Raw Foods

I recently read a book about a raw diet.  The author made case for only eating raw organic produce and to eliminate any processed foods and cooked foods from your diet.  While I think that this is an extreme way to live, and almost impossible for me since I travel much for work, I think that there is some merit for the argument.    Reducing  processed foods  like cakes and cookies and other sweet items from your diet along with salty snacks like potato chips and tortilla chips can eliminate a large source of empty calories and bad fats from your diet.    Giving up pasta and cooked rice and cooked potatoes and other carbohydrate and protein sources would be hard for most people and the authors argument to replace processed wheat with sprouted wheat works only if you really really have time to commit to such a life style and are prepared to have a life of eating salads when ever you eat out.  Overall though,  I think she is in the right vein and I have adopted some of her thinking when it comes to vegetables.

I do feel better now that  I eat many of my vegetables raw instead of cooking them.    A big salad with spinach,  tomatoes, cucumbers,  peppers,  raw broccoli  and raw zucchini as your vegetable serving(s) is really great and you know it is low calorie, low fat and contains Iron, Vitamin C, and in some cases is a good source of protein.    I do cook some  vegetables  (I make a lot of Indian food) but at least once a day there is a large raw salad in my diet.    As long as I do not cover it with high calorie and fat dressings  it is really great for me.   A majority of my salads have vinegar only, though sometimes I do add oil depending on the type of vinegar.    I very rarely use bottled dressings as they are sources of sugar (for the low fat varieties) and bad fats.