Is a raw food diet healthy, where to start, before and after photos

The benefits and harms of a raw food diet, on the one hand, remain one of the most resonant, and on the other, controversial topics. In order to determine the attitude towards a raw food diet as a method of recovery, it is important to get acquainted with different points of view and compare its pros and cons.

What is a raw food diet

The founder of the raw food system is considered the Swiss naturopathic physician Max Bircher-Benner, who in the 19th century formed the concept of "live" nutrition. It is based on the fact that in nature a living organism needs a living organism that does not involve heat treatment for more than 45 ^aboutC food, because heating above this threshold threatens the destruction of vitamins and valuable enzymes in foods.

The development of technologies for the production and storage of food has led to an increase in refined food with a poor nutritional composition, which leads to the harm of a constant deficiency of vitamins and macro- and micronutrients: people forget that a person “is what he is used to eating”.

Types and features of a raw food diet

From the variety of existing varieties of raw food systems, its main varieties can be distinguished:

• Veganism. A "clean" raw food diet that excludes all animal products and leaves only plant foods for the benefit of a healthy metabolism.
• Vegetarian. This system eliminates meat and fish, but allows for the beneficial nutritional benefits of eggs and dairy products.
• Omnivorous. In addition to plant-based foods, this type of raw food diet includes any raw and jerky food, including meat, fish, seafood, eggs and, in some cases, milk.
• Fruitarianism. This raw food system involves eating fruits, berries and certain types of vegetables, which in some cultures are referred to as fruits - tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.
• Raw meat eating, or a carnivorous raw food diet. The least common type, whose adherents believe that beneficial properties for the body are in seafood, as well as meat, fish, with the inclusion of eggs and milk: all the nutritional benefits that can be obtained from animals.

Depending on the methods of planning the diet, there are also:

• Raw food diet. With this version of the diet, the principle works: one product - at one meal.
• Mixed raw food diet. The food intake system is based on the ratio of nutrients in their composition. For example, a split food system establishes a combination of the most compatible types of food: proteins with non-starch carbohydrates, and so on.
• Monotrophic raw food diet, or mono-eating. The regularity of this system: one step - one product, excluding heat treatment.

In a broad discussion, mixed veganism received the greatest resonance as the most beneficial for the health of the body.In the context of this type of raw food diet, and will be discussed further.

Benefits of a raw food diet

The basic premise of the raw food diet is to recognize the harm of cooked food. To learn more about the benefits and dangers of a raw food diet, it is important to familiarize yourself with the rationale for this system in terms of biology and medicine.

1. In nature, hot food is not present in principle.
2. Morphologically and functionally, the digestive apparatus of the human body does not have mechanisms designed for the digestion of hot food. In contact with the gastrointestinal tract, hot food causes the breakdown of proteins and is capable of damaging the gastric mucosa and disorders of juice secretion and fermentation, which as a result leads to an ulcer.
3. Vitamins and enzymes in cooked foods are partially destroyed. At the same time, the content of useful enzymes involved in autolysis decreases: this inhibits the digestion of food at the intracellular level and leads to difficulty in its assimilation and contamination of the body. The raw food system eliminates such energy-consuming and disrupting the healthy metabolism of food assimilation.
4. In thermally processed food, the structure of useful complex carbohydrates is disturbed, and the content of minerals is significantly reduced.
5. The bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties of such food are lower for the body, which negatively affects the disinfection of the oral cavity and creates conditions for the development of dental diseases. In the raw food system, fiber is not changed, as in cooked food, therefore it promotes blood flow in the oral cavity when chewing, creates an alkaline environment and increases the absorption of calcium: as a result, it eliminates its compensation by washing out of bone tissue, including teeth.
6. The low bactericidal properties of processed products, in turn, enhance the mechanism of food leukocytosis, the essence of which is to suppress the harm of hazardous substances entering the body. In this case, agents dangerous to health activate the leukocytes that suppress them within 1 - 1.5 hours. A raw food diet reduces the regular activation of this defense mechanism, which significantly strengthens the properties of the immune system.
7. High temperature disrupts the alkaline reaction inherent in most plant products, as a result of which the acid-base balance of such food shifts to the acidic side. The benefits of a raw food diet, therefore, lie in the alkaline properties of plant foods, on the one hand, and on the other, in the content of biologically active components already in its composition, destroying the harm of pathogens, which serves as a significant saving in the body's immune defense.
8. In such raw food products, such as cabbage, lettuce, yellow and red fruits, garlic, etc., all antioxidants and other active substances are preserved, which almost completely die during heat treatment - and cooking almost cannot be done without it. ...
9. A raw food diet increases the content of vitamins, enzymes and other useful biologically active substances in the body, which reduces the load on the liver in a situation of their deficiency and is a prevention of both pathologies of this body filter and general health.
10. This nutritional system takes advantage of the regulation of the body's water balance, which brings the beneficial effects of a raw food diet on kidney function, helps in the treatment of rheumatism and skin problems.
11. The intake of useful highly active natural complexes in the raw food diet stimulates the synthesis of hormones and the function of the endocrine glands.

