So what’s the difference between being a vegetarian and going on a raw food diet?
Generally, someone on a raw food eating plan is considered vegetarian with only a few differences. The main one is when you are on a raw food diet you don’t cook the majority of the fruits and vegetables that you consume.
Another difference is that a strict vegetarian doesn’t eat meat, fish, or poultry, they only consume grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruits.
some may consume dairy products and eggs, while others may not.
When it comes to being a vegetarian sometimes things can get a little bit confusing, because there are many different categories of vegetarians, like vegans and fruitarians. It really just boils down to a matter of personal preference and beliefs.
Let’s quickly go over some of the different types of vegetarian diets:
– Semi-vegetarians
Eats predominantly vegetarian but includes some meat. Also called flexitarian or pseudo-vegetarian.
– Transitional vegetarians
Someone who is converting to a vegetarian lifestyle but isn’t quite there
yet.
– Lacto-ovo-vegetarian
Eats both dairy products and eggs. Includes all vegan foods.
– Lacto-vegetarian
Eats dairy products but not eggs. Includes all vegan foods.
– Ovo-vegetarian
Eats eggs but not dairy products. Includes all vegan foods
– Su Vegetarian
Excludes all animal products as well as vegetables in the allium family (which have the characteristic aroma of onion and garlic, scallions, or leeks.)
– Vegan
Does not eat dairy products, eggs, honey, or any other animal
product.
– Fruitarian
Basically the same as Vegans, but they only eat foods that don’t kill the plant-like apples, tomatoes blueberries. Root vegetables like potatoes and carrots are excluded from their diet.
Vegans may also avoid products in which animal products are used in the production, but might not actually remain in the finished food.
This includes sugar and some wines. They also avoid non-food animal products such as leather, wool, down, etc. Their main source of protein comes from beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
There are also raw vegans who combine a vegan and raw food diet
together to exclude all food of animal origin, and all food cooked above 118 degrees Fahrenheit.
Advocates of the raw food diet believe that enzymes are the life force of food and that every food contains its own special blend of these enzymes to help us digest our foods without relying on our body to produce its own digestive enzymes.
When you begin reading about the raw food lifestyle it only makes
sense that food should be consumed in this manner, mostly because
the cooking process destroys vitamins and minerals that naturally occur in our food. Not to mention that it is a proven scientific fact that cooked foods take longer to digest and allow partially digested fats, proteins, and carbohydrates to clog up our intestinal tract and our arteries causing harmful long-term effects on our bodies.
Why you may not need as many fluids when you consume a raw food diet.
When you start eating more raw foods, you may begin to notice that
you’re not as thirsty as you used to be. You will soon discover that you don’t need as much water or other beverages as you normally would.
There are several reasons for this, including the fact that raw foods such as fruits and vegetables naturally have a higher volume of water in them, so when you consume them your body is getting the hydration it needs from them.
This doesn’t mean that you should stop drinking water or other healthy beverages. It just means you won’t crave as much of them. As with any diet and lifestyle changes, it’s very important that you listen to your body.
It will tell you what it needs.
If you’re overweight, sluggish, tired, or depressed, your body is most likely telling you to make some dietary changes. Consuming more raw foods will help eliminate many of the side effects that you experience from eating an unhealthy diet.
Did you know that overwhelming thirst can be a symptom of Type II diabetes?
*If you experience this symptom over a long period of time,
please see your doctor immediately.*
When you start consuming more raw foods, with a higher fiber and
moisture content, you will experience more positive effects like
losing weight, more energy, and vitality along with less thirst, fatigue, and body aches.
If you’re not overweight or don’t have Type II diabetes, you still might find you’re not as thirsty as you normally are. First of all, if you’re drinking water and juices, you’re not consuming caffeine, which is so dehydrating and makes you thirstier. And by not consuming as much in the way of cooked foods or specially processed foods, which have astronomical sodium counts, you won’t be as thirsty either.
By consuming more raw, uncooked food, and pure water and fruit
juices, you’re putting your body into balance. Keeping sodium to normal levels found in foods means you’ll start to require a more balanced amount of water. Don’t think of this as changing or taking away. Think of it as adding balance, and it will make the process of going raw and eating healthier much easier.
The importance of organic foods
As we all know food that is grown or raised without chemical pesticides or chemical fertilizers is called “organic.” We’ve become so used to eating foods that have been grown with fertilizers and pesticides, that most of us have forgotten what it’s like to eat organically grown food or what a difference it can make in the way that we feel.
Why else would you choose to eat organic food?
You may not realize this but we pay a lot in terms of flavor and nutrition so that we can eat perfect-looking food. While organic food may have an occasional bruise on its flesh and not be as shiny and sleek as food that’s been sprayed with harmful chemicals it is generally fresher and more flavorful than the fruits and vegetables you commonly find stocked at your local grocery store.
Many times, they’re grown locally, so they haven’t been stored or
refrigerated. Consider the difference in flavor between a vine-ripened tomato and a regular tomato. There’s just no comparison.
Remember your body has to process everything you put into it and
eliminate what it cannot digest. If your food contains toxins in the form of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, your body has to figure out a way to get rid of the toxins. When the body cannot get rid of toxins fast enough, it stores them until it has time to eliminate them. This can lead to a multitude of side effects and health problems.
Did you know that many of the pesticides used in farming have been found to be carcinogenic?
So there’s no doubt that reducing your exposure to these toxins can and will improve your overall health. While your body is designed to eliminate toxins it needs to expend extra energy to eliminate them. This is an energy that could just as easily be doing other things such as healing damaged cells, fighting off viruses and bacteria, or patrolling the body for cancer cells.
So it only stands to reason that you will feel substantially better without putting these poisons into your body. Especially if your system is sensitive to toxins. Then it isn’t parroted that you do your best to eliminate them from your diet as much as possible.
