In today's living conditions, more and more people are thinking about the right lifestyle and... The raw food diet is a popular nutrition concept, the benefits of which have already been appreciated by many. It consists of completely avoiding the consumption of heat-treated foods. A raw food diet is a set of raw plant foods. But this is not a meager and incomplete diet. Fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs have a rich aroma and taste, and properly prepared dishes are nutritious and healthy.
Principles of raw food diet
The main law of natural nutrition is to eat at least four times a day. In this mode, the body receives the necessary charge of energy, metabolic processes are carried out, and hunger does not torment. Portions should be small. Along with main meals, they are allowed.
Rules for eating raw food:
- Do not wash down what you eat. You can drink it either 30 minutes before meals or 40 minutes after. Allowed drinks: pure water without carbon, herbal and berry infusions. It is allowed to replace one meal with a glass of freshly squeezed juice.
- Do not mix fatty foods with sweet ones. This combination causes fermentation in the intestines, so you should not eat nuts with dried fruits or honey, sweet fruits with avocados, etc.
- Combine sour fruits with fatty foods. So, orange harmonizes perfectly with nuts and avocado.
- Do not eat sour fruits at the same time as starchy ones. When interacting with acid, starch is poorly broken down, which can cause stomach pain, cramps and indigestion.
- Do not consume different fatty foods at the same time, for example, coconut with avocado or butter with nuts. Such combinations inhibit the absorption and digestion of food.
- Do not consume fresh fruits and dried fruits at the same time.
Authorized products:
- fresh fruits and vegetables, berries, herbs (supply the body with fiber);
- raw mushrooms grown in an environmentally friendly area;
- unroasted nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pistachios, walnuts (source of protein and minerals);
- sprouted seeds of wheat, buckwheat, lentils, sunflower;
- legumes: peas, lentils, green buckwheat;
- dried fruits not dried in ovens (replace fresh fruits in winter);
- seaweed (preferably dry seaweed, which is soaked before eating);
- cold pressed vegetable oils.
- any pickles and marinades;
- store-bought juices;
- alcoholic products;
- sparkling sweet water;
- coffee.
Transition to a raw food diet and nutritional habits in winter and summer
To start eating a raw food diet without harming your body, you should follow the recommendations of qualified doctors and experienced raw foodists.
Before refusing to eat thermally processed foods, you should consult your doctor: a raw food diet is contraindicated in some serious diseases.
To make the transition minimally stressful, at the initial stage it is worth giving up meat and fish, switching to. When the body gets used to this regime, they switch to a full diet of raw vegetables and fruits.
It is important to monitor the water-salt balance. To do this, you should drink more than two liters of water per day. The daily food composition must be carefully selected so that the body has enough necessary vitamins, microelements, protein and carbohydrates (percentage ratio: 17 - fats, 73 - carbohydrates, 10 - proteins).
It is advisable to start a raw food diet in the summer and autumn, when fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs are in abundance, the products are not poisoned by pesticides and other substances, and are therefore healthy. But what to do in winter and spring, when you can no longer take vegetables directly from the garden?
- For the winter-spring period, stock up on vegetables as much as possible.
- Eat more fats contained in sunflower seeds, nuts, and various oils.
- Make some herbs (they can be stored in small bags in the freezer): parsley, dill, cilantro, lettuce. It can also be dried.
- Drink only warm drinks. The temperature should be about 40 °C. To maintain it, use a thermos.
- Eat more dried fruits because they contain enough vitamins to replace fresh fruits.
- Use various spices as seasonings: cinnamon, cloves. They will keep you warm in the cold winter.
Creating a menu for the day
When compiling a daily diet, the following condition is observed: different food groups are consumed separately. Eat sour fruits first. It is allowed to swap nuts with vegetables: such a replacement will not cause fermentation.
The order of products must be taken into account:
- fruits or starchy ones, and then nuts;
- fruits are starchy;
- sour - starchy;
- fruit, and then dried fruit.
Daily ratio of products: 45 percent fruits and berries, 35 percent vegetables, 10 percent starchy foods, 9 percent dried fruits, nuts and honey, 1 percent seasonings.
A sample daily menu includes a breakfast of fruit, a light lunch of salad and sprouted grains, and legumes or root vegetables. Lunch and afternoon snacks consist of nuts or dried fruits, and for dessert, halva made from pistachios and sunflower seeds, prepared independently, is allowed.
List of dishes for the week
For a person practicing a raw food diet, the weekly menu should consist of a variety of products, taking into account all the recommendations and restrictions presented above.
1st day
For breakfast - 2 bananas, kiwi with three oranges.
A handful of nuts is good for lunch.
