How many people - so many opinions. There is no one universal panacea for everyone. Each person is individual and chooses the option that they like. If in childhood everyone eats what their mother prepared, then in adulthood the cards are in your hands - you are already an adult and can finally create your ideal diet.
Over the course of a lifetime, taste preferences can change many times, surprising you with more and more new preferences.
There are many power systems. With the advent and popularization of fast food, food culture faded into the background. Family evenings and breakfast around a large table have become rare. But in vain. This is a wonderful tradition, I try my best to preserve it.
Taste preferences are established in childhood. Probably each of us remembers our mother’s favorite dish, our grandmother’s pastries and disgusting semolina porridge from kindergarten. For me, the most terrible food was kindergarten rassolnik (pickled cucumber soup), which was given every day. Since then I haven't liked the first one. Any soup is associated with “need”, and not tasty or healthy. But cottage cheese, I was never forced to eat it, and I didn’t really want it, but as an adult I fell in love with it)
It is in the family that food culture is formed. The manner of eating food, quantity and quality. It’s the same with addiction to alcohol and smoking. If people drink, smoke and eat French fries in bed at home, what should we expect from the heir? Nothing good. An aristocrat will not be raised in such a family. Children eat what their parents eat. During this period, the main menu is laid out for the next 10 years.
I've been a vegetarian for 4 years. This is not heredity, not the choice of parents, but an exclusively acquired desire. My family always ate meat. Moreover, if 5 years ago someone had said that I would give up meat products, I would not have believed it. The morning started with 3-4 cutlets) or didn’t start)
To this day, grandma remembers with what pleasure I ate chops, without leaving the stove while she fried them, and she still can’t believe that I became completely indifferent to them.
Reasons why people exclude meat from their diet, enough. This includes a moral and ethical principle (“thou shalt not kill”), economic motives (greens are cheaper than meat), a medical aspect (diet without cholesterol), family tradition (from parents to children), and physiology (the body refuses itself).
I think the worst option is to impose your system on others. To force, to persuade, to compel. Nutrition is the main condition of human life. This is the intake and absorption by the body of necessary substances to restore lost energy and further vital activity.
Vegetarians don’t shout at every turn that “I don’t eat meat.” This is not something to be proud of, something surprising or unusual. Recently, being a vegetarian has become fashionable. I get asked this question very often “How were you able to give up meat?”. The word “could” is clearly superfluous. For me it was not a painful separation. Oh, if only one day I stopped loving sweets too..)
“I really want to become a vegetarian”
What for? I absolutely don’t see the need to purposefully switch to any of the power systems. If you have lived 20, 30, 40 years and love meat, why torture yourself and become a herbivore? Do you want to lose weight? It’s not meat that makes you gain weight! And from buns, sweets, pasta, Coca-Cola, mayonnaise and chips!
Both vegans and meat eaters can have fat, and before you refuse, understand what you want to achieve with this refusal.
Even though I don't eat meat, I cook it perfectly. My children will eat cutlets, chicken and whatever they want, in no case will my choice affect their diet.
So how did I become a vegetarian?)
I didn’t join Greenpeace and I didn’t convert to Buddhism. I just got a dog) Up to this point, my mother and I cooked occasionally, an omelet, a salad, but not meat dishes. The cooking process itself remained behind the scenes for me. And so, having made an adult decision to get a pet, the parents said, “Now cleaning, cooking, and raising are entirely up to you. If you wanted to, do it.”
It’s clear that cooking for an animal and for yourself are two different things. A piece of fresh meat, without spices, salt, or aromatic additives, to put it mildly, it doesn’t smell or look very good) And it’s terribly tough.
In general, I saw the “working material”, without the holiday packaging) and after the 3rd time, I realized that there was absolutely no desire to eat the same bits. The picture of this stale piece in the pan kept popping up before my eyes. Pork, beef, sausages, balyks - everything that was solid, there was no desire to eat. For some time I continued to eat chicken and liver. But after a couple of months, the desire to eat even this disappeared.
“Well, don’t you really want to try!?” for example, the shish kebab that we fried outdoors)))) No) I absolutely don’t want to) Yes, I like the smell of the dish, but I have no desire to eat it. I associate a piece of meat with something not meant to be eaten. For example pressed paper. If you marinate it and serve it beautifully, it won’t become edible) That’s the same with meat.
