Eat raw for health and youthfulness

Monday, 08 February 2010

Suggest switching to a raw diet to your friends or family members and you may well find a healthy level of antagonism! It was Margaret Mead who said: "It is easier to change a man's religion than to change his diet." Yet many people embarking on a fresh raw food diet, especially over 50s, have found themselves feeling brighter and healthier than they have felt for decades.

So what is it about raw food that can make you glow with health and feel a burst of fresh energy - and what are the components of a delicious raw food diet?

Raw foods retain their esssential goodness - this means vitamins and minerals which are often destroyed by the heat of cooking, as well as proteins, fats and digestive enzymes. Furthermore, as you increase intake of raw foods you feel more satisfied, and find that smaller meals will give greater energy due to their perfect balance of water, fibre and nutrients.

People who enjoy raw food often enjoy high immunity from colds and flus, while over 50s and beyond will likely find they are looking and feeling younger. The skin starts to look fresher, clearer and rejuvenated due to all the vitamins and minerals now being consumed. The raw food eater has a much lesser chance of suffering serious conditions, such as heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis and diabetes, and indeed many allergies and skin conditions can be eliminated after just a month on a raw food diet.

Furthermore you don't have to live on salads - typical raw food recipes are based on nuts and seeds which are protein-packed and very satisfying. Some recipes include mock meatballs, based on sunflower seeds and Brazil nuts, finely ground and blended with soya sauce, onion, garlic and herbs, and Apple Cobbler from apples, dates nuts and raisins.

The variety of raw foods is endless, and switching to a raw food diet either in full or in part just needs imagination and a willingness to experiment with texture, colour and ingredients! The world's indeed your (raw) oyster the day you decide to go raw and hopefully the next generation of older people over 50 will be generally healthier, lighter and younger in spirit and appearance!

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