Raw food is a stand-alone food system, in which only foods that have not been heat treated are consumed. It does not always mean the presence in the diet of only raw vegetables and fruits. In raw food it is permissible to eat dried fruit, sprouted cereals, jerky meat and fish, eggs and seafood. Some types of raw food are more severe, while others - less. However, we will return to this a little later.
Those who stick to the raw food claim that initially people were not available cooking, roasting or baking food, while they lived well, ate fruits, roots and all sorts of edible herbs. For today on our planet there is one and only people living in India, whose diet includes only plant food, and it is believed that the disease inhabitants of this place are unknown. These people live poorly, almost all the time spend in the open air, they consume food in order to satisfy the physiological hunger.
With the advent and further growth of cities in a person's life, there was a need for thermal processing of food. In order to provide food to a large population, it took a lot of products that could be stored for a long time. To meet this need and were invented cooking, frying and preserving food. For many people, it is very important to have a good meal. The raw food experts believe that this approach is fundamentally wrong. They argue that food is needed not to enjoy, but to meet the needs of the body, that the taste buds in our body are created with the sole purpose that we can distinguish the fresh product from the spoiled.
Varieties of raw food and its principles
Go to vegetable food is not so easy. The fact is that many people limit their diet to those dishes that they have known since childhood. And the choice of these dishes, as a rule, is small. As a result, people on such a diet simply can not last more than a few days. Let's look at the nuances of raw food. The raw food diet is divided into several types. Omnivorous raw food means eating both plants and livestock products( eggs, meat, dairy products).Meat and fish, as a rule, are taken for food in raw form. The product is salted and dried. It should be borne in mind that when eating meat that is not heat-treated or fish, a person risks harming his health. In this product may contain bovine or pork tapeworm, a wide ribbon. When buying meat or fish, be sure to require the conclusion of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station. When making fish, carefully inspect the contents of the peritoneum, there should not be worms or parasite larvae.
In a vegetarian raw food diet, such liberties are unacceptable. Adherents of this type of raw food use in the food of grass, plants, vegetables, fruits, roots. From products of animal origin, milk, eggs and dairy products are allowed. The difference from conventional vegetarianism is the complete absence of any heat treatment. Vegan raw food, one of the most popular species, means the use of exclusively plant foods. Adherents of fruitarianism eat the fruits of plants;cereals and certain products allowed in vegan products are prohibited.
Carnivorous ranching means that its adherents prefer raw meat, fish, game, eggs, dairy products and a minimum amount of plant food.
Mixed raw food diet allows you to mix several foods with one meal, while monotrophic - does not allow such "mixes".
What is the reason for this desire to eat raw food? Raw meat experts believe that if the product is heated to at least 45 degrees, it will lose most of its nutrients. At a higher temperature, chemical compounds are formed in food, which are not found in nature, they can harm the human body.
The term "plant food" includes legumes, nuts, seeds, natural dried fruits, fruits, vegetables, grains, berries, algae, herbs( both cultured and wild), freshly squeezed juices. There are products that are not recommended for use in raw form. These include raw beans and sprouted alfalfa, which are toxic to the body. Some products can become sources of infection by parasitic diseases and other diseases( there are few people who have never heard of salmonellosis).Among such products are eggs and milk.
Raw watermen drink spring water and rainwater. In a metropolis, such a choice raises doubts. The consumption of vegetables sold in supermarkets is also not harmless, as it has long been known that they are being treated with special chemicals in order to extend the shelf life. When they are grown, pesticides and nitrates are often used. Consequently, these products can be called useful with great stretch. You can be assured of vegetables and fruits if they have grown on your garden in an ecologically clean place. According to the raw food, in the winter you can easily diversify your diet, taking advantage of the autumn supplies, perfectly stored in the cellars.If you wander through the expanses of the Internet, visit specialized forums, you can sincerely marvel at the variety of dishes that are used by raw food. A variety of soups, pates, cakes - that's not the whole list of allowed delicacies. So, to prepare the cake you use crushed nuts, dried fruits and honey. The usual baking in the oven is replaced by cooling in the refrigerator. Bread is a mixture of sprouted grains, outwardly resembling bread cakes. The composition of the pate includes raw fish, cucumbers or sunflower seeds. The number of soup recipes is also very diverse. Here are just a few: pumpkin, tomato, asparagus, vegetable, carrot.
Advantages and disadvantages of raw food
If you listen to supporters and opponents of raw food, you can learn the disadvantages and advantages of this power system.
So, it is possible to note the following obvious pluses:
- Some internal diseases, hypertension, constipation, "hopeless diseases" leave the person. This system can increase the life expectancy of a person for several decades.
- Getting rid of excess weight( progress is noticeable after a while).
- Save money.
- Save time spent on cooking.
The picture will be incomplete if you do not dwell on the disadvantages of raw food. And them, believe me, a lot.
Although raw food is a preventive measure for many diseases, it can provoke a number of problems. The refusal of some products leads to the fact that the body receives less than the necessary proteins, calcium, iron, some vitamins, in particular E and group B. For this reason, many raw-food workers after a while notice weakness, apathy, loss of appetite. At transition to such system of a food the organism is sharply enough cleared of slags, stones, from blood clots and cholesteric plaques. This, in turn, can provoke an exacerbation of chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In connection with this circumstance, the elderly should be treated with the greatest care for raw food.
Raw meat eaters, as well as other people, are prone to diseases, because health depends not only on the quality of nutrition, but also on physical exercise, hardening, ecology, stress.
Raw food for weight loss
Often, raw food is used to get rid of excess kilograms. In the process of getting used to the new system of nutrition, the body will show you in every possible way its "discontent" with diarrhea, bloating and flatulence. The feeling of hunger miraculously will not go anywhere. In addition, large portions, even plant foods, do not guarantee weight loss. Those who have a long time sticking to raw food, often have a problem of underweight. Keep in mind that raw food is strictly not recommended for children and adolescents. The fact is that a growing organism requires a balanced diet, and raw diet in most cases it can not provide. These age categories, eating this way, run the risk of experiencing dystrophy. It is no mere chance that WHO refers raw diet and vegetarianism to mental abnormalities. There are many cases when children were brought to such a state of nutrition to a critical state and even to death.
If you want to try this power system on your own, be sure to consult a doctor. Avoid any manifestations of bigotry. The transition should be gradual, do not rush "into the pool with the head."Sharp transition is fraught with unpleasant consequences for people who have any diseases. Well, if the raw diet is not strict. Enter at the beginning in the diet raw vegetables, legumes, fruits, seeds, nuts. Let the share of these products be 50-60% of your diet. So you, without harm to your own health, cleanse the body of everything superfluous, get rid of excess weight. For weight loss you can take the principles of raw food. So, of course, there will be benefits from regular unloading of fruit and vegetable days.
Do not excessively get involved in raw food, it is better to eat about 50-60% of plant foods, and in the remaining 40-50% include products of animal origin( meat, dairy).