There are numerous diets that are described as being low carb. Essentially, they all suggest the same thing – namely, that the amount of high carbohydrate foods that go into a conventional diet are reduced. In practical terms, this means cutting down on starchy foods like bread, pasta or potatoes. However, it will also often mean that simpler carbohydrates in sugars are reduced. Conversely, foods which have a low carb content can be eaten in greater quantities to make up the same – or close – calorie intake of the individual concerned. Some of these diets place a heavy emphasis on upping the amount of protein that is consumed while others focus on higher amounts of fibrous vegetables. Scientific studies have found that following a low carb diet will help with weight loss, but they have few health benefits to offer other than that.
At its simplest, raw food is any sort of edible material that has been uncooked in any way. Of course, cooking may mean a variety of things when it comes to raw food, not simply heating food so that it breaks down somewhat. As such, for food to be considered raw, it should not have been processed in any meaningful way. Cured foods or those that have been tenderised are usually not considered to be fully raw, for example. At its simplest, the concept of raw foodism – the dietary practice of only consuming unprocessed and uncooked foods – means eating things in their most natural state. The idea is that this is closest to man's relationship with the natural world before human beings were able to harness fire to begin cooking their food.
Born in January 1915, Alan Watts was a philosopher and writer who had a significant impact on the West's view of Eastern spirituality and philosophical thinking in the mid-twentieth century. As a writer, he produced over two dozen books with some notable titles such as, 'The Way of Zen' becoming a best-seller after it was first published in 1957. One of the key points of his writing was to interpret Buddhism in a way that had more in common with psychotherapies than a religion, the way that many Western thinkers continued to regard it at the time. Alongside Buddhism, Alan Watts wrote extensively on the subjects of pantheism, Hinduism and traditional Chinese philosophy.
