Raw Food Diet Weight Loss
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 who want to change to a healthier, more nutritious way of eating.
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.
However, as with all things, it doesn't have to be that way!
What a Raw Food Diet is Not
For a start, there are some meats that it would be downright foolhardy to eat raw. Meats such as chicken ot pork which could pass on salmonella or other bacterial infestation which could cause a serious risk to health. So you won't be eating any raw meat or poultry on this diet, that's for sure.
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. You could also include 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.
You also have the benefit of some dairy products such as the many different types of cheese that are available to add interest. Watch out for the calorie count as some cheeses are pretty high in that department.
Good choices are goat's cheese and the several low fat options. Cottage cheese, while not really cheese is very low in calories and contains almost no fat, while being high in protein.
So now this raw food diet doesn't look quite so gross as the images it first conjures up, how good is it at helping you to lose weight?
A Raw Food Diet for Losing Weight
Well, if you can stick to a mainly vegetarian version of this healthy diet, or even go full vegan, it can work very well indeed. That's because 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 (which are actually not raw any more).
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 are amazing brain food and contain more omega 3 and 6 fatty acids than fish oil so include a handful of these too. Brazil nuts are high in selenium, which is becoming scarce in mainstream crops due to intensive farming methods.
When preparing raw food oriented meals, 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 they do add lots of flavor and micro-nutrients.
Salads
The best way to serve up meals using only raw foods as mentioned above is in salads, but even salads can get boring so it's OK 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.
It's 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.
You will also need a strong sense of determination as this is a diet that can become lacking in variety, which makes it a candidate for letting slip. Stay motivated and positive and you will stay the distance and succeed at attaining your goal, while boosting your overall health in the bargain too!
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Posted on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 in Diet | 21 Comments
21 thoughts on "Raw Food Diet Weight Loss"
Emily says:
I am not on a raw diet but I make sure that one of my meals is %100 raw vegetables. Besides that I have 2 more main meals composed of stir fry veggies with some kind of meat (beef or chicken).
Terry says:
Emily, I agree that its better to mix things up. A total raw food diet, as I said in the article, will become boring to most folks and they'll slip onto eating snacks or grabbing a sneaky burger when they think no one is looking!
Terry says:
Quite true! Loading up with fats and other unhealthy stuff happens mostly because of the medium in which the food is cooked, ie butter, lard, vegetable oil etc. Also, its the things we add to it, such as cream in sauces, sugar and salt. One of the healthiest ways to eat cooked food is when its stir fried fast in a little olive oil, or steamed.
Terry says:
Its funny, but people look at me as if I'm mad when I tell then that I like to eat raw vegetables! But what's wrong in enjoying a nice raw carrot, or a few slices of kohl rabi, some celery, spinach, shredded cabbage (nice in cider vinegar and black pepper)... there's loads of options!
Rahim says:
I don't do a completely raw diet, but I do try to make sure I consume a certain amount of raw vegetables a month. On top of getting %100 percent of the nutrition out of the vegetables, I get a pep when I have them at certain times of the day. Raw vegetable blends are great too.
Susan Hammond says:
Wonderful post on raw food diets, you don't see too many really informative articles on this particular weight loss subject. Losing weight has been an uphill struggle for me so its really great to find your blog and so much useful information. Thanks!
Susan Hammond
Miato says:
Ugh, a raw food diet sounds gross at first, but once I read it I realized I liked it a lot! So clear and positively doable from my own point of view. I'll be giving this a try for sure, thanks!
Miato
Shina says:
Thanks for making such a killer blog. I come on here all the time and am floored with the fresh information that I find in here all the time. There is so much good, solid information to read!
David says:
Good information on the raw food diet and how it is good for your weight and health, thanks for posting that. Losing weight is so challenging for me that the more information I have the better: there are so many ideas and people to learn from. Looking forward to coming back and learning some more to help make a difference to my body weight. David
Roseline Weadon says:
This is the most harmful thing that you can do to your body. Your body needs lots of minerals and vitamins to function properly. Suddenly, you go on a starvation diet supposedly well calculated to lose weight.
Terry says:
What on earth are you talking about? Did you even read the article? It has nothing to do with starvation diets. There is nothing harmful about swapping cooked foods for raw fruits and vegetables, in fact the nutrient value is greatly increased when you don't obliterate them all through cooking.
Get your facts straight before you come here and start shouting your mouth off about something you clearly have no idea about.
Rolf Kugel says:
Super-Duper site! I am loving it!! That was a great article on the raw food diet and I have to say that trying something along similar line myself worked extremely well for me. Will come back again - taking you feeds also, Thanks.
Curt Carvel says:
If you have rather a lot of weight to lose, you may have strict limits to adhere to until you get a certain amount of that weight off. Water exercises where you are fully immersed are the easiest on the joints, where tougher things like running and high impact aerobics will be very hard on your joints. These exercises should be avoided until you can reach a safe weight. In the meantime, take some advice from this article and try incorporating lots of raw foods into your diet, to replace processed foods and junk foods that manage to get into far too many people's diets.
Frieda says:
Fats usually come to mind whenever you want to be losing pounds, so normally individuals wish to know what the best fats burner is. Eating raw vegetables and fruit improves you metabolism which makes your body burn more fats. Everybody that hates to eat raw food does so simply because they got too used to eating fried junk that makes you appear unfit and brings about health problems. So if you’re one of those, either change your diet or shut up complaining your overweight and go eat that extra hamburger...
Vern says:
Hi, I really apreciate this post on raw food diets. Been looking around for the last few hours for something that made sense and your posts certainly does. I was a little leery of eating all raw food and the idea of raw meat turned my stomach, but you set me straight that you don't have to eat raw meat on this diet at all! Silly me...
JENNIFER says:
Raw food diet can be hard to follow at first and even harder for those that don't like fruits & vegetables. I use Shakeology. It is like eating a huge bowl of fruits & vegetables.
Warrick Hunt says:
Brain cells come and go, but fat cells live forever - Oh I wish I were two stone lighter! Nice post by the way!
Warrick
oliviya says:
No, there are no easy way for weight loss. It`s pretty hard to lose some pounds. And when you fit enough, if you stop your weight-loss program, you will get your fat back very fast
Bart Mark says:
I bet most of us reading your blog can see ourselves in the story that you have posted on raw food diets. Its pretty reassuring once you get to grips with it.
Joker says:
Excellent read about raw foods and how they are good for you in your diet. Thanks for posting it.
In fact I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that very same subject. And he actually bought me lunch because I found it for him. So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!
Terry says:
Nice one Joker, hope it was a healthy lunch...
Terry says:
Great to hear that Bart, or is it Mark?
Rhonda says:
I don't do the totally raw food diet. However, I agree, if it comes from the ground eat raw if you can. Avoid cooking the veggies in all the butter etc. Thanks for the great information.