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Carol Alt's Raw Food Diet

Supermodel Carol Alt spent years yo-yo dieting and starving herself, which resulted in years of illness, and mood swings. She states that by eating raw foods, she was able to end her destructive eating habits and live a much healthier lifestyle that satisfies her nutritional needs. Alt has written a book that chronicles her experiences and presents the concepts and a plan for eating raw food.

The concept behind all raw “foodism” is that the various enzymes in foods allow for proper digestion and absorption of nutrients. When foods are heated above 118 degrees Fahrenheit, these vital enzymes are destroyed, leaving nothing but cellular “garbage” for consumption. This type of food damage occurs not only from exposure to heat from cooking, but also from other current preservation practices such as irradiation, pasteurization, and preservative and pesticide use.

Carol Alt’s Raw Food Diet plan introduces numerous suggestions to replace diets full of cooked foods with healthy and fresh raw recipes for meals, desserts, and snacks. The promised benefits of eating raw include weight loss, protection from illness, and feeling full and satisfied instead of bloated and uncomfortable.

What makes the Carol Alt’s Raw Food Diet a different weight loss plan?

This is a raw food diet plan presented from a non-professional perspective. Alt, a former junk food fan, provides insight on how her old diet made her feel sick and unhealthy, and how she found better health by introducing more raw foods into her diet.

What is the Carol Alt’s Raw Food Diet?

This plan insists that cooked foods are “not natural” and their consumption leads to poor health and unhealthy food addictions. Alt’s experiences with illness and depression lead her to seek inspiration from Timothy Brantley, a naturopathic doctor who specializes in raw food dietary plans. With further guidance from Dr. Nicolas Gonzalez, Alt created a diet plan that improved her looks, health and well-being.

Carol Alt’s Raw Food Diet plan recommends that most foods are to be consumed raw. It suggests that dieters eat at least three times daily without calorie counting or portion control; instead, dieters are instructed to eat raw foods until they are satisfied. Every meal should contain a wide variety of fresh and raw foods, and should include healthy fats, “long-chain” carbohydrates and protein.

Dieters are given the option to give up cooked foods all at once or gradually. And, “cheating” with favorite cooked food is allowed from time to time. The Carol Alt’s Raw Food Diet plan recommends a gradual adjustment towards raw eating and presents her “Ten steps to raw,” examples of which are:

• Start by eating the raw foods that you already know you like, such as fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Look at the cooked foods you like and try to find raw substitutes.
• Start with two raw meals (breakfast and lunch) followed by one cooked meal (dinner) for the first few months.
• Transition to raw dinners by eating cooked rice or another grain like quinoa with raw or slightly cooked vegetables.

The Carol Alt’s Raw Food Diet plan explains how to purchase and identify raw foods at local markets, grocers, and health food stores. Dieters are instructed to recognize food preparation techniques and how to distinguish whether or not certain foods can be part of a raw diet plan. Smoked salmon may appear to some as raw, but since it is heated during the smoking process, it should be avoided. Dieters are also cautioned to beware of raw and cooked foods in combination, such as hard boiled eggs in salads and cooked rice in sushi rolls. Recommended protein sources include gravlox (cured salmon), raw fish and meats, and unpasteurized dairy products. Lightly seared meats and fish are also encouraged for additional protein.

Shopping tips, on Carol Alt’s Raw Food Diet plan, include label reading to ensure that packaged products are actually raw and not previously cooked or heat treated (they must be labeled “raw”), and going to farmers markets for the freshest ingredients. Organic produce and free range meats are recommended for all meals.

Dieters are educated on buying specific equipment that will assist in the preparation of raw food recipes. These tools and gadgets include: blenders, juicers, coffee grinders, instant read thermometers and vacuum storage machines.

Carol Alt’s Raw Food Diet plan attempts to accommodate busy schedules by offering recipes for quick snacks, giving advice for ordering at Japanese restaurants and steak houses, and recommending specific raw food “hot spot” restaurants. Also included are recommendations for how to cook for dinner guests and how kosher dieters can eat raw as well.

Recipes include drinks, salads and dressings, snacks, entrees and desserts. All are made with fresh and raw ingredients, and feature foods like fresh peach lemonade, raw greens drinks, Tuna ceviche, pasta made from raw squash, mushroom quiche (with a raw sprouted nut crust) and banana tiramisu.

There are no recommendations for alcohol consumption for Carol Alt’s Raw Food Dietplan. Alt gave up drinking her daily “scotch and coffee” cocktails when she started the plan; dieters should most likely want to avoid alcohol as well.

What are the weight loss expectations?

There is no specific promise of expected weight loss on the Carol Alt’s Raw Food Diet plan. Alt reports that she personally lost eight pounds within one week of starting to eat raw. This plan states that weight loss should be considered as a “secondary benefit” to feeling better, reducing illness and taking better care of your body.

Is exercise promoted?

There is no mention of exercise as part of the Carol Alt’s Raw Food Diet plan. Dieters are promised more energy and stamina that could enhance workout programs.

Are supplements recommended?

Supplements should only be used to supplement what dieters can not get from food. This plan makes no specifications for particular vitamin or mineral supplementation, but recommends that if dieters take supplements of any kind, they should be organic and in powder form. It is also suggested that dieters take digestive enzyme supplements if and when cooked foods are consumed while on the Carol Alt’s Raw Food Diet plan.