Today, many people around the world are dieting and choosing healthier foods for better health, improved vitality, weight loss, or simply due to ethical or environmental reasons. The raw diet is one of the best examples and the first step to healthy vegetarianism, which includes the principles of eating only raw foods and exclusively plant-based origin.
The raw diet is a system of weight loss, which slows down all the ageing processes and rearranges the body to eat plant food as raw food has high biological activity. The raw diet is very popular, as its adherents say with full confidence that with its help, go off extra pounds and restore the correct metabolism in the body. In this article, we will draw attention to the main advantages & disadvantages of a raw diet and five ways on how you can stick to this diet regimen.
The Main Principle Of The Raw Diet
If you follow a raw diet, you should eat food only raw, excluding any heat treatment. The purpose of this use is to preserve in the diet many enzymes, vitamins, minerals and nutrients that are destroyed during heat treatment. Researchers say that only 30 degrees Celsius is enough to make all the nutrients in the products completely lost. Therefore, the developers of a raw diet recommend eating vegetables and fruits fresh. Vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, spices, dried fruits, and herbs should be included in the diet of the raw diet. As for drinks, you can use plain water or freshly squeezed fruit juices.
A raw diet reduces carbohydrate intake and means a calorie intake of the menu to 1500 kcal. As a result, the desired weight loss is achieved; in 10 days, it is quite realistic to get rid of four kilograms of excess weight.
Advantages
A raw diet is useful not only for the aid in weight loss but also for cleansing and anti-ageing effects. Cleansing will be achieved by eating a variety of plant foods. It contains a lot of fibre that regulates digestion. Antioxidants are part of vegetables and fruits; they protect human cells from destruction and will not allow them to age.
When following a raw diet, the body is weaned from food that contains a lot of “chemistry” and other harmful toxic substances. If after following a raw diet, you continue to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, completely give up heavy foods, then you will be able to maintain your stable weight.
Disadvantages
From the cons of a raw diet, you need to distinguish the following:
- the body does not receive all the necessary nutrients, especially proteins, trace elements, vitamins, other nutrients;
- with too limited and hungry diet may appear dizziness, nausea, weakness, increases the likelihood of disruptions;
- It is not possible to fully engage in sports due to limited protein intake and lack of energy;
- lost weight can quickly return if the way out of the diet is wrong.
Also, the disadvantages of raw food should be attributed to the presence of some contraindications associated with diseases of the digestive system, which provide a unique system of nutrition. In all other cases, you can safely use the raw-food system of weight loss, choosing the most suitable of the large number of options offered – by the duration or composition of products. Since we have explored the pros and cons of a raw diet, it is crucial to discover the easiest ways to stick to this useful habit.
How To Stay On Raw Diet
1. Clear Your Goal & Stick To It
One of the essential steps is to clear your goals first. Whether your purpose is to get slim, sustain a healthier lifestyle, or improve your health considerably, all you need to do is to set clear objectives to give you an extra push and remain focused.
A good idea to stop looking at the things you are not allowed on a diet. It is essential to have the right type of food and get rid of the food that you can’t have. Recall your goals and refrain from looking back and wishing you could have it.
2. Get Creative In The Kitchen
Rather than keep telling yourself repeatedly ‘no’, focus on the foods that you can eat. The more you concentrate on the positives, the better you will feel for your diet, and the easier it will be to prioritise healthy choices.
Remember, that nothing can beat fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. And if you are creative and will be able to find ways to make the allowed food more fun, exciting, and tempting, you can even kick that craving for eating something unhealthy. Search for interesting and tasty recipes in recipe books, apps, or online that will help you with your new lifestyle while allowing you to enjoy your meals.
3. Invest In The Right Equipment
Since most of your dishes will be done at home, it’s time to make a few changes to the kitchen equipment so you can focus on the proper maintenance of a raw food diet. Cutting boards, a vegetable peeler, and a good set of kitchen knives are all basic essentials. But the more tools you have at your disposal, the more meals you will be able to do with your raw ingredients.
Also, consider investing in the following kitchen equipment:
- A food dehydrator to prolong shelf life and satisfy snack urges;
- A food processor to chop, slice, and pulverise components;
- A blender to make your own fruit juices and smoothies;
- A spiraliser to prepare noodles out of carrots, zucchini, apples, and other veggies and fruits, which can add variety to your nutrition plan.
In case you don’t already have a fully-equipped kitchen, you don’t need to break the bank and buy lots of kitchen tools and appliances all at once. Instead, try to purchase one necessary item at a time to make delicious smoothies and juices and interestingly shaped vegetables and fruits for your dishes and salads.
4. Improve Your Diet With CBD Oil
CBD (or Cannabidiol) is a natural supplement known for its promising benefits and variety of useful properties. CBD is a non-addictive and non-psychoactive compound from Cannabis sativa plants, meaning intake of its products won’t cause a ‘high’ effect, changes in the state of mind or severe side effects. To provide different health advantages, CBD is able to interact with the endocannabinoid system (ECS) that affects most body functions, including sleep, learning and memory, pain, stress, immune response, appetite, metabolism, sleep, etc.
Positive effect on the ECS and support of vital processes occurring in an organism, resulting in reduced pain and anxiety, increased energy, improved mood and concentration, more restful sleep, and calmed mind. As for diet, the addition of CBD oil to a daily routine can help to maintain a complete and well-balanced diet and provide the body with crucial nutrients, vitamins, and minerals such as vitamin C, vitamin E, B complex vitamins, calcium, magnesium, protein, fatty acids, and others. What’s more, CBD can be useful for individuals that are willing to lose weight and burn calories by inhibiting appetite and promoting ‘browning’ of fat cells to burn fat in the body.
You can purchase various ready-made CBD products like capsules or just add CBD oil drops to your favourite morning beverage or meals to help you relax, improve your diet, and get ready to take on the day.
5. Find Ways To Eat Out During Your Diet
When it comes to the raw diet, eating out can be a little of a problem. However, it doesn’t have to be something you can’t do at all. Start by looking for vegan restaurants that initially focus on the healthy vegan options, but can also cater to the raw foodies. In such places, there will be plenty of delicious opportunities for you to enjoy like various salads and appetisers like sandwiches.
If your friends want to go to restaurants or cafes that aren’t vegan, one of the simplest things you can do is to find the menu online or call the restaurant to find out if there are raw vegan options. Even if there are no meals on offer for your lifestyle, you can discuss things with the chef and identify if they are willing to make a few changes to menu items to work in with your raw vegan diet.