RAW Food Detox: How To Start

Raw Food Detox: How to Start

A raw food detox diet is a way to detoxify the body. If you do it well, it removes toxins or other contaminants that are stored in our body fat and cells. Detoxing improves health, energy, immune system, memory and digestion.

Warning

Most people are low in minerals such as: calcium, magnesium, sulfur, phosphor, sodium, iron. In order to detoxify, you need alkaline minerals. An important role of calcium is to aid in detoxification. It is an alkaline mineral and will "catch" the toxic acids that your body releases.
If the acids can't be "bound" because your body lacks (alkaline) minerals, the chance is high that you will feel seriously ill during your detox, that your body refuses to release the toxins (you won't be able to lose weight, since acids and toxins are often stored in your body fat), or that your body re-absorbs the released toxins again.

Alkalize

Therefore, it's crucial that - before or during your detox - you get plenty of green vegetable juice and alkalizing super foods.
You may also replenish your minerals by adding a tablespoon of spirulina, blue green algae (i.e. from the "E3 Live" brand) or wheat grass powder in your purified drinking water. These have highly available amino acids and minerals. And they alkalize you.
Once you've remineralized, your raw food detox will be much more effective and easier.

Tip

You may also want to get activated zeolites or bentonite clay. The zeolites especially, are incredibly effective in attaching themselves to toxins, making them harmless and guiding them out of your body. The tiny zeolites neutralize the most toxic elements from our body such as arsenic, mercury.
Clay is much cheaper and is fine too but usually not strong enough. These zeolites will help you get rid of the toxins in an easy, safe and effective way. They also avoid that you reabsorb the toxins your body tries to get rid of. Highly recommended for use during the detox. Zeolites come in a tiny bottle and are pretty expensive, but I highly recommend then when you detox.
Also make sure that you drink enough alkaline and pure water during the process and that you get enough rest.

Raw Food Detox Recipes

On this website you'll find many raw food recipes that you can use during your detox. Go to the Vegetable Juice RecipeHow To Juice Veggies page or check out some Super Foods to see if there are some that might work for you. For all juice recipes visit the Recipe Index page.
Enjoy the detox and be amazed at the results!

Raw Vegan Shopping List

Here's my raw vegan shopping list. With the basics I always have at home. Affordable and available at health food stores, green markets and online.

Whole food Vegan

The shopping list has whole food and healthy stuff only. No refined sugars, flours or vegan junk food. Now that vegan is becoming more popular you see more and more vegan (and gluten free) fast food in the aisles.
Technically, many of these are vegan, but so are sugar, trans-fats and chemicals, artificial sweeteners, MSG etc. Just read the labels well.

What To Look For

I always look for organic and raw products. If I have a choice I go for in season, local and as fresh and uprocessed as possible.

Where To Buy

For shopping, my first choice is the farmers market (fresh, cheap, mostly local and in season). I'm lucky, because the green farmers market I go to has many fresh, raw condiments like pesto, salsa, mustard, horseradish, tapenade etc.
I also have a deal with a local farmer that is not officially organic certified but who does not use any pesticide on most of his produce. Every two weeks, he delivers a bag of local, seasonal fruit (apples, pears, strawberries) and vegetables (carrots, fennel, broccoli) at my house.
What I can't get there, I buy at the health store or online.

Go here to download shopping list
Go to recipes (free!)

Raw Food Diet Conversion Chart

You are interested in a raw food diet. Now you have to decide what to eat. To help you with the transition from cooked to raw, here's a raw food conversion chart.
The chart has the following categories:
  1. Food
  2. Beverages
  3. Condiments and Spreads
  4. Special Treats
  5. Supplements
  6. General Guidelines

