those who prefer raw food.

Read more in the article: “Raw food diet menu.”

Recipes

Breakfast: Mango Clouds smoothie

Ingredients:

• 100 g mango pulp;
• 80 g banana;
• 5 g poppy seeds;
• 150 ml sesame milk;
• 2-3 ice cubes;
• mint leaves and strawberries - for decoration.

Preparation:

1. Cut the fruit into large pieces and puree for 30 seconds in a blender.
2. Add poppy seeds and milk to them.
3. Beat until fluffy foam forms.
4. Pour into a glass with 2-3 ice cubes.
5. Top with mint leaves and strawberries.

Lunch: coconut curry soup

Ingredients:

• pulp of 1 coconut;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• 10 g ginger root;
• 20 g curry;
• half a chili pepper;
• 30 g green onions;
• 2 cucumbers;
• 1 sweet pepper;
• 20 g cilantro;
• 100 ml water;
• 10 ml lemon juice;
• 1 date

Preparation:

1. Cut the pepper into thin strips.
2. Cut the cucumbers into slices.
3. Place them in a separate bowl, sprinkle with cilantro.
4. Beat the remaining ingredients in a blender.
5. Pour the resulting cocktail over the vegetables.

Lunch: Thai Squash Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 squashes (can be replaced with regular pumpkin);
• 3 carrots;
• 200 g red cabbage;
• 100 g cilantro;
• 100 g bean sprouts;
• 100 g broccoli.

For the sauce:

• 50 g peanut butter;
• 15 ml chili paste;
• 50 ml live soy sauce;
• 50 ml water.

Preparation:

1. Cut the squash into small strips. Soak overnight.
2. The bean sprouts are also soaked overnight.
3. Chop carrots, red cabbage and broccoli as thinly as possible. Add squash and bean sprouts.
4. Mix very carefully, without damaging the vegetable straws.
5. Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a blender.
6. Pour vegetables over them.

Afternoon snack: vanilla-coconut pudding

Ingredients:

• 300 ml coconut milk;
• vanilla;
• cinnamon;
• cardamom;
• 20 g agar-agar;
• 100 ml water;
• 30 g stevia.

Preparation:

1. Mix coconut milk and spices.
2. Place in the sun for an hour.
3. Dilute agar-agar with water and add to milk with spices. Leave in the sun for another hour.
4. Add stevia.
5. Pour into cocktail glasses.
6. Leave in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Dinner: raw food “Shuba”

Ingredients:

• 50 g of dry seaweed (suitable for wakama);
• 3 carrots;
• 2 beets;
• 2 avocados;
• 2 cucumbers;
• raw food mayonnaise;
• greenery.

Preparation:

1. Prepare raw food mayonnaise (you can find many recipes on the Internet).
2. Half an hour before cooking, soak the seaweed in plenty of water. Then squeeze them out and chop them.
3. Grate cucumber, carrots and beets.
4. Cut the avocado into small cubes.
5. Lay out the salad in layers: wakami - avocado - carrots - cucumber - beets. Coat each layer with mayonnaise.
6. Sprinkle with herbs on top.

There are 27 more recipes for raw foods in the article at the link.

For weight loss

There is also a raw food diet. It differs little from the basic power system described above. Unless you need to correct the following points:

• reduce daily calorie intake;
• leave one dish for lunch and dinner;
• reduce portion sizes;
• actively engage in sports.

How to go?

Get tested and make sure you are healthy. Assess the risks. How will they affect your health? Will there be serious consequences that will worsen your quality of life?

Think in advance how your friends and family will react to your decision. Will they support you? Will you be able to tolerate the tempting aromas of food that others will prepare for themselves? Find like-minded people who can ease the transition by suggesting some unclear points and dispelling doubts.

In order not to break down, distract your brain with something fun - find a hobby for your soul and body to which you will devote your free time. After 3 weeks, it will become easier for you to stick to a new diet: that’s how long it takes a person to get used to something.

The main rule for beginners: the transition should be smooth and gradual - from 3 weeks to 3 months. This is the only way to avoid breakdowns and health problems. You should start with lacto-ovo vegetarianism, then switch to lacto-vegetarianism, and after 2-3 months, become vegan. And only after that try yourself on a raw food diet.

The article “6 steps to a raw food diet” will also help you with this.

Raw vegetables and fruits can seriously disrupt the favorable gastrointestinal microflora. To avoid this, you need to eat up to 800 g of fresh greens daily. Try to include it in smoothies for breakfast, in salads, and sprinkle it on soups and main courses.

Eat only those foods that you like for their taste, but at the same time make sure that your diet is varied and balanced. It is advisable not to combine more than 3-5 main ingredients in one dish.

All products must be thoroughly washed and dried (with the same paper towel or simply in the sun). When purchasing products in a store, make sure that they are exclusively of plant origin and clean ecology. Avoid moldy or even slightly spoiled fruits and vegetables.

Eat strictly according to the schedule: meals should be at the same time. Daily calorie content: 2,100 kcal for men, 1,800 kcal for women. For weight loss - 1,500 and 1,200 respectively.

Give yourself fasting days several times a month. Moreover, raw foodists are not recommended to use traditional apples, cabbage or Brush lettuce, to which their body is already accustomed. Once every 2 weeks you need to stay on water all day (up to 3.5 liters).

Get an annual medical examination to monitor your health and promptly prevent or treat emerging problems.

Sample dishes for different meals:

• immediately after waking up - a glass of raw water (with the addition of lemon juice);
• breakfast - smoothie;
• lunch - fruit;
• lunch - cold pureed soup, vegetable salad;
• afternoon snack - fruit salad / nuts / berries / dessert;
• dinner - second course / porridge, vegetable salad;
• before bed - a glass of lemon water or freshly squeezed juice diluted with water.

To avoid sodium deficiency, you need to eat as much seaweed, sauerkraut and mushrooms as possible. Zinc - sprouted seeds and cereals. Phosphorus - zucchini, champignons, wheat sprouts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts. Vitamin B12 - mushrooms. Omega-3 fatty acids - walnuts, vegetable oils, flax seeds. Protein - porcini mushrooms, algae, quinoa, buckwheat.

Unfortunately, people often start eating raw food just because it is fashionable. This often results in serious eating and mental disorders. With an incorrectly composed diet, serious complications cannot be avoided.

Individual cases

Let's look at several individual cases of how raw food diet and...

…pregnancy

Due to the high risk of poisoning from raw foods and deficiency of vitamin B12 and other beneficial substances, doctors strongly do not recommend this nutritional system for pregnant women. Consequences include miscarriages, stillbirths, premature or prolonged labor, intrauterine hypoxia, fetal pathologies, and prolonged bleeding after childbirth.

…cancer

A reduction in the risk of developing cancer in raw foodists has been proven by scientific research conducted by Finns. However, this statement is often criticized: too few people were involved in the experiments and a very short period of time was taken to make such a big statement. Purely theoretically, plant foods are rich in antioxidants, which rid the body of free radicals, which means that this nutritional system can become a preventive measure for such diseases. In practice, raw foodists were given such a disappointing diagnosis.

But one fact here is not subject to any doubt: if you have oncology, you cannot switch to a raw food diet from a regular diet. The health condition may worsen and cause a relapse.

…period

Another scientifically proven fact, confirmed by numerous studies. In 70% of cases, women who were raw foodists were diagnosed with complete or partial amenorrhea. That is, the monthly cycle was disrupted. The consequences are difficulties with conceiving, including infertility.

…body-building

Among famous athletes there is more than one raw foodist with amazing muscle definition and world-class achievements. Even within the framework of a raw food diet, you can create a diet in such a way that your muscles do not suffer from a lack of protein. They will just have to triple their snacks more often in the form of pureed soups and smoothies. Better products are bananas and mushrooms, as well as sprouted seeds and cereals. Some companies produce special sports nutrition for raw bodybuilders. So these phenomena are quite compatible.

Complications

If the diet is incorrectly prepared, the consequences of a raw food diet can be very serious. Here is a list of just the most common complications:

• alopecia;
• amenorrhea;
• anemia;
• infertility;
• pain in muscles, joints;
• hallucinations (with B12 and sodium deficiency);
• headache;
• diarrhea, constipation;
• impotence, premature ejaculation;
• hormonal imbalances;
• unfavorable changes in blood tests (low levels of leukocytes) and urine (high levels of urea and nitrogen);
• fainting;
• loss of vision;
• liver failure;
• poor sleep;
• loss of appetite;
• mental disorders;
• weakness;
• decreased libido;
• tachycardia;
• nausea and vomiting (the most common side effect);
• tremor and numbness of the limbs;
• thrombocytopenia;
• deterioration of digestion;
• deterioration of the condition of the skin, hair, nails.

Children who eat raw materials especially suffer, who, due to a lack of certain substances, may lag behind their peers in development - physical and mental. However, there are examples when they did not observe any deviations. And yet, British scientists are categorical on this issue and prohibit parents from feeding their children exclusively raw foods.

Famous raw foodists

Jared Leto

There are also raw foodists among celebrities. However, it is worth mentioning that some stars only partially adhere to this diet. They temporarily go on such a diet to lose weight and cleanse the body. And this is quite understandable given their elite life, in which buffets and festive feasts are constantly present.

Athletes

1. Georg Hackenschmidt - weightlifter.
2. Alexey Voevoda - bobsledder.
3. Michael Armstein is a marathon runner.
4. Jim Morris is a bodybuilder.

