Koh Phangan has an abundance of fruits and vegetables and we read a lot lately about many people eating a raw diet and the benefits of this.
Even if you don’t want to make the jump into a totally raw diet then you may be interested in incorporating it into your meals…
Get yourself back into the kitchen!
Eating raw means that you will need to be prepping fruits and vegetables, chopping, slicing blending etc so if you’ve fallen into the (very easy on Phangan) trap of always eating out at one of the local restaurants this will get you back into your kitchen.
You will get to know your food again and also save money!
Know your food
You will be eating less, if any processed food which has been shown to give you many benefits like becoming more intuitive.
You may also find that you start to learn more about nutrition and can listen to your body and discover what it needs and maybe what it doesn’t.
Gain Essential Vitamins and Minerals
It is said that some essential vitamins and minerals can be lost in food when it is cooked so therefore by eating raw stuff it means you can get more of these!
Other Benefits
You will use less packaging and use of energy sources which will help the environment!
Our lovely friend Sky from Ninja for Rent popped into Phanganist (to bring us some homemade peanut butter), she has been raw for around a year now. We asked her thoughts on it -
‘People always wonder about getting enough nutrition as some things you need to cook but if you combine the proper foods then you can get it also raw.
It is a great idea to add superfoods like spirulina and Chlorella to top up with everything you need but apart from that I think you’ve got it!
Especially it’s important in terms of environment as it’s not efficient or ecological for products to be brought in from other countries’.
It is recommended that you organise yourself a little, stock up on plenty of fruit and veg which you can find in local shops or supermarkets here on Koh Phangan.
Start off with a juice or smoothie in the morning which helps to keep you hydrated, has sugar for energy and will take away that morning hunger.
A tip for getting enough of the green stuff raw but giving it a ‘cooked’ texture is to gently massage finely chopped greens with sea salt, olive oil and lemon juice.
But remember to eat lots! You need to make sure you are still getting enough calories.
When it comes to embarking on a new food adventure or trying something you haven’t before it is advised to seek professional advice because everyone is different.
You Phanganist’s are very lucky (and so are we!) as we have the lovely Eva Wellness -
Words about a raw food diet from our Certified Nutritionist - Eva Wellness
According to Chinese medicine as well as Aumyirveda, incorporating a little bit (30%) of raw food is great, especially during summer as it's ‘cooling’ to the body.
However, raw food is not advised during cold months as the body needs ‘heating’ foods such as soups, stews, meat and fish as well as grains or beans.
Moreover, raw food is actually very hard to digest and can cause a lot of bloating for individuals with weak digestive systems; those would include anyone with IBS, crohn's, colitis or people who have diarrhea, constipation, bloating or gas on a regular basis. For these individuals, a diet that is high in easily digestible foods such as soups, bone broths, stews, and stir-frys are advised, and raw should be avoided.
If you think about it, where would you find raw fruits or veggies growing in the winter??? Traditionally that's when fermented foods were eaten, which are a nutritional powerhouse!!! These would include sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, yoghurt, tempeh, miso...etc.
Special caution regarding raw diets should be taken by people with digestive problems. This means that even raw fruit may have to be avoided.
"I see this on a regular basis with my clients. They eat huge salads and lots of fruits because they think it's healthy but then they end up with bloating and constipation", says Eva Wellness. "People hear all this hype about RAW RaW RAW and they think that cooked food is not healthy because the enzymes that help you to digest it is destroyed through heat. This however is only partially true. That's because cooked food is already been partially broken up and ready to eat.
Furthermore, our bodies have their own supply of enzymes that are produced by the salivary glands, stomach, liver, pancreas and even the intestines.
As such, eating cooked food is actually much easier for the body to digest. Think of it this way: Which is easier and faster to chew, a cooked carrot or a raw carrot? I think the answer is clear. Cooked is easier of course!
There are even some vegetables that should never be eaten raw (or at least avoided as much as possible) because they have a substance known as goitrogens, which blocks the proper function of the thyroid gland. These include the cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, kale and bok choy, just to name a few). These veggies should always be cooked!
Foods that Eva Wellness recommends to eat raw are leafy greens, fresh juices as well as most fruits. But remember, if you have digestive trouble, fruits should be avoided completely as the sugar aggravates the body and feeds bad bacteria, parasites and fungus, that may be living in the gut.
To summarize, 30-50% raw food is only advised during warm weather. Cold weather calls for cooked foods and fermented foods. In the end, the most important is moderation and balance. "There is no BEST diet!" Warns Eva. "Everybody needs a different diet! For some people cherries are medicine, whilst for others it's poison."
As such, you should eat what your body craves (this does not include Mcdonalds, chocolate and copious amounts of ice cream!!!).
If the smell of BBQ chicken makes your mouth water, then eat chicken!!! But if it makes you feel sick to your stomach, don't eat it.
More importantly however, I have many vegans and fruitarians that say they stopped eating meat because it made them feel tired. That doesn't necessarily mean that it's not good for your body. What it means is that they have a sick digestive system that is depleted of the vitamins and minerals required to produce stomach acid and digestive enzymes. In that case a special detox and supplementation is prescribed.
If you are experiencing any health issues, it's best you consult with a nutritionist or naturopathic doctor.
According to Eva, fruitarians and vegan diets are healthy for short term detoxification, but can be dangerous in the long run for most people as they lack essential nutrients such as B12, iron and protein (many people have trouble absorbing vegetable sources of iron for example).
In conclusion, eat a balanced diet which incorporates both raw and cooked foods. Eat in moderation (don't overeat) and try a variety foods; every day should call for a different food.
If you are eating the same foods daily, you just don't know about nutrition (which is normal, as it's not taught in school) and you should consult a nutritionist such as Eva Wellness, who offers consultations in person as well as over video conferencing using Skype.
Eat well & Be well...you are what you eat
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