Raw vegan diet: the flip side!

Vegan diet is good for the body and its health. There is a growing body of evidence that reveals that it has many health benefits. But some people have taken this diet to an extreme level by eating only raw foods. But this can cause more harm than good.

What is a vegan diet? Its benefits?

A vegan diet is a diet that comprises of only foods that are sourced from plants. These include fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts and seeds. There is no meat, no fish, no eggs, and no milk. They believe that plant based foods are healthy. They are good for overall health and well-being. Moreover, this type of eating can save the planet and prevent climate change.

This type of foods can help weight loss and weight management. They are rich in fiber and healthy fats with no cholesterol. Hence the risk of heart diseases is less. Blood cholesterol is kept under control. High blood sugar spikes are less.

Additionally, this diet reduces body inflammation and helps in gut health.The phytochemicals in plants reach the body and prevent free radical damage. Hence they reduce risk of cancer, and protect skin.

But some people take this diet to the extreme. They eat only raw plant foods and avoid all cooked and processed foods from plants. This does more harm than good.

Problems with raw foods from plants

These people consume raw foods with no cooking because they believe that cooking foods can destroy nutrients. They feel that raw foods give them more energy and prevent and reverse diseases. They feel that these can improve their overall health.

But though cooking can kill certain nutrients there are other nutrients that are bound to cell walls within vegetables. These are released only on cooking. Hence if a person consumes foods raw, these cell wall bound nutrients might get deficient in that person.

Cooking improves the antioxidant levels in plant foods. These neutralize the damaging free radicals of the body and prevent chronic diseases. Eating raw foods only can lead to amenorrhea in women. A study showed that 30% of the women under 45 years had partial or complete amenorrhea with eating raw vegan good for 3 years. They had lost a lot of weight too.

Examples of content changes with cooking

Brussels sprouts and red cabbage do lose 22% of their thiamine content with cooking. But when a person cooks spinach, the calcium absorption gets improved. Cooking tomatoes kills the vitamin C in them by 28% but its lycopene content increases by 50%. Lycopene has the capacity to lessen the risk of chronic diseases, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, and kale also have more nutrients in them after cooking.

Certain vegetables up their antioxidant levels after cooking. These include tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, and asparagus. After cooking the antioxidant beta carotene in them (it converts to vitamin A in the body), lycopene and lutein also show a remarkable rise.

Also, read A totally vegan diet helped vegan chef Babette to feel and look three decades younger!

Vegan diets also lead to deficiency of vitamin B12. This vitamin breaks down homocysteine in the body. When deficiency of vitamin B12 exists, homocysteine levels increase and there can be possibility of stroke and heart diseases.