For lunch - green buckwheat with cucumber salad with the addition of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and olive oil.
For an afternoon snack - a handful of dried fruits.
Dine with a glass of smoothie (tomatoes with avocado, seasoned with basil or parsley) with bread.
2nd day
Breakfast: salad of three small grated apples with raisins and honey.
Lunch: freshly pressed vegetables or fruits.
Have lunch with raw carrot cutlets with sprouted wheat grains.
For an afternoon snack - cabbage salad with cucumbers and herbs; you can season it with flaxseed oil and lemon juice.
For dinner - berry and fruit salad.
3rd day
Breakfast consists of soaked oatmeal flakes with berries and mango fruit.
Lunch - half a glass of nuts.
Lunch is hearty, made from sprouted lentil grains and a salad of cauliflower, peppers, broccoli, seasoned with sesame oil or sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Have pumpkin porridge with seeds for dinner.
4th day
We have breakfast with 1 glass of banana smoothie with the addition of strawberries and kiwi.
Lunch - 150 grams of sunflower seeds.
Lunch - creamy vegetable soup with onion-based raw food bread.
Afternoon snack - several fresh watermelon or melon slices.
We have dinner with a salad of seaweed, onions, and broccoli, dressed with flaxseed oil.
5th day
For breakfast, 100 grams of currants or strawberries.
For lunch - 100 grams of nuts.
For lunch - pumpkin gruel with pine nuts and a side dish in the form of zucchini salad and various greens.
For afternoon snack - dates.
For dinner - salad: arugula, sesame seeds, cauliflower, tomatoes and olive oil dressing with lemon juice; raw food bread.
6th day
Breakfast: pieces of watermelon with strawberries and currants.
Lunch: cucumbers with garlic and dill.
Lunch: side dish of sprouted wheat grains and cabbage-carrot salad, seasoned with sesame oil.
We'll have a green squash cocktail with dill, parsley and sorrel leaves in the afternoon.
Dinner: soaked seaweed, sprinkled with sesame oil.
7th day
We have breakfast with apples stuffed with a mixture of dried fruits.
For lunch - freshly squeezed fruit and berries.
We have lunch with a side dish of sprouted chickpeas, a salad of champignons, onions, tomatoes and cauliflower with olive oil dressing.
We have an afternoon snack with zucchini salad and carrots, Korean style.
We have dinner with pieces of various vegetables, seasoned with a sauce made from pureed nuts.
Raw food recipes
Creamy vegetable soup recipe
This soup is prepared quickly and simply; any beginner raw foodist can easily prepare it. Using a blender, puree the onion, cauliflower and carrots, young peas, celery stalks and parsley to a puree consistency. Pour everything into a plate, sprinkle with cedar nuts or pumpkin seeds, which will add piquancy to the dish. The cream soup is ready to eat.
Smoothies from vegetables and fruits
Smoothies are the healthiest snack possible. Vegetables and fruits combined in one smoothie add piquancy to the dish. To prepare it, you should take washed celery stalks, orange and kiwi without peel, and apples. Everything is whipped with a blender until smooth.
Pumpkin porridge
Pumpkin is rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. The porridge is prepared by grinding peeled and seeded pumpkin in a blender or meat grinder. To sweeten the dish, you can add honey. This porridge is seasoned with linseed oil and sprinkled with raw pumpkin seeds.
Anyone who wants to become a real raw foodist and improve their body health will be able to choose for themselves many recipes that will be as tasty and healthy as possible.
A raw food diet is not just a diet that helps you adjust your weight and get rid of extra pounds. This is a real life philosophy. The diet of a raw foodist is varied and beneficial for beauty and the body as a whole.
For many, it is already becoming clear that proper nutrition, namely a raw food diet, is the solution to many problems. Everything seems clear, but how can we refuse all this variety of dishes waiting for us at every step? It's so boring. It's actually boring to eat like everyone else. In fact, the diet of a raw foodist is much richer, and most importantly healthier and tastier than that of a “food addict.”
I have already written that there is no benefit at all in products such as milk. But what can we do, since we have been convinced of this since childhood? There is nothing healthy in milk, but it is a source of casein - a paste in other words. This paste clogs all internal organs with mucus. Source of protein, calcium? Nonsense. Calcium is no less found in nuts, sauerkraut, seaweed, sesame seeds and all greens. Greens in general are an absolute record holder for the content of all essential vitamins. That's why she comes first.
