A Raw Vegetable Diet

A raw vegetable diet is simply raw food meal plans centering around uncooked plant based, non-fruit foods.

For some thoughts on eating lots of uncooked veggies especially for weight loss, I asked Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, The Veggie Queen for some of her thoughts. Here is what she said:

"Veggies" Defined

"Vegetables are just what we think of: the stems, leaves, shoots and fruits of green plants such as broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini and other summer squash, green (and other colored) beans, kohlrabi, kale, carrots, beets, etc. There are many. And if you want, you can include tomatoes in this lot.

A mainly raw vegetable diet might be good for some people who want to lose weight as these particular plant-derived foods are generally nutrient-dense, meaning they contain a lot of nutrition for just a few calories. So you can feel full, but won’t be eating all that much. With that said, just eating vegetables might not be enough food or calories for active people.

Green Leafy (Forget Iceberg Lettuce) Salads to Help Weight Loss and General Health

"Iceberg lettuce is mostly water and does not contain nearly the amount of nutrients such as folic acid found in any of the darker green leafy lettuces such as romaine, red leaf, green leaf or any of the more exotic greens such as arugula, tat soi, mizuna or others. Again, iceberg lettuce will fill you up for a few calories, but you won’t be getting very much nutrition from it."

The Science Behind Eating Raw Vegetables and Perhaps Adding Some Cooked Vegetables

"I highly recommend the book Becoming Raw  by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina who are fellow Registered Dietitians. It contains all kinds of science and documentation.

Not everyone finds that eating all raw works for them. Besides, you get more nutrition (from lycopene) from cooked carrots and tomatoes.  Many people do well with a mostly raw diet with some cooked foods. I am currently eating raw green and wax beans and zucchini slices dipped into hummus. Very tasty, very filling and still mostly raw.

If you get at least the 9 to 11 recommended servings of vegetables and fruits each day, you get lots of great nutrition, especially if you eat a variety of vegetables."

My Personal Thoughts...

I am so happy that Ms. Nussinow included tomatoes in her list of vegetables. You may have heard the old saying, “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, but wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad!” For a more complete list of vegetables to enhance your raw vegetable diet see my list of raw foods.  I have heard it said by those in the raw food world that vegetables are “builders” while fruits are “cleansers.” If you are considering the advantages of raw vegetables diet, my advice is this may be good, but only for a short time; don't neglect your fruit cleansers for too long.

For the perfect balance of raw fruits and vegetables, The Garden Diet's 28 Day Transition to Raw Program.

Eat Your Veggies!

Eating 9 to 11 servings of raw vegetables per day can benefit anyone very favorably, no matter what else you may be eating. So eat your veggies, lots of them, every day. Your body will thank you!

Related Articles on Raw Food and Weight Loss:

Raw Foods Diet Meal Plans
Raw Food for Weight Loss

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