Raw Diet?

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dlj1970
dlj1970 Posts: 186 Member
in Food and Nutrition
For a number of health reasons, I'm considering a (primarily) Raw diet. I'm curious to hear what benefits people have seen from going Raw- even a week or so at a time and what resources people have found to be useful. Also- if you have a blender and/ or dehydrator, what brands work and are crap?? thx for any advice! :happy:

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  • eireannyoung
    eireannyoung Posts: 154 Member
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    I was only completely raw (raw vegan) for one week, after which I couldn't stand the thought of another salad (I wasn't very creative with food back then). Now I go through periods where I'll eat more raw than not. This is one of those times, right in the middle of summer when it's too hot to cook very much!

    The first time I went raw, for one week, I didn't know very much about nutrition. I was mostly eating green salads and some fruit and by the end of that week I felt really weak and tired - from the knowledge I have now, I'd guess that I was iron-deficient and not eating enough in calories either.

    This week I'm finding myself eating about 80% raw at least. Today I juiced vegetables (zucchini, cucumber, carrots, kale), then made a fruit smoothie with some added superfood powders, then ate some soaked nuts and seeds.

    Resources I'd recommend: Juicer (I use a brand called "Olympic" and it's a fruit and vegetable juicer) and blender.

    Raw superfoods that I use: Maca root, bee pollen, cacao, spirulina, kelp, flaxseed, chia seeds, zeolite clay
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
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    Our stomachs have evolved to handle cooked foods better. On the one hand, this means that eating more raw foods can assist in weight loss. On the other hand, this makes it harder to get the nutrients you need (I've read that women on raw food diets usually stop menstruating).
  • mirandamayhem
    mirandamayhem Posts: 772
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    I personally cannot handle a raw food diet for long, but I have a friend who thrives on it, and I know I lovely lady on facebook who puts the most gorgeous recipes on!
    http://www.shineonraw.com/

    I do endeavour to eat ALOT of salad each day with my cooked foods, and I'll go through phases of juicing, but my problem was I was looking at it all with a view to weight loss, and not necessarily because of the health benefits, so I couldn't stick.
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    i tried a raw diet when i was in high school. i ended up in the hospital for a week.

    raw veggies and cooked proteins (meat) would be excellent though :D
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    Isn't some of the goodness 'locked up' in veggies until they are cooked?

    I'm thinking of spinach as one example.

    It seems like a waste not to get everything out it.

    I understand with a "Raw Diet" things can be cooked but not excessively so, is this right?
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
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    I understand with a "Raw Diet" things can be cooked but not excessively so, is this right?

    My understanding was that there is no applying heat to anything on a raw food diet. However, the dirty little secret of the raw food movement is that they sometimes do things that are functionally equivalent to cooking (for example, treating foods with salt and lemon juice).
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    My understanding was that there is no applying heat to anything on a raw food diet. However, the dirty little secret of the raw food movement is that they sometimes do things that are functionally equivalent to cooking (for example, treating foods with salt and lemon juice).

    Oh, OK, I just had a random Google search (as all are ;)) and found this:

    http://altmedicine.about.com/od/popularhealthdiets/a/Raw_Food.htm

    104 to 118 degrees F? Not particularly raw to me :)

    I guess with all these things the 'rules' vary widely.
  • mirandamayhem
    mirandamayhem Posts: 772
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    My understanding was that there is no applying heat to anything on a raw food diet. However, the dirty little secret of the raw food movement is that they sometimes do things that are functionally equivalent to cooking (for example, treating foods with salt and lemon juice).

    Oh, OK, I just had a random Google search (as all are ;)) and found this:

    http://altmedicine.about.com/od/popularhealthdiets/a/Raw_Food.htm

    104 to 118 degrees F? Not particularly raw to me :)

    I guess with all these things the 'rules' vary widely.

    Yes, you can use some "heat" some times. At the end of the day, if it's not your thing, don't go for it. For many it's something they thrive on and enjoy.

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