The main benefit is that it helps to strengthen the immune properties of the body, which, with the help of a raw food diet, can eliminate existing diseases, both seasonal colds and chronic ones.An increase in the overall quality of life automatically manifests all secondary beneficial effects: normalization of weight, increased energy, elimination of inflammatory and activation of recovery processes in the body.

Changes in appearance

People who practice such a system as a way of life are easily distinguished by their good physical shape, clear skin and radiating eyes.

Most of all, the benefits of a raw food diet will be appreciated by women. In addition to a beautiful figure, the raw food system will eventually show itself in improving the condition of hair, skin and nails.

It is also interesting that over time, the benefits of a raw food diet in strengthening the gums and teeth have been noted - due to the active stimulation of the oral mucosa and an increase in blood flow.

With regard to tooth enamel, the transition to a raw food system may initially have a negative effect on it of acid and changes in the chemical properties of the environment in the mouth, but subsequently the teeth are restored and strengthened. In the early stages of a raw food diet, you should rinse your mouth especially carefully after eating.

About the experience of dental restoration on a raw food diet - a story in the video:

Improving the digestive tract and increasing physical activity

Thermally processed food loses its ability to stimulate peristalsis. The raw food system, due to the beneficial properties of the persisting fiber pectins in foods, also eliminates the effect of intestinal lethargy and the associated harm to hemorrhoids, constipation, colitis, polyps, oncology and other intestinal diseases.

In addition, the health benefits of switching to a raw food system are that it helps cleanse the body of toxins and toxins in a short time.

With a raw food diet, foods are more quickly absorbed and excreted from the digestive tract, causing less fermentation, gas formation, inflammation and the harm of toxic decay products. As a result of prolonged decay of heavy foods, the intestinal mucosa suffers, harm can manifest itself in intestinal permeability and the syndrome of leaky ("leaky") gut.

The normalization of water metabolism in the body is one of the beneficial consequences of the raw food system, which makes you forget about the problems associated with the harm of kidney and skin diseases, as well as rheumatism.

Under the influence of high temperatures, the bioplasm of products is disrupted, as a result of which they lose their energy potential.

The properties of plant foods are easy to assimilate and also reduces the body's energy consumption for its digestion, as a result of which, in the process of practicing raw food, an unlimited amount of energy appears, and activity increases. Eliminating heavy eating is shown to be beneficial in eliminating states of lethargy and drowsiness.

There is a lot of controversy over the effect of the raw food system on the properties of enzymes that are vital for the body. During the heat treatment of foods in the digestive tract, in particular in the pancreas, digestion assistants - enzymes (endogenous) are produced. On the other hand, foods with temperatures up to 44 ^aboutC, used on a raw food diet, has the property of giving the body exogenous enzymes from the outside that aid digestion, thus relieving its own enzymatic load.

Changing taste preferences

The harm of the consequences of addiction to unhealthy refined food with the inclusion of artificial ingredients entails a significant change in taste habits. For example, sweetening fruits with sugar dulls the sensation of their natural sweetness, distorts the perception of the entire flavor bouquet that nature has so generously endowed the fruits with.

The advantage of an alternative nutrition system will be the opportunity to train your taste analyzer on a raw food diet to enjoy the variety of natural tastes, a new perception will be formed, the ability to hear and understand your body deeper: how it reacts to certain foods, how it signals hunger or oversaturation.All this will gradually rearrange the habits of preference for a healthier set of foods.