Celebrities

1. Alexey Martynov.
2. Alicia Silverstone.
3. Angelina Jolie.
4. Valeria Gai Germanika.
5. Victoria Bonya.
6. Woody Harrelson.
7. Henry Shelton.
8. Demmy Moor.
9. Jared Leto.
10. Irina Toneva.
11. Madonna.
12. Mel Gibson.
13. Natalie Portman.
14. Ornella Muti.
15. Pythagoras.
16. Steve Jobs.
17. Sting.
18. Uma Thurman.
19. Ann Hataway.

Centenarians

The Khanzakuts, a people living in northern India, are the most famous long-lived raw foodists who consume all food (mostly of plant origin) exclusively in raw form. Their average lifespan is 120 years. The basis of their diet is whole grain flatbread, which they dry in the sun.

The Armenian long-living raw foodist Vahe Danielyan, who has followed this food system for about 50 years, also became famous. He is now 98, but does not look his age, is active in sports and participates in various programs.

Books on raw food diet

In conclusion, I would like to offer several books that tell about real examples from the life of raw foodists, as well as theoretical and scientific justifications for this system. Let them become your inspiration on this difficult path.

1. Arshavir Ter-Avanesyan (Aterov's surname may be indicated on the book). Raw food diet.
2. Butenko Victoria. Greens for life. A real recovery story.
3. Graham D. (Dr. Greaham). Diet "80-10-10".
4. Zealand Sarno. Live kitchen. Transurfing updates.
5. Kurdyumov N. Do we want health?
6. Nikolaev Valentin. The choice of food is the choice of fate. A subjective view of nutrition, fasting and health.
7. Walker N.V. Treatment with raw vegetable juices.
8. Chuprun Alexander. What is a raw food diet and how to become a raw foodist (naturist).
9. Shemchuk V. A. Raw food diet - The path to Immortality.

Raw food diet is a unique and, undoubtedly, interesting nutrition system. But it is too complex and tough, so many people cannot do it both in terms of willpower and health. Before you try yourself in it, you should weigh the pros and cons in order to avoid unpleasant consequences and complications.

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What it is?

The main idea of ​​all this nutrition is the statement that man is an integral part of nature. Therefore, he cannot eat anything that is not in it, such as fried potatoes, grilled chicken and other similar foods. Therefore, a raw food diet requires abandoning the standard menu to which we have long been accustomed. Where to start with a raw food diet?

Natural products, which adherents of this diet call live, contain many vitamins, as well as minerals and trace elements, a significant part of which is destroyed during heat treatment. And in their raw form, they are better preserved and are perfectly absorbed by the body. Thus, the main principle of constructing a raw food diet menu involves eating food exclusively in its raw form.

Processed food is considered poison. And we’re not just talking about the one sold in fast food. This statement is partly explained by science. Frying, along with cooking and even steaming, lead to the fact that products not only lose all their beneficial qualities, but also acquire harmful properties. For example, carcinogens appear in it - substances that can cause the formation of a malignant tumor, and in addition, isomers or free radicals. Therefore, the raw food diet insists on “live” nutrition and avoidance of junk food. This approach reduces the intake of hazardous substances into the body to zero.

Basic principles of a raw food diet for beginners

To prove their rightness, raw foodists emphasize that only foods untouched by heat treatment contain so-called enzymes, which are particles of all life on earth, which allow vegetables and fruits to be properly digested in the body. The supply of these substances is maximum in the infant’s body, but decreases over time as they age. But it can be replenished regularly. Switching to a raw food diet helps with this.

The usual menu for all people consists of peeled food. But it is in the peel that the maximum amount of useful substances is found. In addition, products that are stored for a long time contain harmful preservatives in the form of dyes or flavor enhancers. They are, of course, unacceptable in a raw food diet system.

The issue of simultaneous consumption of various products deserves special attention. Often products are incompatible with each other, require a lot of time and, in addition, energy for their digestion, which as a result leads to malabsorption. Maintaining an interval between eating bananas and then sprouted grains helps the body digest them with little energy expenditure. And the body uses unspent energy for self-medication. Many people are interested in where to start a raw food diet.

Raw foodists believe that poor nutrition is the cornerstone of all diseases, be it metabolic disorders, heart pathologies or nervous ailments. And only thanks to a raw food diet can you lead a truly high-quality lifestyle, and in addition, get rid of health problems, achieving the desired longevity.

Kinds

There are several types of raw food. In this case, the opinions of raw foodists differ. Some of them believe that in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it will be enough just to follow a fruit and vegetable diet, while others note that it would not be a bad idea to diversify it with meat and milk. So, today there are the following types of raw food diet:

• Mixed or in other words - omnivorous raw food diet. Within this type, you can consume any raw food without restrictions, be it plant or animal food. Meat, along with fish, milk and eggs can be boiled. Dried meat may be consumed. In addition, raw foodists add a small amount of pepper and salt, as well as vegetable oil and honey to their food to taste.
• Vegan raw food diet. This option is widespread. Its supporters eat exclusively plant foods in the form of greens, berries, fruits, vegetables and cereals. Such raw foodists include Sprutorians and Jusorians. The former feed mainly on sprouted cereal grains. And raw foodists-Jusorians consume only freshly prepared vegetable and fruit juices. They are also called green smoothies. We will consider recipes for this type of raw food diet at the end of the article.
• Vegetarian raw food diet. As the name implies, this type of diet prohibits the consumption of meat and fish. But you can eat plant foods, eggs and milk.
• Fruitarianism. Supporters of this species include only fruits and berries in their diet. They exclude vegetables and any other foods. For example, orthodox raw foodists may patiently wait until the fruits themselves fall from a tree or bush. The natural fall, which occurs without additional help, serves as the moment when the fruit is at the peak of its ripeness, and therefore usefulness.
• Carnivorous raw food diet. In this case, fruits and vegetables are almost not added to the diet. Such raw foodists place the main emphasis on seafood, meat and eggs, and in addition, on animal fats instead of traditional carbohydrates. Some northern peoples on the planet have been eating this way since Paleolithic times. Raw food diet recipes can be very diverse.
• Monotrophic raw food diet. According to this type of nutrition, only one type of food is eaten at one meal. There is a pause between doses. For example, apples are eaten for breakfast, and an hour later sprouted grains are used, and so on.
• Raw food diet based on the amount of useful components. There are special tables that indicate the content of vitamins along with microelements, fats, proteins and carbohydrates in a particular product. According to them, products can only be mixed in a certain quantity, and in addition, they can be consumed separately from each other.

We continue to consider the benefits and harms of a raw food diet.

Minuses

Like any other diet, a raw food diet has its disadvantages:

• With strict adherence to the rules, for example, against the background of a complete refusal even of vegetables, grains and root vegetables, the body may not receive enough vitamins and microelements. Because of this, metabolism will be disrupted.
• If you refuse to eat fish and seafood, iodine deficiency appears. A connection between a raw food diet and factors of bone and tooth destruction, as well as enamel damage, has also been proven. For this reason, adherents of this diet encourage all their supporters to regularly take sunbathing in order to provide the body with vitamin D.
• According to some reports, fanatical raw foodists have a significant decrease in vitamin B12.
• In addition, the benefits of a raw food diet for pregnant and lactating women, when the body is in dire need of a comprehensive supply of nutrition, also remains a big question.

Contraindications

Despite the fact that for many people a raw food diet is a miracle, there are still certain diseases for which eating unprocessed food is not recommended. Among these ailments are the following pathologies:

• The presence of diseases of the digestive system. The acids contained in raw foods can irritate the mucous membranes of organs, and this will happen constantly. Therefore, when switching to a raw diet, you need to carefully weigh all the pros and cons of this lifestyle.
• Presence of allergic diseases. Many types of fruits, especially red ones, as well as nuts and pollen, can provoke severe allergic conditions or lead to aggravation of existing ones.

It is important to find out in advance what you can eat on a raw food diet and what you cannot.

When can you switch to such a shelter?

It is believed that the maximum need for nutritional components is required by a growing body, and therefore by children and adolescents. True, even at the age of twenty, some structures in the body still continue to develop. Therefore, the optimal transition to a new diet is considered to be after thirty, when the body is fully formed. There is another explanation. Around middle age, people acquire specific beliefs with intentions about what they expect from themselves and what they desire to receive. With clear goals, it is much easier to completely change your lifestyle.

List of raw food products

It includes the following titles:

• Greenery.
• Mushrooms.
• Vegetables.
• Berries.
• Any fresh fruit.
• Dried fruits.
• Sweeteners.
• Vegetable oils.
• Seaweed.
• Honey and pollen.
• Seeds and nuts.
• Green buckwheat and some legumes.
• Seasonings.

Transition

First you need to decide why a person wants to try this nutrition system. You need to understand whether this is required as part of a permanent diet or temporary, for example as a way to lose weight. Many people make the transition to a raw food diet as part of an experiment, for the sake of something new in life, and also because it is fashionable today. But, of course, you shouldn’t follow fashion or your next-door neighbor. And if a person has chosen such nutrition as a standard for himself, then he should approach it with all responsibility. This is the only way to achieve real results. There are two options for switching to a raw diet:

• The first requires including as many raw foods as possible in the menu every day with gradual replacement of the rest. At the same time, on the first day, fried and, in addition, smoked foods, along with coffee and sweets, should disappear from the diet.
• You can immediately stop eating thermally processed foods. Most raw foodists claim that the second method makes it possible to get used to it faster. But the chances of failure are, of course, much greater.

