Forget Deprivation - Try The
Ultimate Raw Food Diet

What's a raw food diet and how practical is it? Anyone who's interested in health has at some point come across literature on the benefits of eating raw foods. But the idea of dutifully crunching on carrot sticks and celery stalks every day has little appeal, especially for those of us who love food. So it's wonderful to come across a book that offers a sensible system of eating raw foods and includes so many mouth-watering recipes.

We're talking about Leslie Kenton's book, The Raw Energy Bible. Leslie is one of our favorite health writers. For a start, she's post-menopausal and gorgeous, offering women hope that you don't have to wither and fade into the background after the age of 50. Second, she's been a prolific writer on the subject of health for over three decades, penning a number of bestsellers and making presentations to both the general public and medical practitioners at events around the world.

Leslie translates scientific discoveries into language any of us can understand, which is one of the reasons her books are so popular.

Why consider a raw food diet?

According to Leslie's research, including raw foods in your diet offers a number of important health benefits:

1. Raw foods supply your body with nutrients that are usually destroyed in cooking. These include vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, protein and carbohydrates.
   
   
2. Raw foods help detoxify your body due to their high water content, fiber content, and antioxidant properties.
   
   
3. Raw foods can restore a sluggish metabolism to maximum efficiency. The end result of this is better digestion and a return to your ideal weight.
   
   
4. Raw foods have anti-inflammatory, anti-aging properties.
   
   
5. Raw foods can help prevent a range of degenerative diseases.
   

1. The raw food diet for detoxification

The first benefit of a raw food diet is to release excess toxins stored in your body's fat cells. The more toxins your body has to deal with, the bigger your fat cells. So toxicity and weight gain are closely connected. By eliminating toxic waste with a raw food diet, you can begin the process of losing excess weight.

2. The raw food diet for weight loss

Leslie's research indicates that weight loss is more about metabolism than what you eat. Metabolism slows as you gain weight, and low calories diets slow it even further. So the key is to restore your metabolism to a highly efficient level. Eating raw nutrient-rich foods enhances metabolic function, at the same time eliminating the food cravings that lead to excess weight.

All Fruits Sweet fruits Acidic fruits Sub-acid fruits Melons	Vegetables Leafy greens Green vegetables Yellow vegetables Squashes	Savory Fruits Tomatoes Avocado Green/red peppers Olives
Root Vegetables Carrots Beets Sweet potato Potato	Sprouts Grains Legumes Seeds	Nuts Peanuts Almonds Pecans Walnuts

1. Eat fruit for breakfast and as a mid morning snack.
   
2. Eat a large raw food salad for lunch. You can add soup, a cooked vegetable or a slice of whole grain bread.
   
3. Eat a raw food salad with either a concentrated protein or a starch for dinner.