January 2010
Monthly Archive
Raw Food Diet Weight Loss
lose weight 20 Jan 2010 | : diet
Welcome back and in this post I want to take a look at the raw food diet weight loss possibilities that may exist for serious dieters. This is an original article written for weightlossgo.com and is copyright protected. So how good is this type of diet and what kind of results can you expect to see from trying it out for size?
Well, first off, some people might feel a little revulsion at the very thought of a diet comprised completely of raw food, imagining pieces of raw meat oozing blood over their plate or something equally disgusting, depending upon your own personal tastes, of course. But, as with all things, it doesn’t have to be that way!
For a start,m there are some meats that it would be downright foolhardy to eat raw, such as chicken which could pass on salmonella or other bacterial infestation which could cause a serious risk to health. So to make it safe, the raw food which this type of diet promotes is mainly made up of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and pulses, which a small amount of fish which would normally be eaten raw. Raw eggs can also be included, mixed into milk shakes etc, but again there is a risk of bacterial infection, although most sources are screened and certified safe.
So now this diet doesn’t look quite so gross as the images it first conjures up, how good is it at helping you to lose weight?
Well, if you can stick to a mainly vegetarian version of the diet, it can work very well indeed as the vast majority of fruits and vegetables when eaten raw are low in calories and high in nutrients. That might sound like the perfect combination and it is! However, you will need to include nuts and seeds to boost the levels of proteins that the fruits and vegetables lack and nuts can come with a hefty calorie punch, so small portions only and avoid the salted, roasted variety. Plain nuts are better and almonds are probably best of all, although peanuts contain a lot of protein. Ounce for ounce they actually contain more protein than prime lean beef! Walnuts contain more omega 3 and 6 fatty acids than fish oil so include a handful of these too.
Be sure to include lots of raw onions and garlic with the food to aid digestion, boost the health properties and give it flavor! Also use fresh herbs and spices in place of salt as these ad no calories but lots of flavor and micro-nutrients.
The best way to serve up meals using only raw foods as mentioned above is in salads, but even salads can get boring so its okay to use a little extra virgin olive oil and cider vinegar as a dressing. You can mash some vegetables together to make pastes and fine chop to create interesting mini side salads. Its all about getting creative with raw foods and simply experimenting with what you have to see what you can come up with. If you can stick to it and not slip up by eating cakes or bread, then you will lose weight fairly rapidly over the first two weeks or so. But you will need to exercise regularly to keep your metabolism active to see a long term benefit and a strong sense of determination as this is a diet that can become lacking in variety, which makes it a candidate for letting slip.
