Beginning The Live-Changing Raw Food Diet

There is such a wide variety of fruits and vegetables on earth that you could eat a new fruit and vegetable each day and never eat the same one. The magnificent variety of fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts supplies all the nutrition needed to have optimal health and total balance. Earth produces everything we need to heal and be happy.

Raw foods, also known as living foods, are full of nutrients and enzymes that the body needs to be healthy and radiant. Foods that have been cooked are low in nutrients due to the high heat and are denatured. Also, when foods are cooked they loose their valuable enzymes that the body needs to properly digest and assimilate the nutrients into one’s system.

In our busy world today, meals often need to be quick, filling and reasonably priced to accommodate our schedules. As a result, many people often eat either processed and/or fast foods and are not getting the nutrients that they really need to be healthy and to be satiated for longer periods of time, causing people to eat more calories than needed. In trying to simplify our lives we have actually made things harder because many of us are not getting proper nutrition and are causing more problems long term.

Eating food that is cheap and quick may serve you that day but long term it can create more physical and financial stress. Eating food that is denatured, cooked with bad oils and as a result are low in nutrients are hard on the body and digestive system. People who are more chronically fatigued tend to have weaker digestive systems from all the junk the body has had to process. Eating foods from the plant-based variety that are high in nutrients and digestive enzymes can slowly start to heal the body, bringing more beauty, energy and vitality.

Switching to 100% raw food diet over night is quite a commitment and not all that practical if you want to sustain it long-term. It is easier and long-term more effective to make these changes wisely and slowly. Often when people try to change their diets drastically it does not work because it can be hard and so they bounce back to their old ways of eating. Here are some tools to help get you healthier and more radiant:

First of all, try to eat as much organic and local fruits and vegetables as possible. Foods that are not organic are sprayed with chemicals and pesticides, which we end up having to process through our liver. Also, fruits and vegetables that are not local have to travel far and as result they are not as fresh and at as high of a vibration than they could be. Our bodies are fragile temples; we need to take care of them and keep them clean!

Try replacing all the frozen or canned fruits and vegetables in your house with fresh ones. Fresh produce is more potent with nutrients and energy for your body in contrast with produce that has been canned or frozen. Also, eat as many greens as possible each day. Greens are one of the best things that you can eat because they are so full of nutrients that go directly into your blood. Greens are also an alkaline food and when the body is in an alkaline state nothing bad can grow or live, like disease. Eat a salad everyday!

Having enough good fats in our diet is crucial for achieving optimal health. Good fats are what ultimately satiate us, lubricate our joints and tissues and keep our skin healthy. Coconut oil, olive oil and avocado are all good fats. Eating up to three tablespoons of raw coconut oil per day is beneficial for helping the skin, helps to balance the metabolism and helps with blood sugar levels. You do not want to take three tablespoons of coconut oil on the first day; try taking half a tablespoon to start for the first couple of weeks and ease into adding more. You can add the oil to your smoothies or to a piece of toast.

Finally, when cooking use only coconut or olive oil. Most oils except for coconut and olive oil, become carcinogenic and denatured when they are heated to a high temperature, which is not good for your body. Making small improvements to your diet will serve you long-term, making you healthier, happier and more beautiful.

The author is a natural health professional utilizing pure essential oils and therapeutic blends found at www.anandaapothecary.com.