Such a readjustment to a natural taste occurs due to changes in chemical reactions against the background of improving the quality of microflora in the intestine and the release of toxins from the body on a raw food diet.

Impact on the psyche and memory

The activation of powerful recovery processes during the transition to the concept of a raw food diet is manifested by a beneficial effect on both consciousness and brain function. The properties of concentration of attention, memory improvement, and the work of the nervous system as a whole are restored.

The benefits of the influence of the raw food diet will be manifested precisely in the systematic approach, in which the harmony of the needs of the mind and body is observed.

Short-term use of a raw food diet as a diet can, on the contrary, reduce the quality of brain functions due to the natural stressful impact of changes in the daily set of foods and the need for a period of adaptation of the body, which should be taken into account when deciding to switch to a new system.

Impact on appetite

A diet rich in fiber on a raw food diet will help you satiate quickly and improve GI function. However, there can be problems with the preservation of a feeling of satiety: at the stage of adaptation, an increased appetite is observed, when the body habitually requires something "heavier", and you just need to get used to being saturated with raw food.

In this regard, balancing the diet on the raw food system towards the content of nuts and cereals will be useful. So, adding 6 high-calorie nuts and dates to one of your meals will help keep you feeling full for much longer.

There may be rashes on the skin due to cleansing the body.

Raw food diet for weight loss

Food on a raw food diet contains bioregulators - plant hormones, enzymes, vitamins, which include a sense of proportion in the amount of food consumed. Their absence in thermally processed foods is harmful to overeating.

Studies of women who have been on a raw food diet for 7 months have shown a stable weight loss of 3.8 kg: the benefits of such a diet are in the gradual nature of the decrease in body weight, in those who have it above normal - according to the body mass index (BMI), which is healthier approach with a dietary menu.

This testifies to the beneficial properties of a raw food diet as a system that, unlike diets, gives a gradual decrease in body weight, without unpleasant sensations, affects the body deeply, and not superficially, minimizing stress.

On such a nutritional system, food is more easily absorbed, the body is quickly saturated. The digestive process itself is normalized, the feeling of hunger appears less often.

Inflammatory processes in the oral cavity disappear, due to which the effect of bad breath is eliminated, the face acquires a healthy color.

And most importantly, the transition to a raw food system will benefit from a powerful cleansing of the body from the harm of blockages as a result of long-term consumption of meat, bakery and sugar-containing products. With such a natural removal of toxins, useful energy, which was previously spent on digesting food masses, remains at the disposal of the body, which manifests itself in a feeling of a surge of strength and activity.

At the beginning of the raw food diet, you may need more food without affecting body weight. Then, as the body adapts, satiety will increase with a decrease in the portion until a small amount of food will be enough for the whole day.

The menu consists of vegetables, fruits, cereals, legumes, nuts, herbs.

It is also important to maintain an adequate water regime of the body: water without gas at least 2 liters per day, plus freshly squeezed juices or smoothies, which can be used as a substitute for meals if desired.

In terms of the volume of products per day on a raw food diet, one and a half kilograms will be optimal, in various combinations.

It is this promising approach, in contrast to the manic desire to lose weight, that will help create useful motivation that will lead to a qualitative restructuring of the body.

When choosing a menu on a raw food diet, it is important to "listen" to your body: monitor its reactions and general condition, and, depending on this, adjust the composition of foods.

An example of a daily menu for weight loss:

• On breakfast: A smoothie made with banana, wheat germ or buckwheat and greens such as spinach. The properties of a beneficial combination of proteins and vitamin and mineral composition in a genetically active form will be an excellent nutritional resource for the day.
• For lunch: vegetable salad with fruits and finely chopped herbs to taste. You can add sprouted legumes like chickpeas. It will be useful to fill all products with light cold pressed oil.
• For dinner: fruit salad with vegetables. Can be seasoned with cold-pressed coconut oil.

It will be useful to drink purified water, half an hour before meals, as well as fresh juices or coconut milk.

A raw food diet for a child

In the absence of research on the benefits or dangers of a raw food system for children, it is understandable to worry about parents seeking to improve their child's health.

