Should I Try the Raw Foods Diet Plan?

Supporters of the raw food diet plan claim positive results from making the switch. Here's what you should know about this diet to see if it's right for you.

As people become increasingly thoughtful about what they put in their mouths and bodies, the raw food diet has gained popularity as a healthful style of eating. Whether you are looking to lose weight, considering a natural approach to a health issue, or seeking to minimize your exposure to chemicals and artificial ingredients in processed foods, a diet of raw food may be worth considering.

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What is the raw foods diet plan, and should you try it?

As the name implies, the food on this diet you isn’t cooked. The only “cooking” allowed is delivered via dehydrator, juicer, or blender. Foods aren’t allowed to reach temperatures higher than 104 to 118 Fahrenheit, so you can preserve naturally occurring enzymes and other nutrients.

Although there is no formal definition — and there are many variations — the raw food diet is generally described as an uncooked vegan diet, although some people consume raw:

• Unpasteurized milk and cheese
• Eggs
• Meat such as carpaccio
• Fish such as sashimi

The raw food diet is not new. Sylvester Graham (inventor of the graham cracker) developed the concept in the 1830s as a response to chronic diseases, particularly cholera. Years later, Maximilian Bircher-Benner, a Swiss physician and nutritionist, promoted raw food as a health treatment after he recovered from jaundice while eating apples. In 1897 he opened Vital Force, a clinic at which he promoted the benefits of eating raw fruits and vegetables.

Raw foods diet plan benefits

Over the years, raw foodism has been re-interpreted and advocated for everything from supporting general good health and improving blood profiles to treating fibromyalgia and cancer , but few high-quality studies back such claims. As a result, the diet remains controversial.

Although plenty of evidence shows that eating more unprocessed foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, is beneficial, it’s usually in the context of what most people consider a balanced diet. Such diets include low-fat dairy, lean meats, fish, and other seafood — not a diet of raw, mostly vegan, food.

What you’ll eat on the raw foods diet plan

On this diet, you’ll eat lots of berries, fresh fruit, vegetables, and nuts. The diet also relies heavily on sprouted beans, seeds, and grains.

Advocates claim one advantage of a raw food diet is that it preserves nutrients that cooking diminishes or destroys. A common example is enzymes. Your body needs enzymes, which occur naturally in many foods, for digestion. Raw food proponents claim that cooking destroys enzymes, making foods harder to digest.

Critics, however, point out that your body produces its own digestive enzymes and that gastric juices destroy the enzymes in your food. Additionally, the nutrients in some foods actually increase during cooking, for example lycopene in tomatoes. Other raw foods can be toxic, such as certain mushrooms, peas, and beans.

Proponents of the raw food diet also point out that cooking meat, poultry, and fish over high heat or for prolonged periods can create chemicals — heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) — that can cause changes to your DNA, possibly increasing your risk of cancer.

In epidemiologic studies using detailed questionnaires to determine participants’ meat cooking methods and consumption, researchers have found that eating large amounts of well-done, fried, barbecued, or smoked meats is associated with increased risk for prostate, colorectal, and pancreatic cancer.

Although no guidelines exist, you can minimize your exposure to HCA and PAH with certain cooking methods and techniques.

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Raw foods diet plan cons

An additional concern is difficulty getting adequate nutrients from an all-raw diet, particularly:

• Vitamins B12 and D
• Selenium
• Zinc
• Iron
• Omega-3 fatty acids

That means you need take supplements on the raw food diet, which brings into question the whole idea of eating unprocessed foods.

Some dietitians and nutritionists have expressed concern about whether the raw food diet is safe for vulnerable individuals — the elderly and very young and those with weakened immunity. The concern stems from the fact that raw food increases your risk of exposure to illness-causing bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Additionally, some raw foods contain toxins, which cooking eliminates.

The diet has also been criticized as a potential contributor to health risks, such as loss of bone density (osteoporosis), causing women to stop having regular periods (amenorrhea), and greater incidence of cavities. Aside from potential health risks, the diet has been criticized for being overly restrictive and hard to follow.

Making your food on a raw diet

You’ll want to investigate specific techniques before getting started, for example dehydrating a batter to make a wrap or fruit leather and sprouting beans and nuts to make them easier to digest. Plenty of websites and books explore the subject, so be sure to do your homework. Search for terms such as raw foods, living foods, sprouting, juicing, and dehydrating.

If you decide to give a raw diet a try, in addition to a dehydrator, you may also want to invest in a good blender, a juicer, a thermometer, and a food processor. A good set of knives is important to make the process of prepping your food safe and efficient. Having large jars and containers for sprouting is also helpful.

Because you’ll primarily eat fruits and vegetables, make sure you have a reliable source of quality, organic produce. In addition, choose recipes with familiar ingredients that are readily available in your area.

Bottom line

If you already eat a vegetarian or vegan diet, going raw may not be a huge leap for you. Likewise, if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen and enjoy preparing most of your food from scratch, a raw food diet might be a good fit.

You might consider trying the diet for a limited time to determine how you feel. Alternatively, you might consider eating a diet that is 60 to 80 percent raw, while incorporating limited amounts of cooked foods to make up the balance, for convenience, and to ensure you get adequate nutrients.

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