But winter is just around the corner, what kind of raw food diet? - it's easy. My raw food menu in winter includes nuts, a sea of dried fruits, honey, seaweed, as well as seasonal fruits. But what about without meat, it’s freezing? This debate has always amused me. It turns out that all nutritionists advise eating no more than one hundred grams of nuts per day, but you should eat kilograms of meat, this is health in its purest form! No, as long as ignorance continues to flourish, we will never get rid of the problems of humanity. Meat is flesh that has begun to decompose. What is meat broth? This is an extract of corpse juices! How can you even love something like that? obvious, it is a habit that makes it difficult to understand. All our behavior is based on habits, we rarely “turn on our heads”! Yes, raw food diet in winter will make life much easier than a regular mixed diet.
All the myths that food heats you up and therefore you need to eat fatty and hot foods make us get sick regularly throughout the winter. Normal blood circulation in our clean vessels warms us. And what kind of norm can we talk about when our vessels are clogged with all sorts of toxins? By the way, lemon juice cleans blood vessels well. Plus, as a bonus, you will receive freedom from all sorts of people who are used to manipulating us.
It is very difficult to irritate a raw foodist with anything; he is always calm, his mind, like his body, is pure. So you can safely switch to eating natural products - raw food diet in winter this is not a problem at all. Getting truly live food in winter is another matter. My dear beginner raw foodists, my advice to you: forget your trips to the supermarket. There's nothing alive there! I advise you to get used to the bustle of the market. Make friends with the sellers. In markets in general there is very little chance of running into “chemistry”. It's expensive - it's cheaper to sell your own, even though it looks unsightly.
Don’t buy beautiful dried apricots, take the one that looks “more terrible”. Even if it is covered in black spots, this is normal for apricots; they are like moles. Such dried apricots were guaranteed to be dried in the sun. Dates are also different. I recommend Iranian ones. Even the Chinese sellers themselves do not risk eating. Blue raisins are very useful. It should be a little viscous. If the raisins crumble in your mouth, they are at least more than a year old. What's great about markets is that you can always try everything there!
Buy dry cabbage and cook it yourself, under no circumstances buy ready-made cabbage - glutomat has been added to it and it was boiled in boiling water and such cabbage is seasoned mainly with cheap oil. Cabbage in winter is the equivalent of greens in summer. You can eat nuts with honey. A very small portion of this delicacy will provide energy and warmth for a long time. If it is impossible to refuse hot tea, drink tea, there will be no particular harm. But once you drink just pure, raw water for a couple of months (never from the tap or from bottles), you can feel how disgusting this drink is.
If you want vegetables, then sometimes you can afford this delicacy. But in winter they are most often tasteless and stuffed with “chemicals”. Eat oranges and bananas. The best apples are ours (Antonovka), the ones that are late and last almost the whole winter. I was also frightened by the raw food diet in winter, and I was surprised that most dried fruit sellers eat mainly only their own goods in winter and they all look wonderful (women are especially happy with this). Visual confirmation that eating raw food in winter is not dangerous.
- Review of the causes of the disease // 7th December 2010 //
- Falsity of beliefs // 28th November 2010 //
- Green medicine // 21st November 2010 // 8
- How to germinate wheat // 18th November 2010 // 3
- It turns out the inquisitors were right? // 17th November 2010 //
There are 18 comments on this post
12 12 2010 | Ksu
It’s great that there are people who think about their health and nutrition. I have 2 years of raw food diet and 20 years of vegetarianism behind me. I think a raw food diet is the most healthy diet for a person, many will disagree, but that’s their business) Good luck
Answer 13 12 2010 | Chronicler
Thanks for your feedback!
Answer 13 12 2010 | Yuri
I’ve been wanting to switch to this way of eating for a long time, but I can’t. Apparently it’s a matter of the lifestyle I’ve developed since childhood. I can’t persuade all members of my family to follow a raw food diet, they have to come to it themselves, so it turns out that I have to eat separately from them and buy food separately. At the same time, every time they will try to tempt my still weak will.
This is the problem I think not only for me, but for many people.
If anyone knows, please advise how you can move smoothly like this, without straining.
Answer 13 12 2010 | Chronicler
But it won’t work out for everyone. Mine are not going to become raw foodists either. It's their choice. Read the books of Victoria Butenko for the best way to start. I started with them.
Answer 01/15/2014 | Svetlana
In general, I am a mother of two children and a husband, and while the children eat as usual, I eat raw food alone in my family. Imagine what it’s like for me, I’m still cooking this for them. I buy food for myself separately, but I also feed mine with this along with boiled milk. I believe that the children, as soon as they reach an adequate age, will support their mother, and I hope that my husband will someday)
Answer 14 12 2010 | Ksu
I recommend the forum http://www.syroedenie.com/forum/ I found a lot of useful advice there and many like-minded people, which is very helpful during the transition.
