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Nutrition raw food has become extremely popular nowadays. We can say that this is no longer just nutrition, but a certain way of life. By becoming raw foodists, many people radically change their lives - their circle of friends, profession, interests. They live according to the laws of nature, in unity with it, get healthy through swimming in an ice hole, meditation, and spread positivity. But first of all, they heal themselves with food. Therefore, there are both fanatical supporters and no less fierce opponents of a raw food diet. What is this: a newfangled diet or a higher standard of living?Raw food diet does not allow the consumption of foods that have been even minimally processed heat treatment. So, in this case, it is prohibited to eat boiled, fried, stewed, smoked food, pickled or canned vegetables and fruits. Some types of raw food diet exclude meat and fish products from the diet. In addition, dried or dried foods to which spices, sugar or flavor enhancers have been added should also not be consumed. This is a separate nutrition system, but it often comes into contact with veganism, vegetarianism and many other dietary methods of healing through food.
Basic concepts in raw food diet. Where to begin?
- The basis of the entire system is the assertion that man is a part of nature. Therefore, he cannot eat something that does not exist in food - fried potatoes, grilled chicken and other foods. Therefore, a raw food diet requires abandoning the entire standard menu to which we are accustomed.
- “Live” (raw) foods contain a large amount of vitamins, minerals and trace elements, most of which are destroyed during heat treatment. In their raw form, they are preserved and are much better absorbed by the body. Accordingly, the basic principle of a raw food diet is: “just wash and eat.”
- Raw foodists consider processed foods to be poisonous. And not only the one sold in fast foods. This is partly explained by science. Frying, boiling and even steaming lead to the fact that food not only loses all its useful qualities, but also becomes harmful. For example, the appearance of carcinogens in it - substances that can cause the formation of malignant tumors, trans-isomers, and free radicals. The raw food diet insists on eating only “live” food and avoiding “harmful” food. This approach should reduce the intake of such substances into the body to zero.
- In addition, only vegetables and fruits untouched by cooking contain so-called enzymes - particles of all living things, solar energy, which allow vegetables and fruits to be independently digested in the body. Their supply is maximum in the baby's body, and gradually decreases with aging. However, it can be constantly replenished with food - raw, of course.
- The usual menu not for a raw foodist consists of refined, or peeled, shelled food. At the same time, it is in the peel and shell of cereals that the maximum useful substances are contained. In addition, products that can be stored for a long time necessarily contain harmful preservatives, dyes or flavor enhancers. They are unacceptable in a raw food diet.
- The simultaneous consumption of different products deserves special attention. They are often incompatible with each other, require a lot of time and energy to digest and lead to malabsorption. Maintaining intervals between eating bananas and then sprouted grains helps ensure that the raw foodist’s body digests them with minimal energy consumption. And all unspent energy is used for self-healing.
- Raw foodists believe that poor nutrition is the cornerstone of all diseases, be it metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases or nervous diseases. And this is the only way to lead a healthy lifestyle, get rid of any health problems and achieve the desired longevity.
Types of raw food diet
There are several types of raw food diet. Here the opinions of researchers differ. Some believe that to maintain a healthy lifestyle, just a fruit and vegetable diet is enough; others notice that they can diversify their diet with meat and milk.Therefore on this moment The following types of raw food diet are distinguished:
Mixed (omnivore)
You can eat any food without restrictions, that is, both plant and animal foods, but in raw form. In this raw food diet, meat, fish, milk and eggs can be cooked. Dried meat may be consumed. In addition, raw foodists can add a small amount of salt or pepper to their food, as well as vegetable oil and honey, to taste.
Vegan
This is one of the most widespread types. Its supporters can eat exclusively plant foods - greens, berries, fruits, vegetables and cereals. These include the Sprutorians and Jusorians. Sprutorians mainly consume only sprouted cereal grains. Raw foodists-Jusorians (from the English Juice - juice) eat only freshly prepared vegetable and fruit juices - so-called green smoothies.
Vegetarian
Fans of this type of diet, in addition to plant foods, are not prohibited from consuming animal products - eggs and milk, but not meat or fish.
Fruitarianism
Its supporters include only fruits and berries in their diet. Vegetables and any other products are excluded. Orthodox raw foodists can even wait patiently until the fruits fall from a tree or bush on their own (the most natural fall, without additional help), because at this moment they are at the peak of ripeness and usefulness.
Carnivorous
In this case, fruits and vegetables are practically not added to the diet. The main emphasis is on raw seafood, fish, meat, eggs and animal fats instead of traditional carbohydrates. Many northern peoples have been eating this way since Paleolithic times.
Monotrophic raw food diet (raw mono diet)
According to it, you can only eat one specific type of food at one meal. Be sure to take pauses between doses. For example, apples are eaten for breakfast, after 40 minutes to an hour sprouted grains are used, etc.
By the amount of nutrients
There are special tables with the content of vitamins, microelements, fats, proteins and carbohydrates in a particular product. According to them, food can be mixed in a certain amount or consumed separately.
The miracles of a raw food diet, or what happens under the influence of raw foods
The basic tenets of a raw food diet say that when switching to such food, the body begins to cleanse itself of toxins, allergens and other harmful substances. In parallel with this, a complete restructuring is taking place to suit the new way of life. This is a gradual process, so it takes time. But the end justifies the means. Cleansing is manifested by a decrease in body weight, health improvement and improvement in overall well-being. Aging slows down and quality of life improves. It is not for nothing that they believe that a raw food diet is the path to immortality. Due to the fact that digestion occurs faster and requires less energy expenditure, the body has a lot of energy left for an active lifestyle. Mood swings, apathy, drowsiness, and attacks of autumn-winter depression disappear. In addition, mental abilities are also enhanced. Resistance to colds increases. According to modern data, the richer the country, the more money its residents spend on food. Moreover, the higher the standard of living, the greater the risk of the emergence of so-called diseases of the new era - tumors, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity. The costs of treating these diseases are simply catastrophic. Raw foodists practically do not have such diseases - accordingly, they do not bring money to the pharmacy sector. Plus, eating raw food is much cheaper, even on a financial basis. Especially in summer or autumn, when markets are overflowing with fresh cereals, herbs, fruits from the garden, and nuts - a paradise period begins for a raw food diet.
Lately many famous actors, singers and cultural figures consider themselves raw foodists, demonstrating an attractive appearance and a toned figure. However, to date, unfortunately, there are no reliable studies that would fully confirm the absolute benefits of this type of nutrition. Therefore, you need to remember that any radical change in nutrition affects each person extremely individually.
Cons of a raw food diet
Like any other diet, a raw food diet has its disadvantages:- With strict adherence to a raw food diet (for example, complete refusal even from vegetables, cereals and root vegetables), the body does not receive enough vitamins and microelements. Because of this, metabolism is disrupted.
- In conditions of refusal of fish and seafood, iodine deficiency appears. The connection between a raw food diet and the destruction of bones and teeth, and damage to enamel has been proven. Therefore, raw foodists urge all supporters of this system to regularly take sunbathing to provide the body with vitamin D.
- According to some reports, “strict” raw foodists exhibit a decrease in vitamin B12.
- In addition, the benefits of a raw food diet are for pregnant women and nursing mothers, when the body especially needs a comprehensive supply " building material“, is also a big question. However, today it is already known for certain that the raw food system is contraindicated for children.
Who is contraindicated for a raw food diet?
