Our Nutrition Tip this week is to try eating “Raw” for one day. But what does that mean?
A “Raw Food Diet” usually only includes uncooked, unprocessed (usually organic) fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. Some raw foodists choose to include raw dairy product or meat, but for our Nutrition Challenge, let’s stick to no animal products. Try going raw for one day (or more if you’re feeling adventurous)!
Eating raw also means NO cooking of your food. You can chop it, blend it, puree it… but no heat. Cooking our food changes the content of it (sometimes good, sometimes bad). Learning to really taste our food the way it grows from the earth is a neat concept. See how your taste buds and body react, and share your results in a comment!
I personally know people who have eaten raw for long periods of time and feel absolutely wonderful! Raw food is high in many nutrients (including fiber!), ensures a high vegetable serving for the day and is low in fat and sugar.
However, if you choose to go raw for a longer period of time, consider the following advice I found from WebMD.
- Eat almost twice the iron as non-vegetarians. Good sources of iron are legumes, almonds and cashews.
- Eat at least eight servings a day of calcium-rich foods like bok choy, cabbage, soybeans, tempeh, and figs.
- Eat flaxseed and walnuts. Use canola, flaxseed, walnut, and soybean oil. These are all sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Trying new ways of eating and new foods is good for us. Not only does it increase our awareness of how our body behaves, what we crave or have too much of, but it also reminds us of how good food really is. Sometimes we eat just to eat, eat anything in sight because we’re ‘starving’ or don’t eat all day because we’re too busy. Taking a look at our eating habits is a good thing! Let’s get back to basics, really taste each fruit and vegetable the way it organically grows and remind ourselves that REAL FOOD is not found in a drive-thru or frozen aisle at the grocery store!
Try something new this week and GO RAW! And tell us all about it!
-Megan
