More people than ever are interested in improving their health and in reversing the aging process, in losing weight, in having more energy and improving their overall vitality. One way of accomplishing many of those things is by detoxifying the body, also known as cleansing. A raw food detox is one option for cleansing and those who are advocates of raw food diets say there is no better way to cleanse and purify the system.

A commonly used example about why a raw food detoxification is beneficial can be better understood by looking at a baked potato. A plain baked potato is often recommended with some of the "mainstream" detox programs.

But, when the potato is baked it ends up containing more than 400 chemical components that it did not have when in its raw form. It doesn't take much to see that this diet detox approach might not be best, since the desired outcome is to eliminate chemicals and toxins from the body as much as possible.

A raw food detox can also be more beneficial than traditional diet detox programs because of how the body responds to cooked foods. Few people understand that when you ingest foods that have been cooked, your body interprets the cooked food as poison and reacts accordingly. White blood cell production is increased and moved into your system to defend your body.

This response is trigged by the immune system and is called leukosytosis.
By eating a raw food diet, or by making sure that a minimum of 50% of your meal is comprised of raw foods, you can stop this reaction. This is another strong reason why a detox comprised of raw foods will be more beneficial overall than a detox diet that is based on cooked foods.

A true raw food detox means that 100% of the foods you eat are in their raw and uncooked state. Many people find this difficult to maintain for long periods of time, because of social situations, family and peer pressure, or simply the inconvenience. However, most people can successfully get through a detox period of anywhere from one to three weeks and stick to the 100% living raw diet.

After a few weeks, some people decide that they love the way the feel and decide they are able to go raw 100% for good. Others will take a more moderate approach at the end of their diet detox period and scale back somewhat, eating 70% to 95% of their food raw and making allowances for some deviations. Advocates of the living foods lifestyle say that keeping your intake of raw foods at 50% or above can still deliver significant health benefits.

Some of the common benefits of the raw food detox and subsequent raw food lifestyle are lowered cholesterol, lowered blood pressure, improved sleep patterns, more energy, weight loss and a reduction in the percentage of body fat. In addition, some people report that allergies cleared up and symptoms of depression were alleviated, as well as many other health and mental improvements.
Mike Selvon has some great raw food articles for the hobbist, where you can find out more tips on raw food detox. We appreciate your feedback at our nutrition/a> blog.