RAW FOOD DIET – IS IT GOOD FOR YOU?
I get asked this question all the time, particularly by people who consume animal products in the way of meat and dairy, as well as vegetarians who consume large quantities of cooked beans and rice. There is an unfounded belief that if you eat nothing but raw fruits and vegetables that somehow you will be missing vital nutrients………….or worse, deprive yourself of a wide array of favorite cooked dishes. These same people are typically taking numerous prescription drugs or supplements, and are suffering from at least one of the more typical diseases (e.g. obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, fibromyalgia, heart disease, etc).
The raw food diet is not an ‘all or nothing’ diet. Without question, the more raw fruits and vegetables you eat the healthier you’ll be as all plant based foods are extremely high in easily assimilated nutrients that feed the body at a cellular level. “Fruits provide the highest percentage of vitamins per calories consumed with vegetables coming in second. Vegetables provide the highest percentage of minerals per calories consumed with fruits coming in second.”* With a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds to choose from in the raw diet, nutrients such as bone-strengthening calcium, protein, iron, vitamins C, D, E, and B’s to name a few can easily be obtained. “Almost every vegetable that can be eaten whole, fresh and raw contains all eight of the essential amino acids and therefore provides us with complete, usable, easily assimilated protein.”* Processing nutrients from whole foods to sell as supplements is the most costly way to improve your nutritional balance. Most nutrients are known to interact symbiotically with at least eight other nutrients, WHOLE fruits and vegetables provide a superior complete source of vitamins and minerals.
Fiber found in plant-based foods is lacking in a meat-based diet; fiber is important to keep the digestive tract clean of waste products which can lead to disease.
Plant-based foods are alkaline in nature, as apposed to animal products and grains which are acid forming. A highly acidic bloodstream pulls minerals from our muscles and bones to neutralize the acid content.
Most animal products have been treated with antibiotics, steroids, coloring agents, flavor enhancers, growth hormones and other chemicals that humans ingest when eating these foods. How healthy is it to eat THAT? Whole fresh organic fruits and vegetables are free of any of these treatments.
Cooking foods changes its atomic structure, creating a toxic food where up to 80% of the nutrients can lost in the cooking process. Cooking foods at high heat (such as steaming, boiling, and grilling) creates carcinogens that can lead to cancer and auto-immune diseases. The body’s first line of defense is the white blood cells; research has proven the white blood cell count increases almost 300% after consuming cooked foods. The body perceives cooked food as toxic and rushes to its defense. Cooking is a process of destruction, not of ‘construction’. If you placed your hand on a hot burner, within seconds the skin would reflect how destructive ‘cooking’ is. It matters little if it is ‘slightly’ cooked or blackened………..the result is the same.
Switching to a raw food diet, high in low calorie nutrient dense fruits and vegetables increases your energy and unwanted pounds melt away as you are no longer consuming food that is made up of processed sugar, processed flours and grains, and cooked foods – all foods that put on the weight and drain you of energy. With there being over 150 varieties of available fruits and vegetables to choose from, meals are seldom boring. Couple this with learning HOW to prepare these fruits and vegetables into great tasting familiar recipes (e.g. pasta, desserts, ice cream etc) you’ll soon be experiencing a higher level of health and energy, beyond anything you dreamed possible.
It is interesting that people think little about the quantities and health quality of prescription drugs, supplements, or processed foods they consume and yet shy away from eating whole fresh fruits and vegetables as being ‘radical’ and ‘difficult’. It couldn’t be any simpler. Sometimes we’re looking so hard for the dietary cure-all, we don’t see the bright colored jewels in our produce markets beckoning us to ‘just try me!’
Is the raw food diet a healthy diet? It is all that and then some! It is a diet/lifestyle that fits everyone, whether you’re consuming 20% more fruits and vegetables or 100% more, with every bite you’re improving your health. Who can argue the benefits of THAT!
Bon A Petite’
Beth
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*Dr Douglas N Graham, On Nutrition and Physical Performace: A Handbook for Athletes and Fitness Enthusiasts
What is the best way to get calcium in a raw diet?
July 27, 2009 by admin
Filed under Eating Raw Live Food, Raw Diet
I received this question on my blog that I thought would be of interest to everyone so rather than just answer the question for one person, I thought I would make it a post to the blog.
Question:
What is the best way to get calcium in a raw diet? I’m at risk of osteoporosis.