There are always several critical moments due to which a person may not be able to stand returning to the old menu. Knowing about them, beginners will be able to adapt more easily. As a rule, the pitfalls in this case are constant thoughts about tasty, previously familiar food and the lack of a clear goal.

Not everyone knows how to start a raw food diet correctly.

How to switch to a raw food diet correctly?

First of all, you need to remember all the time that the process of switching to a raw food diet is not a simple whim, but a conscious decision that will allow you to improve your health by reducing excess weight, increasing interest in life, and in addition, in active pastime, making new friends. To begin with, you should give up specific foods, for example, your favorite carbonated drinks along with beer on the weekends. It is important to pay attention to how difficult this period will be.

It is also recommended to keep a raw food diary. In the diary you can record any sensations with thoughts and information about products that you like, as well as those that are best avoided, that is, you need to record everything that has changed in a person since the transition. On the title page you should list and highlight in bright colors all the reasons for which a person agreed to give up delicious pies and Coca-Cola. You should also write down all your achievements in your diary, for example, how easily you managed to switch to a raw diet, how the first day went on eating healthy food, and so on. You can also celebrate your failures, as well as how you plan to deal with them. Where to start a raw food diet and how to adjust yourself?

It is equally important that there is sufficient willpower so as not to abandon your idea halfway. If you really want fried chicken with pickled cucumbers, it’s better to eat them, but so that it doesn’t eventually turn into a habit.

It is imperative to inform the people with whom you plan to continue communicating. This will help avoid unnecessary arguments and conversations.

And finally, you should plan your diet based on the time of year. For example, summer and autumn are rich in vegetables and fruits, and spring is rich in greens. In winter, on a raw food diet, you can eat foods that can be stored in the cellar for a long time. And then the dining table and stomach will never be empty.

Errors during transition

When making the transition, people should try to avoid the following mistakes:

• Try to sit on two chairs at once. In this case, you cannot violate the ban on mixing food, especially drinking alcoholic beverages. Sometimes it happens that people eat right every other day, and the rest of the time they allow themselves any food. This, of course, is self-deception. With such a diet, raw foodists often experience breakdowns. Therefore, if you have already made a decision, then you need to forget about many things from your usual diet.
• Excessive consumption of legumes. Everyone was told that meat is healthy because of the protein. But raw foodists don’t eat it. Where then does the precious protein come from? Most of it is found in beans, beans and peas. Therefore, newly minted raw foodists begin to absorb them in huge quantities. Trying to take in as much of the right food as possible, people forget that the body is not yet accustomed to it. This can only cause stomach upset. Therefore, moderation in nutrition, even the healthiest, is what raw foodists practice.
• Force yourself to eat everything. Everyone has their own taste preferences. Therefore, if a person does not like cabbage, one should not force oneself to eat it, even with the deep conviction that it is for the good. Everything has its time. Maybe after a few years it will turn into a favorite product, but until this happens, you shouldn’t force your body.

Thus, a raw food diet has become a very popular way of eating today. But before you decide to switch to it, you need to decide on your goals, and also understand whether this is really what the person himself and his body really need.

Raw food menu

What is an approximate menu for the day?

• For breakfast: banana, kiwi, orange.
• Second breakfast: any raw nuts.
• Lunch: vegetable salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers), green buckwheat.
• Afternoon snack: dried fruits.
• Dinner: vegetable smoothie from avocado, tomato, herbs, raw bread.

Let's look at simple recipes.

Vegetable puree soup

Preparing the cream requires a minimum amount of time and effort. To do this, fresh onions, cauliflower, carrots, peas, celery and parsley are ground in a blender until a homogeneous puree is formed. Everything is sprinkled with pumpkin seeds or pine nuts on top.

Korean zucchini salad

Grate young zucchini on a fine grater. Grated carrots, coriander, nutmeg, finely chopped garlic, salt are added to them, and all this is seasoned with olive or linseed oil. The salad must be left to marinate for half an hour.

There is a proven fact that properly organized nutrition allows people to radically change their lives and habits, and also has a beneficial effect on their health and vitality. What knowledge does a novice raw foodist need for this?

So, a raw food diet is eating primarily raw plant foods. What is an adequate raw food diet? First of all, this is a conscious approach to nutrition, which, instead of myths, blind faith and fanaticism, is based on experiment, logic and scientific and medical knowledge about the structure of the human body. The main differences of this approach are:

• An adequate raw foodist eats food in order to havegood health,a healthy body and a clear mind, and not for the sake of some ephemeral goals and empty self-promotion;
• P when planning your dietan adequate raw foodist does not look at primitive new feeding behavior of marmosets in the wild, andturns to for help modern science and the power of the mind;
• Instead of thoughtlessness special separation of products into “raw” and “cooked”conscious raw foodistguided by informationabout all the most important properties of food.

If this rational approach to nutritionis in tune with your worldview and you want to know more, then first of all to you You need to gain some knowledge about food and how to optimize your new diet. Therefore, this article will be devoted to describing the basic principles of an adequate raw food diet. But first things first.

Food energy

As you know, the energy a person needs for life is released from food products in the process of their biological oxidation. At the same time, the main differences between this process and conventional combustion are: its long duration and multi-stage biochemical reactions. In the human body, food nutrients release energy and are oxidized into final products that are eliminated from the body. But because different food nutrients have different energy values, scientists had to find a way to measure their energy potential. The unit of measurement for this potential is calories, which are used to calculate the amountexcreted from foodthermal energy.
For example, a gram of carbohydrates is oxidized to body to carbon dioxide and water, releasing about 4 kcal energy. This energy is subsequently used in cells for the synthesis of universal biofuels -Adnosine triphosphoric acid.
What is noteworthy here is thatExactly the same final products, and the same amount of energy, are formed when carbohydrates are burned in a special device designed to measure the energy potential of food - a calorimeter. The possibility of such measurement of the energy of biochemical reactions exists thanks to the law of thermochemistry of Academician G. Hess, which states:

The total yield of thermal energy of the reaction depends only on the initial and final states of the substances. And the number of intermediate stages of the process does not matter.
This means that, despite the fact that the process of glucose oxidation in living cells is a multi-stage process, its total energy output will be exactly the same as in the calorimeter.

Ignorance of this fundamental law of thermochemistry and the basic physiology of the human body makes some raw foodists skeptical about the calorie system for measuring food energy, and especially fanatical ones even aggressive.

But no matter how we criticizemodern dietetics, we all need to recognize that different foods have different nutritional values ​​and chemical compositions. I hope no one will dispute, for example, that cereals are rich in high-energy starch, and fruits are rich in simple sugars, or that a few hundred grams of nuts are much more satiating than a kilogram of cucumbers.

L Any sane person must understand that if he wants to live and lead an active lifestyle, then he needs to supply his body with as much energy from food as his body requires. Whether we believe in calories or not, whether we know about their existence or not, does not matter. IN This set of cells in our body with such and such mass and such and such growth requires a certain amount of energy from food to carry out normal life activities, and there can be no exceptions(!!! )
You need to learn a simple truth - any physical activity requires energy. Therefore, nothing will save a person from exhaustion if, for example, he burns 2000 kcal, and consume for the whole day from a couple of kilograms of apples or oranges in total 1000 kcal His body will certainly take the missing energy from its storage tissues, and it does not matter whether this person eats raw or thermally processed food.
Therefore, from the very beginning, a raw foodist needs to organize his daily diet so that it optimally satisfies his body’s energy and material needs.For example, a person on a traditional diet requires on average two to three thousand kilocalories per day.
For ease of calculation, we need to remember that a kilogram of fruit is on average 500 kcal, and a kilogram of vegetables or herbs is about 300 kcal. In this case, one should also take into account the specific dynamic effect of food, which determines the degree of influencevarious nutrientson human metabolism. This important feature determines that a raw foodist, who eats mainly fruits and vegetables, in generalless energy is required than with a traditional high-protein diet. This is explained by the fact that when high-protein foods are broken down into different sources from 30% before40% its calorie content goes towards its own digestion. Complex carbohydrates require for their digestion 5% energy, fats Total 3% , and light carbohydrates such as glucose and fructose do not require practically any energy consumption for their digestion.( , , )Therefore, on a low-protein diet, the energy output of nutrients is HIGHER.
Based on these features of human physiology andknowledge of the energy potential of productsit turns out that the average raw foodist who wants to stay at a normal weight on a low-protein fruit and vegetable diet needs to eat about 4 kg food per day.

Of course, the recommended amount of food andyour energy consumption valuesthose obtained from this simplified calculation will not have absolute accuracy. After all, we all have different diets, body composition, metabolic rates and levels of physical activity. However, at first it will be appropriate for a raw foodist to at least approximately know how much food he needs to consume per dayto avoid overeating or, conversely, excessive weight loss.Information about the energy potential of various products and existing methods for calculating the body’s energy consumption, taking into account the individual characteristics of a person, his weight, height and other body parameters, will help you in more accurately performing this task. (1 , , )

However, instead of an adequate and competent approach to this topic, the information environment of raw foodists is dominated by an extremely frivolous attitude towards understanding the basics of nutritional physiology. This inappropriate position is especially typical for beginner raw foodists who have neither sufficient raw food experience nor basic knowledge of biology.. But there is an incredible excess of ambition and a sense of personal exclusivity. A raw foodist, in their understanding, is at least a superman, to whom all the laws of nature and knowledge discovered by science are alien.These people, divorced from reality, believe that they are so different from the rest of humanity that modern standards of nutrition and medicine are absolutely not applicable to them. Allegedly their body is capable independently produce all vitamins andthe substances he needs, and can alsolong time live without food without losing weight. One gets the feeling that these people have never studied, and they are generally unaware that in the human body there is storage fat tissue, which is inevitably consumed by the body on a low-calorie diet.