On the other hand, the experience of families with a raw food diet provides grounds for the claims:

A raw food diet brings unambiguous benefits to the body of a child, whose parents profess an appropriate healthy lifestyle and bring up the baby in accordance with it, starting from birth. In such cases, raw food children:

• have correct eating habits and an intact gastrointestinal tract;
• not harmed by diathesis, allergies, constipation, iron deficiency anemia, colds, gastritis, appendicitis;
• in adolescence, hormonal changes do not have skin problems;
• as a result, strong immunity is obtained as a guarantee of maintaining health in the future.

Raw food and pregnancy

During pregnancy, a raw food diet is theoretically allowed. The conclusions made by women practicing the system boil down to the following tips:

If before pregnancy there was no experience of a raw food diet, then during gestation, starting to eat according to the new system will be a radical decision, which is better to refrain from. Changing the composition of food, even a very useful one, during the period of hormonal changes can lead to harm in an unexpected reaction of the body.

The desire to help the body with the beneficial properties of plant foods on a raw food diet will be very correct, and here a sense of moderation and the ability to distinguish between body reactions come in handy. If adding raw foods does not generate a negative response, then you can practice.

On a raw food system, the inclusion of sprouted grains will be beneficial, since they contain a concentration of useful vitamins and enzymes at a biologically active maximum.

The harm of a raw food diet

A properly organized, balanced raw food diet is not capable of harming those who have no contraindications.

Relative harm can be called a temporary deterioration in health, the so-called crisis of healing, which can manifest itself for the body:

• dizziness;
• itchy skin and rash;
• cracked fingers;
• change in urine;
• slowing down the pulse to 60 beats per minute.

These effects are natural, caused by the harmful effects of toxins when cleaning the body. Armed with an understanding of this mobilization response, it is imperative to stay calm and drink more in order to benefit from accelerating the elimination of harmful substances.

Anyone who can survive this period of recovery and adaptation on a raw food diet will be richly rewarded with cellular health.

That is why a raw food diet should not be approached as a quick diet: the process can stop at the dangers of intoxication and exhaustion. Changing the power system should be slow, gradual.

A quick transition to a new wellness system increases the likelihood of subsequent breakdown and the harm of the effects of stress on the body.

The greatest harm to the body from a raw food diet will be thoughtless and fanatical entering the nutrition system, following an unweighted decision based on data analysis, and from the desire to easily achieve a momentary result, following fashion or agitation of acquaintances.

It is this kind of motivation "without clear rationalization" based on uncontrollable drives that is classified even by the World Health Organization as a disorder of habits and drives. The line between harm and benefit is rather arbitrary here, and the key lies in the awareness of the use of the raw food diet system and the literacy of the approach.

Contraindications to a raw food diet

The absolute contraindications to a raw food diet are:

• insufficient digestion of thermally unprocessed food;
• gastritis;
• colitis;
• protein allergies;
• in some cases, hyperthyroidism (as a reaction to plants of the cruciferous family that block the function of the thyroid gland).

Opinion of doctors and specialists

With all the diversity of opinions of supporters and opponents of the raw food system, official medicine tends to consider a complete transition to raw foods as an extreme for the body. Considering the benefits and harms of eating raw vegetables, fruits and grains, it would be wise to choose the “middle ground”. Doctors recommend staying at a 60 to 40 percentage: the predominant part will consist of plant foods balanced with traditional prepared foods. This approach to a raw food diet will be wise, especially in climates when the opportunity to eat plant foods is sharply reduced outside the season.

In the practice of the raw food system, it will also be beneficial to follow these useful rules:

1. The use of salt should be minimized. To compensate for its absence, seaweed, known for its beneficial properties, will help, which is poured with water, kept for 5 minutes and added to food.
2. It will be beneficial to chew all food well: maximum saliva absorption of the food mass accelerates its absorption and helps to get satiety in smaller quantities.
3. In winter, when the possibilities for the variety of the raw food diet are reduced, you should not worry about this and take advantage of the mono diet, for example, on sprouted cereals, which compensate for the lack of all vital substances.
4. Adequate physical activity, walking in the fresh air will bring benefits for improving metabolism on the raw food system.
5. Try not to mix sweet and sour foods.
6. The regime of the day will also bring benefits, in which the day should start no later than 7 o'clock, go to bed no later than 22, and after 20 o'clock refuse to eat.

