It would be unfair and unrealistic to recommend a healthy food diet to someone without warning them about some pitfalls. It is not unusual for anyone who is beginning to make changes to their diets to experience an adjustment period.
The Fallacy of Supplements
The reason that getting fiber from raw food is so much better than taking supplements has to do with how supplements are prepared. Processed food loses much of its health benefits to begin with, but sometimes the producers want to ascribe to the taste good principle, which can further degrade any good results. Loading supplements with sweeteners or artificial flavors to try to make them more appealing often takes away the very thing that you hope to gain.
Shock to the System
You should eat anywhere from 30-40 grams of fiber a day in order to help ward off such diseases as high cholesterol, obesity, high blood sugar, colon cancer (or any other type of cancer) and heart disease. Deciding on a high fiber diet is going to cause some changes simply because your body doesn't understand a sudden change. You could experience headaches, constipation, nausea, or diarrhea when first starting to eat healthy foods. If you get your fiber from raw foods, there is a much less chance of adverse effects, but no guarantees.
If you do have problems at first, simply work into the diet more slowly so the period of adjustment won't be as severe, but remember that any change in a diet that your body has grown accustomed to is going to require indoctrination into a new one. Eating less food prepared with high-glycemic sweets can be likened to withdrawal from a drug.
When you begin a diet that requires drinking more water than you've consumed in the past and you add fiber, raw fruits and vegetables in higher amounts you might have a "cleansing crisis." Rest assured if you stay the course, you will quickly move to a position where you not only lose the early discomforts, but you feel much better than you did on an unhealthy diet.
Anything Without a Bar Code
If you select fresh organic raw foods that you clean well, you get the most natural and healthy foods possible. You don't have to rely on information printed on the back of a package that can be questionable. If you aren't taking a supplement, you don't have to wonder if you are being loaded with other elements that hinder or counteract the beneficial effects you are striving to achieve.
You can train yourself to easily recognize the raw foods that are high in fiber and don't require additives to do their jobs. Think of dark green as the color of fiber because leafy green vegetables are a wonderful source along with almost any other vegetable. Add to that the fact that minerals, vitamins, and beta-carotene are abundant in these raw foods, and you will easily see why they should be a great addition to your diet. Foods with the highest amount of fiber are sprouted beans, dried fruits, fresh berries, nuts like almonds, brazil nuts, and walnuts. Pears, apples, and strawberries have one of the highest amounts of fiber contents of any of the fruits. There are so many choices when it comes to a fiber rich diet that there is no excuse to not eat your fiber!
Recipe - Hummus in the Raw
Ingredients:
* Fresh zucchini squash - 1 large
* 1 garlic clove
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 2 teaspoons sea salt
* 2/3 cup tahini
* 1/2 cup sesame seeds
* Paprika to taste
* Cumin to taste
* 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions:
1. Peel zucchini and place in blender with olive oil, garlic, sea salt, lemon juice, sesame seeds, tahini, paprika, and cumin.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
4. Will keep in refrigerator up to four days.
5. Serve with carrots, celery, crackers, sliced avocados, or with fresh leafy greens.
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