Raw Food Diet Meal Plans
Raw food diet meal plans are as diverse and varied as those who follow them. From tightly regimented daily allowances of certain foods to a smorgasbord of fresh fruits and vegetables, it's important to find a meal plan that fits into your daily lifestyle.
Raw Food Diet Overview
The raw food diet is an eating plan that restricts at least 75% of all food consumed to raw products or food that has not been cooked. Those who follow a raw food diet claim better overall health, increased energy, and weight loss.
A raw food diet consists mostly of:
- Fresh fruit
- Raw vegetables
- Nuts and seeds
- Legumes
- Sprouts
Some vegetarians also enjoy raw eggs and unpasteurized dairy products, while those who are not vegetarian or vegan can add raw meats such as tuna or steak tartare to their raw food diet. Most raw food diet adherents follow a vegan diet free from all animal products.
What Is a Meal Plan
A meal plan is a chart or list that lays out sample menus that fit into a certain diet. Raw food diet meal plans will give you an outline of the types of food you can eat, as well as suggest meal and snack combinations that allow for variety and an optimal intake of nutrients.
You can find raw food meal plans in books, magazines, through a doctor or nutritionist, or online. These will vary greatly in suggested meals and snacks, so it's best to browse through a variety of plans to find those that fit best with your tastes and lifestyle. Always consult your doctor before embarking on a new type of meal plan, to ensure you're getting enough calories and nutrition.
Raw Food Diet Meal Plans
There are some general guidelines that you should be looking for when deciding on a suitable raw food plan, including:
- A wide variety of fruits and vegetables
- An emphasis on green leafy veggies
- Inclusion of nuts, seeds, and other suitable protein sources
- Sources of iron and calcium
- Beverage options including water and fresh juices
- Options for substitutions for hard to find or out of season produce
It can help a great deal to do a bit of research on basic nutrition before trying a new raw food meal plan. Armed with this knowledge, you can easily evaluate a meal plan, and be confident in making your own substitutions for foods you don't enjoy or can't find.
Sample Raw Food Meal Plan
Here's an example of a basic raw food diet meal plan:
- Breakfast - Fruit smoothie or green smoothie, containing four or five cups fresh fruit and green vegetables, ice, and two to three cups water. (Optional: add one raw egg.)
- Snack - Raw nuts, fresh fruit such as oranges, apples, or pears
- Lunch - Large salad based on green leafy veggies, including three celery stalks, two large tomatoes, any color bell pepper, and avocados, sprinkled with sunflower seeds. Salad dressing can be a drizzle of cold-pressed olive oil and/or freshly squeezed orange juice.
- Snack - Four cups berries, or pineapple, or three peaches
- Dinner - Spinach salad, with baby spinach leaves, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, and orange segments. Freshly made vegetable juice containing mostly green veggies.
- Dessert or Evening Snack - Ten raw pecans or walnuts, banana
- Beverages - As much water as you'd like, freshly squeezed fruit juices, freshly made vegetable juices
As you can see, the diet allows for lots of fruit and vegetables, and gets protein from nuts and seeds. Green leafy vegetables are high in iron and calcium. A variety of produce provides vitamins and minerals as well as carbohydrates. Avocados, oils, nuts, and seeds all provide necessary fats.
Where to Find More
For more raw diet meal plans, here are a few websites that provide balanced suggestions:
- We Like It Raw
- The Skinny on Raw
- Every Diet - A review and sample meal plan from model Carol Alt's book We Like it Raw, which contains meat and dairy products.
- The Best of Raw Food
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