And although a raw food diet can have a healing effect on the body, there are still certain diseases for which it is undesirable to eat exclusively unprocessed thermally processed food. Among them:Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
Acids contained in raw foods can severely irritate the mucous membrane of organs, and constantly. Therefore, when switching to a raw food diet, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons.
Allergic diseases
Many types of fruits, especially red and orange ones, nuts, and pollen (it is also recommended for raw foodists as food) can provoke severe allergic complications, or lead to an exacerbation of existing ones.
What is the optimal age to switch to a raw food diet?
It is believed that the maximum requirement for nutrients is needed by a growing body, that is, children and adolescents. However, even at 20-25 years old, some structures of the body still continue to develop. Therefore, it is optimal to switch to a new diet after thirty years, when the body is already fully formed. There is another explanation for this. Around middle age, a person acquires specific beliefs and intentions, what he expects from himself and what he would like to receive. With a clear understanding of your goals, it is easier to completely change your lifestyle.How to switch to a raw food diet?
First you need to decide why you want to try this nutrition system - as a permanent diet or for a short time, for example, as a way to lose weight. Many people decide to switch to a raw food diet as an experiment, for something new in their lives, and also because it is fashionable. But you definitely shouldn’t follow fashion and your next-door neighbor. And if you have already chosen such nutrition as a standard for yourself, then you need to approach it with all responsibility - only then will you be able to see the real result. Sudden jump
There are two options for switching to a raw food diet:1. The first is to gradually include as many unprocessed foods as possible in the menu day after day, gradually replacing all the others. Moreover, on the very first day, fried and smoked foods, coffee, and sweets should disappear from the raw foodist’s diet.
2. Or you can immediately stop eating processed foods. Most raw foodists say that the second method allows you to get used to it faster. But the chances of failure with this type of raw food diet are much greater.
There are several critical situations here, through which a person may not be able to stand it and return to the old menu. Knowing about them, it is easier for a beginner to adapt and survive these periods of his life.
Raw food diet rules
Main problems
If a person decides to eat only raw food, without the support of friends or family, then the main problems for him are the following:Lack of a clear goal
It is very difficult to completely change your food system, which has been imposed since childhood. Therefore, breakdowns for new raw foodists are a common occurrence.
Solution: write on a piece of paper why and why you want to become a raw foodist. Place it in a visible place. And as soon as a difficult situation arises, you want to eat something forbidden - re-read.
Thoughts on food
The body gets used to receiving a certain amount of food per day, even if it is too much. It’s not surprising that at first you will constantly feel hungry. And all thoughts will be only about food. And your imagination will immediately picture a juicy roast lamb on a spit. And then there are the household members with their discussion of what to cook for lunch, a negative opinion about raw food nutrition in general, and invitations to a cafe. Or an advertisement asking you to eat crab sticks.
Solution: As soon as thoughts about food appear in your head, replace them with others. For example, how slim and healthy you will soon become. This needs to be done constantly, because once thoughts take root in your head, they will make you doubt the correctness of the action. If your planned lunch is still far away, you can kill the worm with a light snack.
Lack of experience and knowledge
A person simply does not know where to start, what products can be bought and where, and which ones should not be taken at all (in particular, dried fruits with added flavorings, preservatives or cashew nuts, which are of no benefit to raw foodists - they go on sale only fried), is it possible to combine them. This delays the transition period for a long time. In addition, if the body already suffers from some kind of chronic disease, then at the beginning of eating raw food it may worsen. The frightened new raw foodist quickly returns to his normal diet and runs to the hospital for help. However, he does not know that this is part of adaptation to a completely new way of life. As soon as it is completed, many diseases go away on their own and are never bothered again.
Solution: Before starting a raw food diet, it is necessary to probe the markets where you can buy fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes and grains. Learn more about how you can diversify your diet and what foods you can eat at the same time. A new diet doesn't mean you have to hold your nose and eat spinach that you can't tolerate. What is useful about a raw food diet is that there are practically no people who do not have favorite fruits, grains or vegetables. So choose a few of your favorite but allowed foods in advance. And for the first time, eat only your favorite fruits (from three to five types), listening to yourself and controlling your own well-being. And then gradually expand the “raw” menu. If it is impossible for you to immediately switch to such a diet, you can make short-term transitions for a few days. And let there always be a small supply of juicy peaches, sweet apples or carrots in the house. You can have a snack with them instead of a traditional sandwich or candy. The menu is chosen correctly, if you immediately feel relief, drowsiness after a hearty lunch, laziness, and bad mood will go away. And so, step by step, fried, boiled, pickled, smoked will fade into the background and give way to healthy food.
External (physical) critical situations
Influenced large quantity fruit and vegetable fiber, grain crops, coarse cereals, cleansing processes are activated in the body. This immediately manifests itself in the form of a skin rash, changes in digestion towards loose stools, and mucous discharge. As soon as impurities, toxins, and allergens are completely removed from the body and stop entering it, the body will be completely cleansed, the skin will become cleaner, and the figure will be more prominent. But it is impossible to say for sure how long complete cleansing will last. For some it takes several months, for others it can last a year or more. It all depends on the state of the body at the time of transition.Personal factor
We are used to work being work and lunch being on schedule. The body gets used to it in the same way, and by the lunch break we begin to feel hungry. And the belief that not everyone can have breakfast in the morning is nothing more than self-deception. It's all about habits, and you can change them too. According to the beliefs of raw foodists, you need to eat not when it’s time for breakfast - but because you really want to. This can be tested this way: imagine that there is a piece of stale bread on the table. If you are ready to eat it now, it means you are really hungry. But raw food significantly reduces the portion sizes we are used to. Therefore, at first you may be haunted by hunger and a desire to eat something tasty instead of the food allowed for raw foodists: sweets, candies, cakes. And with them - and the question: maybe there was no need to change anything, because everything was so good?!Social factors
Once a person stops eating in the way most people are accustomed to, this transition is met with misunderstanding, surprise and even ridicule. This is especially acute in a family where one person becomes a raw foodist, and the rest do not share his point of view. Therefore, you often need to be prepared for the fact that wherever you go, you will be dissuaded, offered the usual food, and even offended if you refuse. Often people can no longer communicate in the same way as before, so their social circle changes significantly.As for the emotional crisis, at this time a newly-minted raw foodist may experience mood swings, outbursts of aggression, discontent, and resentment. This can be aggravated by the fact that others do not understand him, and lead to a “return to square one.” And one more thing: people around you don’t eat like you. This must be taken into account when accepting an invitation to go to a restaurant or to celebrate special events. Therefore, you need to take some of your own food with you - enough to last the whole evening so as not to feel hungry.
Is life food?
The most important thing is to remember that we eat in order to live, and do not live in order to eat. However, in modern realities tasty food often becomes a way to relax and lift your spirits. Especially if a person is unsteady on his feet and is unsure of his future. In this case, a raw food diet is unlikely to be beneficial, since it will deprive such a person of his only joy in life - “delicious” food.How to switch to a raw food diet correctly?
- Firstly, you need to remember all this time that switching to a raw food diet is not just a whim, but a conscious decision that will allow you to improve your health, reduce excess weight, increase interest in life and active pastime, and make new friends. To begin with, you can give up a specific product - your favorite carbonated drinks, beer on weekends - and see how difficult this period will be.
- Secondly, it is useful to keep a raw food diary. You can write down all your feelings and thoughts, information about products you liked and those that are best avoided - that is, everything that has changed since the transition. In addition, on the main page, let all the reasons for which you agree to give up your mother’s delicious pies and Coca-Cola be listed and highlighted in bright colors. Here, write down all your achievements: how easily you managed to switch to a raw food diet, how the first day/week/month went just “on healthy food”, your failures and how you plan to deal with them.
