5 reasons you should go raw

If you’re suffering from skin complaints, fatigue or anxiety, or you’re looking to lose a few pounds, here are 5 reasons you should go raw today.

The first time I heard about raw food as a dietary concept, I turned to my best friend Rachel and asked, ‘Is it an acronym? Surely raw can’t mean raw?’ It turns out that’s exactly what it means. Think uncooked, unprocessed, mostly organic foods, with staples such as raw fruit and veg, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains. People who adopt this way of eating are often referred to as ‘raw fooders’ or ‘raw vegans’.

The theory behind eating raw is that heating food destroys enzymes and in turn nutrients. Those enzymes aid digestion and battle chronic disease. Summer is a great time to try going raw: the warmer weather is more conducive to simple, light meals and organic fruit and veg is often more plentiful and therefore less expensive throughout the summer months.

Learning how to follow a raw food diet properly takes time, patience and effort. If you’re planning to become a raw foodie, there are some tools of the trade that will prove incredibly useful. My raw kitchen comprises a juicer, blender, spiraliser and dehydrator, all of which will help you to create exciting, interesting dishes without missing your regular oven too much.

While raw food prep is incredibly simple, surviving on bland salads is no fun for anyone. Keeping recipes interesting and varied is key, and although you’re not waiting for foods to cook, bake or boil, you will need to invest more time in food prep such as peeling, chopping, straining, blending, dehydrating and sprouting if you want to keep your raw food regime interesting and sustainable.

It gives you clear skin

One of my favourite side-effects of a raw food diet is clear skin. Your complexion will most certainly reap the benefits of the abundance of raw vitamins and nutrients you are consuming. Eating or juicing lots of fresh, alkaline summer greens has been shown to reduce internal inflammation. Calming internal heat by reducing gut irritants such as processed foods, sugar and alcohol will result in luminous skin.

It boosts your energy

While the first few days of detox often result in an energy dip as your body readjusts to becoming less reliant on caffeine, sugar and other stimulants, the long-term energy buzz you gain from a raw diet full of live fruit and veg is incredible. I find I need much less sleep and actually draw more energy from a fresh pressed morning green juice than I ever did from coffee or Diet Coke.

It promotes good health

Foods consumed on a raw diet regime contain fewer trans fats and saturated fat than the typical Western diet. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that consumption of a raw food diet lowered plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations. A raw food diet is also naturally lower in sodium and sugar and higher in potassium, magnesium, folate, fibre, vitamin A, and health-promoting antioxidants. These properties are associated with a reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

It helps you lose weight

I’ve always found half the struggle with losing weight comes down to cravings or constantly being hungry and then feeling deprived when you can’t eat the foods you’re longing for. If you’re looking to lose pounds, chances are you will naturally drop weight on a raw food diet. The easiest way to shed excess fat is to consume lower-calorie foods that are high in nutrients. When you eat predominantly healthy foods high in nutrients, you’re able to process them better because your body is ‘clean’. In turn your hunger tends to decrease, and with it those cravings for ‘bad foods’.

It’s naturally alkaline

A raw regime full of plant-based foods will also be naturally high alkaline. Acute or chronic diseases thrive in an overly acidic body. Some common symptoms of being overly acidic include: arthritis, depression, fatigue, headaches, foggy thinking, muscle stiffness, stomach aches, constipation, irritability, IBS, anxiety, sinus problems, acid reflux and insomnia or restless sleep. By switching to an alkaline diet, these ailments may begin to show signs of easing or can disappear altogether.