Natural Diets

There are many natural diets on the market.  We will be discussing the raw food diet.

What exactly is the Raw Food diet?  The raw food diet is a diet that is based on eating uncooked and unprocessed plant foods.  This includes fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds, sprouts, nuts, grains, beans, seaweed, and dried fruit.

It is believed that when you heat food above 116 degrees Fahrenheit, it burns enzymes in the food that help with absorption and digestion of food.  It also lowers the nutritional value of the food.  Usually, 75% or more of the raw foods diet is raw or living.

You might be asking yourself of the benefits of the raw food diet.  There are many believed benefits of the raw food diet.  Some of them include:

  1. Better digestion
  2. Increased energy
  3. Weight Loss
  4. Improved skin appearance
  5. Reduced risk of heart disease.




There are fewer saturated fat and trans fat in the raw foods diet than the typical Western diet.  The raw foods diet is high in magnesium potassium, folate, fiber, and phytochemicals.  It is also low in sodium.  The benefits of these properties are that it is associated with a reduced risk of numerous diseases.  These include cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

While on the raw food diet, you can still eat a lot of food, as long as they are whole foods.  Some of these include.

  1. Fresh fruits and vegetables
  2. Seeds
  3. Grains
  4. Nuts
  5. Beans
  6. Legumes
  7. Seaweed
  8. Dried fruit
  9. Freshly juiced fruit and vegetables

10.  Young Coconut Milk

11.  Purified Water

Make sure that at least 75% of your food is uncooked, or cooked below 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

With every diet, there can be side effects.  Some people will experience a detoxification reaction when they start the raw food diet.  This is especially common if your previous diet was rich in sugar, meat, and caffeine.  Other side effects include mild nausea, headaches, and cravings.  These side effects usually last only a few days.

Before starting the raw foods diet, make sure that you speak with your doctor.  The raw foods diet is not ideal for certain people including children, people with anemia, pregnant or nursing women, and people at risk for osteoporosis