Should We Be Eating Food Raw?
While the raw food diet (sometimes called “raw foodism” or “rawism”) has been around for quite some time, it continues to grow in popularity. People who follow this diet are steadfast in their claims that this way of eating leads to optimal health. All of these claims may have left you wondering: what is the raw food diet?
People who follow the raw food diet often refer to themselves as “raw foodists”. From having great skin, a lean body, and more energy to having better overall health with a lower risk of developing diseases, the claims of this diet are many. The diet must be followed to the letter in order to get those kind of benefits. The best way to follow the diet is to only consume food in its most natural form, which is unprocessed and uncooked. Undertaking this diet takes a good deal of dedication and time. Many hours a day are spent preparing food by chopping, blending, peeling, and dehyrdating.
The main component of the diet, usually about seventy-five percent, is made up of vegetables and fruits. The remainder of the diet can include nuts, grains, sprouts, beans, and seaweed. Animal products are usually not consumed on the diet, however some chesses made from raw eggs or raw milk may be permitted. Prohibited items include all refined products, refined sugar, caffeine, and alcohol.
Traditional cooking methods are not allowed on the raw food diet. A food dehydrator is the main cooking device, rather than a typical stove or oven. Food dehydrators heat gently and use low amounts of heat, no more than 115 to 118 degrees, to dry the food. Raw foodists completely believe that any food heated above 118 degrees causes vitamins and enzymes needed for digestion to be depleted.
Much more research is needed to support the claims of the raw food diet, however an early study concluded that consuming cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and kale on a regular basis may reduce the risk of developing cancer. This variety of vegetables contains isothicyanates, which have been shown to change proteins in cancer cells. It is thought that cooking these vegetables reduces the amount of isothicyanates, thus reducing the total benefits. A second study on the raw food diet found that oral, gastric, pharyngeal, esophageal, and laryngeal cancer risk may be reduced by eating raw vegetables regularly. Additional data shows that vegan, vegetarian, and diets rich in vegetables and fruit help to promote lower cholesterol, and more regulated glucose levels.
Be careful though, you should always contact your physician before starting this or any type of diet. You should make sure the diet is safe and will meet all of your health needs. The raw food diet is not suitable for children or infants as it does not provide enough nutrition for development and growth.
If you don’t fancy eating raw food all the time then check out this Diet Solution Program review instead.
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