Have you recently become familiar with the term “raw food diet”? It is gaining popularity and buzz not only as a diet to lose weight but also as a diet for a long and healthy life. Moreover, it is growing in popularity for both of these reasons. We consume so much processed food due to simple convenience that we don’t even pause to think about what we’re putting into our bodies and how far we’ve come nutritionally from our rural, agrarian origins. This is because we eat so much processed food.

Consuming food in its unaltered and uncooked state is the basis of the raw food diet. There are several reasons that make perfect sense as to why carrying out this plan would be beneficial. Cooking and processing foods can remove a significant amount of the food’s original nutritional content. Consider some of the conventional wisdom that you have been exposed to over the years, such as the following: If you cook pasta just to the al dente (or medium) stage, it will have more calories, but it will have more of the nutritional value in it than if you cooked it to the well-done stage. This is because al dente pasta is cooked longer than well-done pasta. You may also recall hearing that you shouldn’t peel carrots or potatoes too thoroughly because the majority of the nutrients and values are just under the skin.

Consuming foods that have not been processed, cooked, or otherwise altered in any way, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, dried fruits, seaweeds, and other similar things, is the definition of the raw food diet. That means eating at least 75% of your food in its raw form! The flavor and nutrition of vegetables and fruits are lost during the cooking process. Eating more like our prehistoric forebears did is what’s meant by the term “raw food diet.” Our forebears who enjoyed better health and physical fitness. They performed very little cooking, and they most definitely did not prepare or process any fruits or vegetables. They consumed them IN THE WILD. They didn’t get their water from the tap; rather, it came from a natural spring. It’s possible that they indulged in the occasional glass of coconut milk.

It seems to make perfect sense that our bodies were designed to function best when we consume food in this manner. It’s a method of eating that’s not only good for the environment, but also good for our own metabolisms. Our bodies were designed to work, and in order for them to be effective, they need to do so. This requires not only physical activity, but also the consumption of natural and raw foods, the digestion of which requires a greater amount of power.

Choose raw, uncooked, and unprocessed foods, with an emphasis on organic options. Your mainstays should consist of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains that have been sprouted. As long as the temperature of your food does not go above 118 degrees for vegetables in particular, it can be served at any temperature you like, including slightly warm.