An unprocessed diet is a diet made up of foods in their natural state, or as close to natural as possible. By eating an unprocessed diet you will get many vitamins, minerals and healthy fiber. Fiber helps keep you full longer and helps clean out your digestive tract. When eaten whole or raw, fruits and vegetables are unprocessed foods.
Some foods are minimally processed, in order to get them ready for consumption. Examples would be meats, olive oil and raw milk.
History
Hundreds of years ago humans ate unprocessed foods. We grew our own fruits and vegetables and ate nuts and seeds. As we became an industrialized society we learned how to process foods, which often includes adding salt and other preservatives. Processing of foods can add unhealthful elements and cause the foods to lose some of their nutritional value.
Prevention/Solution
Dr. Andrew Weil says a diet should contain as many unprocessed foods as possible for optimum health. In order to eat an unprocessed diet you shouldn't buy any boxed foods or frozen dinners. Although some of them may seem healthy, they still contain a lot of preservatives and added sodium.
Unprocessed foods are as close to raw as possible. Always choose the real fruit over fruit juice, jellies and dried fruit. The same goes for vegetables. Aim for as close to raw as possible. An example would be a raw carrot or a pear.
Types
All whole fruits and vegetables are part of an unprocessed diet. Good examples of unprocessed fruit are apples, oranges, bananas, papaya and lemons. Some examples of unprocessed vegetables are tomatoes, cucumbers, kale, grean beans and squash.
Frozen vegetables are good too, as long as they don't have any sauces on them or preservatives. If you buy a bag of frozen green beans and the only ingredient is green beans, this is a good choice for an unprocessed diet. The beans were washed and cut, but nothing else was done to them.
Nuts, seeds and legumes such as kidney beans and lentils are also good options.
Considerations
Other foods can be part of an unprocessed diet. Fish, poultry and red meat are minimally processed. If you buy them from a local butcher, seafood store or a health-food store such as Whole Foods, you are better off. They can be part of a healthy, unprocessed diet.
Whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice and oatmeal are also minimally processed and very healthy options.
Warning
Raw or undercooked food can sometimes have illness-causing bacteria. Make sure to wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly to lessen your chance of getting sick. Always wash your hands after touching raw meat, too.
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