Losing body fat on a raw food diet has a rejuvenating and beneficial effect on people suffering from excess weight. Therefore, these raw foodists can afford to eat extremely small amounts of raw plant food for quite a long time. For them, such a low-calorie diet will only be beneficial.

However, it should be noted here that for raw foodists with a normal and especially with a low body mass index, excessive loss of storage tissue over time can result in serious depletion.Therefore, a person with a low percentage of body fat shouldIn order to maintain a normal weight and lead an active lifestyle, you need to eat enough ( !!! ) Otherwise, on a low-calorie diet, at first there will be an intense consumption of fat reserves, and then, after they are depleted, inevitable degeneration of muscle tissue, loss of their strength and ultimately even a limitation of normal mobility. ( i )

It's like it's from food stubbornly do not notice that people (especially full) By switching to a raw food diet they lose weight. And they don’t lose weight because they eat little. Vice versa,The amount of raw plant food in the daily diet of many raw foodists is greater than the same amount of food in traditionally eating people. This paradox is quite simply explained. After all, the basis of the diet of raw foodists is a variety of vegetables, fruits and herbs. And as you know, the nutritional value of these products is many times less than that of traditional cuisine.
But most popularizers and propagandists of raw food diets so enthusiastically repeat their “mantra” about enzymes and self-dissolution of food that they are not even able to notice the contradiction between their theory and the actual state of affairs. Raw foodists improve their health and normalize body weight not because of enzymes and autolysis, but because the basis of their diet is low-calorie foods with a low protein content. It is these qualities of a diet consisting mainly of fresh fruits and vegetables that make it possible to effectively suppress the processes and, and also contribute to the loss of excess fat deposits.( ,) A thoughtful approach and understanding of this and the information provided in the links will help you avoid many mistakes and misconceptions. And most importantly, this will make it possible to understand the true reasons for the beneficial effects of a raw food diet on the human body( !!! )

Unfortunately, at the moment only a fewinterested in expanding their horizons with knowledge of anatomy, physiology,biochemistry and other scientific disciplines necessary to understand the essence of a raw food diet.Nobody wants to think for themselves! Most it is much easier to believe in sacred enzymes andgreat autolysis,in order to quickly take the vow of a raw food diet and blindly fulfill its commandments - “do not cook” and “do not mix”. And when should you think about the meaning of some rules and theories?if instead of searching for the truth, fanatics wage a continuous holy war against infidel dishonersand the apostates who tasted the defiling boiled water? That's right, no time!And no matter how ironic all this may sound, after reading what the majority of inadequate raw foodists write in various communities, forums and their websites, outsiders come to the conclusion that raw foodists are a sect of abnormal fanatics, and the raw food diet itself is a kind of pseudo-religious cult, has nothing to do with healthy eating .

Newly-minted adherents of this religion, after a couple of weeks or months, are so imbued with the ideas instilled in them about the dangers of any “boiled food” and the mega-benefits of enzymes and autolysis that they are no longer interested in anything else. And none of them even think about the fact that uncontrolled and thoughtless consumption of raw plant foods can harm their health. For these people, there is no difference between eating foods with high and low protein concentrations, which are known to determine the composition of the intestinal microflora. They are also not interested in the fact that some fruits contain tannins that tend to slow down peristalsis and weaken the gastrointestinal tract’s resistance to infections. They are annoyed by such words are like vitamins, calorie content proteins, fats and carbohydrates, because all this was invented by scoundrel scientists. And the fact that many people with such an irresponsible attitude towards themselves and their nutrition lead themselves to dystrophy and various diseases, no one simply wants to notice. You will ask why? Yes, because any serious incidents are usually either hushed up or attributed to all sorts of “crises and purges”, which some incompetent "gurus" are considered the norm for a raw foodist.

Therefore it is not surprising thatin numerous communities, forums and groupsdedicated to the raw food diet, fanatical followers of the “cult” and other inadequate individualsThey write all sorts of nonsense all the time. Eg:

(quote )“For raw monoeaters, a couple of fruits a day are enough, but some may forget to eat the whole day and are full of energy.”
(quote )“After switching to a raw food diet, you begin to fill yourself up with two cucumbers. Food no longer worries you: you can go without eating for days.” .

At the same time, “quite by accident” these supermen are silent about the gradual weight loss and ensuing exhaustion. And, of course, few of these writers bother to supplement their stories with the fact that after such “days” they experience “gluttony” - unbridled gluttony for raw food or even have “breakdowns” on heat-treated food.
Therefore, if we look away from illusions and approach the raw food diet from the position of knowledge and objective reality, then it is necessary to state the fact that beginning raw foodists often tend to violate their diet. Some openly suffer from overeating, others starve themselves, and others alternate between these extremes.
Ultimately, the lack of a properly planned diet and satisfaction with their nutrition causes many people to become disillusioned with a raw food diet. A classic example of such ordeals is this experience of a former raw foodist. And this is not an isolated case. Unfortunately, many people go through a similar “obstacle course” on a raw food diet due to lack of awareness.

Controlling the amount of food

After undereating, one of the most common mistakes when switching to a raw food diet is regularly overeating.

The need to regulate the amount consumed

raw foodist food intake is dictated by the physiological characteristics of respiration and the structure of the human digestive system. With normal functioning of all body systems and normal intestinal volume - the heart, lungs, as well as the organs lying below the diaphragm - the stomach, liver and pancreas, receive a powerful massaging stimulus from the diaphragm. Because this main respiratory muscle of the body constantly makes intense oscillatory movements.By making oscillatory movements, the diaphragm helps to create suction pressure in the chest, which improves blood supply to all organs and tissues of the body. But due to the large volumes of food eaten and its subsequent fermentation, leading to, the intestines swell and occupy the maximum possible volume in the abdominal cavity, propping up the diaphragm and squeezing the internal organs.
The diaphragm does not reach the required amplitude of oscillatory movements and is forced to take the wrong position; being in this state, it compresses the bases of the lungs, causing blood stagnation in their lower sections, as well as in the blood vessels of the liver and spleen. As a result of all these changes, a fairly large volume of blood is excluded from the general circulation.
Ultimately, organs and tissues receive less nutrients; metabolic products accumulate in them, leading to acidosis (acidification), which is already subjectively experienced as overwork, a constant feeling of weakness and apathy.

It should be added here that overeating or, in other words, “gorging,” accompanied by overfilling and overstretching of the intestines, leads to an acceleration of the movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, this acceleration occurs not due to natural intestinal peristalsis, but due to the fact that new portions of food displace the previous ones into the underlying sections of the gastrointestinal tract. This, in turn, leads to an increase in the process of desquamation of epithelial cells of the intestinal mucosa, the so-called desquamation.
The intestinal epithelium becomes thinner, its integrity and barrier function are impaired, it becomes like a “sieve”. As a result, its permeability to endotoxins and bacterial invasions increases. A raw foodist experiences irritable bowel syndrome.
In addition, the excessively rapid evacuation of food masses from the body suppresses the development of colonies of symbiotic microflora, which do not have time to produce sufficient vitamins necessary for the body. arise

weakening the immune system anddisrupting normal metabolism hypovitaminosis . All this ultimately leads to undesirable consequences, expressed in ailments, various skin problems, herpes, ARVI and other “delights”, unknowingly called “cleanses” and “crises” in raw foodist circles.

Food quality control

The next significant point for a raw foodist’s body is the chemical composition of food. The structure and functioning of the human digestive system, as well as the vital functions of the intestinal microflora, dictate the need for conscious control of the content of various foods in food. prebiotics(food components that selectively stimulate the growth and metabolism of one or more groups of microorganisms living in the large intestine).
Food nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract are exposed to a wide range of different bacterial enzymes. Long protein molecules are broken down into amino acids and short amino acid chains - oligomers. Fats are broken down into fatty acids and glycerol. And various complex carbohydrates (starch, cellulose, sugars) to their monomers - glucose and fructose, which, in turn, are fermented to short-chain fatty acids, pyruvic, lactic acid, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and other compounds.
All these food breakdown products have a diverse effect on the human body. Thus, short-chain fatty acids improve the trophism of the intestinal and liver mucosa, and also enhance their cellular regeneration. Pyruvic and lactic acid, as well as other products of carbohydrate fermentation, are absorbed in the large intestine and become an additional source of energy for humans. According to modern dietetics, due to the microflora of the large intestine, the human body satisfies 6 before 9% energy needs.
At the same time, the products of food protein decay - cadaveric poisons (ammonia, mercaptan, indole, skatole and many others) enhance ( !!! ) These substances cannot be used by cells as a source of energy, but on the contrary disrupt normal metabolism and worsen human well-being. Moreover, these endotoxins require additional energy from cells to neutralize them and remove them from our body.

