RAW FOOD FAST

This week Optimal Kitchen clients signed up for a Raw Food fast which includes all the items pictured above.  The fast is designed to last 2 days and is a great tool to kick start a weight loss plan, detox your body, or simply to get your gut in better shape to boost that immune system before the holiday onslaught.

Here is the lowdown on going RAW :

GET HEALTHY BY GOING RAW

People are always looking for a quick fix, and when it comes to weight loss, crash diets are as popular as ever. It doesn’t take a nutritionist to tell you this not a healthy or wise choice. However, I can tell you that there is a simple and easy way to shed some pounds, rev your metabolism, and decrease your body’s acidity, Go Raw!

It is a basic fact that our bodies were designed to metabolize most of the foods we eat in their raw and natural state. When we apply heat to food above 116 degrees F we denature it and change its molecular structure as well destroying vital living enzymes that can assist in the digestion and absorption of food. Cooking is also thought to diminish the nutritional value and “life force” of food. In simpler terms, cooking our food slows our metabolism because it does not force us to operate at peak levels. By eating our food raw we are allowing our enzymes to function exactly as they were designed to do. It requires far more work on the cellular level for our bodies to metabolize raw foods.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF GOING RAW
Increased energy
Improved skin appearance
Better digestion
Weight loss
Reduced risk of heart disease

OTHER REASONS TO GO RAW
Most types of cooking also create what is known as a free radical. No doubt you’ve read an article on the dangers of free radicals and the anti-oxidant revolution that has ensued to fight those free radicals. Simply put, free radicals are molecules that due to environmental factors, like heat or exposure to toxins, are left with dangling oxygen atoms. These molecules are desperately looking to bond with floating atoms, however unless we consume enough of these vital anti-oxidants for these molecules to bond with, we are left with free radicals which doctors and scientists have linked to a myriad of degenerative diseases, most commonly cancer.

A raw food diet contains also has fewer HYPERLINK “http://adam.about.com/encyclopedia/Trans-fatty-acids.htm”trans fats and HYPERLINK “http://adam.about.com/encyclopedia/Saturated-fats.htm”saturated fats than the typical Western diet. It is also low in sodium and high in potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber and health-promoting plant chemicals called phytochemicals. Most importantly it eliminates all so-called “junk foods”, refined sugars and white flour out of our diet completely. In addition it drastically reduces our consumption of meats and dairy, the two greatest sources of saturated fats. These properties are associated with a reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. For example, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that consumption of a raw food diet lowered plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations.
IS GOING RAW RIGHT FOR EVERYONE
The raw food diet may not be appropriate for certain people, such as:
Children
Pregnant or nursing women
People with anemia
People at risk for osteoporosis – A Washington University study found that people following a raw food diet had lower bone mass. Bone turnover rates, however, were similar to the group that ate a standard American diet.
A 3-5 day Raw Food fast is a great way to detoxify and kick-start any weight loss program. Forget about all those colon cleansing treatments or expensive herbal supplements designed to detoxify the digestive track. A raw food fast will do primarily the same thing these treatments do without any harmful side effects.

For those of you willing to give it a shot (and I promise you won’t be disappointed) I am providing a set of guidelines to follow. Be wary of beverages, milk is a no, no and so is soda, bottled juices, and coffee all of which are heat pasteurized or full of chemicals. As far as juicing your own fruit, don’t bother, you remove all of the beneficial fiber that will help you to feel full longer. However it is crucial to drink copious amounts of water to help flush accumulated toxins out of your body. A good rule of thumb on how much water you should drink is a 140lb woman or 175lb man should consume in the range of 48-64 oz. daily, for every 20lbs you are overweight you should increase the amount by 8 more ounces. Herbal teas are a great way to add flavor and even more nutrients to your diet.

So give raw a chance and you might just be amazed at how you feel after just a few days. A great way to maintain the benefits of going raw is to keep one meal a day raw, for example a bowl of fresh berries and melon for breakfast or a great big salad full of raw veggies for lunch.

RAW FOOD FAST GUIDELINES
All Raw Fruits: you can eat as much fruit as you want but adhere to the rule that all fruit should be eaten alone or with other fruit only and aim to consume most of your fruit before noon.
All Raw Vegetables: You can consume limitless amounts of raw vegetables, be sure to have a variety on hand because since that is all you are eating you can get quickly bored if there is not enough variety. Make sure you have vegetables of all colors, green, red, orange and purple for their unique blend of phyto-chemicals and carotenoids.
Raw Nuts and Seeds: Nuts are a critical component to a raw food fast because they will help curb hunger faster and better than fruits or vegetables. Keep in mind that nuts are high in fat, though they are beneficial mono-unsaturated fats, so try not to have more than 1 cup per day. Raw nut butters are good too and can be found in most health food stores. Keep in mind though you can’t put it on a cracker.
Raw Fish: Sashimi (no rice)
Raw Meat: Carpaccio
Cold–Pressed Oils Olive, Canola, Some Nut Oils
Raw Vinegars
Raw Soy Sauce
Raw Honey, Raw Blue Agave Syrup
Raw Dairy Products (though for a 3-5 day fast I don’t recommend it)
Foods you’ll have to avoid though they may not seem cooked: milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, bottled salad dressing, bread, crackers, chips, chocolate, coffee, black tea, soda, store bought juice and anything processed.
Raw Vinegars, Raw Ohsawa Nama Shoyu, Raw Honey, Raw Blue Agave syrup, Raw nut butters are all available at the Orleans Whole Food store

The Key to a successful raw food fast is to make sure you have plenty of food on hand. Since you’ll be eating your food raw it won’t take much time to cook foods but you will need to prepare most of your food because there aren’t any places to buy pre-made raw foods in the area. Fats will also be critical to staying with the raw food fast, nuts and avocados will help keep you feeling full for longer, and since you will consuming only raw fruits and vegetables, they will be going through your metabolism quickly, leaving you hungry. You must make sure not to let yourself get to the point where you are significantly hungry or you’ll leave yourself at risk for cheating. You should be eating every2-3 hours, even if it is simply a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts.