As with anything in life, we advocate an 80/20 approach to food. Let’s face it, every single one of us is going to fancy a slice of chocolate cake once in a while, so as long as the rest of your day is relatively healthy its really not going to hurt! So when it comes to raw food diets, there can be pretty strong arguments for and against. Some experts believe that a purely raw diet is bad news, and others believe its the way to go. We believe that a little bit of raw incorporated into your diet can be a great thing, and here are our reasons why. Three Reasons to Eat Raw…
What is a raw food diet?
Put simply, a raw food diet is one that consists of only uncooked and unprocessed foods. And since we ‘re all for eating as clean as possible, most of you will be part way there already. Serious all or nothing raw food fans will eat ONLY raw and unprocessed foods, but its up to you whether you want to take this approach or not. Like we said, an 80/20 rule never hurt anybody!
How to go raw
Like anything, making the leap into eating raw is best done gradually, so that you don’t end up craving what you ‘shouldn’t’ have and so that its more likely to become a way of life than a fad diet. Our top three tips for making the changes:
- Aim to eat more raw foods in general, rather than replacing everything in your diet.
- Make sure your fridge is packed with tasty raw treats at ALL TIMES!
- Invest some time in creating delicious raw desserts
The last tip is our favourite, and especially important if you have a sweet tooth. Its the only way to stay away from cake!
Staples
If you’re serious about eating raw, these are the foods you need to make sure you always have in the kitchen:
- Cacoa- in its raw form, cacao is filled with minerals and antioxidants, meaning its energizing, mood enhancing and stress-relieving.
- Avocado- regular readers will already know how much we love this super food! And if you’re wanting to eat more raw food, make sure this is on your list!
- Cashew nuts- this little beauties are loaded with minerals and good fats and particularly good for the brain, skin, bones and mental health. Use them in salads, use them to make milk, or have them on hand to snack on. Delicious!
So why eat raw?
As we’ve already mentioned, you might not want to go completely 100% raw, and that’s fine. Make it manageable and enjoyable for you! Here are our three reasons why you should at least consider eating raw…
- Eating raw can help you learn about your body, health and nutrition. As you investigate new foods and start to get a little more creative with the meals you prepare, you’ll notice two things. Firstly, you’ll notice there are some foods that your body doesn’t like! Secondly, you’ll start to learn more about the science behind nutrition. Believe me, you’ll want to read more and more!
- You’ll find a new flair for food. It stands to reason. The more you learn about what goes into your body, the more you’ll find a new passion for preparing meals. You need to be creative, not just to keep the food interesting but to make more of your meals raw. And yes, you’ll discover ingredients you’ve never heard of before too. Its all part of the fun!
- You’ll save money. If you get your protein from nuts, seed, spinach and greens such as spinach, you’re going to save a lot more than if you get it from meat.
Could you go raw?
