Raw Food Diet

Raw Food Diet

The raw food diet has been a popular choice among vegans and other progressive eaters for quite some time. But what’s the point of a raw diet? And is it right for you?

What is the Raw Food Diet?

The raw food diet is based on the idea that most foods (particularly fruits and vegetables) are the healthiest for your body when they’re uncooked. According to this trendy diet, the enzymes that help your body digest food and absorb all its nutrients are compromised when heated.

As a result, it’s believed that your body must work harder when it comes to digestion, making up for the lack of enzymes in your food. This can be hard on your digestive system.

Additionally, cooking food can reduce its nutritional value, as many vitamins and minerals are destroyed under heat. Healthy antioxidants like Vitamin C, for example, don’t fare well when cooked. But there are some exceptions to this rule. The best example is lycopene, an important cancer-fighting compound that is much higher in cooked tomatoes compared to raw ones.

From a weight loss and dieting perspective, there’s also the problem of changing fats under high temperatures. For example, health oils like olive oil can actually become hydrogenated under high heat, making them no healthier than butter.

Is a Raw Food Diet Right for Me?

Whether a raw food diet is right for really comes down to your lifestyle. This is a difficult diet if you have a busy lifestyle, as there’s a lot of prep work involved, and finding raw options on the go can be difficult.

There’s also the problem of protein. Aside from fish like salmon and tuna, raw meat options are not healthy. Many people on the raw food diet are vegan, not surprisingly, since most of what can be eaten raw is vegetables.