What is a raw food diet? What are it’s advantages and risks?

You want to give your cooking range some rest.

Then you can go for the raw food diet. In this diet, you are consuming raw fruits, raw vegetables, and raw grains. Know all the details of this diet.

What is raw food diet?

Raw food diet implies eating only raw foods. That is raw fruits, raw vegetables, and raw grains. The reason behind it is the assumption that heating kills the useful nutrients and digestive enzymes present in these foods.

Cooking kills them. And these enzymes are required to fight inflammation and chronic diseases of the body. Eating the food raw preserves these enzymes and nutrients and keeps these diseases at bay.

There are also claims that cooking increases food toxicity. The advocates of this diet believe that a raw food diet can eliminate allergies and headaches. It can also boost immunity and better diabetes and arthritis.

Foods allowed in this diet

All the foods that are uncooked and unprocessed can be consumed in this diet. The raw food produced should preferably be organic. Sprouted grains, fruits, vegetable nuts, and seeds are ok in this diet.

One can eat raw meat fish, raw eggs, and unpasteurized dairy good products and milk.

The food can be cold or slightly warm. Its temperature should not be over 118 degrees Fahrenheit which is equal to 47.7 degrees Celsius. One can employ food blenders, food processors, and dehydrators in the preparation of the meal.

A lot of effort is required to be on this diet. One needs to go to selected stores for grocery shopping. And one cannot eat outside. Hence travel could get a bit difficult.

Because there is a risk of contamination and foodborne diseases with raw eating, prior proper washing of foodstuffs is extremely essential.

Those who are senior citizens or suffer from chronic conditions such as kidney disorders cannot have this food. Pregnant women and young kids might get problems with this diet.

Health Benefits and lopsided

The foods are low in sodium and high in potassium. So the risk of high blood pressure is low. Additionally, the chances of osteoporosis, heart ailments, stroke, and cancer decrease with this.

Diabetic control is also better. But there could be some associated deficiencies. Hence multivitamin supplements might be required. It does help lose weight.

The cost could be high since organic foods are expensive. You need to invest in special kitchen gadgets. That would add to the cost in form of purchase and maintenance.

Raw food also is less digestible and hard on the stomach. It could also be less safe. Cooking helps enhance certain substances such as lycopene and beta-carotene. That advantage is lost with raw food diet.

Read more: Heidi Montag and her raw animal meat diet to get pregnant!

Therefore, the bottom line is that though raw foods are high in fiber, minerals, and vitamins, they carry their risks such as bacterial and parasitic contamination.

They require a lot of effort to prepare before consumption and the foods are also expensive. One cannot eat outside and travel becomes difficult.