Ally’s Fit Tips! 

Benefits of Eating Raw Foods

Eating raw foods is a great way to lose weight and boost health, energy and immunity, and should be part of everyone’s diet.  Raw food diets are becoming increasingly popular as more people learn about and experience the radical health improvements that consuming raw food provides. 

Raw food is exactly as its name implies:  food that is uncooked.  It is believed that when food is cooked, some of the healthful living enzymes are destroyed and rendered useless.  Eating food raw allows your body to take advantage of all the nutrients that occur naturally in the foods.  Generally, many of these nutrients are destroyed when the food reaches temperatures over 116 F.

In order to reap the benefits of eating raw, you do not have to completely stop eating cooked food.  Even replacing just some of your cooked food with fresh, uncooked food will improve your health.  Begin with choosing some of your favorite raw fruits and vegetables and begin incorporating them into your meals and snacks.  As you get used to eating raw, you will enjoy it more.  

Here are some benefits of eating raw food:

1.  Weight loss.  Most raw foods contain a good balance of water, fiber and calories.  The result is that you will feel fuller for longer after eating raw food than if you eat cooked and processed food,  This feeling of fullness will result in less snacking.  You will also be consuming fewer calories, since raw foods are generally low in calories.  Your energy levels will increase, as a direct result of consuming a high amount of nutrient.  Having extra energy will likely 

motivate you to add more exercise to your daily routine, which is a great tool for weight control.

2.  Digestion improvement.  The enzymes present in raw foods help you to digest your food better.  You may find that you have less gas, bloating and indigestion after you begin eating more raw foods.  Just keep in mind that it may take a few days for your body to adjust to eating raw; initially these foods can cause extra gas.

3.  Fewer illnesses.   The process of cooking food can create free radicals, which scientists think are at the root of many illnesses including cancer, dementia, heart disease and arthritis.  The fewer free radicals you have circulating in your body, the healthier you are.  Raw food not only contains few free radicals, but raw fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants which neutralize free radicals in your body.