If you've been thinking about becoming a vegan, you may consider detoxing your body with a raw food diet to see how you and your body can adapt and benefit from it. You may just like the end product enough to make it a lifelong change.
Before beginning any new diet it is always recommended to consult your physician. A detox diet consisting of raw foods is considered to have many health benefits. People have said that by eating a diet of 100% raw foods that they have had many health issues reverse. One great health benefit to start out was healthy weight loss in overweight people. Choosing what you eat wisely is key to this benefit. Obviously when a person who is overweight loses body fat, health issues such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, type II diabetes, etc. tend to improve and become a healthy level.
It has been reported that when a person does a raw food detox that they did experience some negative side effects before the positive ones came forth. Some of these negative side effects are headaches, pain in the joints, congested sinuses and general malaise. This occurs as the toxins that have been stored in fat in the body get released into the bloodstream to be purged by the body. It is for this reason that it is advised to only follow the initial detox for about 10 to 12 days. The negative side effects may occur within the first 4-6 days of the detox diet. Once the negative symptoms subside, you will be able to notice the positive results. Just like with anything, you must first experience the pain before the gain.
Below are some ideas on what you may want to eat for a detox diet of raw foods.
For Breakfast you may try these Fruit and Vegetable Smoothies:
Blend your favorite fruit in a blender with green leafy vegetables of your choice...spinach, kale, lettuce whichever you choose. It may look disgusting, but the taste is wonderful. Try to use the ratio of 2 fruits to one vegetable. Children love these as well. You can also use raw cacao powder to change up the flavor, say with a banana and some avocado. You know your taste, so experimenting with whole raw fruits and veggies is fun and rewarding. The vitamin and mineral content is a great way to start the day.
For Lunch you can try these Salads and Dressings:
Mix your favorite salad greens/veggies with raw seeds and nuts...you can even include whole raw fruits to make a wonderful salad. You can use live vinegar and evoo (extra virgin olive oil) for a nice light dressing. You can even make a creamier dressing by combining avocado with nut butters and tomato juice. Just blend them all together in a blender.
You may also try grating some butternut squash or carrot with a nut milk and some seeds such as pumpkin or sunflower thrown in. Blend this as well. Again, you can experiment or there are many great recipes and cookbooks available created for veganism and healthy eating in general.
For Dinner it would probably be best to pore over the many raw food cookbooks and recipes available in book stores and online. If you find recipes you like make sure to save them so you can enjoy them again. You may also find online the raw foods you need to make the meals you want to make.
There are certain things you should not eat when you choose to eat a detox diet containing raw foods.
When you are eating a detox diet containing raw foods, you will not be eating anything that is cooked or has been heated above 118 degrees. Processed foods are also out of the equation. Any dairy products which have been through the pasteurization process will not be consumed as well. Any beans or nuts which have been roasted are a no-no. Coffee and other hot beverages resulting from the process of roasting the beans is not part of raw diet.
To sum it up...only fresh whole fruits and vegetables should be included in a detox consisting of raw foods. Dried foods or any foods containing oils or added fats cannot be a part of this diet. There are people who will not even eat nuts to make it a truly raw detox diet. This is not advisable for more than 10 days as nuts and seeds have the minerals and fats needed to continue a true Raw Food Diet.
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