How to switch to a raw food diet

The main guarantee of entering the raw food system without harming the body will be a reasonable analysis of its pros and cons, taking into account the state of health. The main criterion is the need of the organism itself: the approach should be purely individual, with the advice and support of a practicing specialist.

For the benefits of such a transfer of the body to a raw food diet without harm to health, recommendations will be valuable:

1. The first step is to learn about the raw food system.
2. The next step is to prepare the body by cleansing the intestines and liver - at home or in a hospital - for the benefit of minimizing unpleasant sensations as a result of further natural cleansing of the body on a new system of raw foods.
3. The next step is to define a strategy for switching to a raw food diet. For example, start with the recommended scheme 60% Raw - 40% Cooked. You can reduce the percentage of plant products - to those that are comfortable for the body and increase their number gradually, taking into account its needs - this will create favorable conditions for rebuilding microflora.
4. It is better to start a raw food diet in early - mid-summer, while you will need to think over the future organization of your "winter" set of products.
5. The calculation of the set of products must be done based on the balance of the BJU.
6. The diet on the raw food system is determined individually, based on the standard three-day meal plan.
7. If possible, it will be useful to try cooking food at temperatures up to 40 ^aboutC, using steam, germination, steaming.
8. Vegetable fats on the raw food diet must be included as dressings for dishes, but they must be replaced with healthy "light" ones: unrefined, cold pressed.
   Interesting! Sunflower oil is considered one of the heaviest vegetable oil: when eating a raw food, it is better to replace it with easier options for the body - olive, hemp, linseed, coconut, milk thistle.
9. When drawing up a menu on a raw food diet, special attention should be paid to starchy foods: rice, zucchini, etc. Their quantity must be strictly controlled.
   Important! The famous specialist in naturopathy A. Chase emphasized the harm of the effect of simple sugars, which are saturated with starchy food, on the weakening of mucous membranes and, as a result, the occurrence of inflammatory processes in the body.
10. Sugar must be obtained from fruits: apples, pears, grapes, peaches, various berries, as well as dried fruits, honey.
    Attention! Honey, figs, dates and raisins contain concentrated amounts of sugars, so it is important to keep them in moderation.
11. Start your morning on a raw food diet by drinking water that has been alkalized with lemon or honey. During the day, between meals, drink 2 liters of clean water in sips.

Sample meals and menus for raw food beginners

In order to organize your menu from a wide variety of raw foods - vegetables, fruits, beans, and so on, depending on your preferred type of raw food diet - you will need to familiarize yourself with various recipes that will help you combine foods into complete nutrition for the body.

The simplest options for entering such cooking would be:

• Oatmeal. Nothing special, but on a raw food diet, it should be cooked without boiling or boiling. Oatmeal is soaked in water or milk until it swells, and then chopped fruit and dried fruits are added. Later you can experiment with different types of cereals;
• Vegetable puree soups. Unlike traditional ones, they also do not require cooking. Vegetables and herbs are chopped and interrupted with a blender, spices are added and decorated with herbs;
• Vegetable cutlets. They can also be incorporated into a raw food diet as an intermediate option. To prepare them, you will need a dehydrator - a special dryer for vegetables and fruits with a temperature regulator and various modes of dishes: bread, marshmallow, pies and even pizza. Vegetables, selected according to the individual taste for the cutlet, are chopped and placed in a dehydrator. As a result, you get a healthy dish with a crispy crust and a delicate heart;
• Vegetable and fruit salads based on the raw food system. The intended ingredients are ground and sprinkled with vegetable oil or lemon juice.

For a winter raw food diet, it will be useful to make preparations, observing precautions and rules for the preparation and storage of products, in order to avoid damage to them.

Conclusion

The degree of simmering in the discussion of the benefits and harms of a raw food diet continues to be high, despite the fact that the concept arose more than a century ago. Analyzing all the pros and cons, we can conclude that the raw food diet should be treated primarily as a long-term nutrition system, which should also be a philosophy aimed at improving the quality of life. The experience of people practicing this approach to a raw food diet, taking into account the contraindications with the obligatory consultation of a doctor, confirms the undoubted benefits of this nutrition system in improving the whole body.

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