Raw Diet For A Youthful Living

Diet Fitness

oi-Anjana NS

By Anjana Ns

Monday, May 23, 2011, 18:00

If you are on a strict vegetable diet and are wondering what type of diet to follow for your kids then we would suggest you a "Raw Diet". The diet is basically uncooked diet which means absolutely zero cooking. The idea basically evolved from the lifestyle of the old stone age, like how the cave men ate raw food that were available in the forests.

Zero cooking has certain advantages. According to research boiling, cooking or grilling will lead to a loss of nutrients in vegetables. And not just, cooking is also said to de-nature body enzymes that support digestion and absorption of vital nutrients.

Many Asian countries also believe that cooking accelerates aging process thus leading to wrinkles on skin and weight gain. Certain vegetables are even said to have anti cancer compounds that act as a strong defence to cancerous cells.

Many nutrients like Sulforaphanes found in Broccoli are said to greatly reduce when cooked, even vitamins like vitamin C, highly reactive minerals like Iron and Zinc are said to react with other ingredients on heating, forming other, not so healthy compounds. Overcooked foods are only carbon rich foods which are not good to eat always.

Not just Carbon, some harmful compounds like glycation end products, amines are formed after cooking some foods which is highly harmful for health. Not only vegetables, heating vegetable oil over high flame is said to convert the compounds in oil to acids (oleic acid) which are very toxic for health. Although rice is a staple food, cooking rice (highly polished rice) will result in starch which isn't as very healthy for obese.

What Is The Procedure For Raw Diet?

There are different procedures that people usually follow in raw food diet. Some eat only fresh vegetables and consume raw animal products, such as raw milk, cheese made from raw milk, fresh cream from raw milk etc. Although Raw Diet followers are mostly vegan there are some who eat ceviche (raw fish), or carpaccio (raw meat).

Some raw diet followers strictly follow eating purely uncooked food but some also mix cooked and uncooked food in their meal according to convenience.

Before one starts with a diet plan, be it vegan diet, yo yo diet or raw diet, they need to first detox and cleanse their body which again can happen with raw food detox diets for at least 20 days.

It will be incorrect if we mention that all cooked foods are bad, some foods that are rich in folate are broken down after cooking. Vegetables like Tomatoes are healthy when cooked as they will contain three to four times more lycopene than in raw tomatoes. Lycopene is good for heart health and also combats cancer.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.