The Paleo Diet: The Benefits of Eating Raw Foods

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raw-paleo-foods-sm-300x200.jpgEating raw foods is one aspect of the Paleo diet plan, which is based on the diet of primitive people during the Paleolithic Era. During those times, agriculture and farming did not exist, and people survived by eating what they could find in the wild. People hunted game animals and fished seafood. They also gathered a wide assortment of food sources such as eggs, nuts, fruits, seeds, vegetables, mushrooms, spices and herbs. Fire wasn’t around yet or was rarely used to prepare meals, so the caveman diet plan consists mostly of raw foods.

Indeed, a lot of foods are great when eaten raw, and you don’t need to be pro-Paleo diet to know this. Heating causes food to lose or damage most of its nutrients, fibers and enzymes, not to mention creates harmful inorganic acids. Overheating does worse. Who likes the smell, taste and look of burnt food in the first place? In Paleo diet, it is all right to cook foods however it’s maintained that eating raw foods offers many benefits.

1. Chop and pop. Eating raw food means lesser time to prepare. In a fast-paced world where people are eating unhealthy instant meals and fast foods, beat the urge by eating fresh, raw vegetables and fruits.

2. All nutrients intact. Heating destroys many of the essential vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and fibers in foods. Most cooked foods have low health factor when compared with uncooked foods.

3. Less packaging, less trash. Precooked foods generally come with all the fancy labels and packaging that adds to landfills. On the other hand, raw foods are mostly biodegradable waste.

4. Less health risks. Heating and cooking destroys nucleic acids and fats and disorganizes proteins, making foods indigestible or an irritant. Cooked foods cause food allergies, hypersensitivities, bad odor, and halitosis.

5. Better sleep. Raw foods helps in having a restful, satisfactory sleep, so there’s no feeling of tiredness. A piece of fresh apple rejuvenates the body faster than a slice of bread.

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We bet you’ve had your taste of raw foods, and didn’t even know they’re part of the Paleo meal plan. Most fruits and vegetables may be eaten raw or half-cooked. Fish and other seafood are also okay eaten with little or no cooking at all. Just imagine how sumptuous a bowl of vegetable and fruit salad is. How about a plate of sashimi for dinner? Heavenly is it not? There are many other Paleo diet recipes that don’t require cooking or heating, and are yet so mouth-watering.

In modern times, it may not be absurd or difficult after all to cultivate a lifestyle dating back to the Stone Age, when people hunted and gathered food. Yes, it’s impractical to entirely depend on hunting and gathering for sustenance, however there are organic or natural foods to supplement wild game and plants. It’s worth checking a Paleo diet food list to know which contemporary food sources may be adapted for this practice.