There is no strict definition of the living diet. It refers to the consumption of natural, raw products. And it emphasizes foods from the plant kingdom.
This type of diet excludes processing methods such as the refining of sugar or grains, coffee roasting, and the pasteurization of cream or fruit juice.
The main foods that are part of the living diet are fruits, vegetables, seaweed, seeds, oilseeds and fermented foods.
Living food is often contrasted with ultra-processed products and junk food, which provide “empty calories” to the body. These products have very low nutritional quality (vitamins, minerals, etc.).
Here are the foods to invite onto your plate to get you started or to continue consuming products of the living diet. Read on after the list to learn more about this type of diet.
1. Fresh fruits and vegetables
The emphasis is on fresh, seasonal and organic fruits and vegetables. We alternate the colors of the vegetables on the plate to vary micronutrient intake.
For example, spinach is rich in vitamin K and iron. Carrots are rich in vitamin A and vitamin C. In summer, you can eat red berries that are high in antioxidants.
How to consume them: consume them as quickly as possible after harvest or after purchase to benefit from their advantages. A juice extractor helps preserve their vitamins and minerals as much as possible. Gentle low-temperature cooking methods such as steaming are recommended. You can opt for dried fruits like dates or apricots.
2. Seeds and dried fruits
There is a wide range of seeds and oilseeds!
- The chia seeds contain a lot of fiber.
- Flax seeds are rich in essential fatty acids, just like hemp seeds.
- Brazil nuts are high in selenium.
- Hazelnuts are a source of fiber and vitamin E.
How to consume them: you can include sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, and pistachios in many dishes! Pistachios pair very well with red fruits like strawberries. Meanwhile, pumpkin and sunflower seeds can be easily sprinkled over salads.
3. Seaweed
There are no fewer than 800 varieties of seaweed in France! They have undeniable nutritional benefits. They provide notable amounts of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Wakame is very rich in proteins. Nori is also rich in plant proteins and a good source of vitamin B12.
How to consume them: you can rehydrate dried seaweed in water and season it to eat in a salad. Fresh seaweed should be desalted in water before preparing. You can start with a small amount to get used to their iodine taste.
4. Sprouted seeds
It is possible to sprout seeds of cereals like wheat or barley but also plants like alfalfa, or oilseeds.
Fresh and crunchy, they are packed with vitamins and minerals.
How to consume them: you can add them to a salad, to a warm or cold vegetable soup, or to a sandwich. It’s possible to sprout them yourself by following a few precautions. Otherwise, you can buy them in most health food stores.
5. Lacto-fermented foods
The lacto-fermentation is an ancient way of consuming foods. It helps boost the nutritional quality of foods by increasing the number of lactic acid bacteria in foods.
By consuming them, you ingest probiotics, the beneficial bacteria for our gut flora.
Listen to our podcast | The secrets of fermentation
How to consume them : sauerkraut is the quintessential lacto-fermented vegetable. But you can also lacto-ferment carrots or cucumbers, for example. Milk or fruit kefir is a fermented beverage that boosts the gut microbiota. Rejuvelac is a fermented drink made from sprouted seeds.
Lire aussi l Notre guide d’achat de probiotiques
The living diet: what are its advantages and disadvantages?
Living foods should be included as part of a diverse and varied diet.
This is not about eating only raw foods (raw foodism). This type of diet can lead to deficiencies and food poisoning.
On the PNNS (National Nutrition and Health Program) website you can find nutrition recommendations.
The consumption of fruits and vegetables is encouraged, both raw and cooked. But dried legumes are also favored because of their fiber content. Just like whole starchy foods.
Raw fruits and vegetables generally contain more vitamins, minerals and trace elements than their cooked counterparts.
For example, the amount of vitamin C is lower in raw broccoli than in cooked broccoli, as highlighted by this study.
However, there are exceptions. This study showed that the amount of lycopene (an antioxidant compound) was higher in heat-treated tomatoes than in raw ones.
Cooking has a sanitizing role because it eliminates bacteria from food.
Finally, we are not all the same when it comes to digesting raw fruits and vegetables, and cooking them can help make their fiber easier to digest.
Limiting the consumption of ultra-processed products with low nutritional value is one of the benefits of favoring living foods.
Another recommendation is to reduce white sugar consumption and favor alternatives such as honey.
For oils, consider organic oils, first cold-pressed.
In conclusion, take care to balance your diet to avoid deficiencies and meet public health recommendations. Adopt a diverse diet by including “living foods” on your plate.