My parents never forced me to eat certain foods. For example, I haven’t eaten soup since I was 10 years old, and I feel great. If you still believe that constipation is because people don’t eat the first thing, you made me smile).
My refusal to eat meat was perceived as absolutely normal. There are many other products and the light has not converged on pork.
Therefore, if your household does not want to eat something, do not force them. Try to find out the reason for the failure and replace with other products.
After my post, some people started writing: “What kind of vegetarian are you!? Vegetarians don’t eat seafood, fish, or eggs!” Guys, do you really think that I would write something that I don’t know or that I’m not sure about?) and you opened America to me)
I want to explain once and for all who is who, so that such ridiculous statements will no longer be heard.
As was written earlier, there are a huge number of power systems. Conventionally, it is customary to divide people into those who eat meat (meat eaters) and those who do not eat meat (vegetarians).
To be precise - I'm a pesco-vegetarian) but saying this word to people who are far from knowledge of the system = square eyes, 1000 questions and a lot of wasted time.
Therefore, for everyone who doesn’t know, I’m just a vegetarian) And now in more detail.
Various types of vegetarianism are practiced. True vegetarians They don’t eat meat, chicken or fish at all.
Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy products, but do not eat eggs.
Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but do not consume dairy products.
Lacto-ovo-vegetarians They eat dairy products and eggs, but exclude meat, poultry and fish.
Pesco-vegetarians They eat fish and eggs, but do not eat meat and poultry.
Raw foodists They differ from everyone else in that they eat exclusively fresh foods without subjecting them to heat treatment. Everything is only in its natural form. Raw foodists are closest to vegans, but there are also omnivorous raw foodists(all types of food, including meat, fish, dairy, but only in raw form). Carnivorous raw foodists(raw meat, fish. Keep fruits and vegetables to a minimum). Fruitarianism(raw fruits) vegetarian and vegan raw food diet(see vegetarian systems. The same principle only without heat treatment).
Initially, the system is not selected. During the process of nutrition, the body itself regulates the need for food, and after 1-2 years you can easily determine which clan you belong to)
I never say never. There are periods in a woman’s life when everything turns upside down and an avid vegetarian becomes an ardent carnivorous raw foodist (I want bloody meat).
Just kidding) In general, I'm talking about hormones and pregnancy. If I ever want doctor’s sausage, no problem, I’ll buy it and eat it.
Is it necessary to purposefully give up foods?
It depends on which ones. If these are whites from the station, of course refuse them, no matter how much you love them, there is nothing useful in them.
And if these are meat dishes that you absolutely love, why exclude them?! Eat for your health!
Advantages and disadvantages of vegetarianism.
—
Feeling of lightness. Meat is a fairly heavy food and takes much longer to digest than fruits or vegetables.
—
The sweat secretions of vegetarians and meat eaters are really different. For the former, the sweat has no odor, while for the latter it is more pungent and noticeable. I'm not talking about dirty armpits.
—
It's not that cheap to be a vegetarian anymore. If you eat carrots from the garden, it’s possible. And if you buy organic dairy products and organic vegetables/fruits, the price of meat is not even close)
Vegetarian man.
I don't understand at all. A normal man should eat meat. A lot of meat. Dandelions, cheesecakes, salads... where does the strength come from, brother? I am against pimples and against male vegetarianism.
Where do you get your protein if you don't eat meat?
And really, why don't you ask this before you find out that I'm a vegetarian?)
Meat is not the main source of protein. There are many products that can perfectly replace it.
There is a theory that initially all people were herbivores, and only during the Ice Age, when there was practically no vegetation left, were they forced to eat meat.
Dairy products, a protein alternative to meat?
Including. But only on the condition that you have complete lactose tolerance and no dysbacteriosis.
Again, after the publication of my diet, some claimed that dairy was almost poison and should not be eaten.
As you can see, she’s alive and well)
Products should be chosen based on what suits you. I can drink a liter of milk and feel great, and you, with lactose intolerance, from one glass will spend the whole evening in sartir. Of course, there will be no benefit from such food. More likely harm.
Don’t blindly follow advice and recommendations, tormenting yourself with products you don’t like. Always listen to your body, it knows best what you need.
