Living raw is more than what you eat— it’s an entire lifestyle. “You have to be a little crazy to go on a 100% raw food diet, because you will have to say goodbye to your life as you were used to living it,” says Matt Monarch, a raw food expert and someone who’s been living the raw lifestyle for the better part of 20 years. His online course starts on March 18 and will teach you everything you need to know about living raw. The term ‘raw foodist’ is often synonymized with food extremism, but the point of raw food diets is less about swearing off cooked meals and more about providing your body with enzyme and nutrient rich sustenance, which is the basis for life.

Elleke Bal, associate editor at The Intelligent Optimist, wrote an article called Food for life which appeared in the November/ December 2013 issue of The Intelligent Optimist. Food for life examines different approaches and effects of raw food diets. Bal found that regularly incorporating raw food into your diet could be a healthy improvement to our over–cooked lifestyles “The minerals, vitamins and fibers [raw foodists] consume in large quantities stabilize their blood sugar levels and keep their intestines in tip top shape” Bal explains.

While you might not be convinced to go completely raw 100% of the time, here are some benefits of eating more uncooked veggies:

1) Lose weight— Cooking foods shrinks them so they are more compacted in your stomach. Raw foods keep their natural size so less food will make you more full.

2) Increased energy— Consuming raw food brings cleaner cells into your body, which are easier to break down meaning your body has to work less to process the food you consume, so you will have more energy to spend elsewhere.

3) Better for the environment— Raw fruits and vegetables come with less packaging than their cooked counterpart so less waste will go to the landfill.

4) Enzymes— Your body uses enzymes to break down the things you eat. All foods have enzymes but cooking food destroys them. Your body produces enzymes naturally; eating raw food gives your body a beneficial enzyme boost.

Find out more about Matt Monarch’s online course, or take a look at Elleke Bal’s article.

To find out more about alternative eating check out this free issue of The Intelligent Optimist.