How to Have a Healthier Christmas with Raw Diet
Whether you follow a raw food diet or simply want to avoid the traditional unhealthy, fattening dishes this Christmas, here are some facts.
Following a raw food diet doesn’t have to mean missing out on Christmas festivities. If you are host to a Christmas dinner for family and friends, you can present them that raw food can be just as delicious and varied as a traditional cooked dinner, you can prepare it with chef coats. Or, try including some raw food dishes on the menu to balance the more traditional, ’stodgier’ items.
Raw Food Advantages
Raw food is a revolutionary way of healthy eating. Proponents claim that eating raw gives the body maximum access to nutrients and enzymes that are ‘killed off’ by cooking. The body also needs less energy to digest raw food than cooked food, leaving it less susceptible to disease. Here are some specific benefits of eating raw food:
However, a raw food diet is not for everyone, and there are risks as well as benefits. Some people choose to eat a diet that is 80-90% raw and still include some cooked food. It is important to consider one’s own body type and nutritional needs, ideally seeking advice from a nutritionist, particularly if breastfeeding or other extra demands are placed on the body.
To find out more about the underlying philosophy of raw food diets, see 3 Things Raw Foodists Believe.
Raw Food Preparation Ingredients
To start off with, you only need basic ingredients, preferably but not always organic:
Raw Food Preparation Equipment
Traditional Christmas staples such as potatoes and turkey are not off limits. The following recipes, from Pretty Smart Raw Food Ideas, don’t require any special ingredients.
After you’ve given birth, do your best to keep up all the good habits you got into while you were pregnant - it will be better for you and your baby.
The first few years of your baby’s life are very important. If you make sure your child has a healthy lifestyle, he or she is more likely to stay healthy.
Eating a healthy diet is very important once you’ve had a baby - especially if you’re breastfeeding. You’ll need more energy than ever to look after your baby and you may be getting less sleep than you were before!
A healthy diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, milk and carbohydrates (like bread, potatoes, pasta and rice), plus protein (meat, fish, pulses such as peas, beans and dhal, cheese and eggs) will make you feel much more lively. Foods that contain a lot of sugar, like sweets, chocolate, biscuits and fizzy drinks, fill you up but then leave you feeling more tired later on.
For your baby, a healthy diet is vital in the first few years of his or her life. Weaning your baby with healthy foods like fruit, vegetables and yoghurt will increase the chances of them being healthy in the future.