Those who are not well versed in the intricacies and nuances of eating plant-based foods are unlikely to make any distinction between vegetarianism, veganism and a raw food diet. But it turns out that there are differences in this, and quite large ones. And you will definitely offend a vegan by calling him a vegetarian, or a raw foodist a vegan, etc. So it’s worth understanding what these power systems are, what their differences are, and what their meaning is.
Vegetarianism
The least strict and fairly loyal type of food system, which involves the refusal of meat food - that which is obtained by slaughter. That is, they do not eat meat (no meat of any kind - neither livestock nor chicken), fish (since it is also killed), seafood, etc. In theory, many “strict” vegetarians can give up both eggs and dairy products. But vegetarianism also has branches - ovo-vegetarianism (when eggs are still eaten) and lacto-vegetarianism (when milk and dairy products are consumed) - that is, it is allowed to eat those products of animal origin that are obtained without injuring or killing our brothers smaller ones.
Veganism
This is a more strict nutrition system, which involves a complete rejection of absolutely all products of animal origin. Absolutely everything - this means not only meat, fish and seafood that are obtained through slaughter, but even those products that are obtained through the exploitation of animals - eggs, milk (cottage cheese, cheese, butter, etc.). There is no gelatin in their diet, since it is also made from animal raw materials, and even honey - after all, this is a product of the exploitation of bees! But in terms of the cooking method, vegan dishes do not differ from the dishes of “normal” people - vegetables are stewed, boiled, fried and baked.
Raw food diet
Finally, raw foodists are those who eat their food raw, as the name suggests. Naturally, they do not eat food of animal origin, since it cannot be eaten raw. They also do not boil or stew vegetables, but eat them either in the form of salads or thermally processed, but at a temperature of no more than 40 degrees. Vegetables and fruits can be dried (but not in the oven, but in a dehydrator or in the sun). A raw food diet can also be a raw mono diet, when a person eats only one product at one meal - for example, cabbage. And then there are people like fruitarians (sounds nice, doesn’t it, like the name of some advanced religion) - they eat mainly fruits and, as a rule, raw ones.
Meat eating
A few words are worth adding in contrast to these three “plant-based” nutrition systems. There are also people whose diet is dominated by food of animal origin. Yes, they cannot do without vegetables, but they consume them in minimal quantities. Flesh-eating or meat-eating is what their “confession” is called.
What's the point?
Vegetarians and vegans can be understood - they want to exclude their participation in the slaughter of animals or their exploitation. Raw foodists go further, and generally strive to get closer to our ancestors in terms of nutrition - to get to around the time when they had not yet invented fire. But sometimes the need to follow one or another nutritional system is dictated not by life principles or worldview, but by health status. And all three “plant” systems are indeed indicated for obesity, diabetes (excluding fruitarianism), disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, liver or kidneys, stomach and intestinal disorders (a raw food diet is especially good in these cases) or problems with the heart and blood vessels.
 27.07.2008Small, but unique In the United States, more than 200,000 women undergo breast augmentation surgery per year. |
|||
 23.08.2018 16:25:00Diet for your youth: what to include in your diet? Unfortunately, there is no such miracle pill that could stop time, or rather, the aging process in our body. But there are many foods that help prolong youth. And we decided to tell you more about them so that you know exactly what should be included in your diet. |
|||
 23.04.2019 17:18:00Losing weight without dieting in 8 simple steps Are you tired of having to constantly follow a diet and just want to get rid of those last extra pounds? We'll tell you how to get to the body of your dreams in 8 simple steps - and that's before summer! |
|||
How to understand the numerous nutritional systems that the Internet and books offer today? How to understand what is actually useful and what is a marketing ploy, lobbying or amateurism from nutritionists? Who to listen to if experts contradict each other?
I often hear from my clients that they find contradictions in popular nutrition systems. I will give the most obvious of them:
- Collin Campbell's "China Study" provides evidence against drinking milk, and Ayurveda uses milk as a medicine.
- A raw food diet treats cancer and chronic diseases, slows down the aging process and gives lightness. And the same raw food diet causes hormonal imbalances, gastrointestinal problems and other side effects.
- There is more and more research in the world about the benefits of a balanced vegetarian diet, but Ayurveda allows meat for certain imbalances, and the paleo diet even includes it in the daily diet.
