Raw food
Welcome to The Power of Raw! So what is this raw food malarkey all about then, eh?
Here's what Wikipedia has to say on the subject:
Raw foodism is a lifestyle promoting the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the diet. Depending on the type of lifestyle and results desired, raw food diets may include a selection of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds (including sprouted whole grains) [...].
A raw foodist is a person who consumes primarily raw food, or all raw food, depending on how strict the diet is. Raw foodists typically believe that the greater the percentage of raw food in the diet, the greater the health benefits. Members of the raw food community claim that raw food encourages weight loss and prevents and/or heals many forms of sickness and many chronic diseases.
Yup, that sums it up pretty nicely! Most raw foodists are vegan, and some are beegan (me included). Beegan is a tongue-in-cheek way of describing a vegan who occasionally also consumes bee products such as honey, propolis, royal jelly and bee pollen.
Most raw foodists believe in the power of superfoods. "A superfood is a type of food believed to have health benefits beyond those of more common foods due to specific phytonutrient content" (Wikipedia). And there's loads of yummy foods in this category! Here are a few examples: Cacao, Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Goji berries, Bee pollen, Honey, Maca, Acai, Spirulina, Chlorella, Rose hips and many, many more... As you can see, a food doesn't have to be exotic to be super! Broccoli, Tomatoes, Spinach, Dandelion, Nettles and loads of other more familiar foods are also hailed as superfoods.
Eating a varied diet that consists of mainly raw food will ensure that you get lots and lots of nutrients into your body. However, no natural source of vitamin B12 has been identified yet, so it is important that you supplement with this.
Here are some useful links for further information: