Raw Food Takes Longer to Eat

One major rule in weight loss is to slow down. In the fast passed world in which we live this can be a tall order. Generally, the more processed a food is the quicker it can be consumed. Raw food has very little (if any) processing. This means that you have to slow down and chew your food. The very fact that you spend longer at the table means that you give your body the time to feel the food so it can tell you it’s had enough.

Raw Food Has a Lower Calorie Ratio

Before it is cooked, most raw foods are rich in two things, water and fiber. As food is cooked however the fiber can break down and the water can be cooked off. Therefore, raw food has a lower ratio of calories than cooked food. By eating raw you will feel full before you consume too many calories.

In addition, many highly processed foods have significantly higher calorie to nutrient ratios. Some say that consuming highly processed low nutrient food results in your body trying to eat more in order to meet its nutrient requirement.

Processed Foods Do Not Communicate as Well with Your Body

Processed foods are designed to be laden with the basic flavors that the human body finds irresistible. We are genetically wired to crave fats, sugars and salts. When you consume such food your body is bombarded by these tastes making you want to eat more and overpowering signals that tell you that you are full.

There are many reasons why going raw significantly reduces overeating. It takes longer to eat, it has fewer calories and more nutrients and it communicates better with your body. All these factors allow you to eat food and naturally know when it’s time to stop without feeling stuffed.

Method #1 General Internet Groups

There are multitudes of sites whose sole purpose is to link people interested in a common theme. Meetup.com is a site that connects people with common interests and encourages them to “meet up”. Typing “raw vegan” into meetup.com yields 995 groups across the United States.  The largest group consists of over +1,400 members.

If Meetup.com is not your speed there are other groups such as Gather.com. Also, there are many raw vegan groups inside the major social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace.

Method #2 Raw Vegan Singles Groups

For some people, it is not enough to meet other raw vegans. Some people would like to share their life with someone who shares their raw vegan values. There are sites to help raw vegan singles meet and mingle. Some examples are veggiedate.org, planetearthsingles.com and rawfoodnetwork.com.

Method #3 At Your Grocery or Farm

Most raw vegans shop at places that share their values and beliefs. Therefore, it should be an excellent hub for you to connect to fellow raw vegans. There are lots of ways to do so. Ask the person at the raw food counter at Whole Foods if they know of any of any local groups. Or talk to people at farmers markets. If you are too shy to talk to strangers, most stores carry publications that should have information about local events.

So get out there, network and connect, share and enrich the lives of others and yourself.            

Sub Category 1 – Raw Fruitarians

Vegetarians do not eat dead animals; vegans do not eat anything produced by an animal. Fruitarians take things one step further. They do not believe in killing any living thing including plants, to get their food. Their diet consists of foods that can be harvested from a plant without killing it (ie. nuts, fruits and seeds). In this type of diet it is important to ensure that enough proteins are being consumed.

Sub Category 2 – Raw Sproutarian

As the name suggests Sproutarians only eat food that has sprouted. They believe that by eating this living food they are getting more of the foods life energy. Sproutarians feel that eating a germinated food is very healthy because it contains all elements that a plant embryo requires for life. Most legume, seed or grain can be sprouted.

Sub Category 3 – Raw Juicearian

Juicearians are another subset of raw veganism. A Juicearians diet consists mostly of juices from fruits and vegetables. It is very important that these juices are made fresh, store bought juice will not do.

Amongst Juicearians, wheat grass is one of the most popular foods consumed. The reason is because wheat grass is alive and planted right up until the moment it is consumed. The process is to cut the wheat grass, juice it and drink. Since it is consumed right after it is harvested it is super fresh and is believed to contain a maximum amount of life force.

So those are 3 interesting sub categories of raw veganism. Enjoy eating raw and enjoy the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

Method #1 Raw Food Dehydrator

Using a raw dehydrator is by far the best way to cook hot raw food. A raw food dehydrator is a device that uses very low heat to pull the water out of food so the trick is to keep the temperature under 115F. There are lots of great raw dehydrator recipes out there such as recipes for hot raw crackers and raw cookies.

Method #2 Just add Water

Another way to get a warm raw meal is by cooking using warm water. Heat water to less than 115F and combine with raw food to make wonderful raw soups. This is particularly nice when living in northern climates or a cold day.

Method #3 The finger rule

Another method for preparing a warm raw dish is to use the stove. The trick here is to slowly heat by keeping heat setting on low. As long as you can stick a finger in the dish it is not too hot to kill the enzymes. If you want to be more precise however, you can use a thermometer. This method is great for making delicious warm raw chili.

The dehydrator, cooking with warm water and low heat on the stove are three great ways to have warm raw dishes. These three methods will expand your raw culinary choices and give you lots of fun trying tasty new raw food combinations.

Myth #1 -If you are eating raw food you are eating cold food

Many people think that if you are on a raw diet you are eating cold food. Guess what? Food is considered "Raw" until it reaches a temperature of approximately 115F. This is the temperature in which the enzymes found in raw food are killed.

There are a couple of ways to "heat" raw food. Arguably, the best method is using a dehydrator. A raw food dehydrator is a device that not only pulls out water from food, giving it a wonderful "cooked" texture but they also can heat food while preventing it from crossing the enzyme destroying threshold.

Myth #2 – A raw diet means that I can never eat out or at a friend’s place

Some people believe that a raw vegan diet relegates you to the equivalent of being a social hermit. This is simply not true.  To get the health benefits of a raw food diet you only need to eat raw at least 75% of the time.  You can enjoy a cooked meal with friends then invite them to your place to enjoy delicious and healthy raw food.

The other reason that eating raw does not mean you are stuck eating at home is that raw food cuisine is growing in popularity and new raw restaurants are opening in many cities every day. Most new Whole Foods Markets have a raw section with lots of tasty meals.

Myth #3 – Eating raw is too expensive

People think of raw food as boutique food. However, eating raw doesn’t have to break the bank. Raw vegan food is made of vegetables and veggies are generally much cheaper than meat.

Another reason that eating raw is less expensive than you might think that is that uncooked food has more fiber and is more filling than cooked food. So you don’t have to eat or buy as much.

So go raw and enjoy hot food, eating with friends and not breaking the bank.

Benefit 1 – Rapid Weight Loss

It is a widely studied fact that consumption of raw food results in rapid and drastic weight loss. The reason is incredibly simple. Raw plant foods have a very high fiber to calorie ratio. They are packed with very filling fiber but are comparatively low in calories. As a result, people on raw food vegan diets eat as much as they feel like and still lose weight. 

Benefit 2 – Improved Health

Besides the obvious health benefits of weight loss (reduced likelihood of heart disease and diabetes) there are many other ways that eating raw food improves health. Cooking food destroys many of its beneficial components such as vitamins, good bacteria and enzymes. Raw food eaters find digestion much easier and have reported improved energy levels and better skin quality.

 Raw foods lack the preservatives and refined sugars of modern processed foods and the low energy sluggish feeling that accompanies consumption of such types of food. Hence a raw diet can drastically improve your health and lifestyle

Benefit 3 –More Environmentally Friendly and Ethical

The majority of the meat consumed comes from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO).  These industrial operations are notorious for very unethical animal treatment, significant environmental degradation and disease. An organic raw vegan diet is a vote against a system that is unhealthy, unethical and unfriendly to the environment.

So enjoy a raw food vegan diet and part take in a life style that will keep you looking and feeling better, improve your health and benefit our environment.  

Vegans need to take B12 supplements since B12 only occurs in animals. Consult your doctor before starting any diet.