A raw food diet can result in pure enjoyment, well balanced nutrition and the discovery of a wide range of living foods as close as nature intended. Raw food nourishes the body with all essential nutrients, providing lots of energy, and on top of that rewards the taste buds with so many new flavours!
The most important difference between cooked and raw food lies in the preparation of the food. Following a raw food diet means that no single food item or ingredient is heated above 45 degrees Celsius. This ensures, that the original taste and all valuable nutrients are preserved.
Therefore, raw food is often called "living food" since all meals are kept in their natural state and do not get modified in any way such as roasting, frying, or baking. This fact also means that the more wholesome your diet is, the healthier and the better your food is for you.
Not quite sure what a raw food diet looks like? Here are 5 awesome reasons to give it a go!
1. You will prepare your own meals and you know exactly what’s in them
Eating out or ordering food online is quite normal to many of us these days - even though preparing your own meals can be so rewarding and incredibly easy! Adopting a raw food diet doesn’t mean that you have to be in the kitchen for hours. Also, you don’t have to strictly follow a given recipe. A raw food diet should be a very intuitive form of eating.
In general you will eat lots of fruit and vegetables in any possible form available - juices, smoothies, soups, salads and even in crackers.
But the list doesn’t stop here – as well as main meals and snacks, the raw food diet has many different options for creating healthy and wholesome desserts that are both really delicious and most likely very addictive!
From just a couple of frozen bananas you can create ice cream (also called nice cream) in the comfort of your very own kitchen. By mixing dates with nuts you can easily create the base of any raw cake and top it off with a cream consisting of avocados, bananas, dates and cacao. And yes, this was just a couple of ideas. There are many recipes available out there!
2. The raw food diet will reset your taste buds
It is highly likely that eating raw foods will help you get rid of old eating habits and you may automatically set new standards for your diet. Consuming a high amount of raw foods rich in vitamins and minerals may help reduce cravings for stimulating foods such as coffee and alcohol.
This also applies to sweets and sugary snacks – If you struggle with sweet cravings, these will decrease with time. Until you get to that stage, nature offers many delicious options - whether it is fresh fruit like a couple of strawberries, an apple, a slice of a pineapple, a handful of blueberries, a banana, a mango, a few lychees or dried fruit like dates and figs.
Furthermore there is a variety of options for healthy and wholesome raw desserts, which you can enjoy in these moments! Healthier alternatives to most average snacks are raw chocolates, Life Sweets or Rawmeo Balls.
After just a short while of following a raw food diet, your taste buds will be completely redefined and you will find the taste of fruit and vegetables to be much more intense than before you started this new way of eating. 
3. A raw food diet will let you eat more intuitively
While following a raw food diet, preparing your own food is a must. This is a very creative act where you can experiment a lot - especially in the beginning. Sometimes we’re stuck in our way when it comes to eating and we can find ourselves eating the same meals day in day out.
It is good to change things up a bit and get to the point where we listen to our mind and bodies again. By doing so, we can make sure our body gets what it needs and what it asks for.
Some of us may have noticed already that when we get flu or a cold, we instantly crave for warming foods like ginger (warms up the body and fights bad bacteria). The same goes for craving watermelon during very hot summer days in order to cool us down (watermelon helps counteract heat in the body).
By adopting a raw food diet you will be able to learn how to be more intuitive again when it comes down to choosing the foods to eat. You will automatically learn to listen to your body and be mindful about your decisions about food.
4. You will learn a lot about nutrition
Because of the wide range of fruit and vegetables, which obviously play a big role in every raw food diet, you will automatically come across new ones and rediscover old ones which you may have enjoyed in the past.
During the transition period, you will learn where to find all the different nutrients required by the body. Regular visits to the grocery store or health food store will help you learn more about the provenance and seasonality of fruit and vegetables available in your area. Ideally, your meals will vary depending on the seasons.
There is no shortage of blogs and recipe books to inspire you every day. You will also find many books written specifically about raw food diets which will show you new ways of creating delicious, healthy, and raw meals.
5. You will feel incredible
It is now well known that incorporating a lot of raw foods into your daily life will benefit your body as a whole. The benefits include a significant increase in energy, less inflammation in the body, better digestion, ensured intake of more than recommended amount of fiber, good heart health, natural and sustainable weight loss, reversed diseases and a clear and healthy skin.
Why not try it out by slowly increasing the amount of raw food in every meal? Then carefully observe what it does to your body and how you feel day after day.
A raw food diet offers many advantages but we get it that at first it may seem overwhelming to you or simply not achievable. But let us tell you this - once you start and get hooked, you will not want to stop.
Even though many say that a raw food diet needs to be 100% raw food, we do not think this is necessary in order to experience the many benefits it offers. In fact, we believe you will start benefiting if you follow a raw food diet consisting of 80% raw food and 20% vegan gluten free food. This way, you can find your optimal balance. You will nourish your body with lots of nutrients and you will enjoy a big dose of vitality!
