Raw Foods - Key to Weight Loss and Better Health

Not too long ago, our ancestors’ diet consisted mostly of raw foods including fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouted seeds and grains, dried fruit and juices, rolled or flaked grains, together with a few herbs and spices.

When times were abundant, animals and fish were also included in their diet, but the average diet was composed mainly of fruits and vegetables. The men and women were fit, and everyone had a variety of daily physical activities like walking and running.

Everything was going along rather well until one day someone discovered fire, which started the downward spiral and eventually led us to today’s ‘processed foods’.

In just three generations, we have taken a relatively healthy diet and while trying to make it more appealing, we’ve gotten off course, far far off.

Nowadays, highly processed foods are more attractive and looks more appetizing, making it more marketable. Aside from making it look so appetizing, we’ve added numerous chemicals to increase its shelf life, pushing preservation to the very edge.

The distressing news is that these overly processed foods have no real nutritional value anymore, and fiber has been all but forgotten.

The two most commonly consumed ‘vegetables’ now are French fries and ketchup, at a time when we find ourselves beleaguered with arthritis, attention deficit disorder, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes and cancer.

Add to that high levels of stress, sedentary jobs, poor air and water quality and it’s not surprising that we are now more obese, malnourished, infertile yet angry and violent.

Is it possible that the solution to so many of our social issues can be found in something as simple as raw food?

Well, let’s take a moment to consider a few things; two to three fruits and three to five vegetables are the recommended daily servings.

People often translate the goal as five servings of fruit AND vegetables. The correct translation should be a maximum of EIGHT servings of fruit and vegetables.

That means a daily consumption of eight servings of nutritionally dense foods that are intended to satisfy you so you will feel full and eat less.

Additionally, weight loss is almost a certainty when you shift your focus from processed foods to fresh fruits and raw vegetables.

Since calorie and carbohydrate intake are substantially lowered when eating raw foods, it will be hard to overeat on such foods. Another positive outcome of a high water and fiber content diet is a feeling of fullness, a healthier digestive system, and a detoxified body with increased anti-aging properties.

This shift towards raw food should be done gradually, as a drastic shift can shock your body. You should slowly increase your intake of raw food over several days while at the same time decreasing your intake of processed foods.

You will find yourself spending less time in the kitchen preparing foods and more time enjoying them.

It’s quite possible that you might find yourself strolling through the produce department a bit more frequently however, as raw foods do not have the vast quantities of preservatives (yes, that’s the chemicals) so freshness must be controlled by buying only the items that you expect to consume in a short period of time.

Meal plans designed to include raw foods into your daily life can be found online. When this is combined with the health improving elements of Weight Loss Breeze, you are surely on your way to a slimmer, healthier, and rejuvenated YOU!