My answer…
CALCIUM:
Most people believe osteoporosis is caused by a lack of calcium and by increasing the intake of calcium (including direct supplementation) osteoporosis will be avoided. This does little to reduce the incidence of osteoporosis or to counteract the effects of a predominantly acid forming diet and lifestyle.
The actual cause of osteoporosis is typically due to excessive calcium loss from an overly acid bloodstream. Animal proteins, tobacco inhalation, caffeine and drugs contribute to an acid bloodstream. The body maintains a blood pH that is slightly alkaline and when the blood is too acidic, the body brings it back to a more alkaline state by leaching calcium (an alkaline mineral) from the bones and boron from muscle. Boron helps prevent calcium loss and is found in raw fruits and vegetables, milk has little, meat and eggs have none.
Studies have shown a direct correlation between eating animal proteins (e.g. meat, eggs and dairy) and calcium loss. Fruits and vegetables are alkaline foods which help maintain your blood at the correct pH. Easy to assimilate calcium (and boron) is found in abundance in most leafy greens (e.g. romaine lettuce, spinach, dandelion greens etc), in seaweeds (e.g. Nori, Arame, Dulse) and in sesame seeds (1 oz. has 276 mg). By eating large, green leafy salads with dressings made from Tahini (ground sesame seeds), you’ll get more than enough calcium (along with all the other elements your bones and muscles need) to satisfy the body’s need.
Most raw fooders eat mostly fruit and vegetables and have no bone weakness.
Beth
I EAT A RAW DIET AND I WANT TO WORKOUT!
Good Morning!
If you’re like most of us this morning, you’ve got your running/walking shoes on, you’re on your way to the gym, and you’re feeling GREAT about getting to your ‘workout’ today!!! Are you with me?
No!? Infortunately, I’m the ‘extraordinary’ exception and not the rule.
“If you want average results, do what average people do. But if you want extraordinary results…”
I eat a raw food diet and I WANT to workout, I FEEL GREAT! I have ENERGY to burn! Want to learn how to get most from your workout – spending less time in the gym and getting healthier and fitter more efficiently? Check out the fitness section of my website……….
http://www.sensationalrawfooddiet.com/exercise.html
The raw food diet is your ticket – not only will you FEEL more ENERGY but you’ll maximize the benefits of whatever exercise program you embark on. It’s all in the FUEL we put in our bodies, and the QUALITY of that fuel.
Athletes are always concerned about Protein, and getting enough of it. Plant based sources of protein are easier for the body to assimilate and less taxing on the liver and kidneys. Eating high amounts of animal protein is not only taxing to the organs, but is associated with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Why protein isolate – an animal food that is highly processed – is highly acid-forming, as is cooked animal foods. Eating too many acid-forming foods promote inflammation, reduce immune function, and cause calcium to be pulled from the bones resulting in lower bone density.
Plant based proteins are present in all fresh fruits and vegetables. 30% of the calories in spinach come from protein, almost 50% from romaine lettuce. The best sources of protein are leafy greens, liquid blue-green algae’s, nuts and seeds, sea vegetables and sprouted foods. A description of some of these protein sources along with additional plant-based food supplements can be found on my website: www.sensationalrawfooddiet
Athletes who experiment with plant-based diets consistently report a substantial increase in energy and a dramatic decrease in recovery time. The advantage of a decreased recovery time is that you can increase the number of your workouts if you choose. You’ll see quicker and better results!
I hope you found this information helpful. There are more diet and fitness tips, suggestions, articles and information on my website along with some excellent recipes I share in my Recipe Membership Program that will maximize your workouts!
Eating a raw food diet is far from boring, and you’ll see the benefits as your body becomes fitter, stronger, more flexible, and agile; your workouts more effective. More bodybuilders, dancers, runners, triathletes, and professional athletes are discovering the advantage of the raw food diet. Join us. You don’t have to be an Athlete to reap the benefits!
Bon A Petite’
IDENTIFY WHAT FOODS ARE HINDERING OR HELPING YOU FEEL YOUR BEST
This morning I joined a friend of mine on the tennis court for a few hours of tennis and I was looking forward to a lively, competitive, hard game of tennis. I felt energized, limber, strong, quick in action, and quick thinking. I felt GREAT!
Instead, when I met my opponent she complained to me how tired she felt, and had been feeling for some time. She knew our game would be lopsided and she would lose, as I knew then with certainty I would easily win. I was disappointed there would be no competitive match.
If you often feel tired regardless of how much sleep you get, try to eat right, and how much you work out it’s a safe bet you are overly acidic – most people are. When you are, you’ll never feel as good as you like. When acidic waste accumulates, it is destructive to your organs causing them to malfunction and break down.
