One of the keys to staying on any diet when you are trying to lose weight is to maintain stable blood sugar levels. A balanced raw food diet that includes several small meals throughout the day delivers consistent nutrients that don’t cause blood sugar to spike and drop.
That means you are less likely to reach for a candy bar for a quick burst of energy when you start to feel tired in the middle of the afternoon.
It is that quick drop in blood sugar that makes you feel sleepy about 30 minutes after eating sugary snacks and high carb foods. But when you eat raw foods that are high in fiber, healthy fats and proteins – like apples, sunflower seeds, carrots, almonds and walnuts – your blood sugar and energy levels stay stable throughout the day.
Since a balanced raw food diet includes healthy fats, people who have tried to lose weight on ‘low fat’ diets and learning to be disciplined enough to ignore their hunger pains will be glad to know that eating raw foods presents an easier and more effective approach.
Low fat diets often result in over eating because fats actually play an important role in creating the feeling of being ‘full’. So when your diet includes healthy fats from natural sources like fish oil, nuts and seeds, you will feel satisfied when you have had enough to eat, and naturally stop eating. And you won’t be walking around all day feeling hungry.
Another benefit of a raw food diet that helps with weight loss is the fact that you can snack on healthy raw foods throughout the day instead of depriving yourself of food. There’s no need to grit your teeth and force yourself not to eat if you’re hungry between meals – as long as your between meal treats are on the raw foods list.
Of course, you will still need to learn deal with emotional eating habit like raiding the fridge out of boredom or rummaging through the pantry when you feel lonely. But from a food standpoint, you can usually eat until you are full on a raw food diet and still lose weight.