To organize proper nutrition, it is enough to understanda few simple principlesrelationships between man and his microcosm. Representatives of the normal microflora of the human intestine are very diverse:these are bacteroides, bifidobacteria, lactobacilliand many others .Composition and beneficial propertiesour intestinal microfloradepend, first of all, on the nutrient medium in which these microorganisms live. Therefore, it will depend on a person’s diet which bacteria will be colonized in large quantities and which will be suppressed due to the lack of nutrients necessary for their development. According to this feature of the life activity of microorganisms, it will be convenient for us to divide the microflora of the large intestine into two main groups:

Proteolytic bacteria (break down proteins): (bacteroides, proteus and others)belong to opportunistic microflora harmful to humans. These microorganisms use protein and its breakdown products as a nutrient substrate, causing, the final metabolites of which are substances toxic to humans - indole, skatole, cadaverine, putrescine, mercaptan, phenol, etc. With the “prosperity” of putrefactive bacteria and a decrease,a number of negative consequences and metabolic disorders occur in the human body.

Saccharolytic bacteria (break down sugars):(bifidobacteria, lactobacilli and others) use various carbohydrates as foodand polysaccharides of intestinal mucus.These representatives of the intestinal microflora are beneficial for humans, as they suppress the development of pathogenic and putrefactive microorganisms,synthesize vitamins - B1, B2, B3, B6, K, RR, etc.., stimulate peristalsis, and also participate in the hydrolysis of fiber, which is not digested by human digestive juices and enzymes.

Putrefactive and beneficial microflorafight among themselves for living space and resources in the host’s body. Thus, the dominance of one class of microorganisms inhibits and prevents the development of another, and vice versa. But the decisive factor in this confrontation is the percentage of carbohydrates and protein in food.

Product	Squirrels gr.	Fats gr.	Carbohydrates gr.	Kcal
Peanut	26
Peas	23
Buckwheat	13
Almond	19
Beans	22
sunflower seed	21

You will notice that most of these products have a higher protein concentration than high protein animal foods. For comparison, the protein content in pork is 15%, beef - 19%, chicken - 20%, fish 14-20%.

This means that for the formation of a useful biocenosis in the intestineOnly a small portion of your daily diet should come from foods high in protein, such as seeds, grains, legumes and nuts, andb ABOUT The majority of the food consumed should be foods rich in FIBER and CARBOHYDRATES - vegetables and fruits.

Binding substances in food

Binders- these are substances of plant origin ( tannins, tannins). Both the mucous membrane of the mouth and any other mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract with which tannins come into direct contact seem to go numb. They make your mouth feel astringent and have a tart taste. At the same time the mucosal surface becomes sharply thickened and decreases on it separation of protective mucus.As a result, the mucous membranes lose their resistance to bacterial invasions.
In the gastrointestinal tract, astringents precipitate food proteins and mucus, so that they form films that deprive the walls of the digestive organs of sensitivity. Therefore, peristalsis (automatic wave-like contractions of smooth muscles that push food masses through the intestines) slows down significantly.There may not be specific constipation when eating fruits with an astringent taste,since new portions of food will in any case contribute to the movement and evacuation of feces. But in the absence of tannins, the body copes much more efficiently with the transit of food masses throughgastrointestinal tract. Therefore, a person noticeably Abdominal volume decreases and well-being improves. If you want to verify this personally, pay attention to how you feel and the visual volume of your abdomen when eating a diet with fruits containing tannins and when eating foods without them. Only Thanks to the experiment, you can find out for yourself which diet is preferable for you( !!! )

Now let's summarize this information review and briefly summarize the basic principles of an adequate raw food diet. So, what does a person switching to a raw food diet need to know so that his new lifestyle is conscious and as effective as possible?

1) In order to avoid overeating or, conversely, excessive weight loss, it is advisable for an adequate raw foodist to know the approximate daily food requirement and try to at least partially adhere to it;

2) To stimulate the growth of beneficial intestinal microflora, as well as suppress the processes of putrefaction and food leukocytosis, an informed raw foodist should give preference when compiling his diet fruits, vegetables and greens, and all foods with a higher protein concentration are desirable limit ;

3) To improve peristalsis and prevent stagnation of food masses in the intestines, a reasonable raw foodist is advised to limit the consumption of fruits containing tannins.

Of course, these few rules are just the “tip of the iceberg” of the knowledge that is needed to make a raw food diet bring real joy. And further in this magazine you will be able to get acquainted with a deeper level of understanding of the principles of healthy eating.
In search of an optimal lifestyleyou still have a huge amount of interesting and useful information to learn. Especially e If your raw food journey has just begun. Well, following the simple but important recommendations given in this article will allow you to avoid many mistakes and will definitely please you with your results.

Approach the raw food diet wisely, and it will certainly work for you.
source of good health, vigor and spiritual harmony!!!

The site provides reference information for informational purposes only. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases must be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. All drugs have contraindications. Consultation with a specialist is required!

Nutrition raw food has become extremely popular nowadays. We can say that this is no longer just nutrition, but a certain way of life. By becoming raw foodists, many people radically change their lives - their circle of friends, profession, interests. They live according to the laws of nature, in unity with it, get healthy through swimming in an ice hole, meditation, and spread positivity. But first of all, they heal themselves with food. Therefore, there are both fanatical supporters and no less fierce opponents of a raw food diet. What is this: a newfangled diet or a higher standard of living?

Raw food diet does not allow the consumption of foods that have been subjected to even minimal heat treatment. So, in this case, it is prohibited to eat boiled, fried, stewed, smoked food, pickled or canned vegetables and fruits. Some types of raw food diet exclude meat and fish products from the diet. In addition, dried or dried foods to which spices, sugar or flavor enhancers have been added should also not be consumed. This is a separate nutrition system, but it often comes into contact with veganism, vegetarianism and many other dietary methods of healing through food.

Basic concepts in raw food diet. Where to begin?

• The basis of the entire system is the assertion that man is a part of nature. Therefore, he cannot eat something that does not exist in food - fried potatoes, grilled chicken and other foods. Therefore, a raw food diet requires abandoning the entire standard menu to which we are accustomed.
• “Live” (raw) foods contain a large amount of vitamins, minerals and trace elements, most of which are destroyed during heat treatment. In their raw form, they are preserved and are much better absorbed by the body. Accordingly, the basic principle of a raw food diet is: “just wash and eat.”
• Raw foodists consider processed foods to be poisonous. And not only the one sold in fast foods. This is partly explained by science. Frying, boiling and even steaming lead to the fact that food not only loses all its beneficial qualities, but also acquires harmful ones. For example, the appearance of carcinogens in it - substances that can cause the formation of malignant tumors, trans-isomers, and free radicals. The raw food diet insists on eating only “live” food and avoiding “harmful” food. This approach should reduce the intake of such substances into the body to zero.
• In addition, only vegetables and fruits untouched by cooking contain so-called enzymes - particles of all living things, solar energy, which allow vegetables and fruits to be independently digested in the body. Their supply is maximum in the baby's body, and gradually decreases with aging. However, it can be constantly replenished with food - raw, of course.
• The usual menu not for a raw foodist consists of refined, or peeled, shelled food. At the same time, it is in the peel and shell of cereals that the maximum useful substances are contained. In addition, products that can be stored for a long time necessarily contain harmful preservatives, dyes or flavor enhancers. They are unacceptable in a raw food diet.
• The simultaneous consumption of different products deserves special attention. They are often incompatible with each other, require a lot of time and energy to digest and lead to malabsorption. Maintaining intervals between eating bananas and then sprouted grains helps ensure that the raw foodist’s body digests them with minimal energy consumption. And all unspent energy is used for self-healing.
• Raw foodists believe that poor nutrition is the cornerstone of all diseases, be it metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases or nervous diseases. And this is the only way to lead a healthy lifestyle, get rid of any health problems and achieve the desired longevity.

Types of raw food diet

There are several types of raw food diet. Here the opinions of researchers differ. Some believe that to maintain a healthy lifestyle, just a fruit and vegetable diet is enough; others notice that they can diversify their diet with meat and milk.

Therefore, at the moment there are the following types of raw food diet:

Mixed (omnivore)
You can eat any food without restrictions, that is, both plant and animal foods, but in raw form. In this raw food diet, meat, fish, milk and eggs can be cooked. Dried meat may be consumed. In addition, raw foodists can add a small amount of salt or pepper to their food, as well as vegetable oil and honey, to taste.

Vegan
This is one of the most widespread types. Its supporters can eat exclusively plant foods - greens, berries, fruits, vegetables and cereals. These include the Sprutorians and Jusorians. Sprutorians mainly consume only sprouted cereal grains. Raw foodists-Jusorians (from the English Juice - juice) eat only freshly prepared vegetable and fruit juices - so-called green smoothies.

Vegetarian
Fans of this type of diet, in addition to plant foods, are not prohibited from consuming animal products - eggs and milk, but not meat or fish.

Fruitarianism
Its supporters include only fruits and berries in their diet. Vegetables and any other products are excluded. Orthodox raw foodists can even wait patiently until the fruits fall from a tree or bush on their own (the most natural fall, without additional help), because at this moment they are at the peak of ripeness and usefulness.
Carnivorous
In this case, fruits and vegetables are practically not added to the diet. The main emphasis is on raw seafood, fish, meat, eggs and animal fats instead of traditional carbohydrates. Many northern peoples have been eating this way since Paleolithic times.

