Benefits of Eating Raw Foods and How to Begin

Eating More Raw Foods Began in 1970 When Dr. Ann Wigmore Started the Raw Food Movement.

She believed that eating mainly raw foods could prevent many diseases and improve overall health.

Fortunately, eating more raw foods has become the norm all over the world. Nowadays healthy raw food is available everywhere, in restaurants and health food stores. Even celebrity chefs are doing it.

While the raw food movement started by Dr. Ann Wigmore may not be of interest to you now, you may become more aware of the benefits of eating more raw foods every day in order for you to enjoy a healthier life!

Some of the Benefits of Eating Raw Organic Foods

Higher Nutritional Content: Organic fruits and vegetables generally have a much higher content of nutrition than frozen, canned or cooked vegetables. The important minerals, enzymes, vitamins are retained, instead of wasted by the process of cooking them.

Improved Digestion: Because raw fruits or vegetables are crunchier, you need to chew them longer. Chewing is crucial as it breaks the food down while mixing saliva (which contains digestive enzymes) with the food before it goes to the stomach. This process improves digestion, which in turn helps your body utilize the vitamins, enzymes and minerals to keep you healthy!

Improved Alkalinity: The pH of your blood is connected to the foods you consume, and the ideal blood pH is between 7.30 and 7.45.  Consuming only cooked foods, high fat foods and processed foods can result in an acidic condition inside your body. This can harm your immune system which could lead to health issues. Organic raw fruits and vegetables are as close to Mother Nature as you get! Eating more of these could greatly improve your health by lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as reduce your risk for other diseases.

Increased Energy Levels: Raw foods are full of energy straight from the sun. They also contain large amounts of minerals, enzymes, vitamins, etc. A combination of these two things maintains your energy levels during the course of the day.

Mental Clarity: Raw fruits, especially blueberries and avocados, are excellent brain foods. Leafy green veggies, celery, beets, and broccoli, clear your mind and can improve your FOCUS. For healthy oils, be sure to include moderate amounts of extra-virgin olive olive oil (EVOO) and coconut oil. Other brain foods include walnuts, dark chocolate, bone broth, salmon, egg yolks and two of my favorite spices… rosemary and turmeric.

Tasty Flavors: You should add some raw foods into your diet and experiment with different herbs to add new flavors and textures to your meals. New flavors can inspire you to try new combinations.

Weight Loss: Adding raw foods to your diet may help you to increase your metabolism and possibly lose some weight if that’s your goal. Whether you are trying to lose weight or just trying to maintain a healthy weight, eating raw foods will help.

A Few Easy Ways to Increase Your Intake of Raw Foods

Blend some fresh avocado, spinach and artichokes with your food processor or blender for a yummy spread in wraps and sandwiches or enjoy as a dip with raw veggies, pita chips or crackers.

Slice an avocado on toast and top off with a pouched or fried egg using a light amount of avocado oil, coconut oil or olive oil.

Prepare a large salad for lunch or dinner. Mix fresh greens with other vegetables such as beets, onions, tomatoes, spinach, kale, peppers and cucumbers. Top your salad off with some nuts and seeds or roasted pumpkin seeds to get a higher nutritional content. Get creative!… there are so many options!

For a quick healthy snack, try some veggies like carrots, celery and red peppers with almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower butter.

You can make a wrap stuffed with all kinds of delicious goodies such as tomatoes, sprouts, avocado, spinach, kale, cucumber, peppers and hummus made from raw cashews or use the fresh spinach, avocado and artichoke dip mentioned above!

For dessert, try some fresh fruit or blend frozen strawberries, banana, walnuts and a dash of vanilla with almond milk for a creamy dessert. For the chocolate lovers, you can make delicious raw chocolate fudge with organic cocoa and coconut oil. Later, I will be posting some of my favorite recipes and in the meantime, remember…

When increasing your raw foods, you should begin slowly as it could cause some digestive discomfort if you change your diet too quickly. Build up gradually and you’ll soon see the results of eating raw foods. Your mental clarity, energy levels and so much more, should improve greatly.

You might also like this post on plant-based smoothies.