- The diet of Dr. Douglas Graham, on which many athletes and stars sit, welcomes fruits in maximum quantities, functional medicine says that excessive amounts of simple carbohydrates in fruits cause the growth of candida fungi and “sugar swings,” and Ayurveda believes that everything depends on dosha and season.
Common in popular power systems
- Perhaps all nutritional approaches welcome inclusion in the diet plenty of greens, as well as seasonal organic vegetables and fruits. The hit healthy lifestyle of the 21st century is green, which is drunk by the entire world enlightened on the topic of healthy lifestyle. And not without reason, by the way.
- Choose whole, least processed foods. The more processed a product is, the further away it is from its natural form, and the fewer nutrients it contains. At best, the processing robs the product of its benefits. An example is white polished rice from which the beneficial coarse fiber has been removed. At worst, the processing adds harm to the product. Chemical additives contained in processed foods cause damage to the intestines, liver and nervous system, hormonal imbalances and even developmental delays. According to this principle, completely abandon dyes and flavors identical to natural ones, homogenized and trans fats, GMOs. Minimize stabilizers and preservatives or choose products where these substances are natural.
- Cook at home as often as possible. . Eliminate fast food and all its derivatives. Completely and forever.
- Use gentle heat treatment methods. Avoid frying, or at least frying in sunflower oil. Choose instead healthy alternatives that can withstand high temperatures—or .
Now let's talk about approaches.
Ayurveda
Ayurveda is part of an ancient system of knowledge about life that covers not only the body, but also other levels of being.
Theory
According to Ayurveda, a state of balance with the world is crucial for health. Being in balance with the environment, we are cured of diseases and gain energy. Balance can be achieved through nutrition, daily routine, sleep and sexual energy management.
Ayurveda, operating with the concepts of Prakriti and Vikriti, is a deeply individual system. There are fewer “general guidelines” here than in any other system. At the same time, an Ayurveda doctor will never treat a hand or the skin there separately from the whole body. Ayurveda views the human being as part of a larger whole, inextricably linked with the world—a microcosm within a macrocosm.
Criticism of Ayurveda
Opponents of Ayurveda say that this knowledge, which was valuable in ancient times, has lost its relevance today. Many recommendations are not designed for the environmental problems that we have in modern reality. Ayurveda uses, which are difficult to obtain, especially in the middle zone. Often these herbs have a taste that is unusual for us.
I know from my own experience that Ayurveda seems at least strange to many beginners. She uses milk with butter and spices as her main detox dish to calm the mind, and substances such as mercury to cure serious illnesses. Can you imagine how masterly you need to know about a person in order to treat with mercury?
Another (relative) disadvantage of Ayurveda is that to get results you need to delve into it more than just reading a couple of articles. And act comprehensively - oh set up nutrition, daily routine, sleep, physical activity. Simply eating according to your dosha is not enough.
Ayurveda practice. My experience
The Ayurveda approach is the most profound and personalized of all that I know so far. The irony is that the approach is not modern at all - this knowledge has been known for thousands of years.
Two years of Ayurveda practice gave me greater results than all other systems before it. It really is a very personal approach. And it really works.Yes, it's difficult. Yes, at first you get confused all the time and it’s difficult to fight skepticism. But it works.
Vegetarianism
Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish or seafood, but do include eggs, dairy and honey.
Theory
In October 2015, WHO declared meat and meat industry products carcinogenic. I write more about this in. Also, more and more authoritative studies are proving the benefits of a balanced vegetarian diet and its effectiveness against the so-called “diseases of the rich”: hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetes, coronary heart disease.
There is also an aspect of influence on the atmosphere of greenhouse gases generated during livestock farming. If the entire planet stopped eating meat, other measures to save the ozone layer would not be necessary.
Well, and the ethical moment, of course. Animals are creatures with consciousness.
Criticism of vegetarianism
The paleo diet welcomes meat, explaining this by the fact that the diet of the first people consisted of it. According to this theory, our digestive system evolved on meat, so we are adapted to properly digest animal fiber.
Meat is a product of violence, so Ayurveda treats it very carefully.
I have come across this interpretation of Ayurveda by a modern teacher of this science: meat is allowed when you have obtained it yourself. Caught, skinned and prepared to satisfy physical hunger. And not because your mind wanted the delicious steak in the photo on the menu, with an abundance of other food. Can you tell the difference?