Monotrophic raw food diet (raw mono diet)
According to it, you can only eat one specific type of food at one meal. Be sure to take pauses between doses. For example, apples are eaten for breakfast, after 40 minutes to an hour sprouted grains are used, etc.

By the amount of nutrients
There are special tables with the content of vitamins, microelements, fats, proteins and carbohydrates in a particular product. According to them, food can be mixed in a certain amount or consumed separately.

The miracles of a raw food diet, or what happens under the influence of raw foods

The basic tenets of a raw food diet say that when switching to such food, the body begins to cleanse itself of toxins, allergens and other harmful substances. In parallel with this, a complete restructuring is taking place to suit the new way of life. This is a gradual process, so it takes time. But the end justifies the means. Cleansing is manifested by a decrease in body weight, health improvement and improvement in overall well-being. Aging slows down and quality of life improves. It is not for nothing that they believe that a raw food diet is the path to immortality. Due to the fact that digestion occurs faster and requires less energy expenditure, the body has a lot of energy left for an active lifestyle. Mood swings, apathy, drowsiness, and attacks of autumn-winter depression disappear. In addition, mental abilities are also enhanced. Resistance to colds increases.

According to modern data, the richer the country, the more money its residents spend on food. Moreover, the higher the standard of living, the greater the risk of the emergence of so-called diseases of the new era - tumors, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity. The costs of treating these diseases are simply catastrophic. Raw foodists practically do not have such diseases - accordingly, they do not bring money to the pharmacy sector. Plus, eating raw food is much cheaper, even on a financial basis. Especially in summer or autumn, when markets are overflowing with fresh cereals, herbs, fruits from the garden, and nuts - a paradise period begins for a raw food diet.

Recently, many famous actors, singers and cultural figures consider themselves raw foodists, demonstrating an attractive appearance and toned figure. However, to date, unfortunately, there are no reliable studies that would fully confirm the absolute benefits of this type of nutrition. Therefore, you need to remember that any radical change in nutrition affects each person extremely individually.

Cons of a raw food diet

Like any other diet, a raw food diet has its disadvantages:

• With strict adherence to a raw food diet (for example, complete refusal even from vegetables, cereals and root vegetables), the body does not receive enough vitamins and microelements. Because of this, metabolism is disrupted.
• In conditions of refusal of fish and seafood, iodine deficiency appears. The connection between a raw food diet and the destruction of bones and teeth, and damage to enamel has been proven. Therefore, raw foodists urge all supporters of this system to regularly take sunbathing to provide the body with vitamin D.
• According to some reports, “strict” raw foodists exhibit a decrease in vitamin B12.
• In addition, the benefits of a raw food diet for pregnant women and nursing mothers, when the body especially needs a comprehensive supply of “building materials,” is also a big question. However, today it is already known for certain that a raw food diet is contraindicated for children.

Who is contraindicated for a raw food diet?

And although a raw food diet can have a healing effect on the body, there are still certain diseases for which it is undesirable to eat exclusively unprocessed thermally processed food. Among them:

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
Acids contained in raw foods can severely irritate the mucous membrane of organs, and constantly. Therefore, when switching to a raw food diet, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons.

Allergic diseases
Many types of fruits, especially red and orange ones, nuts, and pollen (it is also recommended for raw foodists as food) can provoke severe allergic complications, or lead to an exacerbation of existing ones.

What is the optimal age to switch to a raw food diet?

It is believed that the maximum requirement for nutrients is needed by a growing body, that is, children and adolescents. However, even at 20-25 years old, some structures of the body still continue to develop. Therefore, it is optimal to switch to a new diet after thirty years, when the body is already fully formed. There is another explanation for this. Around middle age, a person acquires specific beliefs and intentions, what he expects from himself and what he would like to receive. With a clear understanding of your goals, it is easier to completely change your lifestyle.

How to switch to a raw food diet?

First you need to decide why you want to try this nutrition system - as a permanent diet or for a short time, for example, as a way to lose weight. Many people decide to switch to a raw food diet as an experiment, for something new in their lives, and also because it is fashionable. But you definitely shouldn’t follow fashion and your next-door neighbor. And if you have already chosen such nutrition as a standard for yourself, then you need to approach it with all responsibility - only then will you be able to see the real result.

Sudden jump

There are two options for switching to a raw food diet:
1. The first is to gradually include as many unprocessed foods as possible in the menu day after day, gradually replacing all the others. Moreover, on the very first day, fried and smoked foods, coffee, and sweets should disappear from the raw foodist’s diet.
2. Or you can immediately stop eating processed foods. Most raw foodists say that the second method allows you to get used to it faster. But the chances of failure with this type of raw food diet are much greater.

There are several critical situations here, through which a person may not be able to stand it and return to the old menu. Knowing about them, it is easier for a beginner to adapt and survive these periods of his life.

Raw food diet rules

Main problems

If a person decides to eat only raw food, without the support of friends or family, then the main problems for him are the following:

Lack of a clear goal
It is very difficult to completely change your food system, which has been imposed since childhood. Therefore, breakdowns for new raw foodists are a common occurrence.

Solution: write on a piece of paper why and why you want to become a raw foodist. Place it in a visible place. And as soon as a difficult situation arises, you want to eat something forbidden - re-read.

Thoughts on food
The body gets used to receiving a certain amount of food per day, even if it is too much. It’s not surprising that at first you will constantly feel hungry. And all thoughts will be only about food. And your imagination will immediately picture a juicy roast lamb on a spit. And then there are the household members with their discussion of what to cook for lunch, a negative opinion about raw food nutrition in general, and invitations to a cafe. Or an advertisement asking you to eat crab sticks.

Solution: As soon as thoughts about food appear in your head, replace them with others. For example, how slim and healthy you will soon become. This needs to be done constantly, because once thoughts take root in your head, they will make you doubt the correctness of the action. If your planned lunch is still far away, you can kill the worm with a light snack.

Lack of experience and knowledge
A person simply does not know where to start, what products can be bought and where, and which ones should not be taken at all (in particular, dried fruits with added flavorings, preservatives or cashew nuts, which are of no benefit to raw foodists - they go on sale only fried), is it possible to combine them. This delays the transition period for a long time. In addition, if the body already suffers from some kind of chronic disease, then at the beginning of eating raw food it may worsen. The frightened new raw foodist quickly returns to his normal diet and runs to the hospital for help. However, he does not know that this is part of adaptation to a completely new way of life. As soon as it is completed, many diseases go away on their own and are never bothered again.

Solution: Before starting a raw food diet, it is necessary to probe the markets where you can buy fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes and grains. Learn more about how you can diversify your diet and what foods you can eat at the same time. A new diet doesn't mean you have to hold your nose and eat spinach that you can't tolerate. What is useful about a raw food diet is that there are practically no people who do not have favorite fruits, grains or vegetables. So choose a few of your favorite but allowed foods in advance. And for the first time, eat only your favorite fruits (from three to five types), listening to yourself and controlling your own well-being. And then gradually expand the “raw” menu. If it is impossible for you to immediately switch to such a diet, you can make short-term transitions for a few days. And let there always be a small supply of juicy peaches, sweet apples or carrots in the house. You can have a snack with them instead of a traditional sandwich or candy. The menu is chosen correctly, if you immediately feel relief, drowsiness after a hearty lunch, laziness, and bad mood will go away. And so, step by step, fried, boiled, pickled, smoked will fade into the background and give way to healthy food.

External (physical) critical situations

Under the influence of a large amount of fruit and vegetable fiber, grain crops, coarse cereals, cleansing processes are activated in the body. This immediately manifests itself in the form of a skin rash, changes in digestion towards loose stools, and mucous discharge. As soon as impurities, toxins, and allergens are completely removed from the body and stop entering it, the body will be completely cleansed, the skin will become cleaner, and the figure will be more prominent. But it is impossible to say for sure how long complete cleansing will last. For some it takes several months, for others it can last a year or more. It all depends on the state of the body at the time of transition.

Personal factor

We are used to work being work and lunch being on schedule. The body gets used to it in the same way, and by the lunch break we begin to feel hungry. And the belief that not everyone can have breakfast in the morning is nothing more than self-deception. It's all about habits, and you can change them too. According to the beliefs of raw foodists, you need to eat not when it’s time for breakfast - but because you really want to. This can be tested this way: imagine that there is a piece of stale bread on the table. If you are ready to eat it now, it means you are really hungry. But raw food significantly reduces the portion sizes we are used to. Therefore, at first you may be haunted by hunger and a desire to eat something tasty instead of the food allowed for raw foodists: sweets, candies, cakes. And with them - and the question: maybe there was no need to change anything, because everything was so good?!

Social factors

Once a person stops eating in the way most people are accustomed to, this transition is met with misunderstanding, surprise and even ridicule. This is especially acute in a family where one person becomes a raw foodist, and the rest do not share his point of view. Therefore, you often need to be prepared for the fact that wherever you go, you will be dissuaded, offered the usual food, and even offended if you refuse. Often people can no longer communicate in the same way as before, so their social circle changes significantly.

As for the emotional crisis, at this time a newly-minted raw foodist may experience mood swings, outbursts of aggression, discontent, and resentment. This can be aggravated by the fact that others do not understand him, and lead to a “return to square one.” And one more thing: people around you don’t eat like you. This must be taken into account when accepting an invitation to go to a restaurant or to celebrate special events. Therefore, you need to take some of your own food with you - enough to last the whole evening so as not to feel hungry.

