Weight Loss Tip #3- Add Something Fresh to Each Meal
Adding a raw dish or food to each meal will go a long way to not only help you lose weight, but will add tremendous health benefits as well. I am not talking about raw meat, rice, etc, but fresh, whole, raw, unheated fruits, vegetables, nuts or seeds. This could be in the form of salads, side dishes, fruits, fruit bowl, nuts or just a handful of spinach. etc.. See my Maple Candied Walnut recipe here: https://veronicashealthyliving.com/maple-candied-walnuts/
Here’s a great Kale Salad recipe, that is a great way to add greens to your meals: https://veronicashealthyliving.com/kale-salad/
Benefits of adding fresh, raw foods to daily meals
1. Live Enzymes – All whole, raw, uncooked foods (yes, even meat), contain live enzymes. Our bodies need live enzymes to help us digest our food and absorb nutrients. One of the reasons for so many digestive issues is that we don’t eat raw fruits and vegetables in abundance anymore. Most if not all of our foods are cooked, and therefore, devoid of live enzymes that work with our bodies to give us the health and nutrition we should be getting from our food.
2. More vitamins, minerals, fiber – When a food is cooked above 118 degrees F, not only are all of the live enzymes destroyed, as mentioned above, but most of the vitamins and minerals are destroyed also. Microwave cooking is the worst, as it destroys up to 97% of all vitamins and minerals in food.
Fiber is also lost when cooked, as the cell walls become unstable with high heat, destroying most of the fiber available in a food. Remember that mushy vegetable Mom cooked too long? So eating something raw at each meal insures that you are getting more vitamins, minerals and fiber.
3. Protection from cancer, high blood pressure, anemia, arthritis, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, and inflammation – Eating something raw and uncooked at each meal provides live enzymes, more vitamins, minerals, fiber, and therefore, insures that we are absorbing more nutrients from our food. This feeds our bodies what we need so that we can fight chronic disease and illness. This, in turn, fights inflammation in our bodies which is the #1 reason we have weight issues and chronic illness.
4. Alkalizes our bodies – For good health, our bodies should be more alkaline than acidic. When we have high acidity in our bodies, then we are prone to developing inflammation, and chronic diseases. Eating a diet high in fresh, whole fruits and vegetables puts us in an alkaline state.
5. Builds the immune system – Eating a diet high in raw fruits and vegetables increase the health of our immune system and arms us with the ability to fight colds, flu and other illness.
6. Improves skin issues, gives glowing, healthy looking skin and provides energy – When you up your daily intake of raw fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, you will notice a drastic improvement in skin issues, rashes, eczema, acne, etc. A BIG change all of my clients notice is an increase in natural energy. Try eating a handful of spinach, or piece of fruit instead of coffee, and notice your energy levels!
These are just some of the benefits of adding raw foods to every meal. When you increase your daily intake of raw vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, you will begin to see a noticeable difference in your weight loss, and a other health just might improve too! Start small, even adding just one lettuce leaf to your morning egg, or handful of spinach to your sandwich for lunch, and notice how you feel.
I want to hear from you!
If you are trying any of my weight tips, PLEASE let me know how they are working for you! And post it on my Facebook page, Veronica’s Healthy Living. I would love to hear your success!
Questions? Comments? veronicashealthyliving@gmail.com
Keep reading my posts…more fabulous tips coming to help you make it through the holidays without overindulging and feeling guilty! If you would like to subscribe so you don’t miss a single thing, go to veronicashealthyliving.com and subscribe to receive my FREE e-book, “Ten Foods That Changed My Life”. This puts you on the email list to receive future tips, recipes and health information.
