The Diet

The raw food diet is a diet based on natural or unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed. Raw foodists usually believe that the higher the percentage of raw food in the diet, the greater the health benefits. Raw foodism or a raw diet is usually equated with raw veganism in which only raw plant foods are eaten, but other raw foodists emphasize raw meat and other raw animal products.

Heating food above 116 degrees F is believed to destroy enzymes in food that can assist in the digestion and absorption of food. Cooking is also thought to lessen the nutritional value and “life force” of food.

In general, at least 75% of the diet must be living or raw.

Adherents of raw foodism believe that consumption of uncooked foods encourages weight loss (and stability, without the risk of re-gaining), while also preventing and/or healing many forms of sickness and chronic diseases.  Some medical studies have indicated that different forms of raw food diets may lead to various health problems, while other studies have shown positive health outcomes with such diets.

What are the Benefits of the Raw Food Diet?

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Proponents of the raw food diet believe it has numerous health benefits, including:

Increased energy

Improved skin appearance

Better digestion

Weight loss

Reduced risk of heart disease

The raw food diet contains fewer trans fats and saturated fat than the typical Western diet. It is also low in sodium and high in potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber and health-promoting plant chemicals called phytochemicals.

These properties are associated with a reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. For example, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that consumption of a raw food diet lowered plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations.

What can I eat?
A. Unprocessed, preferably organic, whole foods such as:

1. Fresh fruits and vegetables
2. Nuts
3. Seeds
4. Beans
5. Grains
6. Legumes
7. Dried fruit
8. Seaweed

B. Unprocessed organic or natural foods

1. Freshly juiced fruit and vegetables
2. Purified water
3. Young coconut milk

At least 75% of food consumed should not be heated over 116 degrees F.

2. What cooking techniques are used?

Specific cooking techniques make foods more digestible and add variety to the diet, including:

1. Sprouting seeds, grains, and beans
2. Juicing fruit and vegetables
3. Soaking nuts and dried fruit
4. Blending
5. Dehydrating food

According to popular diet reviews, eating the raw food diet is a radical way to eat. Many believe that it keeps them smart and healthy. The focal point of this diet is on eating uncooked, highly nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables to lose weight rapidly and efficiently. Certainly, these foods are low in calories and might seem extremely good, but eating them raw or uncooked is favored as it is believed that they lose nutritional value when cooked.

A raw foods diet consists of unprocessed raw vegan foods that have not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius). Dieters or or the so-called raw foodists believe that foods cooked above this temperature have lost their enzymes and thus a significant amount of their nutritional value and are harmful to the body, whereas uncooked foods provide living enzymes and proper nutrition. Proponents of a raw food diet claim that there are many benefits to eating raw foods, including weight loss, more energy, clear skin, improved digestion and improved overall health.

Unprocessed Foods

Completely unprocessed foods consist of those that basically go straight from the plant to the dinner plate. Some foods that fit into this category are the following:

Fresh fruit

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Fresh vegetables

Beans and legumes

Nuts and seeds

Seaweed and marine plants

Edible flowers, sprouts and roots

Spices and natural herbs

Minimally Processed Foods

When people with traditional diets think of processed foods, they often imagine Twinkies or boxed dinner kits that are packed with sodium. However, no self-respecting raw foodist would go anywhere near these items. They have a different definition of what constitutes processed. For them it means foods that are altered somewhat from their natural state but are still in their purest form. Foods that fit this description are:

Syrup made from pure tree sap

Dried produce

Foods fermented in vinegar (pickles, kimchee, soy sauce)

Vinegar

Drinks

There are actually a large variety of beverages that fit into the raw food diet. Most fruit or vegetable juices qualify, as long as the juice is either fresh squeezed or made with the help of a juicer. Commercially available juices usually have additives, such as sugar, and may be pasteurized. Pasteurization heats foods to a temperature unacceptable to raw food diet followers. Soy and nut milks are also acceptable, as long as the ingredients are not heated. Of course, there is always pure, unadulterated water, which is about as raw as it’s possible to get.