Answer 14 12 2010 | Chronicler
A wonderful forum, I go there often!
Answer 14 12 2010 | Yuri
Thanks for the advice. Let's study.
Answer 12/16/2010 | Igor Aliev
Really interesting information about such an unusual (at first glance) way of eating!
Answer 12/16/2010 | Chronicler
This is a natural, not an unusual way of eating. Not so long ago, humanity learned about fire.
Answer 23 12 2010 | Inna
In winter, raw foodists actually live better. For work in November, for a week I ate mostly non-raw foods (I’m in the transition stage), then I got sick - my body was cleansing itself of unhealthy diets, but on a raw food diet I don’t mind the frosts, and my wings are growing
Learning about the food system of only “live food”, we involuntarily ask ourselves what products in this category are allowed for a follower during the cold season. What raw foodists eat in winter is a reasonable cause for curiosity, because as the heat subsides, nature’s gifts cease to overflow the garden beds and store shelves in an appetizingly generous variety.
Let's look today at the whole gamut of possibilities for eating “live food,” paying attention to fruits and vegetables that are always available for purchase at the market or in a store.
Let's clarify the main thing. The diet of a raw foodist in winter is no different from the summer diet in its main principle: only raw, unheated food is consumed. It is acceptable to use quickly frozen fruits and vegetables, as well as dried fruits, if they have been dried at low temperatures - no higher than 40 C.
Most raw foodists profess a plant-based raw food diet, so we will not go into details of the extreme offshoots of the system when people eat raw meat and fish.
Despite the fear that there are much fewer vegetables and fruits in winter, let’s take a closer look at the products from markets and stores and make a joyful discovery: you won’t have to starve!
Root vegetables and vegetables
Recipes can include all root vegetables - beets, carrots, celery, radishes, turnips, parsley, ginger.
And what an abundance of ideas for a delicious meal different types of cabbage can give us! White and red cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi and Chinese - there are actually a lot of them, and what is especially nice is that they are stored for a long time and go well with the mentioned root vegetables.
And also with pumpkin, which is easy to buy in winter to make your menu sunny! We offer you a selection of dishes made from this vegetable.
Leafy greens in winter
Next to the listed products, leafy greens take pride of place. This is the main component of raw food cocktails, which perfectly strengthen the immune system in winter. Parsley and dill leaves, lettuce and spinach - rarely does a raw food diet do without these plants.
Of the named regulars, only spinach is somewhat unusual, although it can be purchased frozen. And dill and parsley are in every supermarket.
How and what nuts do raw foodists eat?
A raw food diet menu is not complete without garlic and nuts, because they are sold both in summer and winter. Hazelnuts, Azerbaijani peanuts, walnuts and pine nuts, almonds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
Don't just buy cashews: they are always cooked.
IMPORTANT! Remember to soak the nuts for at least 2 hours before eating.
Sprouted seeds
Sprouted seeds become an interesting part of a raw foodist’s diet in winter. Very useful sprouts up to 2 cm appear already in the first two days after soaking the seeds of wheat, naked rice, oats, buckwheat, all types of legumes and sunflower seeds.
Fruits in the winter diet of raw foodists
At the end of the story about what a raw foodist should eat in winter, let’s list the available fruits. Various varieties of apples and pears, lemons, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, bananas, kiwis, avocados.
Any of these products can be mixed into cold soup, puree, smoothie or cocktail, or eaten on their own.
Sauces and spices in the raw food menu
You can accompany raw food dishes:
- honey,
- kerob,
- cold-pressed vegetable oils: sunflower, olive, corn, pumpkin and sesame seeds, walnut, grape seed, flaxseed and mustard.
Many raw foodists allow spices and even salt, for which, by the way, you can find a healthier alternative - kelp, celery or soy sauce.
As you may have noticed, the answer to the question of what raw foodists eat in winter contains an impressive answer. And therefore, you should not be afraid of a deceptive feeling of hunger just because summer seasonal fruits are not available for purchase.
There is an opinion that raw foodists are forced to eat monotonously in winter and have difficulty choosing foods. This threatens to weaken the immune system and cause frequent colds, because during cold weather the body requires more energy. Let's figure out together how a raw foodist can diversify his diet in winter.
When choosing food, adherents of a raw food diet follow several principles that determine their nutritional system:
- Food must be of plant origin, everything related to keeping animals is excluded from the diet;
- Natural enzymes must be present in food; they are destroyed at temperatures above 40 degrees, so vegetables and fruits that have not been subjected to heat treatment, including steam, are allowed;
- Products should not contain harmful additives or poisons, these include sugar and table salt, only natural salt is allowed - sea salt.
