Reasons to include RAW FOOD in your diet

Here is a GUEST POST from Physical Therapist Shannon Wills. I don't know her personally, but she asked to contribute the Healthy Foodies blog, and this is her interesting article about why and how to add more raw foods to what we eat. Thanks, Shannon!

It’s not a fad diet like the Atkins that’s here today and gone tomorrow or in fashion now and proved ineffective later; it’s a diet or rather, a way of life that’s filled with goodness and good health. There are many people who swear by a raw food diet as the best way to maintain your health, boost your energy, and lose weight. And although it’s going to be a tough task for those who are not used to subsisting only on raw food, we should all try to eat more raw food and less of food that’s cooked, simply because of the instant and various health benefits that raw foods offer. If you’re looking to add raw in your diet, slowly and steadily is the key:

• Include more juices and cold soups with your meals: Juices retain all the goodness of fruit and vegetables if you don’t add sugar or anything else to them. They also provide you with instant energy, and with fiber if you don’t strain them. And they’re rich in vitamins and other nutrients. Juices and smoothies make great breakfasts on the go, when you’re pressed for time or when you need to pep yourself up before a workout. Also, because they digest fast, juices don’t make you feel full or lethargic like you do after a heavy meal.
• Eat a salad every day: The best way to include an adequate helping of vegetables in your daily diet is to eat a salad every day, at lunch time. Not only does it fill you up and prevent you from eating junk food that’s not healthy, but it also provides you with raw energy and vitamins. Avoid the dressings as much as possible and instead, use herbs and seasoning to add taste to your salad.
• Munch when hungry: I don’t mean you should reach for that bag of potato chips or pretzels. Instead, keep a box of sliced carrots or celery sticks in your fridge so you can dip in when hungry. Also, nuts and dried fruits like dates and figs make great and nutritious energy snacks. Nuts contain fats that are good for your body and that prevent illness and disease, and they’re healthy alternatives to fried and processed food.
• Go raw once a week: While it may not be possible to eat raw every day and for every meal, you could assign one day of the week to eat only raw food. It not only helps you get accustomed to a raw diet but also helps to detox your body and free it from the poisonous residue of undigested food that line your stomach walls. You feel fresher and more energetic than before, so switch to raw once a week in order to become healthier and fitter.

This article is written by Shannon Wills, who writes on the topic of Physical Therapist Assistant Schools . She welcomes your comments at her email id : shannonwills23@gmail.com .