- Third, there must be sufficient willpower here so as not to give up the whole idea halfway through. If you really want fried chicken or pickled cucumber, eat it, but so that it doesn’t turn into a habit.
- Fourth, it is best to initially inform the people with whom you intend to continue communicating in the future about your desire to change eating habits. This way you can avoid unnecessary conversations and disputes.
- Fifthly, plan your diet based on the time of year. Thus, summer and autumn for raw foodists abound in vegetables and fruits, spring – in greens, in winter you can eat foods that can be stored in cellars for a long time. And then neither your dinner table nor your stomach will ever be empty.
Newbie mistakes
When switching to a raw food diet, try to avoid the following mistakes:Trying to sit on two chairs at once
That is, to violate the regime of “non-mixing” of food, to consume alcoholic drinks. Sometimes people eat" healthy food“every other day, and on other days they allow themselves all the foods, thinking that this way they can get used to it faster. This is self-deception! With such a diet, a raw foodist often has breakdowns. If you decide to switch, you will have to forget about much of your usual diet.
There are many legumes
Everyone has been told since childhood that meat is good for you because of the protein. But raw foodists don’t eat meat! Where can you get precious protein from?! And the most protein is found in soybeans, beans, peas, and beans. And the newly-made raw foodist begins to absorb them in huge quantities. Trying to cram as much “healthy food” into ourselves as possible, we forget that the body is not yet accustomed to it. This is fraught with stomach upset and other conditions - at best. And in the worst case, a person will always think that the raw food diet is to blame for everything, and not himself, and will remember the trial time with fear. Moderation in food, even the healthiest food, is what raw foodists practice.
Force yourself to eat everything
Each of us has our own taste preferences, and it’s hard to imagine habits breaking easily. Therefore, if you do not like cabbage, do not force yourself to eat it with the conviction that it is for the good. Everything has its time. And perhaps in a few years it will also turn into one of your favorites.
Strict raw food diet
"Everything is poison and everything is medicine. Only the dose makes medicine poison and poison medicine." As we see, this phrase of the great physician Paracelsus is also relevant in the case of a raw food diet. Even to the maximum natural system food can harm the body. Now it is only gaining momentum, so it is not possible to trace its influence. But by eating only one type of fruit or grain, a person does not receive enough nutrients. In this case, a raw food diet can lead to serious consequences. This is why it is so important to closely communicate with those who have been practicing this type of nutrition for many years before trying it yourself. The transition to a raw food diet should be carefully considered and smoothly implemented (especially for those who cannot immediately give up meat) and at the same time expand the diet.
Raw food diet: questions and answers - video
- This is not just a diet or special nutrition. This is a whole philosophy. It is impossible to become a raw foodist for two weeks or a month and then return to your usual diet. People come to a raw food diet gradually and forever. The diet of raw foodists was borrowed from our distant ancestors, when they still had no fire, no stove, no utensils, but were able to challenge the cruel world and survive. What is the meaning of a raw food diet and what are its principles?
Raw foodists also minimize and never wash down their food. Drinking is allowed 30 minutes before or 1 hour after meals.
Raw food diet
At your disposal are raw and pickled fruits, berries, vegetables, mushrooms, fresh and dried herbs, dried naturally, all types of nuts, seaweed, unrefined cold-pressed vegetable oils, seeds, sprouted cereal grains, honey. Drinking – pure water(best structured or thawed) and freshly squeezed juices from vegetables and fruits.
The importance of foods in a raw food diet
- The first place is occupied by fresh herbs - dill, parsley, all types of lettuce, spinach, green tops of beets, carrots, celery and turnips, sorrel, nettle and dandelion leaves. Greens should be consumed daily fresh on their own, in salads or in the form of smoothies (cocktails made from leafy vegetables with the addition of other vegetables and fruits). Sprouted cereal grains can also be considered greens.
- Fruits occupy an honorable second place in the diet of raw foodists. Their amount should be 40-50% of the total amount of food daily. Among all fruits, bananas come in last place - they contain a large amount of starch, so you should not abuse them.
- Vegetables take third place. There should be 20-30% of them in a raw foodist’s diet. Root vegetables (beets, carrots, turnips, and others) should make up a smaller portion of your daily serving of vegetables.
- Nuts, seeds and dried fruits are necessary for normal digestion, so they should be present in the raw food diet daily in an amount of 10% in summer and 15% in winter.
- In addition, vegetable oils and honey should be added to the menu of raw foodists.
Positive aspects of a raw food diet
- Raw foodists almost never get sick with viral and colds;
- To feel full, you need significantly less food than a traditionally eating person;
- Raw foodists are distinguished by high immunity, endurance, and body resistance to difficult weather conditions and adverse environmental factors;
- The body does not waste energy on digesting difficult-to-digest food, therefore it has high energy and excellent performance;
- Raw foodists practically do not suffer from mental disorders and various chronic diseases, since their body is clean and not clogged with waste and toxins;
- As a rule, raw foodists look 10-20 years younger than their age.
Sample raw food menu
- After waking up: glass of water.
- First breakfast: a handful of nuts with honey.
- Lunch: in summer - any fresh fruits and berries (in the form of salads and on their own), in winter - dried fruits, winter varieties of fresh apples and pears, thawed berries, soaked apples.
- Dinner: sprouted cereal grains (separately or in salads), any vegetable and fruit salads with vegetable oil, herbs, salt and pepper (for example, grated apple with carrots, or Jerusalem artichoke with apple, herbs and onions). It should be remembered that in winter it is better to eat “fatty” foods (for example, avocados), and in summer – watery ones (for example, watermelons).
- Dinner: any vegetables in the form of salads with herbs or separately.
- For the night: a glass of water or freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juice.
- Snacks: Between meals you should drink clean structured or melt water.
Raw food diet is a popular nutrition system today that does not leave anyone indifferent. Some consider the raw food diet to be a philosophical way of life, thanks to which you can lose weight, improve your health and prolong your life. Others do not share this optimism, believing that raw foodists are dooming themselves to a life of hand to mouth and causing irreparable damage to their health by refusing any processing of foods.
So who are raw foodists? Happy and energetic individuals or people who have deprived themselves of the pleasures of modern cooking? We will answer all your questions, and at the same time tell you what a raw food diet is for beginners.
What is a raw food diet?
The raw food diet is a special nutrition system that recommends eating exclusively plant foods, without heat treatment (no boiling, frying, baking, smoking or pasteurization).
It is worth saying that there are several types of raw food diet, for example:
1. Raw food diet is omnivorous. Allows the consumption of meat, fish and eggs, as well as any vegetables, fruits and herbs, exclusively in raw form.
2. Vegetarian raw food diet. Prohibits the consumption of fish and meat, but allows the inclusion of eggs and dairy products in the diet exclusively in raw form. By the way, a vegetarian raw food diet is the most common type of such nutrition in the world.
3. Raw vegan diet. With this approach to nutrition, any food of animal origin, including eggs and milk, is excluded from the diet. A vegan diet involves eating only plant foods.
4. Fruitarianism. This is one of the most in-depth forms of raw food diet, which involves eating plant fruits, in particular fruits, vegetables and fruits, nuts and berries.
The benefits of a raw food diet
People who are passionate about this approach to nutrition consider the heat treatment of foods to be unnatural, because our ancestors ate exclusively raw, natural foods, which means that a raw food diet is a return to its natural beginning. Moreover, it has long been proven that heat treatment destroys a significant portion of vitamins and minerals, while in raw foods the beneficial substances are retained in full and are moreover better digested by the body.