Raw food fans also stock up. These are not only root crops grown on our own plots. They can harvest berries, fruits, herbs, and perishable seasonal vegetables purchased in stores and markets. Using the freezing method, you can stock up on raw food for the winter:
- Zucchini and squash;
- Tomatoes;
- Bell pepper;
- Eggplant;
- Cauliflower;
- Broccoli;
- Green peas;
- Milk corn;
- Berries;
- Fruits.
Pears do not tolerate freezing well and lose their taste. It’s better to put it in the freezer at the consistency of a puree. It is also better to grind large berries; in this form they take up less space. Their raw foodists love to add freshly squeezed juice to their morning serving.
Adherents of a raw food diet in the cold season can easily provide their body with a complete set of vitamins, microelements, proteins, fats and carbohydrates - the basis of a plant-based menu.
Fresh fruits make up the lion's share of the diet. The stores always have imported grapes, pomegranates, etc. Their maximum cost is comparable to the price of meat. Large selection of citrus fruits: lemons, pomelo, grapefruit, tangerines. Bananas are almost always on sale; doctors recommend them for pulmonary diseases. Small ones have a high iodine content; they strengthen the immune system well.
In winter, markets have a large selection of pears and apples, persimmons for every taste, and exotic items are sold: feijoa, kumquat, pineapple, mango, papaya.
Vegetables and root vegetables help raw foodists survive the winter without extra costs. They go well with vegetable oil. , varieties of cabbage, carrots, beets, tomatoes, celery are year-round vegetables. There is no shortage of them in winter. You can find avocados, radishes, turnips, Jerusalem artichokes, root and leaf celery.
Almost until spring, pumpkins are sold - a storehouse of healthy food. From this vegetable, raw foodists make various dishes from porridges and soups to sweet pies; the crushed, squeezed pulp is used as dough.
The value of dates has been known since the time of Alexander the Great. Their conquerors took them with them all over the world. Figs, dried apricots, raisins, compote mixture, dry bananas, dried melon are prepared without preliminary heat treatment. They are present in a raw food diet all year round. These delicacies contain a lot of carbohydrates, they give the necessary boost of strength.
Greens are not in short supply. You can grow it yourself in city apartments. This is not only the usual set: green onions, parsley, dill, cilantro, and lettuce. Raw foodists eat young leaves of beets, chard, and carrots.
It is better to include cereals and legumes in the menu with sprouts. Oats are added to the diet in crushed form; they must be pre-soaked. Raw foodists claim that grains give you a feeling of fullness.
Nuts are also a year-round component of the diet. Raw foodists make milk from almonds. Walnuts, pecans, and pine are added to salads; peanuts are suitable for snacking. Pistachios and cashews are not included in the menu; they are subject to heat treatment. Nothing interferes with coconuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flax. They are added to dishes in whole and ground form.
Germination of cereals, seeds, legumes
Young sprouts contain many valuable components. They are health batteries, stimulate metabolism, strengthen the immune system.
For raw foodists they most often use:
- Wheat, rye, they contain a lot of tocopherols, B vitamins involved in carbohydrate metabolism; contains large amounts of iron, phosphorus, potassium - the most essential microelements for humans;
- Buckwheat has a beneficial effect on blood vessels, but when growing it, raw foodists must take into account one nuance: the sprouts must be kept in water so that the bitter mucus separates;
- , sunflowers contain valuable acids, sprouts appear in 3-4 days; all this time it is necessary to ensure that mold does not appear on the seeds;
- Sesame seeds take the longest to germinate, but they are superior to legumes in terms of nutritional components;
- Lentils, peas, chickpeas, mung beans sprout in 12-14 hours, they are an excellent source of protein, these crops are included in the menu of raw foodists all year round;
- Soybeans with young sprouts are used in many Asian cuisines; the beneficial properties of this product have been known for a long time.
The sprouts are stored in the refrigerator for no more than 4 days; raw foodists consume them in their natural form, add them to salads, and vegetable juices with pulp. Doctors recommend eating a tablespoon of sprouts daily. For germination, seeds and grains are purchased in health food departments. Those sold for sowing are treated with pesticides, so they are not eaten.
Analyzing the menu of raw foodists, it is easy to conclude that in winter they are not afraid of hunger, even with a limited budget. If you supplement your diet with your own winter preparations, your food will not only be high in calories and balanced, but also varied.
Experienced raw foodists smile when they hear myths that they have nothing to eat in winter.
The diet includes sauerkraut, seaweed, spices and herbs. All this is allowed. With the right approach to your diet, assembling foods, you can eat well. The body will not lack nutrients.