Is life food?

The most important thing is to remember that we eat in order to live, and do not live in order to eat. However, in modern realities, delicious food often becomes a way to relax and lift your spirits. Especially if a person is unsteady on his feet and is unsure of his future. In this case, a raw food diet is unlikely to be beneficial, since it will deprive such a person of his only joy in life - “delicious” food.

How to switch to a raw food diet correctly?

• Firstly, you need to remember all this time that switching to a raw food diet is not just a whim, but a conscious decision that will allow you to improve your health, reduce excess weight, increase interest in life and active pastime, and make new friends. To begin with, you can give up a specific product - your favorite carbonated drinks, beer on weekends - and see how difficult this period will be.
• Secondly, it is useful to keep a raw food diary. You can write down all your feelings and thoughts, information about products you liked and those that are best avoided - that is, everything that has changed since the transition. In addition, on the main page, let all the reasons for which you agree to give up your mother’s delicious pies and Coca-Cola be listed and highlighted in bright colors. Here, write down all your achievements: how easily you managed to switch to a raw food diet, how the first day/week/month went just “on healthy food”, your failures and how you plan to deal with them.
• Third, there must be sufficient willpower here so as not to give up the whole idea halfway through. If you really want fried chicken or pickled cucumber, eat it, but so that it doesn’t turn into a habit.
• Fourth, it is best to initially inform the people with whom you intend to continue communicating in the future about your desire to change your eating habits. This way you can avoid unnecessary conversations and disputes.
• Fifthly, plan your diet based on the time of year. Thus, summer and autumn for raw foodists abound in vegetables and fruits, spring – in greens, in winter you can eat foods that can be stored in cellars for a long time. And then neither your dinner table nor your stomach will ever be empty.

Newbie mistakes

When switching to a raw food diet, try to avoid the following mistakes:

Trying to sit on two chairs at once
That is, violate the “non-mixing” food regime and drink alcoholic beverages. Sometimes people eat “healthy foods” every other day, and on other days they allow themselves all the foods, thinking that this way they can get used to it faster. This is self-deception! With such a diet, a raw foodist often experiences breakdowns. If you decide to switch, you will have to forget about much of your usual diet.

There are many legumes
Everyone has been told since childhood that meat is good for you because of the protein. But raw foodists don’t eat meat! Where can you get precious protein from?! And the most protein is found in soybeans, beans, peas, and beans. And the newly-made raw foodist begins to absorb them in huge quantities. Trying to cram as much “healthy food” into ourselves as possible, we forget that the body is not yet accustomed to it. This is fraught with stomach upset and other conditions - at best. And in the worst case, a person will always think that the raw food diet is to blame for everything, and not himself, and will remember the trial time with fear. Moderation in food, even the healthiest food, is what raw foodists practice.

Force yourself to eat everything
Each of us has our own taste preferences, and it is difficult to imagine that habits are easily broken. Therefore, if you do not like cabbage, do not force yourself to eat it with the conviction that it is for the good. Everything has its time. And perhaps in a few years it will also turn into one of your favorites.

Strict raw food diet
"Everything is poison and everything is medicine. Only the dose makes medicine poison and poison medicine." As we see, this phrase of the great physician Paracelsus is also relevant in the case of a raw food diet. Even the most natural nutritional system can cause harm to the body. Now it is only gaining momentum, so it is not possible to trace its influence. But by eating only one type of fruit or grain, a person does not receive enough nutrients. In this case, a raw food diet can lead to serious consequences. This is why it is so important to closely communicate with those who have been practicing this type of nutrition for many years before trying it yourself. The transition to a raw food diet should be carefully considered and smoothly implemented (especially for those who cannot immediately give up meat) and at the same time expand the diet.

Raw food diet: questions and answers - video

And most often only products of plant origin. There are four main dietary options for raw foodists.

1. Raw food diet consists of fresh raw fruits, berries, vegetables and their juices, air-dried fruits and berries, wild edible plants, nuts, raw oilseeds and other plants, sprouted grains, whole grains or cereals close to whole grains soaked in cold water, vegetable oils obtained by cold pressing, natural honey. Pickled vegetables are acceptable. The drink is pure raw water. Juices of fruits, berries and vegetables, as well as drinks of raw grain products or nuts, are classified as food and not as a thirst-quenching drink.

This diet is common among supporters of a raw food diet. In terms of the range of food products, it is very close to a strictly vegetarian diet - veganism. What distinguishes it from ordinary veganism is that heat treatment of foods during cooking is completely excluded.

2. Raw food diet basically repeats the previous one, but whole grains and cereals soaked in cold water, pickled vegetables, and sometimes vegetable oil are excluded from it. Sprouted grain is acceptable. This is the strictest raw food diet. The most consistent raw foodists include mainly fresh raw fruits and berries in their diet. This diet is called fructoriapism.

3. Raw food diet represents products of the 1st diet, but is supplemented with raw milk and, in some cases, dairy products: yogurt and other fermented milk drinks, cream, sour cream, cottage cheese. At the same time, true raw foodists reject industrially produced dairy products. You can include raw eggs.

Raw foodists who eat raw plant and dairy products are called “omnivores,” in contrast to absolute, or ideal raw foodists, who eat only raw plant foods. The word "omnivore" has a relative meaning, since raw foodists of any type do not consume meat or fish.

4. Raw food diet corresponds to the 1st or 3rd diet, but is supplemented with bread baked, if possible, from whole grains and without the use of yeast. If baked bread is included in a 3-1 diet (vegetable-milk-egg), then such a diet can be considered the least strict in a raw food diet.

Many raw foodists consume whole apples and other fruits with the seed pod, so as not to disturb the “food complex”. In grated apple or ground pumpkin, the seeds are less noticeable. Great importance is also attached to the peel - fruits, berries and vegetables should be eaten with the peel. A whole egg is considered more nutritious than one yolk or white, and whole milk is more nutritious than cream or sour cream.

You should not eat a lot or often. Only once a day can you eat thoroughly, and two more times - little by little. This is the limit. Anything beyond this is harmful, especially snacking between three meals. You need to eat slowly, chewing your food thoroughly. This is especially important when it comes to raw plant foods. If they are poorly chewed, gastric and intestinal disorders and bloating occur.

When eating a raw food diet, you can do without table salt, hot spices, spices and seasonings. Due to the complete or almost complete exclusion of table salt from the diet, thirst decreases and excess liquid is not introduced into the body, especially since fruits and vegetables contain natural juices.

A diet menu of raw fruits and vegetables could be like this:

Breakfast:

• Apple salad (see recipe below), 20-30 g of nuts - separately or in a salad, 100-200 g of fresh fruit, dried rosehip tea.

Dinner:

• 150-250 g of fresh fruit, 50-100 g of green salad, 100-150 g of fresh vegetables, 20 g of nuts, fresh fruit or vegetable juices.

Dinner:

• Same as breakfast.

Apple salad

Soak 1 tablespoon of oatmeal for 12 hours in 3 tablespoons of water, then add the juice of ½ lemon or other sour fruit, 1 tablespoon of milk, kefir or honey, 2 grated apples and 1 tablespoon of grated nuts if they are not given for breakfast. separately.

A raw food diet can help normalize body weight, especially in obesity, strengthen muscles, and facilitate body movements. The famous Australian naturopath K. Jeffrey in his book “Natural Food” (1974) indicated an approximate set of products (in percentage) that should comprise a daily food ration with a total weight of about 1.5 kg:

• raw fruits and berries (except bananas) – 50%;
• raw vegetables (except potatoes) – 35%;
• grain products (mainly whole grains), legumes, potatoes, bananas - 10% of the diet; these products can be eaten after light cooking or raw;
• dried fruits, nuts, seeds, cottage cheese, cream, eggs, honey – 5-10%;
• boiled vegetables (except cabbage) can be consumed 1-2 times a week, provided they are heated briefly;
• vegetable oil, fruit juices, onions, garlic, table salt and other seasonings - 1% of food consumed.

According to Katsudzo Nishi’s “Health System” (1936), which incorporates raw food nutrition, fasting, yoga, bioenergy and other techniques, you should start the day with juicy fruits, which should be eaten raw and whole - with peel and seeds. It is not wise to juice them. In winter, you can soak dried fruits and eat them as a separate dish along with the infusion.

For people who still continue to eat “unnatural” cooked food, K. Nishi recommends taking a contrast shower or air baths after eating. It is imperative to combine cooked food with raw vegetables. In this case, there should be 3 times more raw products than cooked ones.

Breakfast:

Raw fruits in season (2-3 oranges or 200 g of grapes and one apple or 2 pears, etc.) or in combination with soaked dried fruits.

Dinner:

A salad of raw grated or finely chopped vegetables (carrots, cabbage, turnips, etc.) with herbs and, if desired, with the addition of vegetable oil; instead of vegetables, you can use sour fruits and berries, adding to them 100 g of nuts or oil seeds (sunflower and etc.).

Dinner:

Vegetable salad, nuts (seeds) or a combination of green salad, green or red pepper, beet tops and nuts; Instead of vegetables, you can eat fruits as for breakfast.

To salads, mainly in winter, you can add dried herbs, powdered seeds and berries (rowanberries, blueberries, etc.). In the summer it is worth drying pine, nettles, and other wild plants. It is advisable to use apricot kernels and pollen (2-3 g per dose). Raw vegetables can be eaten with vegetable oil, fruits and dried fruits with honey. Fresh fruits can be replaced with freshly prepared vegetable juices.