But there are other, much more serious reasons to become a raw foodist. For example:
- by eating exclusively raw plant foods, you can cleanse the body of waste, toxins and heavy metal salts;
- raw foodists strengthen their immune system and develop resistance to infectious diseases;
- by eliminating animal fats from the diet, a person loses weight naturally, which not only guarantees him a slim figure, but also prevents the development of a number of serious diseases caused by excess body weight;
- avoidance of saturated fats and harmful trans fats has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, and therefore prevents a number of diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- raw food diet improves body tone, increases performance, improves mood and reinforces the desire to lead healthy image life;
- the so-called “food endurance” increases, thanks to which the body begins to better identify and, without harm to health, reject harmful substances present in foods.
The harm of a raw food diet
But there is another opinion, according to which eating only vegetables and fruits can cause irreparable harm to health. It is known that proper human nutrition involves the consumption of 6 elements (fats, proteins and carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water). And with a raw food diet, a person is simply not able to receive all these elements in the volume he needs.
1. Lack of protein foods. You need to understand that some essential amino acids are present only in animal foods. According to doctors, when deprived of these products, a person weakens his immunity.
2. Lack of B vitamins. Experts note that important for nervous system vitamins B2 and B12 are found in sufficient quantities only in milk and beef liver, and therefore by depriving yourself of these products, you can disrupt the functioning of the central nervous system and proper metabolism.
3. Lack of healthy plant foods in winter. You need to understand that the raw food diet originated in hot countries where plant foods grow freely all year round. But the residents of our country will be able to eat natural products only 6-7 months a year, while the rest of the time they will have to buy overseas vegetables and fruits, not always good quality. It is no secret that products grown in greenhouses contain a lot of chemical additives. In this case, the benefits of a raw food diet can be reduced to zero.
Who is contraindicated for a raw food diet?
- persons with gastrointestinal diseases (the acid present in raw foods greatly irritates the gastric mucosa);
- allergic reactions to certain foods (citrus fruits, honey or nuts);
- pregnancy (women during pregnancy need complete protein nutrition, which cannot be achieved without eating meat and offal);
- Experts do not recommend switching to a raw food diet for people under 30 years of age, since before this age some processes in the body are still developing. And after 30 years the body is already fully developed;
- persons over 70 years of age, whose body is in the process of withering, are not recommended to switch to a raw food diet;
- People who are underweight, have recently undergone surgery, or suffer from anemia should also not switch to a raw food diet.
Read also:
Books on raw food diet
Before you become a raw foodist, it would be a good idea to read the beginner's guide. There are plenty of books on this topic on the Internet, but we would recommend you the following literature:
1. “Raw food diet. A guide for beginners" - author Sergei Zdravin.
2. “Eating Raw” - by Carol Ault.
3. “The China Study” - by Colin Campbell.
4. “Green for life. Real story healing" - author Victoria Butenko.
How to switch to a raw food diet correctly
It is important to understand that a raw food diet is not a diet, but a lifestyle, and therefore, before you make changes to your diet, you should understand why you need it. By the way, most raw foodists agree that such food not only benefits the body, but is also a means of spiritual growth.
Only after fully realizing that a raw food diet is exactly your path can you proceed directly to the transition to eating plant foods. At the same time, remember that a sudden refusal of food that is familiar to you can negatively affect the condition of the body, and therefore you need to start with a gradual refusal of certain foods.
It looks like this:
- Week 1: give up all industrially produced products (sausages, sausages, confectionery);
- Week 2: eliminate red meat;
- Week 3: Avoid white meat;
- Week 4: eliminate eggs;
- Week 5: give up fish;
- Week 6: remove milk and dairy products from your diet;
- Week 7: give up cereals.
At the same time, more and more plant foods should enter your diet every week.
You will need to keep a raw foodist diary to record your feelings, information about harmful products, as well as the goals you are trying to achieve through a raw food diet. A separate column in the diary should indicate the results of your work, which will motivate you to maintain the chosen nutrition system.
The most favorable times of the year to start switching to a raw food diet will be summer and autumn, because during these periods there will be an abundance of all kinds of vegetables and fruits on your table. As for winter, during this period the basis of nutrition will be the products stored in your cellar (apples, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, beets and onions). In the spring, your diet will include fresh herbs, Jerusalem artichoke and radishes.
And further. An important factor in switching to a raw food diet should be willpower, without which it will not be possible to adhere to the chosen diet for a long time. That is, if you suddenly feel an uncontrollable urge to eat a piece of fried meat, do not deny yourself this, but such temptations should not become systemic.
Mistakes of beginner raw foodists
As we have already learned, a raw food diet must be approached gradually, week after week giving up certain foods. If you give up animal food in one fell swoop, there is a high risk of “relapse” and returning to your previous diet. But there are other mistakes that beginner raw foodists make.
1. Lack of water. Once they start eating a plant-based diet, some people find that they get enough water from green foods. Actually this is not true. Whatever your diet, you should drink at least 6-8 glasses of clean water per day.
2. Lack of greenery. When switching to a raw food diet, the risk of lack of animal protein in the body increases. To cope with this problem, you need to include greens (lettuce, parsley, dill, nettle and celery) in your diet more often, and also eat nuts.
3. Excessive consumption of vegetable oils, dried fruits and honey, fermented and canned foods. Oils contain a lot of fat, which disrupts the digestion of food. Dried fruits and honey should also not be consumed constantly; you should switch to these products only when plant foods are not available.
4. Overeating. It should be remembered that if you eat too many vegetables and fruits, you risk experiencing lethargy and apathy, drowsiness and lack of energy. Over time, it will be necessary to reduce the amount of food consumed.
5. Lack of physical activity. Raw vegetables and fruits by themselves will not strengthen your muscles or improve your body's health if you do not pay attention to it at the same time. physical exercise. Jogging in the morning, exercising or going to the gym should be done regularly to keep your body healthy and strong.
Raw food diet for weight loss
Switching to eating raw plant foods in order to get rid of extra pounds has many advantages. Firstly, due to the large amount of fiber, the body is quickly cleansed of toxins and waste. Secondly, the absence of fats and carbohydrates in the diet allows you to quickly lose weight, using up your own fat reserves. Thirdly, with a raw food diet, the amount of food consumed decreases. Uncooked food has a coarser consistency, which means more time and energy is spent processing it. Finally, individuals who practice a raw food diet gain not only a beautiful figure, but also activity and clarity of mind.
Approximate daily diet for a raw foodist
- 45–50% raw fruits and berries;
- 30–40% raw vegetables;
- 10–15% legumes and grains;
- 5–10% nuts, seeds, dried fruits and honey;
- 1% vegetable oil, garlic and spices.
Sample menu for a raw foodist in summer
Cucumbers + radishes + parsley + dill + lettuce;
Nettle + tomatoes + dandelion leaves;
Carrots + cucumbers + leafy green vegetables;
Bell peppers + tomatoes + herbs;
White cabbage + apples + peaches;
Carrot + cauliflower(broccoli) + peaches;
Plums + cabbage + apricots;
Several types of berries + cabbage;
Sweet apple + black currant + nectarines;
Zucchini + cabbage + cucumbers;
Zucchini + tart apple + leafy greens.
