With more and more people interested in reversing aging, losing weight, increasing energy and just feeling better overall, there has been more and more discussion about the benefits of doing various types of cleansing and detoxifying regimens to help the body eliminate built up toxins. Those who are proponents of living foods and their benefits are quick to say that one of the best approaches to cleansing is a raw food detox.

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 second reason why a raw food detox can yield better results than a standard diet detox has to do with the way the body reacts to cooked foods. Most people are completely unaware that when cooked food enters the body, a reaction is triggered that is similar to a reaction of ingesting poison. An increased level of white blood cells is produced and sent out to protect your system.

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.

There are a wide range of benefits that people have reported as a result of following a raw food detox program. The benefits are reported to be longer lasting when the detox is also followed by a raw food diet over the long term. Some of the positive results that people have reported are weight loss, improved mood and sleep, increased energy, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, alleviation of allergies, clearer skin, and a stronger immune system.

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