A raw food diet involves substituting cooked food with raw food. Instead of completely switching onto this diet, you can incorporate some of the necessary items into your regular diet. The article presents some diet menu ideas and plans for the same.
Food in its cooked form loses many of the naturally present nutrients. Following a raw food diet menu plan should help preserve these nutrients and offer maximum support to the development and maintenance of the different systems of the body. The main emphasis in this diet is laid on green vegetables and fruits. However, there are many factors which need to be considered before switching to such a diet.
Important Points
Food that is cooked up to a temperature of 118 °F is termed as raw food. The literal meaning can be taken as edibles which are not cooked/processed at all. However, it not possible to eat some foodstuffs in their completely raw state. Therefore, some minimal processing (cooking, frying, etc.) is allowed. Raw food is mainly used for detox. Given below are some raw food diet menu ideas.
- It is necessary to strike a balance in terms of nutrient intake by means of this diet. Incorporation of a variety of vegetables in a single-day or weekly schedule is helpful.
- Making banana pancakes is one of the ideas of making this diet tasty and filling. These pancakes are prepared by mixing mashed bananas with coconut meal and cinnamon; they need to be dried in sunlight before being consumed.
- Vegetables can be used to make various dishes other than just salads. Vegetable-based smoothies and chopped vegetable blends are some examples.
- Nuts can be used to prepare many different dishes. You can prepare sauces, nut pastes, and other dishes using these.
- Smoothies, puddings, raw fruit ice creams, and fruit salads can also be incorporated into this menu. Intake of sprouted seeds along with blended vegetables is also considered to be a good idea.
Menu Plans
There are many different plans that you can follow for this diet. Given below are some that you can consider.
Plan 1
In the first diet plan, fruit smoothies should be consumed for breakfast. You can prepare these with almond milk. Vegetables and nuts should form the main part of lunch. Many different salads can be made out of vegetables. A salad/raw food dish can be made by wrapping lettuce leaves around fruits like avocado; you can even use some vegetables instead of avocado. The evening snacks should mainly include nuts like almonds, cashews, etc. A handful of nuts are enough as snacks. A whole fruit should also be included in the diet. Zucchini pasta should be the main course for dinner. Fruits, garden salad, and sun tea should complete the dinner.
Plan 2
In the second plan, a soy milk smoothie along with a fruit like banana needs to be consumed for breakfast. Cauliflower salad can also be incorporated in this raw vegetable diet for lunch. You can team the cauliflower salad with a mushroom onion broth. Vegetables such as cauliflower, carrot, and broccoli can be consumed as snacks. Frying these vegetables adds to the taste. Salads should be consumed for dinner. A good idea is to add raisins to them.
Criticism of this Diet
The practice of switching from a cooked food diet to a completely raw food diet is not recommended by many nutritionists. According to them, such a diet will restrict the intake of certain nutrients. The intake of some of the vital compounds, calcium, vitamin B12, and certain proteins becomes restricted with such a diet plan. You should, therefore, be careful about making any changes to your diet plan; consulting a doctor beforehand is advisable. It is important to ensure that you receive all the desired nutrients through this diet.
A raw food diet menu should include as many healthy foods (vegetables, fruits, sprouted seeds) as possible. Nuts provide the body with necessary fats; fruits are known to provide fibers. However, consult a doctor before making any kind of major dietary changes.