Sample menu for a raw foodist in winter
Apple + carrots + celery root;
Carrots + cabbage + apple;
Apple + beets + prunes;
Carrots + cauliflower + garlic + beets;
Turnip + pumpkin + apple;
Broccoli + cauliflower;
Apple + dried apricots + radish (rutabaga).
In winter, you can include exotic vegetables and fruits in your diet, always in combination with familiar foods:
Orange (grapefruit) + banana + apple;
Carrot + Chinese cabbage+ orange;
Apple + cabbage + orange;
Orange + carrots + seeds;
Sweet and sour apple + orange + dates;
Avocado + pistachios.
At the same time, for breakfast you can prepare salads with the addition of cold-pressed oil, adding, if desired, lemon juice, honey, Apple vinegar, mustard powder or garlic.
By the way, any salad can be seasoned with nuts or seeds that have been previously soaked for 8 hours in water room temperature. Almonds and walnuts are best suited for this purpose. Pine nuts, as well as pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
And most often only products of plant origin. There are four main dietary options for raw foodists.
1. Raw food diet consists of fresh raw fruits, berries, vegetables and their juices, air-dried fruits and berries, wild edible plants, nuts, raw oilseeds and other plants, sprouted grains, soaked in cold water whole grains or cereals close to whole grains, vegetable oils obtained by cold pressing, natural honey. Pickled vegetables are acceptable. Drink – pure raw water. Juices of fruits, berries and vegetables, as well as drinks of raw grain products or nuts, are classified as food and not as a thirst-quenching drink.
This diet is common among supporters of a raw food diet. By set food products it is very close to a strictly vegetarian diet - veganism. What distinguishes it from ordinary veganism is that heat treatment of foods during cooking is completely excluded.
2. Raw food diet basically repeats the previous one, but whole grains and cereals soaked in cold water, pickled vegetables, and sometimes vegetable oil are excluded from it. Sprouted grain is acceptable. This is the strictest raw food diet. The most consistent raw foodists include mainly fresh raw fruits and berries in their diet. This diet is called fructoriapism.
3. Raw food diet represents products of the 1st diet, but is supplemented with raw milk and, in some cases, dairy products: yogurt and other fermented milk drinks, cream, sour cream, cottage cheese. However, true raw foodists reject dairy products. industrial production. You can include raw eggs.
Raw foodists who eat raw plant and dairy products are called “omnivores,” in contrast to absolute, or ideal raw foodists, who eat only raw plant foods. The word "omnivore" has a relative meaning, since raw foodists of any type do not consume meat or fish.
4. Raw food diet corresponds to the 1st or 3rd diet, but is supplemented with bread baked, if possible, from whole grains and without the use of yeast. If baked bread is included in a 3-1 diet (vegetable-milk-egg), then such a diet can be considered the least strict in a raw food diet.
Many raw foodists consume whole apples and other fruits with the seed pod, so as not to disturb the “food complex”. In grated apple or ground pumpkin, the seeds are less noticeable. Great importance is also attached to the peel - fruits, berries and vegetables should be eaten with the peel. A whole egg is considered more nutritious than one yolk or white, and whole milk is more nutritious than cream or sour cream.
You should not eat a lot or often. Only once a day can you eat thoroughly, and two more times - little by little. This is the limit. Anything beyond this is harmful, especially snacking between three meals. You need to eat slowly, chewing your food thoroughly. This is especially important when we're talking about about raw plant products. If they are poorly chewed, gastric and intestinal disorders and bloating occur.
When eating a raw food diet, you can do without table salt, hot spices, spices and seasonings. Due to the complete or almost complete exclusion of table salt from the diet, thirst decreases and excess liquid is not introduced into the body, especially since fruits and vegetables contain natural juices.
A diet menu of raw fruits and vegetables could be like this:
Breakfast:
- Apple salad (see recipe below), 20-30 g of nuts - separately or in salad, 100-200 g of fresh fruit, apple tea dried fruits rosehip.
- 150-250 g of fresh fruit, 50-100 g of green salad, 100-150 g of fresh vegetables, 20 g of nuts, fresh fruit or vegetable juices.
- Same as breakfast.
1 tablespoon oatmeal soak for 12 hours in 3 tablespoons of water, then add the juice of ½ lemon or other sour fruit, 1 tablespoon of milk, kefir or honey, 2 grated apples and 1 tablespoon of grated nuts, if they are not given separately for breakfast.
A raw food diet can help normalize body weight, especially in obesity, strengthen muscles, and facilitate body movements. The famous Australian naturopath K. Jeffrey in his book “Natural Food” (1974) indicated an approximate set of products (in percentage) that should comprise a daily food ration with a total weight of about 1.5 kg:
- raw fruits and berries (except bananas) – 50%;
- raw vegetables (except potatoes) – 35%;
- grain products (mainly whole grains), legumes, potatoes, bananas - 10% of the diet; these products can be eaten after light cooking or raw;
- dried fruits, nuts, seeds, cottage cheese, cream, eggs, honey – 5-10%;
- boiled vegetables (except cabbage) can be consumed 1-2 times a week, provided they are heated briefly;
- vegetable oil, fruit juices, onion, garlic, table salt and other seasonings - 1% of food consumed.
According to Katsudzo Nishi’s “Health System” (1936), which incorporates raw food nutrition, fasting, yoga, bioenergy and other techniques, you should start the day with juicy fruits, which should be eaten raw and whole - with peel and seeds. It is not wise to juice them. IN winter time You can soak dried fruits and eat them as a separate dish along with the infusion.
For people who still continue to eat “unnatural” cooked food, K. Nishi recommends taking a contrast shower after eating or air baths. It is imperative to combine cooked food with raw vegetables. In this case, there should be 3 times more raw foods than cooked ones.
Breakfast:Raw fruits in season (2-3 oranges or 200 g of grapes and one apple or 2 pears, etc.) or in combination with soaked dried fruits.
Dinner:A salad of raw grated or finely chopped vegetables (carrots, cabbage, turnips, etc.) with herbs and, if desired, with the addition of vegetable oil; instead of vegetables, you can use sour fruits and berries, adding to them 100 g of nuts or oil seeds (sunflower and etc.).
Dinner:Vegetable salad, nuts (seeds) or a combination of green salad, green or red pepper, beet tops and nuts; Instead of vegetables, you can eat fruits as for breakfast.
To salads, mainly in winter, you can add dried herbs, powdered seeds and berries (rowanberries, blueberries, etc.). In the summer it is worth drying pine, nettles, and other wild plants. It is advisable to use apricot kernels and pollen (2-3 g per dose). Raw vegetables can be eaten with vegetable oil, fruits and dried fruits with honey. Fresh fruits can be replaced with freshly prepared vegetable juices.
Raw foodists believe that the main cause of obesity is eating unnatural food. When eating natural, raw food, obesity cannot occur. Indeed, firstly, it is difficult to overeat raw plant foods. Secondly, calculations accepted in nutrition science show that the energy value of the recommended six diets ranges from a maximum of 2.94 to 5.88 MJ (from 700 to 1400 kcal) per day. This corresponds to diets used in the treatment of obesity in modern dietetics.
Switching to a raw food diet requires a lot of endurance and the ability to limit yourself in food. Becoming an absolute Raw Foodist, a person not only stops consuming animal products, but also abandons the familiar taste of boiled, baked, stewed, fried, salted and other foods. In addition, the transition to raw food rarely occurs without adverse effects of varying manifestations and intensity. side effects. Therefore, rules for the transition to a raw food diet have been developed.
