Roxilla

When I went to fetch my sister from Piketberg on Friday, she had made some delicious gazpacho that I got to try. Just a single spoonful gave me a massive craving for this divine cold soup, so today I made a batch. It was so yummy, and so nice and healthy that I got to thinking about raw food diets, and how beneficial they can be…

I did a bit of research, and it turns out that a diet high in whole, raw foods is seriously good on many fronts.

Here are just a few of the health benefits of raw foods:

1. Increased energy
2. Improved skin appearance
3. Better digestion
4. Weight loss
5. Reduced risk of heart disease

Cooked food tends to destroy a lot of the enzymes in fruit and vegetables, whereas raw food retains both nutrients and flavours. To get the most benefit, about 75% of the diet should be raw.

Raw foods include fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed – but meat-eaters could also add seafood.

Diet shmiet?

I really want to try and incorporate as much raw food as I can, but as a vegetarian with occasional anemia, I would have to compromise. Marmite, peanut butter, rice cakes, dairy and the odd bit of chocolate will therefore be included, but limited. As with any diet, it’s about moderation and lifestyle – and keeping things as easy as possible to follow will give the best results.

Since I was a teenager, I have been conscious about what I eat, and have tried a number of different eating plans, from the stupid BioSlim (seriously, NEVER even consider diet pills, they suck!), to no carbs and low carbs, and a very healthy 5 meal a day plan which worked the best when I was training Muaythai hectically, to my current attempts at quitting bread and pasta.

The hardest part is always sticking to a good routine, and I hate preparation and anything that takes too much time and effort. Raw food recipes are very easy, and I eat a lot of salads and raw food items as it is – it’s just a case of finding some good varied meal options now, and not lapsing too often.

Will-power is a wonderful thing however, and already I’ve managed to cut out sugar completely and cut down hugely on bread and pasta. I gave up all dairy for a month solid, and for well over a year while I was training I stuck to a good plan, so it can be done!

Time to see the raw food benefits for myself…

Just for kicks, I’ll document my progress each Monday in my new ‘Dietzillas‘ category. I can guarantee a lot of headaches and detox issues in the first week, after that I’ll be sorted!