Most foods on the western diet are acid-producing. The raw food diet however is high in alkaline-producing foods. How simple it is to correct this health damaging problem. By consuming more raw fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds you’ll quickly turn your health around. To help identify what foods are both hindering and helping you feel your best see my ALKALINE CHART which you can download from my website http://www.sensationalrawfooddiet.com/alkaline-chart.html
“Your energy will increase, you’ll find new mental clarity and powers of concentration, you’ll build strength and stamina, and you’ll lose excess body fat while increasing muscle mass. You’ll have bright eyes and clear skin. You’ll look better. You’ll improve your athletic performance. Your entire body will function more efficiently. Dr Robert O. Young, MS, D.Sc., Ph.D., Author of “The pH Miracle”
To be top in your game, feeling your best, and enjoying life…….for better health, enjoy all the delicious ways you can prepare raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds and become more ALKALINE.
Bon A Petite’
Beth Wilke, Raw Food Chef
DISPELLING THE MYTH – THE RAW FOOD DIET IS EXPENSIVE
July 3, 2009 by admin
Filed under Eating Raw Live Food
DISPELLING THE MYTH – THE RAW FOOD DIET IS EXPENSIVE
I was in the checkout line at the local grocery store putting the last of my produce on the conveyer belt (already piled high with my array of fruits and vegetables) when I heard the cashier tell the customer before me what her total bill came to. It was an incredulous amount! I glanced at the food being bagged. In only a few sacks the cashier had bagged several large portions of meat, numerous dairy items, pop, beer, and a wide array of snacks. Assuming this woman was from a typical family, the groceries she purchased couldn’t last her more than a week, maybe less. I also noted several large bottles of supplements and medicine.
The customer left and as the cashier started ringing my groceries up I waited to finish emptying my basket until there was room on the belt. Finished, I wheeled my cart to the end of the counter where I helped a store employee fill up the numerous cloth bags I had brought for that purpose. The amount of produce I purchase requires durable, strong bags – lots of them. I eat a LOT of fruits and vegetables on my raw food diet!
The cashier looked at all my bags and said, “Wow, all that for so small a bill!” My total bill was less than half that of the customer ahead of me! My cart was full!
Eating the raw food diet is extremely economical – I’m not buying meat, dairy, manufactured foods (did I also mention the packaging, advertising, marketing, and processing costs rolled in to these foods?)
There is no need to purchase supplements as the raw food diet is an extremely healthy and nutrient-rich one that provides a vast array of vitamins, minerals, phtyo-nutrients, antioxidants, enzymes, and natural fiber.
While 1) eating healthy foods that support the body, improve overall health, and provide higher levels of immune, kidney, liver, and digestive function; and 2) NOT eating those foods associated with most major diseases – meat, dairy, processed foods, etc the need for medication is eliminated. What does it say about our current standard American diet when bottles of supplements and medicine are as typical to your grocery list as is the food you eat? Associated doctor visit, health insurance, and lost work costs are also eliminated. That means more money in your pocket!
There’s little ‘overhead’ to market fresh whole foods………..they “sell” themselves. They’re fragrant, beautiful in a rainbow of bright, vibrant colors and hues, and they come in all kinds of sizes, weights and interesting textures – their variety is endless. Fresh fruits and vegetables also come in their own environmentally friendly “packages” in the way of skins and shells. While at the same time you’re saving money you’re also leaving your ‘green imprint’ on this earth. It doesn’t get much better than that.
When people tell me that it is expensive to do the raw food diet, the expense is usually incurred in trying to initially set up a raw food kitchen – new equipment, new whole natural ingredients and, of course, trying to do everything at one time – including preparing a multitude of dishes.
Unlike the traditional meal, a raw food meal is simple and uncomplicated. The traditional dinner for example could be bread/butter, soup (maybe), salad (maybe as a side dish), meat, starch, cooked veggie and likely a dessert. Is it any wonder our digestive tracts are all amuck?! A raw food meal is simple. It may consist of one dish – lots of it, or maybe two. Because of its simplicity (and digestive ease), no additional money is spent in preparing all those other dishes – it is easier and cheaper to prepare a raw meal, and it is healthier!
We’re all feeling the pinch of today’s economy and tightening our budgets. Eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies, and a LOT of it, will help take the burden off your body and out of your wallet.
Bon A Petite
Beth Wilke, Raw Food Chef & Teacher