1. Food

BadBetterBest
SugarAll forms:
- Dextrose
- Corn syrup
- Rice syrup
- Malt
Raw honey
Raw Agave
Maple syrup
Raw fresh fruits
Raisins
Dates
Stevia
Vanilla
Cinnamon
Raw honey (25g) and
Coconut Sugar
Raw fruit in moderation
SweetenersAll forms:
- Aspartame
- Splenda
- XylitolStevia
Vanilla
Cinnamon
SaltTable salt
Iodized salt
Unrefined sea salt
Unrefined Celtic sea salt
Organic salt from plants:
Celery
Seaweed
Phytoplankton
FlourWhite flours from:
- Wheat
- Corn
- Rice, etc.
Organic whole flours from:
- Spelt*
- Kamut
- Quinoa
- Buckwheat
- Millet
- Brown rice*
- Other non stored grains
*stored grain
Sprouted grains
Almond flour
Coconut flour
BreadFrom supermarketHome made
Health store
Sourdough (Yeast free)
Wheat free
Sprouted
Dehydrated flax crackers
Essence bread
Lettuce wraps
PastaWhite pastaOrganic spelt or buckwheat
Sprouted pasta
(Raw) spaghetti made from squash
FatButter
Shortening
Margarine
Chemicals
Trans fats
Animal fats
Fermented fats
Cold pressed coconut oil
Olive oil
Hemp seed oil
Flax seed oil
Whole hemp seeds
Whole organic flax Seeds
Nuts
Fresh coconut
MeatCold cuts
Processed meat:
Hot dogs
Bacon
Salami, etc.
Organic raised
Nitrites free
E-numbers free (EU)
MSG free, etc.
Vegan nut pate's
Raw "meat" balls
made from nuts/seeds
FishFarm raised fishWild fish
Not endangered
Wild Alaskan fish
Caught same day & sustainable
Cold smoked wild Alaskan salmon Krill Oil
EggsConventional eggsOrganic farm free eggsEgg replacers:
- Agar agar
- Flax seed
- Psyllium fiber
CheeseCheese
From cow
Pasteurized
Not organic
Homogenized
Organic raw goat cheese
Organic raw sheep's cheese
Nut cheese
Seed cheese
Milk & YogurtMilk, yogurt
From cow
Pasteurized
Homogenized
Organic milk
Raw goat's milk
Almond milk from store
Rice milk
Coconut milk
Raw almond milk
Raw milk from nuts
Raw milk from seeds & grains
Home made Kefir
Raw coconut juice & milk

2. Beverages

BadBetterBest
WaterWater from tapPlastic bottled water
Evian, Poland Spring, Fuji Water
Distilled water
Low mineral spring water
Bottled in glass
TheeBlack teaHerbal teas
CoffeeCoffee
Decaffeinated coffee
Coffee replacerRaw "hot" chocolate milk
Soft DrinksLemonade
Jam
Soft drinks
Fruit juices
Organic fresh juices
Flash pasteurized
Freshly squeezed juice:
Fruit juice
Orange Juice 
Vegetable juices
Green powder juice
Juice fresh from juice bar
super foods drinks
Coconut water (fresh)
Smoothies
Home made lemonadew stevia

3. Condiments and Spreads

BadBetterBest
Tomato KetchupTomato ketchup
From supermarket
Organic, sugar free ketchup
Home made ketchup
Raw ketchup
MayonnaiseFrom super markedOrganic, no sugar added
Home made
Raw home made mayonnaise
Raw mayonnaise made from avocado
Raw mayonnaise made from nuts/seeds
Pasta SaucesFrom package
Cans
Mac n cheese
Ready made
From health food store
Organic
Home made
Pesto sauce
Tomato sauce
Organic Cheeses
Fresh Raw Tomato Sauce
Raw Pesto
Nut Cheese
Salsa
Bread SpreadsCold cuts
Processed meat
Jam
Chocolate spreads
Cheese
Organic almond butter
Jam/Jelly 100% fruit
Raw honey
Raw cheese
Avocado
Pesto
Tapenade
Salsa
Guacamole
Nut pates
Nut cheeses
Coconut butter

4. Special Treats

BadBetterBest
CandyCandy from supermarket
Energy bars
Diet bars
Chips
Cookies
Organic from health store:
- Candy
- Chips
- Cookies
- Popcorn
Larabars
Raw Cookies
Raw cakes
Fresh fruits
Dried fruits
Dehydrated crackers/chips
Cookies, CakesCookies from super marked
Cakes from super marked
Organic from health store
Home made cookies
Home made cakes
Raw cookies & cakes
Raw cakes & pies
Dehydrated cookies

5. Supplements

BadBetterBest
Supplements
Vitamins
Supplements
Vitamins
From supermarket
From drugstore
Supplements from some small companiesWhole foods supplements
Super foods
Green powders

6. General Guidelines

BadBetterBest
ResourcesGrocery storeHealth storeHome made foods
Green/farmer's market
GrownConventional grownOrganic foods
Naturally grown
No pesticides, herbicides, chemicals
Local farmer's/green market
Wild
Local and organic
Own garden, sprouts
ProcessedJunk
Pre-packaged
Fast food
Grilled
Microwaved
BBQ
Fried
Steamed
Cooked
Stir fried
Baked at low temperatures
Raw
Juiced
Blended
Dehydrated
IngredientsMany ingredients
Conservatives
Sweeteners
Chemicals
E-numbers
MSG, flavor enhancers, etc.
Few ingredients
Ingredients you can pronounce
Home made
All fresh ingredients

Related Articles

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Nothing But Sweat Workout by DailyHIIT

4 Ways Your Pumpkin Can Make You Prettier

How Air Pollution Is Damaging Your Health