Ayurveda also allows the consumption of animal fiber in conditions of Vata imbalance, especially during the cold season. For example, in cases where heavy, grounding, nourishing nutrition is urgently required. In other cases, Ayurveda advises avoiding meat.
The practice of vegetarianism. My experience
I gave up meat wisely - I realized that eating meat that is sold in stores is bad for your health and energy. But very soon the body connected to the mind: it came, less sleep began to be required, the aggression, outbursts of which I occasionally had, went away. The changes turned out to be so obvious and obvious that very soon the smell of barbecue ceased to seem to me the best smell in the world. After 8 years without meat, I can't imagine how I could like this smell.
Now, even if someone told me that many studies have proven the benefits of meat, I wouldn't care. I know very clearly that my body and mind are better off without meat. This is my truth, lived through personal experience.
But. This only applies to meat. Sometimes (extremely rarely) I eat wild fish from cold seas, if I can find it, as well as high-quality seafood. Fish and seafood provide phosphorus, protein, omega 3, iodine and other elements. But most importantly, the rare inclusion of seafood in the diet does not give the negative effects on well-being that meat did. And this is also my truth, which I did not come to right away.
Veganism
Vegans differ from vegetarians in that they do not eat any animal products at all - meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and the most orthodox ones exclude bee products.
Theory
The famous doctor Colin Campbell, author of the acclaimed “China Study,” advocates veganism. Milk and milk protein casein are mainly denounced as the cause of almost all modern diseases. If you want to learn more about this, I highly recommend the book, which you can read both in full and in a more accessible presentation. Also, all theories of raw plant nutrition automatically fall under veganism.
Criticism of veganism
Ayurveda widely uses ghee - clarified butter - as a medicine. Ghee is especially useful for Vata dosha and all doshas during the cold season. Ghee grounds, warms the body, reveals the spices cooked on it, and enhances the effect of milk and honey. There are also Ayurvedic recipes with cheese fried in spices and spinach - “palak paneer” and a fermented milk drink like kefir.
Regarding eggs. Several years ago, there was hysteria among Western nutritionists about the supposedly huge cholesterol content in eggs. Healthy people were advised to limit eggs, and for hypertensive patients and those with vascular diseases, to strictly exclude them altogether. However, today this myth has been debunked - eggs are recognized by science as a source of high-quality protein and are recommended within reasonable limits.
You can also often hear that vegans lack iron, vitamin B12 and other elements. This judgment has the right to life, since veganism requires a particularly careful diet. An ordinary person simply does not have enough knowledge, time and energy for this.
If you give up animal products completely:
- Pay all your attention to enriching your diet with micro and trace elements. Eat as wide a variety of foods as possible within the food groups you eat. If these are vegetables, then all the seasonal vegetables that are available to you. Don't forget about the right fats and omega 3s with good DHA content. Combine plant foods with each other to achieve the maximum amount of amino acids.
- Make sure all elements are digestible. This can be prevented, for example, by phytic acid, which I write about in detail in article on the Organic Woman website, as well as problems with the gastrointestinal tract: food sensitivity, leaky gut syndrome, imbalance of healthy and pathogenic microflora, etc. and work with.
Practicing veganism. My experience
I haven't drunk milk since childhood. But she always loved kefir, sour cream, sometimes she could eat cottage cheese and simply adored cheeses - from white and young to mature and smelly. This continued even after I gave up meat.
Eventually, through food journaling and self-observation, I discovered that dairy products were causing the formation of pimples with white heads on the lower part of my face. Besides, as soon as I drink a cup of coffee with milk, I wake up the next day with mucus in my nose. I have learned to track this connection so much that it’s surprising to me why I didn’t notice it before. Well, the last straw was the “China Study,” the value of which for me is beyond any doubt.
Thus, there is no solid milk. Eggs can occur sporadically during the cold season when my Vata is out of balance and needs grounding nourishment.
Paleo diet
Followers of the paleo approach eat what a hunter-gatherer caveman might have eaten, and excludes what came to our table during the process of evolution. So, the white list includes meat, fish, eggs, herbs, mushrooms, vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts and seeds. Dairy, sugar and grains are excluded, including gluten-free and flour, as well as all processed foods.
Theory
The Paleo protocol certainly has some wisdom at its core. Every year there are more and more people in the world suffering from food intolerances, leaky gut syndrome, allergies of all kinds - ailments that are blamed on the abundance of gluten, added sugar and processed milk in the diet. This is not to mention the epidemic of obesity, mass and other symptoms of progress.