Rules for switching to a raw food diet
The doctrine of a raw food diet provides for a gradual transition from a regular diet to eating only raw food and gradually limiting the range of foods until the diet consists predominantly or entirely of raw fruits, berries, vegetables, wild plants, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains. Only a few supporters of a raw food diet, in particular G. Shelton, recommend a quick, without hesitation or addiction, transition from “dead” food to “live”, raw plant food.
The first step to a raw food diet is to exclude animal and poultry meat from the diet, then fish. Further, if desired, eggs can be excluded from the diet. A diet consisting of raw and cooked plant and dairy products or plant-milk-egg foods is called a semi-raw food diet.
Raw foodists believe that the transition to a semi-raw food diet usually occurs without significant difficulties, especially for those people who have already been able to wean themselves off meat and fish. However, the transition from cooked food, not even meat or fish, to a complete raw food diet is rarely accomplished immediately, easily and irrevocably. In adults, such a transition should be careful and gradual. We need to “re-educate” our digestive system.
The amount of time required to switch to raw food depends on the person's age, health, character, profession and other factors. Adaptation can take years, since the body's habits play a huge role in nutrition. In addition, during the period of getting used to raw food, one must endure a number of possible unpleasant sensations or disorders from the gastrointestinal tract and general malaise.
- in the morning and evening - raw foods, in the afternoon a lunch of raw and boiled food or only boiled;
- in the morning and evening - boiled food, in the afternoon - lunch of raw food;
- During each meal, they first eat a raw dish, then a boiled one; Fruits and nuts should be eaten before a main meal, and not after it, then they are better used by the body.
However, most people do not need morning food and it is better to limit themselves to two meals: around 11 and 17 hours. In the morning and evening, the same liquids are recommended: juices diluted with water, vegetable “milk”, raw “teas” from herbs, leaves, roots or flowers. From a vegetable-milk or vegetable-milk-egg diet, including boiled food, you should step by step eliminate first eggs, then dairy products, then milk, while at the same time replacing cooked food with raw food.
Raw foodists claim that the gradual elimination of all animal products provides the “purest and most toxin-free” diet. It is recommended to carry out a “trial raw food diet”: every semi-raw foodist who has the will, endurance and a healthy digestive system, who is already partially accustomed to raw vegetable and dairy products, can carry out such a trial course for 2-3 weeks. Raw foodists believe that even such a trial raw food diet “cleanses, heals and rejuvenates the body, provides it with rest and a solid vitamin boost.”
Late summer and autumn are the most suitable time for a “trial raw food diet”, especially during the holidays. According to raw foodists, as a result of a trial of eating only raw food, a person feels extraordinary ease of movement, clarity of mind and cheerful mood. Body weight almost always decreases, but then after the body adapts to the new diet, it returns to normal.
During the trial period of a raw food diet, at first it is better to eat little rather than a lot, and only when you have an appetite. It is advisable to eat mainly seasonal products of this time of year. Thorough chewing of raw food is extremely important, and if the chewing apparatus is poor, some raw foods (for example, nuts) must be finely crushed, ground or pureed.
You should not eat after drinking or drink while eating. In the cold season, raw food must be heated in a warm room to the air temperature of the room. Cooked raw foods should not be left for long periods of time. Table salt, vinegar, spices, seasonings should be replaced with tomato, lemon, cranberry and other juices.
Of course, these rules retain their meaning even with a complete transition to a diet consisting of raw fruits, berries, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains, etc., i.e. on an absolute raw food diet. Consumption of yeast-free bread baked from whole crushed grains or from wholemeal flour with the addition of bran is acceptable during the transition period. Some raw foodists include such bread in their regular diet.
There is a proven fact that properly organized nutrition allows people to radically change their lives and habits, and also has a beneficial effect on their health and vitality. What knowledge does a novice raw foodist need for this?So, a raw food diet is eating primarily raw plant foods. What is an adequate raw food diet? First of all, this is a conscious approach to nutrition, which, instead of myths, blind faith and fanaticism, is based on experiment, logic and scientific and medical knowledge about the structure of the human body. The main differences of this approach are:
- An adequate raw foodist eats food in order to havegood health,a healthy body and a clear mind, and not for the sake of some ephemeral goals and empty self-promotion;
- P when planning your dietan adequate raw foodist does not look at primitive new feeding behavior of monkeys in wildlife, Aturns to for help modern science and the power of the mind;
- Instead of thoughtlessness special separation of products into “raw” and “cooked”conscious raw foodistguided by informationabout all the most important properties of food.
Food energy
As is known, energy necessary for a person for life is released from food products during their biological oxidation. At the same time, the main differences between this process and conventional combustion are: its long duration and multi-stage biochemical reactions. In the human body, food nutrients release energy and are oxidized into final products that are eliminated from the body. But because different food nutrients have different energy values, scientists had to find a way to measure their energy potential. The unit of measurement for this potential is calories, which are used to calculate the amountexcreted from foodthermal energy.
For example, a gram of carbohydrates is oxidized to body to carbon dioxide and water, releasing about 4 kcal energy. This energy is subsequently used in cells for the synthesis of universal biofuel -Adnosine triphosphoric acid.
What is noteworthy here is thatExactly the same final products, and the same amount of energy, are formed when carbohydrates are burned in a special device designed to measure the energy potential of food - a calorimeter. The possibility of such measurement of the energy of biochemical reactions exists thanks to the law of thermochemistry of Academician G. Hess, which states:
The total yield of thermal energy of the reaction depends only on the initial and final states of the substances. And the number of intermediate stages of the process does not matter.
This means that, despite the fact that the process of glucose oxidation in living cells is a multi-stage process, its total energy output will be exactly the same as in the calorimeter.
Ignorance of this fundamental law of thermochemistry and the basic physiology of the human body makes some raw foodists skeptical about the calorie system for measuring food energy, and especially fanatical ones even aggressive.
But no matter how we criticizemodern dietetics, we all need to recognize that different foods have different nutritional values and chemical composition. I hope no one will dispute, for example, that cereals are rich in high-energy starch, and fruits are rich in simple sugars, or that a few hundred grams of nuts are much more satiating than a kilogram of cucumbers.L Any sane person must understand that if he wants to live and lead an active lifestyle, then he needs to supply his body with as much energy from food as his body requires. Whether we believe in calories or not, whether we know about their existence or not, does not matter. IN This set of cells in our body with such and such mass and such and such growth requires a certain amount of energy from food to carry out normal life activities, and there can be no exceptions(!!!
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You need to learn a simple truth - any physical activity requires energy. Therefore, nothing will save a person from exhaustion if, for example, he burns 2000
kcal, and consume for the whole day from a couple of kilograms of apples or oranges in total 1000
kcal His body will certainly take the missing energy from its storage tissues, and it does not matter whether this person eats raw or thermally processed food.
Therefore, from the very beginning, a raw foodist needs to organize his daily diet so that it optimally satisfies his body’s energy and material needs.For example, a person on a traditional diet requires on average two to three thousand kilocalories per day.
For ease of calculation, we need to remember that a kilogram of fruit is on average 500 kcal, and a kilogram of vegetables or herbs is about 300 kcal.
In this case, one should also take into account the specific dynamic effect of food, which determines the degree of influencevarious nutrientson human metabolism. This important feature determines that a raw foodist, who eats mainly fruits and vegetables, in generalless energy is required than with a traditional high-protein diet. This is explained by the fact that when high-protein foods are broken down into different sources from 30%
before40%
its calorie content goes towards its own digestion. Complex carbohydrates require for their digestion 5%
energy, fats Total 3%
, and light carbohydrates such as glucose and fructose do not require practically any energy consumption for their digestion.( , , )Therefore, on a low-protein diet, the energy output of nutrients is HIGHER.
