Raw Vegetable Diet

Eating healthy is a way to healthier life. Our health and normal body functioning mainly depends upon what we eat. Hence, it is always recommended to have a balanced and nutritious diet. Today, raw food has gained extreme popularity. Raw food diet means consumption of unprocessed, uncooked and mostly organic foods. It mainly includes fresh vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, legumes, seaweed, dried fruits, etc. Specific cooking techniques are used to make the raw food more digestible, such as soaking the nuts and dried fruits, sprouting the grains, seeds and beans, blending, dehydrating and juicing the vegetables and fruits.

Raw Vegetable Diet: An Overview

A large variety of vegetables are found in nature. Vegetables are an integral part of a healthy diet. They are rich in vitamins and minerals and low in sodium, fats and calories. They are totally free from cholesterol. They are the rich sources of antioxidants. Most vegetables consist of phytochemicals, which prevent some chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancers. Generally, vegetables are eaten in a cooked form. But we can get numerous health benefits if we eat the vegetables in a raw form. They are most nutritious in their raw forms. It is necessary to thoroughly wash the vegetables before you eat them in raw form.

Benefits

Processing and cooking of the vegetables can destroy the essential nutrients. Cooking dark green leafy vegetables can destroy about half of the antioxidants and carotenoids. It can also destroy some essential enzymes in vegetables. Therefore, eating the vegetables in a raw form is advantageous. Raw vegetables are highly rich in minerals, beneficial enzymes, natural sugars and trace elements. All these essential nutrients are required for normal and stable body functioning. For example, carrot is a rich source of vitamin A, while asparagus contains high amounts of folate and vitamin C. Chicory is a rich source of calcium, vitamin B-6, riboflavin and magnesium.

Raw vegetable diet offers health benefits such as increased energy, better digestion, improved skin appearance, weight loss and decreased risk of heart disease. Vegetables that are raw contain high quantity of magnesium, potassium, fibers, folate and health-promoting phytochemicals. These elements minimize a risk of developing diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Due to high fiber intake, the functioning of digestive system is improved.

While using the raw vegetables, wash them thoroughly in order to remove any dirt and pesticide residues. Try to keep the edible peels on the vegetables whenever possible. The peels of many vegetables contain large amounts of fibers and nutrients. You can use raw vegetables in other forms to incorporate more vegetables in your diet. What's more, you can add them to dough and batter to prepare muffins, breads, and cookies. Select a wide variety of salad greens such as collard, arugula, kale, chicory, mustard greens, watercress and spinach. Choose pasta prepared with vegetables such as beets or spinach. You can thicken or enrich the soup with cooked and pureed vegetables instead of whole milk or cream. Eating a variety of colorful vegetables not only provides healthy nutrients, but also makes your meals more interesting.