In contrast, the Paleo diet advocates a clean, organic diet of whole, unprocessed or minimally processed foods. The paleo protocol has shown its effectiveness in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, thanks to which this system is becoming increasingly popular in the world.
Criticism of Paleo
Opponents of the paleo approach are usually vegetarians, vegans and raw foodists. The weakness of this theory is that, developed as an escape from modern food reality, it takes little into account this reality. For example, it is very difficult to find the same good quality meat today. By good quality, I mean meat from an animal raised under normal conditions without the use of antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals, processed, transported and stored in accordance with certain standards. Such meat can now only be found in villages among farmers, and then only among the most conscious ones.
And if you remove animal products from paleo, you get something between a raw food diet and veganism.
Practice Paleo. My experience
It’s interesting that, having started as a strict vegetarian, I have intuitively gravitated towards paleo in recent years. Previously, it seemed to me that the main thing was not to eat meat, since meat is the most evil. But sometimes you can use grain, sour cream and kefir. Years later, it turned out that gluten and dairy are much more evil for my body than animal fiber. Since cutting out these two foods almost completely, my skin and digestion have improved a lot. I used to suffer from inflammation and acne, but lately I forgot what it was. At the same time, I occasionally allow myself fish and eggs, paying special attention to the origin of these products. And of course, the foundation of everything is greens, vegetables and fruits.
And the coolest thing for me personally is that the paleo approach is very correlated with. Since there are almost no starches and sugar and no dairy at all, on a conscious paleo you intuitively combine foods correctly: fish with vegetables, meat with vegetables, nuts and fruits separately, etc.
Raw food diet, Species nutrition according to Shatalova, Alkalinizing theory, system 80/10/10
Raw foodists eat only unprocessed foods of plant origin. There is also a mono-raw food diet - a more strict approach in which only one product is consumed during one time interval. For example, only bananas all day. You can often see raw foodists who don’t mix tomatoes and cucumbers in a salad, but mix a bunch of other ingredients when they need to make raw dough, raw cheese or milk.
Theory
Raw food diet is very synchronous with. Usually, competent(!!!) A raw food diet is eating predominantly alkalizing foods. There is a lot of evidence of how chronic diseases were cured with the help of a raw food diet, as well as all sorts of diagnoses of “unexplained genesis”, such as infertility.
A raw food diet objectively adds lightness and energy to the body, improves skin condition and greatly promotes weight loss. People who have been practicing a smart raw food diet for many years age more slowly and practically do not get sick.
Criticism of the raw food diet
A raw food diet is an interesting and certainly effective system, but there are important nuances.
Climate and gastrointestinal tract. Raw food eating is good for Pitta type people in the tropics. Where there is access to seasonal local fruits all year round, where there is an abundance of coconut products, fresh herbs and vegetables. In such a climate, there is no need to warm up with food - on the contrary, you constantly want to cool down. And according to Ayurveda, it is raw food, greens, coconut products and water treatments that cool best, as they reduce.
In the conditions of central Russia in winter, a raw food diet is quite uncomfortable. According to Ayurveda, cold is the season of Vata, which is worse at digesting raw fiber than other doshas. For Vata imbalance, Ayurveda recommends minimally cooking raw fruits and vegetables. Plus, in winter there are very few that can be eaten raw, and off-season ones contain a lot of chemicals. On a raw food diet, especially at first, you constantly want to warm up. And with a lack of physical activity, it is difficult to get rid of chills.
A smart approach to diet.Due to a lack of knowledge about human nutritional needs, many beginning raw foodists eat a very poor and unbalanced diet. Trying to compensate for the lack of healthy fats, raw foodists add a lot of nuts, seeds and sprouts to the menu, which is why the Omega 6 content exceeds the Omega 3 content. The balance of other elements is also disrupted. As a result, hormonal imbalances, inflammation, disruptions in the functioning of systems and organs and other problems appear.
Therefore, you can often find reviews about how a raw food diet “turns off” menstruation. People experience excessive weight loss, hair loss and nails breaking.
To prevent this from happening, you need to build your diet on a raw food diet even more carefully than on a vegan diet. Periodically take tests for micronutrients, hormones and basic blood parameters.
