You may have already heard about celebrities and famous people enjoying the benefits of a raw food diet, a diet plan that involves eliminating meat, processed foods and any type of cooked food completely from the daily menu. The raw food diet program follows certain principles and guidelines so that you can still have lots of energy while eating fresh, uncooked foods, and you may even lose weight during the process. Is the raw food diet a good match for you? Here’s what you need to know.

Key Principles of the Raw Food Diet

The raw food diet involves eating unprocessed foods, fresh plants, seeds, nuts and other foods that are not heated or prepared in any way. You can follow raw food diet recipes to make unique meals and dishes, but you cannot heat up or cook the ingredients in any way. The idea behind raw food eating is to eliminate foods that may be destroyed by heat; any foods that are heated above 116 degrees F may not have the nutritional value of fresh foods because heat destroys their natural enzymes.

In order to follow the raw food diet plan, at least 75 percent of the diet must include “living” foods, or natural foods. Many raw foodists also follow a vegan diet plan, simply because many vegan foods are already prepared in their natural state.

Some of the most common foods found in a raw food diet plan include:

• Seeds
• Nuts
• Dried fruit
• Seaweed
• Coconut milk
• Purified water
• Fresh juice
• Whole, sprouted grains

Many meals on the raw food diet plan consist of smoothies and shakes made with a combination of seeds, fruits, vegetable purees and juice. These can be consumed for breakfast, lunch or as an “energy drink” during the middle of the day as they provide a large dose of nutrients and minerals.

What are the Benefits of a Raw Food Diet?

Some health experts and researchers suggest that the raw food diet can reduce the risk of certain diseases because it strengthens the body, improves the body’s immune system and can help improve digestion. One of the side effects of raw food eating may also be weight loss. Key benefits of the raw food lifestyle include:

• Stronger and more efficient metabolism
• Healthy weight loss
• Improved skin
• Healthier muscles and joints
• More energy and vitality
• Improved sleep

If you are prepared to cut out meat, processed foods and cooking from your lifestyle, you may be a good candidate for trying the raw food diet. A raw food program can take time to get used to and adapt to, but the results can be better skin, more energy, better digestion and even weight loss. If you are looking for a different approach to eating and are prepared to skip conventional meals in favor of fresh and raw foods, you may be a good candidate for the raw food diet program.