Is There a Healthy Lose Weight Raw Food Diet?
Lose Weight Raw Food Diet
If you want to drop some pounds a lose weight raw food diet may be the way to go. Studies show that people on a raw food diet indeed weigh less than average, but is it a healthy way to lose weight? A raw diet is one where food that can be safely consumed raw or barely warmed is the only food ingested.
You Can Lose Weight on a Raw Food Diet
The benefits of consuming a raw food diet include consuming more fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds – all part of a healthy diet. You will lose weight raw food diet because you don’t consume animal protein or fat or bad fats. You will still get good fat from nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil etc. You will also be consuming lots of fiber and no processed foods. Yep, you will lose weight on a raw food diet.
Studies show that individuals on a raw food diet consumed fewer calories and had a body mass index (BMI) averaging 20. A 20 BMI is great. But many on the raw food diet had a BMI less than 20 and this presents an issue with bone density. As women are especially prone to osteoporosis, a significant bone density issue can be dangerous as we age. Consuming foods that help women maintain muscle mass and bone density as we age is critical.
Is it Safe to Lose Weight on a Raw Food Diet?
Well, when consuming only raw foods, you do miss out on the nutrition gained from cooked foods. For example, tomatoes are best cooked and served with olive oil. Why? Lycopene is released during the cooking process and the nutrients are best absorbed with fat, i.e., the olive oil. So you are missing out on some health benefits by choosing to lose weight raw food diet.
Can You Maintain the Pounds Lost on a Lose Weight Raw Food Diet?
Food is not just about feeding your body. Food is about the sites, smells, texture and social connection. If you decide to eat only raw foods to lose weight, can you maintain this strict diet? Or will you regress back to old eating habits and put the weight back on and maybe more?
Choosing a healthy lifestyle and eating plan is important. It has to be something that is a way of life and not a short term diet. Adding more raw foods to your daily eating habits is an excellent way to gain the health benefits of fruits and vegetables. However, to do so at the exclusion of all else might be difficult to sustain.
Maintaining a Lose Weight Raw Food Diet While Traveling
I met a couple of women at a business conference that ate only raw food. They had to make up their meals ahead of time and store them in their hotel room refrigerator. It was the only way they had to ensure they were getting exactly what they wanted. They brought their food down to the restaurant where the rest of us were indulging in dining out. Their food looked like pureed baby food, not appetizing at all. As someone who enjoys cooking and dining with friends and family, a strictly all raw diet would be impossible for me to manage. However, these two gals looked healthy, were of average weight and said they had never felt better in their lives. One in particular used to have significant health issues that were completely relieved after her change to raw foods. I appreciated her attitude. She simply shared what worked for her and stated other solutions will be better for other people.
Can you lose weight on a raw food diet? You bet. But maybe instead of choosing a raw food diet to lose weight, you can instead choose some of the habits of those on a raw food only diet and you will still lose weight. Those habits include eating lots of vegetables, including juicing, and moderate amounts of fruit, eating healthy fats through seeds, nuts, avocados and olive oil etc., eliminating processed foods, fried foods, fast foods, junk food and high fat meats.