Like vegetarianism and veganism before it, the Raw Food Diet gets a bad wrap as being some concoction of crazy hipsters that are out of touch with reality. The uninitiated often think that Raw Food Diet plans are based on pseudoscience and nature-based religions that have little real fact that they are based on. They think that adhering to the Raw Food lifestyle means you have to eat strange, unappetizing food. However, as you will see, the truth is that the Raw Diet is a healthy diet plan. Here are three ways it can help you and help the Earth.

• Saving the Planet

%3Cbr%3E

As written on Zen Habits, eating raw is a great way to reduce the impact we have on the planet through our eating habits. Consider, each and every time we eat a processed food, cooked or otherwise, it comes in packaging. The food is eaten, and the packaging is discarded. In this way, we contribute to the 4.5 pounds of waste, according to Discovery, that each American creates each day. By eating raw, local foods, we reduce the need for transport and for packaging solutions that are harmful to the Earth. Imagine, you pick a strawberry from the plant and eat it. How much waste is produced?

• Better Nutrition

%3Cbr%3E

According to Kristen Suzanne, a Raw Food Diets chef, eating raw can be the key to getting essential nutrients in your diet that you might have to normally seek out processed supplements for. You see, when you cook food you destroy many of the enzymes, vitamins, phytonutrients, and minerals that made it so nutritious to begin with. Suzanne writes on her website, Kristen’s Raw, that by not cooking your food you retain important antioxidants, fats, and acids that may be key to fighting off critical health issues like cancer.

• Improved Body Weight

%3Cbr%3E

The improved nutrition offered by Raw Food Diet plans necessarily leads to improved body weight and body image. According to Medical News Today, sticking to Raw Food Diet plans can lead to clearer skin and regular digestion. Inarguably more important are the benefits that the Raw Diet offers your waistline and heart. According to CNN, some Raw Food Diet plans followers have lost more than 50% of their excess weight by following the lifestyle. Reduced weight often equals reduced heart disease, chances for diabetes, and even lowered cancer rates.

Whether you are looking for another way to save the Earth or you simply want a way to improve your own health, you can successfully accomplish both by following Raw Food Diet plans. Contact a reputable nutritionist, cook, or follower of the lifestyle in your area, and start improving your life immediately.