Raw food diet information for a raw food life, the raw food diet plan, a raw food diet, food raw vegan

have raw cake and eat it

I am not suggesting that you or your family should eat 100% raw food or make all of your food raw vegan. We have a mainly raw food life but we are not completely raw, although I eat a higher percentage of raw food than my children as I love it so much. However, we have eliminated certain foods - namely sugar, wheat, yeast, dairy, meat, soya and unhealthy fats from our raw food diet plan and included a high percentage of raw plant foods and healthy fats. The difference a mainly raw, mainly vegan diet has made to our health has been so amazing that we have decided not just to stick to it, but to share our raw food diet experiences with others too. You can read more about our family and the raw food diet.

CHILD FRIENDLY FOOD is vital when you have a little one to feed. If your child is inspired by what you have made, you are halfway there. The other half is making sure your little ones have the right food to help them grow. Our recipes aim to address both these issues.

HIGH IN NUTRIENTS Much of the food eaten in this country is high in processed carbohydrates and low in nutrients. Raw plant food offers a high concentration of nutrients and can be prepared in ways that it is palatable and easily digested for you and your little ones - a high powered blender helps.

51% + RAW is better than a wilted lettuce leaf on the side. We all know we need to eat more fresh vegetables - here is your chance. Raw plant food contains digestive enzymes which help your body digest and assimilate the food you eat more easily. Greens contain chlorophyl which is believed by many including Pitchford (2002) to help purify, renew and reduce inflammation in the body. You can read about the great alkalising benefits of Greens on Victoria Boutenko’s website. In addition, valuable nutrients are not lost in raw plant food as they are when cooked. According to Shazzie (2008:20) ‘When you eat cooked food, your body doesn’t recognise it: it causes leukocytosis’. This is where white blood cells are released into the stomach to deal with the “invader” (which can) end up in an auto-immune self attacking state.’

WITH HEALTHY FATS - Our consumption of polyunsaturated vegetable fats has increased radically since cholesterol laden butter has been replaced by alternatives thought to be healthier. However, these oils are often heat treated and even if they are not, cooking with them can cause harmful trans-fats. We think that if we buy nuts and seeds from a supermarket or health food shop we have made a healthy choice. These nuts and seeds have not been recently shelled or hulled and are often rancid. Healthy oil choices can include coconut, cacao, flax and olive; read here about rancid oils and rancid nuts.

RAW FOOD DIET INFORMATION

SUGAR FREE - as we know sugar is not nutritious and is a major contributor to diabetes in the developed world. It has become a normal part of our standard UK diet. It is possible to eat delicious desserts that contain neither sugar nor sugar substitutes - you can have your cake and eat it. Cousens (2008), a medical doctor and diabetes expert, does not believe in moderation when it comes to diet, suggesting that eating no sugars at all is best for diabetes prevention and cure. Sugar also feeds candida, which can lead a number of further health problems - you can read more about candida here. Heavily processed carbohydrates, particularly the white versions, are also a source of unhealthy sugar for our bodies.

DAIRY FREE - although dairy is thought by many to be essential for calcium, in fact many foods such as green vegetables and nuts also offer this important mineral. Even if you think you need to supplement with calcium, it might be better than consuming a product that causes so many adverse reactions as well as being mucus forming. Cousins (2002:35), a nutritional therapist, suggests that ‘milk and its products encourage the production of catarrh and acidity’. According to Cousens (2008), dairy is diabetogenic. In addition, most commercially available milk is homogenised which, according to Pitchford (2002) ‘allows the enzyme xanthine oxidase in the milk cream to enter the bloodstream instead of being excreted, (damaging) the membranes, creating scar tissue. Cholesterol accumulates on the scars and gradually clogs the arteries.

WHEAT FREE - this is another food that many people have intolerances to and Cousens (2008) considers it to be diabetogenic. According to Ayurvedic principles, it is heavy and sweet. It is found in so many common foods in the standard UK diet, even those we consider to be wholefoods such as wholewheat pasta, wholemeal bread, but in fact these foods are heavy processed. Cousins (2002:33), encourages her clients to reduce wheat or remove it from their diets as it has a ‘suppressive action on the body’s ability to eliminate toxicity’. Although it might seem difficult in our society, it is possible to have a delicious dairy wheat free diet - we certainly do.

YEAST FREE - nutritional therapists believe many health problems can be related to candida overgrowth in the intestines. This is thought to exist even if not evident in other areas and is made worse by fermenting foods such as yeast. The overuse of antibiotics means that many people might have candida overgrowth in their intestines with negative health implications. There is some interesting information about Candida here.

SOYA FREE - although many vegetarians and vegans replace animal products with soya, it is not a food I choose to use. Not only is it high in isoflavones, which are oestrogen-like substances, it is also a common allergen. In addition, according to Cousens (2008), it robs the body of minerals and is diabetogenic.

MEAT FREE - Meat is often considered safe for diabetics and diabetes prevention. Cousens (2008) explains that although it has a low glycaemic index, it has the same insulin index as sugar, depleting insulin cells in the pancreas. From an ecological point of view, for us eating meat is hard for me to justify in a world where there are so many hungry people who could be fed on plant food grown where food for animals raised to be eaten is grown instead.

References

Cousens, G, MD, (2008) There is a Cure to Diabetes, Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books.

Pitchford, P. (2002) Healing With Wholefoods, Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books.

Shazzie, (2008) Evie’s Kitchen, Norfolk, United Kingdom, Rawcreation Ltd.

Cousins, B (2000) Vegetarian Cooking Without, London, United Kingdom, Thorsons.