Today I will touch on raw vegan and vegetarian diets exclusively and in doing so hopefully provide you with some food for thought. A raw food diet is just that, not cooked.
Generally for a vegan and vegetarian raw food plan, one would eat only unprocessed plant foods that are not heated above 104 degrees F. Now the reason that this is done is advocates of this diet believe that cooking the food breaks down or destroys many of the nutrients, therefore making it less healthy and maybe even harmful to our bodies.
The belief is that the natural enzymes in the foods that are very beneficial to our bodies, when heated are destroyed and toxins are left behind.
A raw vegan diet includes raw vegetables and fruits, nuts and nut pastes, sprouted grains and legumes, seeds, plant oils, sea vegetables, herbs, and fresh juice. Raw vegetarians follow a similar plan but also may add in dairy. Now in addition to the health gains reported from following a raw food plant based diet there are also the spiritual gains. Ruthann Russo, Ph.D and author of two books on the subject, says:
The movement aims to look at the way food, living, treatment of the earth, our treatment of each other, and our quest for physical, spiritual, and mental health all fit together.
Is the Raw Food Diet Right For You?
I hope this has sparked your interest in the raw food lifestyle. Even if you only trying it once a week, or once a month I am sure that your body and the universe will thank you.