Based on these features of human physiology andknowledge of the energy potential of productsit turns out that the average raw foodist who wants to stay at a normal weight on a low-protein fruit and vegetable diet needs to eat about 4 kg food per day.
Of course, the recommended amount of food andyour energy consumption valuesthose obtained from this simplified calculation will not have absolute accuracy. After all, we all have different diets, body composition, metabolic rates and levels of physical activity. However, at first it will be appropriate for a raw foodist to at least approximately know how much food he needs to consume per dayto avoid overeating or, conversely, excessive weight loss.Information about the energy potential of various products and existing methods calculating the body's energy consumption, taking into account the individual characteristics of a person, his weight, height and other body parameters. (1 , , )
However, instead of an adequate and competent approach to this topic in information environment Raw foodists have an extremely frivolous attitude towards understanding the basics of nutritional physiology. This inappropriate position is especially typical for beginner raw foodists who have neither sufficient raw food experience nor basic knowledge of biology.. But there is an incredible excess of ambition and a sense of personal exclusivity. In their understanding, a raw foodist is at least a superman, to whom all the laws of nature and knowledge discovered by science are alien.These people, divorced from reality, believe that they are so different from the rest of humanity that modern standards of nutrition and medicine are absolutely not applicable to them. Allegedly their body is capable independently produce all vitamins andthe substances he needs, and can alsolong time live without food without losing weight. One gets the feeling that these people have never studied, and they are generally unaware that in the human body there is storage fat tissue, which is inevitably consumed by the body on a low-calorie diet.
Losing body fat on a raw food diet has a rejuvenating and beneficial effect on people suffering from excess weight. Therefore, these raw foodists can afford to eat extremely small amounts of raw plant food for quite a long time. For them, such a low-calorie diet will only be beneficial.
However, it should be noted here that for raw foodists with a normal and especially with a low body mass index, excessive loss of storage tissue over time can result in serious depletion.Therefore, a person with a low percentage of body fat shouldIn order to maintain a normal weight and lead an active lifestyle, you need to eat enough( !!! ) Otherwise, on a low-calorie diet, at first there will be an intense consumption of fat reserves, and then, after they are depleted, inevitable degeneration of muscle tissue, loss of their strength and ultimately even a limitation of normal mobility. ( i )
It's like it's from food stubbornly do not notice that people (especially full) By switching to a raw food diet they lose weight. And they don’t lose weight because they eat little. Vice versa,The amount of raw plant food in the daily diet of many raw foodists is greater than the same amount of food in traditionally eating people. This paradox is quite simply explained. After all, the basis of the diet of raw foodists is a variety of vegetables, fruits and herbs. And as you know, the nutritional value of these products is many times less than that of traditional cuisine.
But most popularizers and propagandists of raw food diets so enthusiastically repeat their “mantra” about enzymes and self-dissolution of food that they are not even able to notice the contradiction between their theory and the actual state of affairs. Raw foodists improve their health and normalize body weight not because of enzymes and autolysis, but because the basis of their diet is low-calorie foods with a low protein content. It is these qualities of a diet consisting mainly of fresh fruits and vegetables that make it possible to effectively suppress the processes and, and also contribute to the loss of excess fat deposits.( ,) A thoughtful approach and understanding of this and the information provided in the links will help you avoid many mistakes and misconceptions. And most importantly, this will make it possible to understand the true reasons for the beneficial effects of a raw food diet on the human body( !!!
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Unfortunately, at the moment only a fewinterested in expanding their horizons with knowledge of anatomy, physiology,biochemistry and other scientific disciplines necessary to understand the essence of a raw food diet.Nobody wants to think for themselves! Most it is much easier to believe in sacred enzymes andgreat autolysis,in order to quickly take the vow of a raw food diet and blindly fulfill its commandments - “do not cook” and “do not mix”. And when should you think about the meaning of some rules and theories?if instead of searching for the truth, fanatics conduct a continuous holy war against unfaithful dish loversand the apostates who tasted the defiling boiled water? That's right, no time!And no matter how ironic all this may sound, after reading what the majority of inadequate raw foodists write in various communities, forums and their websites, outsiders come to the conclusion that raw foodists are a sect of abnormal fanatics, and the raw food diet itself is a kind of pseudo-religious cult, has nothing to do with healthy eating .
Newly-minted adherents of this religion, after a couple of weeks or months, are so imbued with the ideas instilled in them about the dangers of any “boiled food” and the mega-benefits of enzymes and autolysis that they are no longer interested in anything else. And none of them even think about the fact that uncontrolled and thoughtless consumption of raw plant foods can harm their health. For these people, there is no difference between eating foods with high and low protein concentrations, which are known to determine the composition of the intestinal microflora. They are also not interested in the fact that some fruits contain tannins that tend to slow down peristalsis and weaken the gastrointestinal tract’s resistance to infections. They are annoyed by such words are like vitamins, calorie content proteins, fats and carbohydrates, because all this was invented by scoundrel scientists. And the fact that many people with such an irresponsible attitude towards themselves and their nutrition lead themselves to dystrophy and various diseases, no one simply wants to notice. You will ask why? Yes, because any serious incidents are usually either hushed up or attributed to all sorts of “crises and purges”, which some incompetent "gurus" are considered the norm for a raw foodist.
Therefore it is not surprising thatin numerous communities, forums and groupsdedicated to the raw food diet, fanatical followers of the “cult” and other inadequate individualsThey write all sorts of nonsense all the time. Eg:
(quote )“For raw monoeaters, a couple of fruits a day are enough, but some may forget to eat the whole day and are full of energy.”
(quote )“After switching to a raw food diet, you start to fill yourself up with two cucumbers. Food no longer worries you: you can go without eating for days.”
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At the same time, “quite by accident” these supermen are silent about the gradual weight loss and ensuing exhaustion. And, of course, few of these writers bother to supplement their stories with the fact that after such “days” they experience “gluttony” - unbridled gluttony for raw food or even have “breakdowns” on heat-treated food.
Therefore, if we look away from illusions and approach the raw food diet from the position of knowledge and objective reality, then it is necessary to state the fact that beginning raw foodists often tend to violate their diet. Some openly suffer from overeating, others starve themselves, and others alternate between these extremes.
Ultimately, the lack of a properly planned diet and satisfaction with their nutrition causes many people to become disillusioned with a raw food diet. Classic example This experience of a former raw foodist can serve as such ordeals. And this is not an isolated case. Unfortunately, many people go through a similar “obstacle course” on a raw food diet due to lack of awareness.
Controlling the amount of food
After undereating, one of the most common mistakes when switching to a raw food diet is regularly overeating.
The need to regulate the amount consumed
raw foodist food is dictated physiological characteristics breathing and the structure of the human digestive system. With normal functioning of all body systems and normal intestinal volume - the heart, lungs, as well as the organs lying below the diaphragm - the stomach, liver and pancreas, receive a powerful massaging stimulus from the diaphragm. Because this main respiratory muscle of the body constantly makes intense oscillatory movements.By making oscillatory movements, the diaphragm helps to create suction pressure in the chest, which improves blood supply to all organs and tissues of the body. But due to the large volumes of food eaten and its subsequent fermentation, leading to, the intestines swell and occupy the maximum possible volume in the abdominal cavity, propping up the diaphragm and squeezing internal organs.The diaphragm does not reach the required amplitude oscillatory movements and is forced to take the wrong position; being in this state, it compresses the bases of the lungs, causing blood stagnation in their lower sections, as well as in the blood vessels of the liver and spleen. As a result of all these changes, a fairly large volume of blood is excluded from the general circulation.
