A raw food diet, also known as a living food diet, centers around uncooked, unheated whole foods. Most unprocessed and unpackaged living foods are naturally low in calories, making them ideal for a 30-day diet focused on weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight. If you want to eat a raw diet to fight an illness or treat a condition, consult with your doctor or a nutritionist first.
Transitioning to a Raw Diet
You can spend one month slowly transitioning to a raw diet. Spend the first week swapping red meat, refined carbohydrates, fast food and simple sugars for fresh produce, unprocessed natural foods and cooked or raw unsweetened whole grains, nuts and seeds. In the second week, follow a vegan diet and add more raw foods in the form of homemade smoothies. In the third week, switch to soaked or sprouted raw nuts and seeds. In the fourth week, eat a diet consisting of 100 percent raw foods.
Types of Raw Diets
You have several choices when selecting a month-long raw diet. You can eat up to 20 or 25 percent cooked foods and still follow a raw diet. You can further restrict a raw diet by eating only certain types of raw foods. Sproutarians eat a variety of raw foods but make sure that a good portion includes sprouted grains, seeds and nuts. Living foodists consume raw fermented foods, sprouted foods and blended fermented foods. Instinctive eating, similar to the Paleo diet, may feature raw produce as well as seafood and meat, but eliminates grains. The diets of fruitarians contain 75 percent raw fruit and raw fruit juices, but sometimes also include sprouts and leafy greens.
Raw Food Recipes
A raw food diet may feature simple ingredients, but you can combine raw foods in many ways. Being creative with raw food recipes will keep you motivated to stick with a raw food diet for one month. Blend banana chunks with spinach for a nutritious smoothie. Use soaked raw nuts mixed with shredded carrots and zucchini to make nut patties. Mix fresh tomato chunks, garlic, cucumber, chili pepper, balsamic vinegar and olive oil for a raw gazpacho. Fill lettuce leaves with a mix of mashed avocado, raw corn and purple onion for a raw taco.
Benefits
A one-month raw diet featuring diverse and nutritious foods will typically lower your caloric consumption, resulting in weight loss. The nutrients, fiber and antioxidants in raw fruit and vegetables as well as other whole foods may improve skin conditions, ease digestion and boost your energy. Eliminating simple sugars, syrups and other additives from your diet for one month can help promote lifestyle changes such as reducing your consumption of processed foods for the long term.
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