Fortunately, it’s getting easier to do this because there’s a growing selection and variety of organic produce becoming available in specialty stores and even in grocery stores these days as people
become more aware of the dangers associated with consuming
harmful pesticides and fertilizers.
WHAT TO EAT?
Fortunately for those of us who understand the benefits of eating
organic and raw foods, there are a lot more options available to us than there were just a few years ago. It used to be that you had to go to a local fruit stand or specialty food store to find organic products and those were few and far between.
Now there are many more whole foods and stand-alone stores with
more popping up all the time. The grocery chains are catching
on too, with more organic selections than ever before. If you don’t see them in your grocery store, just ask. You’re probably not the only person in your neighborhood who would like to see more of these options.
Many grocery stores now feature sprouts and other living foods in the produce aisle. Of course, if they don’t, there’s nothing easier to grow for yourself than sprouts!
There are also tons of sites on the Internet where you can order raw and living foods. Just do a search on raw foods and you’ll come up with a lot of different places to order a wide variety of healthy foods. Many of these sites are also full of useful information, to help you learn about eating raw foods and help educate you on specific food values.
When it comes to switching to a raw food diet is important that you
experiment with different foods to find out what you like. Take the time to learn a little about what the different nutrients in foods do for you.
Let’s go over a few quick examples of nutrient-rich foods you can try:
Cabbage – High in Vitamin C; important for healthy cell function.
Celery – is low in fat and is a source of dietary fiber, iron, and calcium.
Tomatoes – are an excellent source of antioxidants, dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins.
Eggplant – is a good source of minerals like manganese, copper, iron, and potassium
Kale – Rich in fiber and helps reduce calorie intake with less hunger. We like that!
Broccoli – contains some of the highest levels of vitamins A and C of any food. Good for building your immune system
Barley – Loaded with niacin, fiber, and iron and is important for healthy blood sugar.
Pumpkin – So rich in fiber and vitamins; helps reduce appetite by filling the stomach with indigestible fibers
These are only a few of the wonderful organically grown foods that will help you add valuable nutrients to your diet. There are many more so don’t be afraid to pick up something new on your next trip to the whole foods market.
A busy lifestyle can sometimes make it difficult to stick to a so-called diet plan, especially when we’re trying to lose weight.
Whenever you start a new diet you’re forced to either keep track of
your fat intake, sugar intake, carbohydrate intake, or caloric intake.
Does this sound familiar?
With all that counting, it’s no wonder most of us become discouraged and fall off the diet wagon more often than we stay on. Sometimes it feels like you’re living on a roller coaster.
Add to that the surplus of convenient prepackaged diet foods available on store shelves, that we grab when we don’t have the time or energy to prepare a nutritious meal and it should be no big surprise that most of us end up heading down the wrong path anytime we try to start a new diet.
Did you know that those so-called diet foods are often packed full of preservatives and additives? Always be sure to read your labels!
As we well know, raw foods are full of the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals our bodies need to perform optimally. They provide enzymes for proper digestion, cleansing body systems, and purging toxins. Another thing that makes raw fruits and vegetables so wonderful is that you can eat as much of them as you want to go without any repercussions.
In addition, the natural high fiber content of most raw foods will help you feel fuller, thereby reducing your food intake. They’ll assist in turning up the thermostat in your body, helping to melt away that excess weight, and nourishing your body’s cells to continue with the fat-burning process.
Most raw foods are naturally low in calories, and obviously much lower in calories, fats, sugars, and carbohydrates than the dieting
convenience foods we are conditioned to reach for. Once you begin
incorporating more raw foods into your diet you will enjoy the benefits of increased energy, regulated blood sugar, and blood pressure levels, sharper vision, and improved mental functionality, and you’ll wonder why you didn’t start eating more raw foods sooner.
Eating raw foods to help detoxify your body
Cleaning is an everyday part of our lives. If we’re not cleaning the house, we’re doing laundry, cleaning the car, cleaning out the garage or attic, or clearing our desk of the never-ending piles of bills, junk mail, and coupons we accumulate.
We even clean the outside of our bodies on a daily basis, by showering brushing our teeth and washing our hair. Since cleaning is such a healthy part of our everyday lives, it only seems logical that we should take some time to clean the inside of our bodies as well.
Detoxification and tissue cleansing is the process of purging
environmental and chemical toxins from your body.
Did you know that these toxins can disrupt every system in your body?
When our body is polluted with such toxins, its own detoxification
system including the liver, lungs, skin, kidneys, and lymphatic system can’t work as efficiently as they were designed to. These damaging poisons sneak into every cell of your body and do their best to wreak havoc with your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
These contaminants can create such problems as lethargy, foggy
thinking, unhealthy skin, decreased vision, mood swings, and digestive disorders.
However, by adopting a lifestyle that includes eating healthy raw foods, our body can conduct its own ‘spring cleaning.’ And contrary to what many might think, raw foods are actually more easily digestible than cooked foods.
Eating more fruits and vegetables enables the digestive system to
‘clean house’ and begin the process of purging the dangerous
environmental and chemical toxins from the cells of the body, thereby restoring the systems to their optimal states since raw foods are so nutrient-dense, they also simultaneously provide the body with much-needed nutrients, vitamins, and minerals it needs so that it can continually perform its purging process without fail.
CHECK OUT THE RAW FOOD VIDEO BELOW
Discover 10 Foods That Are Most Nutritious When Eaten Raw. Did you know that many foods provide you with more nutrition when eaten raw than they do when they are cooked? Yes, you heard it right. According to research, eating these raw foods contains a high level of nutrition compared to cooked foods. Discover these 10 foods that are most nutritious when raw inside this audio.
Click Here To Check out the 10 raw food video
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