Ultimately, organs and tissues receive less nutrients; metabolic products accumulate in them, leading to acidosis (acidification), which is already subjectively experienced as overwork, a constant feeling of weakness and apathy.
It should be added here that overeating or, in other words, “gorging,” accompanied by overfilling and overstretching of the intestines, leads to an acceleration of the movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, this acceleration occurs not due to natural intestinal peristalsis, but due to the fact that new portions of food displace the previous ones into the underlying sections of the gastrointestinal tract. This, in turn, leads to an increase in the process of desquamation of epithelial cells of the intestinal mucosa, the so-called desquamation.
The intestinal epithelium becomes thinner, its integrity and barrier function are impaired, it becomes like a “sieve”. As a result, its permeability to endotoxins and bacterial invasions increases. A raw foodist experiences irritable bowel syndrome.
In addition, the excessively rapid evacuation of food masses from the body suppresses the development of colonies of symbiotic microflora, which do not have time to produce sufficient vitamins necessary for the body. arise
Food quality control
The next significant point for a raw foodist’s body is the chemical composition of food. The structure and functioning of the human digestive system, as well as the vital functions of the intestinal microflora, dictate the need for conscious control of the content of various foods in food. prebiotics(food components that selectively stimulate the growth and metabolism of one or more groups of microorganisms living in the large intestine).
Nutrients in food gastrointestinal tract exposed to wide range various bacterial enzymes. Long protein molecules are broken down into amino acids and short amino acid chains - oligomers. Fats are broken down into fatty acids and glycerol. And various complex carbohydrates (starch, cellulose, sugars) to their monomers - glucose and fructose, which, in turn, are fermented to short-chain fatty acids, pyruvic, lactic acid, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and other compounds.
All these food breakdown products have a diverse effect on the human body. Thus, short-chain fatty acids improve the trophism of the intestinal and liver mucosa, and also enhance their cellular regeneration. Pyruvic and lactic acid, as well as other products of carbohydrate fermentation, are absorbed in the large intestine and become an additional source of energy for humans. According to modern dietetics, due to the microflora of the large intestine, the human body satisfies 6 before 9% energy needs.
At the same time, the products of food protein decay - cadaveric poisons (ammonia, mercaptan, indole, skatole and many others) enhance ( !!! ) These substances cannot be used by cells as a source of energy, but on the contrary disrupt normal metabolism and worsen human well-being. Moreover, these endotoxins require additional energy from cells to neutralize them and remove them from our body.
To organize proper nutrition, it is enough to understanda few simple principlesrelationships between man and his microcosm. Representatives of the normal microflora of the human intestine are very diverse:these are bacteroides, bifidobacteria, lactobacilliand many others .Composition and beneficial propertiesour intestinal microfloradepend, first of all, on the nutrient medium in which these microorganisms live. Therefore, it will depend on a person’s diet which bacteria will be colonized in large quantities and which will be suppressed due to the lack of nutrients necessary for their development. According to this feature of the life activity of microorganisms, it will be convenient for us to divide the microflora of the large intestine into two main groups:
Proteolytic bacteria (break down proteins): (bacteroides, proteus and others)belong to opportunistic microflora harmful to humans. These microorganisms use protein and its breakdown products as a nutrient substrate, causing, the final metabolites of which are substances toxic to humans - indole, skatole, cadaverine, putrescine, mercaptan, phenol, etc. With the “prosperity” of putrefactive bacteria and a decrease,in the human body there are a number of negative consequences and metabolic disorders.
Saccharolytic bacteria (break down sugars):(bifidobacteria, lactobacilli and others) use various carbohydrates as foodand polysaccharides of intestinal mucus.These representatives of the intestinal microflora are beneficial for humans, as they suppress the development of pathogenic and putrefactive microorganisms,synthesize vitamins - B1, B2, B3, B6, K, RR, etc.., stimulate peristalsis, and also participate in the hydrolysis of fiber, which is not digested by human digestive juices and enzymes.
Putrefactive and beneficial microflorafight among themselves for living space and resources in the host’s body. Thus, the dominance of one class of microorganisms inhibits and prevents the development of another, and vice versa. But the decisive factor in this confrontation is the percentage of carbohydrates and protein in food.
Product | Squirrels | Fats | Carbohydrates | Kcal |
Peanut | 26 | |||
Peas | 23 | |||
Buckwheat | 13 | |||
Almond | 19 | |||
Beans | 22 | |||
sunflower seed | 21 | |||
You will notice that most of these products have a higher protein concentration than high protein animal foods. For comparison, the protein content in pork is 15%, beef - 19%, chicken - 20%, fish 14-20%.
This means that for the formation of a useful biocenosis in the intestinesOnly a small portion of your daily diet should come from foods high in protein, such as seeds, grains, legumes and nuts, andb ABOUT The majority of the food consumed should be foods rich in FIBER and CARBOHYDRATES - vegetables and fruits.
Binding substances in food
Binders- these are substances of plant origin ( tannins, tannins). Both the mucous membrane of the mouth and any other mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract with which tannins come into direct contact seem to go numb. They make your mouth feel astringent and have a tart taste. At the same time the mucosal surface becomes sharply thickened and decreases on it separation of protective mucus.As a result, the mucous membranes lose their resistance to bacterial invasions.
In the gastrointestinal tract, astringents precipitate food proteins and mucus, so that they form films that deprive the walls of the digestive organs of sensitivity. Therefore, peristalsis (automatic wave-like contractions of smooth muscles that push food masses through the intestines) slows down significantly.There may not be specific constipation when eating fruits with an astringent taste,since new portions of food will in any case contribute to the movement and evacuation of feces. But in the absence of tannins, the body copes much more efficiently with the transit of food masses throughgastrointestinal tract. Therefore, a person noticeably Abdominal volume decreases and well-being improves. If you want to verify this personally, pay attention to how you feel and the visual volume of your abdomen when eating a diet with fruits containing tannins and when eating foods without them. Only Thanks to the experiment, you can find out for yourself which diet is preferable for you( !!! )
Now let's summarize this information review and briefly summarize the basic principles of an adequate raw food diet. So, what does a person switching to a raw food diet need to know so that his new lifestyle is conscious and as effective as possible?
1) To avoid overeating or, conversely, excessive weight loss, it is advisable for an adequate raw foodist to know the approximate daily norm food needs, and try to at least partially adhere to it;
2) To stimulate the growth of beneficial intestinal microflora, as well as suppress the processes of putrefaction and food leukocytosis, an informed raw foodist should give preference when compiling his diet fruits, vegetables and greens, and all foods with a higher protein concentration are desirable limit ;
3) To improve peristalsis and prevent stagnation of food masses in the intestines, a reasonable raw foodist is advised to limit the consumption of fruits containing tannins.
Of course, these few rules are just the “tip of the iceberg” of the knowledge that is needed to make a raw food diet bring real joy. And further in this magazine you will be able to get acquainted with a deeper level of understanding of the principles of healthy eating.
In search of an optimal lifestyleyou still have a huge amount of interesting and useful information
. Especially e If your raw food journey has just begun. Well, following the simple but important recommendations given in this article will allow you to avoid many mistakes and will definitely please you with your results.
Approach the raw food diet wisely, and it will certainly work for you.
source good health, cheerfulness and spiritual harmony!!!
