For optimum health, a plant based diet can’t be beat. Research suggests that it can help ward off Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as promote weight loss. It isn’t hard to eat a plant based diet either. Today there are so many vegan alternatives for just about any non vegan food out there- and they are delicious! More and more restaurants are serving vegan options and there are many completely vegan restaurants out there too!
The raw food diet takes it a step further. Nothing is cooked or even heated above 118 degrees. Heating destroys the foods nutrients and natural enzymes, which is bad because enzymes boost digestion and fight chronic disease.
The raw food diet is vegan, sugar free and naturally gluten free. The nutritional perks- most of what you eat will be high in vitamins, minerals, fiber and disease-fighting phytochemicals. Fruits and vegetables are lower in calories which makes it easy to lose weight. Also the boost in enzymes means your body doesn’t have to work so hard to digest your food, so it can get to work on healing your body.
The thing is, you don’t have to go 100% raw to benefit from the diet. You can eat one completely raw vegan meal a day and have amazing benefits. For that one meal you are giving your body a break from having to work so hard. You are increasing the amount of fruits and veggies that you are consuming daily- which is always a good thing. You will naturally be consuming less calories, more fiber, and more nutrients for that meal, also a good thing.
So how do you add one raw vegan meal to your daily diet? The easiest way is a green smoothie for breakfast. Breakfast is the easiest meal to do go raw vegan. Most everyone loves a smoothie, and done right you will wont even taste the greens. Another way to get a raw meal into your diet is huge salad for lunch! The salad in the picture I got at Q’doba. It is all raw and so yummy!