It is also worth considering taking some beneficial substances such as Omega 3, for example in the form of supplements. On the one hand, supplements are not the same as whole foods, and this is a disadvantage. On the other hand, soil depletion has led to the depletion of the micronutrient composition of vegetables and fruits. Lemons grown 50 years ago contained tens of times more vitamin C than lemons grown today.
The practice of raw food diet. My experience.
The raw food diet is the food system that I have the most questions about. On the one hand, my loved ones have positive experiences with a raw food diet, which I have personally observed and cannot ignore. Definitely, a raw food diet can be considered and taken as a medicine - in doses and in courses. If you constantly live in central Russia, then here I agree with Ayurveda - a (conditionally) healthy person can and should eat raw food in the summer, but I do not recommend doing this in the cold season.
For a raw food diet to be beneficial, it must be a balanced organic raw food diet - a conscious and rational approach to the menu, and not just an “eat everything raw” diet.
Summary
Each power system has its pros and cons. In addition, each of us is individual and conditioned - genetics, environment, experience. Following one system and turning a blind eye to the others seems to me a limited approach. I find a grain of truth in many systems. But the most important thing is that everything that seems logical to me, I definitely check in practice.
Only in this way will you understand what nutrition and practices are right for you, and create your own unique picture of health. No coach, Ayurveda doctor or nutritionist will give you this information. Only your body and the ability to hear it.
Be healthy and aware.
Valentina Gorbunova
If you are looking to adopt a healthy vegetarian diet, it may be helpful to know the differences between a vegetarian, a vegan and a raw foodist. Let's look at the differences in diets for vegetarianism, veganism and a raw food diet.
Vegetarianism refers to a balanced, meat-free diet in which all meat is excluded from the diet. A deliberate ban is imposed on poultry meat, any animals, fish, and seafood. A characteristic feature is that vegetarians do not give up dairy foods. In this case, milk is combined with food of plant origin.
Veganism is considered one type of vegetarianism. This is a stricter form of vegetarian diet, which involves avoiding all animal products. Vegans do not eat meat, fish, seafood, eggs, or any dairy products. Quite often, representatives of veganism also completely abandon honey.
Regardless of whether you become a vegetarian or vegan, you will have to exclude all cheeses with added rennet, as well as products with gelatin, from your diet. To make it clearer: gelatin is a protein-peptide mixture obtained as a result of the hydrolysis of collagen found in the skin, cartilage, and bones of animals (much less often, fish). In most cases, to produce gelatin, not only bones are ground, but also hooves and tendons.
For the production of rennet enzymes, the glandular stomachs of ruminant animals are used. It is clear that no adequate person would enjoy consuming gelatin and rennet.
Now we have figured out who a vegan and a vegetarian are. In a nutshell, a vegan is the same as a vegetarian, but on a stricter diet (complete rejection of any food of animal origin).
What is the difference between a vegetarian and a raw foodist?
To understand the difference between vegetarians and raw foodists, it is necessary to understand the essence of the concept of a raw food diet. In general, a raw food diet is a nutritional system in which a person eats only raw, non-thermally processed foods of plant origin. Heat treatment of products at temperatures above 43 degrees is prohibited.
As with veganism, all foods of meat origin, fish, seafood, milk and dairy products, and honey are prohibited.
If you decide to switch to a raw food diet, try to follow these rules:
- your diet should be as varied as possible. Do not stop at just a few types of fruits and vegetables, as this may lead to a deficiency of vitamins and minerals in the body. There should always be apples, bananas, carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes and any other seasonal plant products on your table;
- Despite the fact that fruits and vegetables are saturated with water, you should not forget to drink purified water. This will ensure even more effective cleansing of the body from waste and toxins;
- Any greens and nuts are extremely useful. Make sure that your diet includes dill, onions, and parsley;
- It is recommended to eat frequently and in small portions. Overeating fruit can cause dysbiosis, flatulence, bloating and other gastrointestinal problems. Cases of allergic reactions are common.
The best option is a gradual transition to a raw food diet. Start with simple vegetarianism, then go vegan, and only then create a diet of raw plant foods.
To summarize: veganism is a type of vegetarianism, and a raw food diet is a type of veganism, and therefore a subtype of vegetarianism. The strictest vegetarian diet is used by raw foodists.
