Raw food diets (or vegan diets) have been known to help people lose excess weight. In addition to weight loss, there are many other benefits from going on a raw food diet. For example, a vegan diet may help maintain a healthier heart, help fight against certain cancers, and could stop a person from developing type 2 diabetes.
Here are scientifically-proven reasons to go on a vegan diet.
1. Raw food diets are typically richer in certain beneficial nutrients
When switching from a typical Western diet to a vegan diet, a person will eliminate animal products and meat. This change in lifestyle causes a person to heavily rely on other foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, peas, beans, nuts and seeds. These foods will replace the other types of foods and they naturally contain more vitamins, minerals, fiber, and the very beneficial compounds found in plants.
2. It may help lose excess weight
More and more people are turning to a more plant-based diet to help lose excess weight, probably for good reason. In general, vegans tend to be thinner and have a much lower body mass index index compared to non-vegans. Many studies have revealed that vegan or raw food diets are much more effective than a more controlled, standard diet.
3. It could reduce blood sugar levels and help kidney function
When done right, a vegan diet is typically made up of more plant-based foods, beans, and legumes. All of these foods are high in essential dietary fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Studies conducted on participants who use blood sugar medication were able to reduce their dosage compared with participants who were on a regular diet, once again proving the positive effects of adding raw, plant-based foods to our diets.
4. It may protect against developing certain cancers
According to WHO (the World Health Organization), approximately one-third of cancers can be controlled by diet. For example, eating more legumes and beans may reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer quite significantly. Vegans typically eat more of these types of foods compared with those on more conventional diets, which could explain why the data from most studies have concluded that vegans have a 15% less chance of developing cancer.
5. Vegans have a lower risk of getting heart disease
Eating fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes and fibre has been directly linked to lower risks of heart disease. In a properly planned vegan diet, all of these things are eaten in larger amounts. Many studies have shown that those on a raw food diet have super low risk of dying from heart disease.
6. It can reduce arthritis pain
Many studies have shown that participants with arthritis experienced great improvement in symptoms such as pain, morning stiffness, joint swelling while on a vegan diet compared with those who continued with their omnivorous diet. The main contributing factor was the fact that the vegan group consumed more probiotic-rich whole foods in comparison to the regular group.
Start adding raw foods and other superfoods to your diet to start experiencing some of the many health benefits. You can find beans, legumes, nuts and seeds available for home delivery by clicking here.