There is no denying that we can all benefit from eating an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables in their pure, clean, and unprocessed form. Raw foods are cleansing, healing, and detoxifying to the body, and are especially good for people who eat a lot of meat, dairy, sugar, and processed foods.

They’re rich in enzymes and probiotics, are an incredible source of antioxidants and fiber, and they help to balance your body’s natural pH.

Raw foods contain around a third more vitamins and minerals than cooked foods. Including more raw food is your diet can give your system a nutritional boost, give your gums a great workout and can even help you lose weight.

healthy diets will always include large servings of fruits and vegetables. Even if you’re just starting out with this lifestyle, you know that raw fruits and vegetables usually provide a different nutritional value than their cooked counterparts, and are certainly much more nutritionally dense than processed foods.

Whether you’re on a quest to become a fully raw vegan or you simply want to experience the many proven benefits that adding more raw food into your diet can bring, check out the following five tips to help kick-start your new raw foodist lifestyle:

Vitamins and Minerals: The cooking process reduces water sensitive vitamins that are

naturally present in whole foods. Eating them raw ensures that you get the full benefit of the vitamins, such as vitamin A, B, C, E, and potassium and calcium.

Antioxidants: Antioxidants are compounds that both prevent, and help erase, the cellular

damage done by free radicals. Free radicals have been linked to cancer, heart disease, aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and arthritis. A few handfuls of blueberries or raspberries are a wonderful raw treat!

Fiber: Fiber is essential for keeping our bodies running

smoothly, as well as helping to lower cholesterol and help ward off cardiovascular diseases. Raw fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of fiber.

Smoothies made from fresh fruit and low-fat yoghurt - are a cunning way to get plenty of fruit into your system without realizing it! Many soft exotic fruits including peaches and mangoes, papaya and pineapple work well in the blender to create a great low-fat alternative to milkshakes.

Smoothies are especially good when blended with plain yoghurt, which give them the texture of milk shakes with a low fat content.'

Salads are the ultimate raw meal and they don't have to be overloaded with limp-looking cucumber, tomatoes and lettuce. Add instant appeal by grating more exotic vegetables such as sweet potato, artichokes and finely chopped broccoli into your salad.

Try experimenting with vegetables of different texture, flavour and colour to turn a boring salad into a colourful creation. You can also add fruit such as apple and pear to give your salad a tangy flavour and help keep it interesting.

Raw juice is highly nutritious, especially if you juice the whole vegetable including the pith and peel. Not all vegetables - such as carrots, beetroots, peppers and apples - should be peeled as their nutrients tend to be concentrated in the skin.

When juicing vegetables or fruit, leave as much of the white pith as you like to get the full benefit of the bioflavonoids within - powerful plant-based anti-oxidants - which help the body to absorb vitamin C. They also help strengthen the capillaries in the body, leading to better circulation and smoother, more beautiful skin.

Drink your juice as quickly as possible: the nutrients in raw juice are highly volatile and will begin to deteriorate as soon as they are in contact with fresh air.

Chilled soups in summer make an ideal summer dish. Soups such as gazpacho - a traditional Spanish dish containing raw tomatoes, carrots, peppers and celery - or chilled cucumber soup combining cucumber and mint brimming with vitamins & minerals.

People forget their fluid requirements go up when it's hot and humid,' says nutritionist Jane Griffin. On average, people secrete up to one litre of sweat more in summer compared to cooler days, so soup is the perfect way to top up your fluid levels.

Fruits are nature’s wonderful gift to the mankind; indeed, they are life-enhancing medicines packed with vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and many phyto-nutrients (Plant derived micronutrients).

They are an absolute feast to our sight, not just because of their color and flavor but for their unique nutrition-profile that help human body free from diseases and keep it healthy!

Fruits are low in calories and fat and are a source of simple sugars, fiber, and vitamins, which are essential for optimizing our health.

Resources

• www.sastasundar.com

• www.mhbl.com

• www.facebook.com/sastasundar