keeping warm on a raw food diet

by Tom
(Modesto, CA)

Q How do you keep warm over the winter months on a raw food diet?


A Sometimes it can feel a bit chilly during the winter months, mainly just after consuming food. The blood in your extremities is pulled in so that energy may be directed to the digestion process. Those on the raw diet tend to have less body fat anyway as over the months their body sheds that un-necessary fat.

The use of warming herbs or foods can greatly increase your body warmth. Adding foods, spices, and herbs like fresh ginger, cinnamon, hot peppers, and rosemary to recipes will provide internal heat. I have a page on the website dedicated to just this subject: warming foods

Adding these warming foods to smoothies is very easy and with a little thought can be easily incorporated at other meals. One of my favorite meals: romaine lettuce leaves folded over a piece or nori and a slice of fresh ginger is a very easy way warm up a meal. Making a fresh juice with a 1" chunk of ginger will warm things right up.

Drinking a cup of warm, not hot, water or herbal tea can do wonders as well. You may find you need to put on an extra sweater or wear a hat during the coldest months. I’ve even had a few people tell me that feeling a little chilled during the winter was just the motivation they needed to make the move to a warmer climate that they had thought about for years.

Then there’s the obvious, don’t eat anything directly out of the fridge. Take foods out ahead of time and let them warm to room temperature before eating. Neither hot or cold food is good for the digestive system. Try to consume all your foods at room temperature.

Being low in magnesium can also contribute to feeling cold in the extremities. A healthy raw diet full of leafy greens and a few nuts is loaded with magnesium, but things like exercise and stress can use up loads of it as well. I have also known people who could not assimilate enough magnesium from their diet to fulfill their bodies many needs. A high quality magnesium supplement may be needed long or short term. Mother Earth Minerals has high quality minerals and RNAdrops.com has a very good magnesium supplement for those in need.