Raw Food Diet

Food is considered raw when it is not cooked or heated. The raw food diet is usually plant-based, being made up mostly of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Vegetables lose their nutrients mostly when they are overcooked.

The latest diet trend is eating raw foods such as vegetables, fruits,  seeds  and nuts. Raw food supporters believe that the raw foods are ideal for human health,  can cause weight loss because it contains low calories, improves vitality,  improves overall health,. They also believe that cooking destroys considerable natural enzymes in foods, which are vital to human health and digestion.  Taking only raw food/eating fruits at least one time daily will give us numerous health benefits like controlling blood pressure because it contains low sodium, which might help in lowering chances of stroke, constipation, heart failure, osteoporosis kidney diseases, and losing weight.

Before preparing raw food, all vegetables and fruits must be thoroughly cleaned in water and soaked for l5 to 20 minutes in Saltwater or water mixed with sodium bicarbonate. Nuts such as Almonds, Pistachios, cashews, walnuts, etc.,   must be soaked in drinking water overnight before eating for good results.

Eating a mostly raw diet may lead to negative health consequences. Raw food diet is not recommended for pregnant women, young children, old age people with low immunity system,s and those having kidney diseases.

Find herein some recipes of raw vegetables:

Salads are one of the healthiest food options which are nutritious and give a good taste, texture, color, and good flavor.

1.Vegetable salad: No.1:

Ingredients:

• Three Carrots medium size
• One cup  Moong dal soaked  in water for half an hour
• Fresh coconut 4 inches bit
• Green Chilly one small
• Coriander leaves, and
• Sufficient salt

For seasoning: Fresh vegetable oil  2 teaspoons, Urid dal, cumin and mustard 1/4 teaspoon each,                                  Bengal gram 1/2  teaspoon., a pinch of Hing.

Preparation:    Grate the carrot into small pieces, grate the coconut into very small pieces, cut the chilly into small pieces, mix all these with soaked moong dal in a bowl. Add some coriander leaves, sufficient salt, and keep the bowl aside.

Take a small pan or ladle and add 2 teaspoons of fresh vegetable oil, add mustard and sauté it for one minute, then add urad dal, Bengal gram, and a pinch of Hing and saute for one more minute in a low flame.
 Add this to the salad to enhance the flavor. Now the tasty vegetable salad is ready to eat.

2. Vegetable salad No.2

Ingredients

•  One cucumber big
•  Half  fresh raw mango, 
• One cup Moong dal soaked in water for half  an hour,  
• Fresh  half Coconut, 
• One small Chilly, 
• Some Coriander leaves and sufficient salt.

For seasoning: Fresh vegetable oil  2 teaspoons, Urid dal, cumin and mustard 1/4 teaspoon each, Bengal gram 1/2  teaspoon., A pinch of Hing.

Preparation:   Cut cucumber and raw Mango and into small pieces. Cut chilli also into small pieces Grate Coconut into small pieces, add coriander leaves and mix all with sufficient salt into a bowl and keep it aside.

  

Take a small pan or ladle and add 2 teaspoons of fresh vegetable oil, add mustard and saute it for one minute, then add Urad dal, Bengal gram, and a pinch of Hing and saute for one more minute in a low flame.
Add this to the salad kept in the bowl to enhance the flavor. Now the tasty vegetable salad is ready to eat.

3. Leafy vegetable salad:

Ingredients: 

        Lettuce one medium size

• One medium-size Avocado.
• Three tomatoes,
• One teaspoon pepper,
• One teaspoon Vinegar,
• One small lemon, One teaspoon olive oil,
• Two teaspoons of Sesame seeds and sufficient salt.

Preparation: Dice the Lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado into small pieces.  Keep all the pieces aside.  Take a bowl and mix pepper, vinegar, olive oil, sesame seeds and lemon juice in it. Then add the lettuce and other pieces and a small pinch of salt and mix them well.

Now the tasty vegetable salad is ready to serve.

4. Sprouts and vegetable salad:

Ingredients:  

• One Cup sprouts of Green gram, 
• Cowpeas (black-eyed beans Or Lobia)  and Chickpeas, 
• Two small size carrots/one cucumber,  
• 4 inches Fresh coconut bit,  
• One small green chilly, 
• Some coriander leaves, Some salt.

For seasoning: Fresh vegetable oil  2 teaspoons, Urid dal, cumin and mustard 1/4 teaspoon each, Bengal gram 1/2  teaspoon., A pinch of Hing.

Preparation: Take a bowl and mix the sprouts with some sufficient salt.   Grate carrot/cut cucumber into very small pieces and cut fresh coconut also into very small pieces. Cut green chilly into small pieces. Add all these to the sprouts.

Take a small pan or ladle and add 2 teaspoons of fresh vegetable oil, add mustard and saute it for one minute, then add Urad dal, Bengal gram, and a pinch of Hing and saute for one more minute in a low flame.
Add this to the salad kept in the bowl to enhance the flavor. Now the tasty vegetable and sprouts salad is ready to serve.

5.Vegetable sweet salad:

Ingredients:

• 3 three medium-size beetroots, 
• One cup   groundnut halves soaked in water  for two hours, 
• Two cups  Curd, 
• Jaggery half  cup, and 
• One lemon.

Preparation: Grate the beetroots into small pieces. Take these grated beetroots into a bowl and add soaked groundnut halves, curd and jaggery and mix well. Add the lemon juice for flavor.

Now the tasty sweet salad is ready to eat.

6. Eating Fruits: 

The best time to eat fruits is in the morning.   Eating fruits in the middle of a meal or right after a meal is not good for health. Because the carbohydrates, proteins,  fats, etc., in our meal takes much more time to digest in our stomach, whereas fruits generally digested in our stomach within  3 hours. The best way to eat fruits is an hour before the meal or two hours after the meal.

Some fruits such as Apple, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cherries, Mangoes,  Peaches, Pears, Plums are semi Acidic in nature and Grapefruits, Kiwi, Lemon, Oranges, Pineapples, Pomegranates, Strawberries, are acidic in nature,  whereas Bananas, Sapotas, Dates, Figs, Grapes, Jackfruits, Papaya, Persimmons, Raisins, etc.,  are sweet in nature.

So we should not eat the fruits of acidic in nature together with the fruits of sweet in nature for proper digestion. 

l.  Cherries, Pineapple, blueberry etc.,  are anti-inflammatory fruits.

2. Grapefruits, kiwi, strawberry etc.,  are immune-boosting fruits.

3. Figs, red grape, pomegranate etc., contain Antioxidants.

4. Watermelon, lemon etc., detoxify and flush toxins.

5. Banana, avocado,  apple  etc., will give energy. 

7.  Eating Nuts : 

Nuts such as  Almonds, Cashew, Pistachios, Walnuts, groundnuts, pumpkin seeds etc.,  are good sources of essential vitamins, minerals, proteins as well as healthy fats. They also contain a high level of saturated fats and a high calorific value.  To make nuts healthier we should immerse them in water overnight,  skin them the next morning before consuming them. Eating 25 to 30 grams of nuts per day is good for health.

The author was trained in Siddha Samadhi yoga in the year 1993 wherein the raw food diet was introduced.

Disclaimer: If any of our readers have any medical health conditions, they are advised to consult their doctors before adopting to raw food diet.