Raw Food Living

Orange Raw Food Living is a site that describes how to live a healthy life by eating mostly raw and living foods. A Raw Food Diet, is a diet that consists mostly of fresh fruits, vegetables, sprouts, nuts, seeds, grains, and seaweed. Food cannot be heated above 116 degrees F.

Heating the food reduces the nutritional value or "life force" of the food and the enzymes are destroyed.

Cooking destroys up to 85 percent of the nutrients. The digestive system then has to work even harder to get any remaining nutrients out of the food and into your body!

To add variety to the diet, some of the preparation techniques include sprouting, juicing, blending, soaking, and dehydrating.

Why Should I Go RAW?

Living a life of eating at least 75% of raw food is believed to have numerous health benefits. A few of the benefits include:

Increased energy

Better digestion

Beautiful skin

Your body can detoxify naturally and begin to heal itself

Weight normalization (your body will naturally gravitate to its ideal weight)

AND... It's good for the environment!

Raw foods contain very little sodium and saturated fat and are high in potassium and fiber. They also contain a wide range of vital life force nutrients like vitamins, minerals, amino acids, oxygen, and live enzymes.

Now don't you want all that in your body!

How do I begin?

To be the most successful, you should probably start slowly. While some people can easily go "cold turkey", the majority of us have to ease our way into things.

Choose a time frame that feels right for you. Some simple steps to get you started are:

Cut out processed beverages. Drink more water and fresh juices.

Try to buy organic foods as much as possible.

Clear your kitchen of all processed or packaged food items.

Increase the number of salads in your diet.

Purchase some new raw "cookbooks" or look online for recipes.

Even adding just a few uncooked meals a week to your diet brings immediate changes to the body.

It's a learning experience that requires patience and paying attention to how you feel.

Give it a try and see if you can tell the difference!

"What if I 'fall off the wagon'?"

Nobody's perfect. Just like with anything else, get up, brush yourself off, and START AGAIN!

If you've had a moment of weakness and ate half a pizza, just stop. Think about why you've chosen this lifestyle. Think about how you feel when you treat your body well.

You feel good, don't you!

Now put a smile on your face and go on with your day!