
For fresh local produce each week check to see if there is a CSA in your area.
As we cook our vegetables, the extreme heat damages crucial enzymes tasked with helping your body digest these foods, Vitamin C, and other essential nutrients are also destroyed.
A typical raw food diet is made up of uncooked whole grains, seeds, nuts, fresh fruits and of course vegetables. These shouldn’t be heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
The benefits you stand to enjoy from taking your veggies raw include:
1. Maintaining Your Youthful Glow
Raw vegetables are abundant with hydrating properties which help reduce the occurrence of wrinkles. For instance, some vegetables are made up of 85% to 95% water and also have a host of phytonutrients. These are essential in slowing the aging process by preventing damage to your cells from:
· Environmental toxins
· UV light
· Stress
Found abundantly in broccoli, bell peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes, Vitamin C helps in the formation of collagen. Within a few days of sticking to this diet, carotenoids pigments found in raw vegetables will impart your skin with a warm glow, improving facial skin attractiveness and healthiness.
2. Potential Weight Loss
Generally, vegetables have low calorie and fat amounts, raw vegetables have even lower concentrations. As good sources of dietary fiber, they are the best substitutes for calorie-rich foods like proteins and carbohydrates.
Raw vegetables have very little energy density compared to cooked ones. Due to their naturally high fiber content, these vegetables will leave you feeling full for the better part of your day. This helped me avoid all the unhealthy snacks I had become accustomed to.
FYI: For people with excessive weight, the reduced food cravings help them attain their weight-loss goals faster and without having to starve themselves.
3. Cancer-Fighting Properties
Though both cooked and raw vegetables decrease the risk of developing certain types of cancer, raw vegetables give you more benefits. When vegetables are cooked, some of their beneficial chemicals are lost in the process.
For instance, raw broccoli has three times the amount of myrosinase enzyme found in cooked broccoli. The enzyme helps your body dispense harmful carcinogens (cancer-causing substances). When used together with other raw cruciferous veggies, bladder cancer risk is drastically reduced.
Physicians recommend the consumption of cancer-fighting vegetables in their raw form. If you need to heat them, don’t exceed 15 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Good for Your Heart
Foods with high fiber content are particularly good in preventing heart ailments. The soluble fibers found in raw vegetables readily dissolve in water, creating a gel-like texture matrix. This powerful solution is crucial in absorbing cholesterol and bile acids, expelling them from the body entirely.
When bile acids are removed from your system, your body is forced to use up the cholesterol, freeing up arteries and other blood vessels in the process. Soluble fibers, constituting raw vegetables, are essential in the removal of bad cholesterol’ from your bloodstream.
FYI: Insoluble fiber lowers the intake of cholesterol.
5. Increased Energy
Raw vegetables are very close to their natural, live states. The quality of energy they provide is far beyond that of other vegetables and food, you feel lively and rejuvenated throughout the day. With your energy levels up, you will be more productive and possibly even earn more!
Combined with their high water content, these energizing properties are beneficial to your long term health. In general, consuming raw vegetables will improve every aspect of your health. Leafy greens, cucumbers, pears, and watermelons are some of the best rehydrating and energizing vegetables.
By eating living foods, you pack your body with all the essential nutrients and elements it needs to stay lively and healthy. Raw vegetables are readily available in your local grocery store or you can grow them yourself, all that’s left is for you to get started!
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