Is a Raw Food Diet Healthier For Us?
While the raw food diet (sometimes called “raw foodism” or “rawism”) has been around for quite some time, it continues to grow in popularity. Followers of the diet believe strongly in the claims that eating in this manner will lead to the best possible health. All of the recent attention may have 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. However, they believe the diet must be strictly followed to obtain those kind of results. Consuming food in its most natural form, unprocessed and uncooked, is the best way to follow the diet. You must be fully committed and have plenty of time to devote to this diet. Raw foodists log many hours each day peeling, chopping, blending, and dehydrating food.
Seventy-five percent of the diet is comprised of fruits and vegetables. The remaining twenty-five percent of the diet can be made up of beans, nuts, grains, seaweed, and sprouts. While some cheeses made from raw milk or raw eggs are allowed on the diet, most animal products are not. All refined products, refined sugar, alcohol, and caffeine are prohibited.
On the raw food diet, food is not cooked or prepared in a traditional way. The main “cooking device” used is a food dehydrator, not a stove or oven. No more than 115 to 118 degrees of heat is used by the dehydrator to dry food. Raw foodists believe enzymes and vitamins necessary for digestion are destroyed when food is heated above 118 degrees.
While many studies are still being conducted to support the claims of the raw food diet, one completed study found that regular consumption of raw, cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kale may in fact lower the risks of developing certain forms of cancer. This variety of vegetables contains isothicyanates, which have been shown to change proteins in cancer cells. Cooking vegetables reduces the concentration of isothicyanates, which reduces the health benefits. Another study relating to the raw food diet suggests that consuming raw vegetables lower the risk for developing oral, gastric, pharyngeal, laryngeal, and esophageal cancers. Further studies have shown that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, as well as those that are vegan or vegetarian may lower cholesterol levels, and regulate blood glucose levels.
Remember a physician should always be consulted before starting any new diet. You need to make sure all of your health needs are met, and the diet is safe. Children and infants should not take part in a raw food diet, as it may not provide adequate levels of nutrition for growth and development.
If you don’t fancy eating raw food all the time then check out this Diet Solution Program review instead.
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