Raw foodists believe that the main cause of obesity is eating unnatural food. When eating natural, raw food, obesity cannot occur. Indeed, firstly, it is difficult to overeat raw plant foods. Secondly, calculations accepted in nutrition science show that the energy value of the recommended six diets ranges from a maximum of 2.94 to 5.88 MJ (from 700 to 1400 kcal) per day. This corresponds to diets used in the treatment of obesity in modern dietetics.

Switching to a raw food diet requires a lot of endurance and the ability to limit yourself in food. Becoming an absolute Raw Foodist, a person not only stops consuming animal products, but also abandons the familiar taste of boiled, baked, stewed, fried, salted and other foods. In addition, switching to raw food rarely occurs without adverse side effects of varying severity and severity. Therefore, rules for the transition to a raw food diet have been developed.

Rules for switching to a raw food diet

The doctrine of a raw food diet provides for a gradual transition from a regular diet to eating only raw food and gradually limiting the range of foods until the diet consists predominantly or entirely of raw fruits, berries, vegetables, wild plants, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains. Only a few supporters of a raw food diet, in particular G. Shelton, recommend a quick, without hesitation or addiction, transition from “dead” food to “live”, raw plant food.

The first step to a raw food diet is to exclude animal and poultry meat from the diet, then fish. Further, if desired, eggs can be excluded from the diet. A diet consisting of raw and cooked plant and dairy products or plant-milk-egg foods is called a semi-raw food diet.

Raw foodists believe that the transition to a semi-raw food diet usually occurs without significant difficulties, especially for those people who have already been able to wean themselves off meat and fish. However, the transition from cooked food, not even meat or fish, to a complete raw food diet is rarely accomplished immediately, easily and irrevocably. In adults, such a transition should be careful and gradual. We need to “re-educate” our digestive system.

The amount of time required to switch to raw food depends on the person's age, health, character, profession and other factors. Adaptation can take years, since the body's habits play a huge role in nutrition. In addition, during the period of getting used to raw food, one must endure a number of possible unpleasant sensations or disorders from the gastrointestinal tract and general malaise.

• in the morning and evening - raw foods, in the afternoon a lunch of raw and boiled food or only boiled;
• in the morning and evening - boiled food, in the afternoon - lunch of raw food;
• During each meal, they first eat a raw dish, then a boiled one; Fruits and nuts should be eaten before a main meal, and not after it, then they are better used by the body.

However, most people do not need morning food and it is better to limit themselves to two meals: around 11 and 17 hours. In the morning and evening, the same liquids are recommended: juices diluted with water, vegetable “milk”, raw “teas” from herbs, leaves, roots or flowers. From a vegetable-milk or vegetable-milk-egg diet, including boiled food, you should step by step eliminate first eggs, then dairy products, then milk, while at the same time replacing cooked food with raw food.

Raw foodists claim that the gradual elimination of all animal products provides the “purest and most toxin-free” diet. It is recommended to carry out a “trial raw food diet”: every semi-raw foodist who has the will, endurance and a healthy digestive system, who is already partially accustomed to raw vegetable and dairy products, can carry out such a trial course for 2-3 weeks. Raw foodists believe that even such a trial raw food diet “cleanses, heals and rejuvenates the body, provides it with rest and a solid vitamin boost.”

Late summer and autumn are the most suitable time for a “trial raw food diet”, especially during the holidays. According to raw foodists, as a result of a trial of eating only raw food, a person feels extraordinary ease of movement, clarity of mind and cheerful mood. Body weight almost always decreases, but then after the body adapts to the new diet, it returns to normal.

During the trial period of a raw food diet, at first it is better to eat little rather than a lot, and only when you have an appetite. It is advisable to eat mainly seasonal products of this time of year. Thorough chewing of raw food is extremely important, and if the chewing apparatus is poor, some raw foods (for example, nuts) must be finely crushed, ground or pureed.

You should not eat after drinking or drink while eating. In the cold season, raw food must be heated in a warm room to the air temperature of the room. Cooked raw foods should not be left for long periods of time. Table salt, vinegar, spices, seasonings should be replaced with tomato, lemon, cranberry and other juices.

Of course, these rules retain their meaning even with a complete transition to a diet consisting of raw fruits, berries, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains, etc., i.e. on an absolute raw food diet. Consumption of yeast-free bread baked from whole crushed grains or from wholemeal flour with the addition of bran is acceptable during the transition period. Some raw foodists include such bread in their regular diet.

A raw food diet is not a diet based on cheeses or mindlessly eating exclusively cheeses, but a nutritional principle in which a person consumes food exclusively in its raw form.

Raw food diet- this is the consumption in the daily diet of exclusively raw food or those whose heat treatment does not exceed 43 degrees.

Why exactly 43 degrees? Because at 43 degrees Celsius, enzymes, vitamins and minerals in foods are destroyed.

The main food of raw foodists – vegetables, nuts, beans, grains, soaked in water. But, you can meet raw foodists who eat dried meat and fish. Also, raw foodists prefer not to eat milk, dairy products and eggs.

Basic approaches to nutrition

A raw food diet involves 2 main approaches to nutrition:

• Mixing raw products- Moreover, this can be done so skillfully that the taste of raw food will not differ from ordinary food. Raw foodists have learned to cook exquisitely and very tasty soups, candies, cheese, sausages and cutlets, and even cakes. And most importantly, all this food is very beneficial for the body and is not stored in the body as fat, but is used for energy.
• Raw mono diet- this means that a certain category of raw foodists consumes only one product, without mixing it with anything. Thus, such a monoproduct is absorbed quite well.

A raw food diet is not a fashion, but a way of life. Some people can’t stand this image and go back to cooked food.

Products and enzymes

We have already mentioned above that when foods are cooked, their enzymes are destroyed. Enzymes are normally found in every living cell. Thanks to enzymes, some substances can be converted into others, and as a result, metabolism is built.

You will be surprised, but every product contains enzymes that are aimed at digesting the same product. In particular, the peel contains the necessary amount of enzymes for processing the apple in the stomach and subsequently extracting vitamins from the fruit.

If an apple is subjected to heat treatment, this will lead to the death of enzymes.

A raw food diet involves eating exclusively raw, enzyme-rich foods.

First ration

The first raw food diet consists of: fresh fruits and berries, vegetables and freshly squeezed vegetable juices, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains, vegetable oil, natural honey, pickled vegetables, clean raw water. Moreover, juices from vegetables and fruits are considered food, not a drink. This diet is identical to the principles of veganism. The only difference is the absence of any heat treatment of the products.

Second ration

The second raw food diet includes vegetables, berries, fruits, nuts, beans, butter, but excludes grains, which can be soaked in cold water and eaten. In the second diet of a raw foodist, only sprouted grains are allowed to be eaten. Thus, the most complex and difficult raw food diet will be presented.

Third principle

In the third raw food diet, you can eat vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy products. Moreover, industrial milk is not consumed, only homemade. You can also eat homemade chicken eggs raw. If a raw foodist resorts to such a diet, then he is considered an omnivore.

Fourth diet

Such a raw foodist can eat everything described in the three diets above, but also includes whole grain bread without yeast in his diet.

Raw food diet basics

Raw foodists try to eat fruits and vegetables with the skin on, so as not to disrupt the nutritional complex (as they call it). Even chicken eggs and milk should be whole (whole milk is better than cream).

Also, the principle of food is to eat a little, but often - not for raw foodists. It is acceptable for them to eat a very large meal once a day, and a small amount of food the other two times permissible for eating.

You need to eat very slowly, chewing your food thoroughly. And it is right! If you don’t chew raw foods well enough, they will begin to ferment in the stomach, causing diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and severe.

A raw food diet does not allow the use of salt, herbs, spices and aromatic seasonings.

Raw food menu

A sample daily menu for a raw foodist looks like this:

For breakfast- apples and nuts.

For lunch– fruits, some greens, fresh vegetables, nuts or freshly squeezed juices.

For dinner- everything is the same as for breakfast.

Apple salad

To prepare apple salad you need:

• Oatmeal 1 tbsp. soak for 12 hours in cold water;
• Add the juice of half a lemon to the oatmeal;
• Milk – 1 tbsp;
• Honey – 1 tbsp;
• 2 apples, grated;
• Nuts – 1 tablespoon (chopped).

All ingredients are mixed together and used in the form of a raw salad.

A raw food diet has been proven to promote rapid weight loss. In some clinics, raw food nutrition is used as a method of treating severe inflammatory processes and infectious diseases.

You can add greens, rowan and blueberries, berry and vegetable powder, as well as nettle leaves for variety to raw food salads.

To become a raw foodist, you need to go a long way and have strong motivation and conviction in this way of eating. Many raw foodists cannot withstand such deprivations and return to the path of vegetarianism.

Important ! You need to switch to a raw food diet gradually so as not to provoke rejection from food in the gastrointestinal tract and, as a result, anorexia.

The path of the raw foodist

The path of a raw foodist consists of the following steps:

• Refusal of meat and fish;
• Eliminating eggs from the diet;
• Eating boiled vegetables, fruits, and some dairy products;
• Complete raw food diet.

If at any stage you feel unwell, be sure to consult a doctor and temporarily cancel this principle of nutrition. Remember that you need to start a raw food diet with a healthy gastrointestinal tract.