Living with a raw food diet is known as raw foodism or rawism. This diet proposes consumption of foods that are 75% to 100% raw. Uncooked and unprocessed meat, century egg, dairy, fish, shellfish, vegetables, nuts, young coconut milk, legumes, dried fruit, and freshly juiced vegetables and fruits are some of the choices for a raw food diet.

We are so used to eating cooked and processed foods that living with raws foods is, to many, both unappealing and impossible. But for those who believe in the benefits of a raw food diet, the shift to raw foodism can be realized with careful planning and research. Know what foods you can eat raw and what you cannot.Changing of diet from cooked to raw foods should also be taken slowly and in progression rather than suddenly. The goal is to make the adapt to the new diet. At the start of their raw food diet, people should expect nausea, headaches, loose bowel movement, and other detoxification reactions for several number of days.

Benefits of living with raw foods

Demi Moore is just one of the many people who have turned into raw foodism. Well, you need not be a celebrity to reap the benefits of this diet. But why should you embrace it? Because a well-planned raw food diet is equal to better and healthier living.

• Increased energy: Heat (especially more 160 degrees) can reduce the amount of nutritional values in foods by as much as 85%. When foods are consumed in their raw form, 100% of their nutritional values and “life force” are consumed by our body.

• Raw foods have higher nutritional content that includes phytochemicals, magnesium, folate, and vitamin. One's skin appearance improves, and people are at lower risk for developing cancer and other fatal diseases.

• Because essential enzymes are not lost, one's digestive system no longer needs to work hard to process consumed foods. Raw foods are good for digestion.

• Raw foods have lower trans fat and saturated fat, and so is good for people who are trying to lose or control their body weight.

• Raw foods work wonders for people with low levels of allergy, weight problems, indigestion, weak immune system, and high cholesterol.

How to prepare raw foods for eating

Because our teeth are small and adapted to chewing softer, cooked foods, raw foodists use certain food preparation techniques to make raw foods easier to digest. Some raw foods do not need extensive preparation such as salads and fruits. Yet certain foods need special preparation. Grains, for instance, are too hard to be digested and needs to be sprouted in order to soften. Soaking grains and nuts in water is believed also to be the best way to activate their enzymes. Anyone who wants to embrace raw food diet should have patience, energy, time, and commitment. Some cooking techniques used by people living with raw foods are:

• sprouting: this requires soaking of food in water for a number of hours. Foods that need sprouting include seeds, grains, and beans.

• juicing fruits and vegetables

• drying fruits and vegetables

• dehydrating

• blending

Before completely embracing raw foodism, people should be aware also that they are at risk for calcium-, vitamin B12-, protein-, iron-, and calorie-deficiency. People should consult with their dietician or physician first if they are fit for raw food diet, or what supplements they can take to make up for those nutritional deficiencies. In general, raw food diet is not recommended for children, pregnant or nursing women, people with anemia, and people at risk for osteoporosis.