In the strict definition of the words, a raw food diet is uncooked and completely vegan That means no cooked grains like breads or cereals; no meat, fish or eggs. And no animal byproducts like cheese, milk or ice cream (sorry – but there are some tasty soy and rice products that make great substitutes!).
So that leaves fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and sprouts. That may sound shocking ly restrictive if your current diet consists of eggs and bacon at breakfast, a hamburger and fries at lunch, and grilled salmon with a baked potato and chocolate cake for dinner and dessert,
It that sounds like you, you deserve a lot of credit for even reading this far. But obviously you also have a desire to live longer and stay healthy while you’re doing it. For that purpose, the raw food diet has a lot to offer.
In reality, most people eat from a very small selection of fruits and vegetables. Depending on what part of the country or the world you live in, apples, oranges, grapes and watermelon may be the only fruits you ever eat. And green beans, broccoli, lettuce and carrots may be your mainstay vegetables.
With such a small variety of fruits and veggies to choose from, it’s no wonder the thought of going vegan sounds boring and unrealistic. But the truth is that there are hundreds of different kinds to choose from. And if you begin with a spirit of adventure, instead of bemoaning your loss, you’ll soon find that you have gained a whole world of foods that you never even knew existed.
You’ll also find that there is a wide variety of nuts and seeds you can include that make a raw food diet more interesting. If your palette prefers plain tastes, you’ll have plenty of local fruits and vegetables to choose from that will make you feel comfortable. And if you enjoy exotic tastes, you can explore fruits and veggies from around the world and experiment with herbs and spices to create new tastes.