February 06, 2012

Ask the Nutritionist: Raw Food Diet

For a project for my internship, I did a study on popular diets to research what they are, if they work, nutritional adequacy, etc. This post highlights the Raw Food diet. These are not my opinions but is information and research that I found. 


How it works: Practice of consuming uncooked, unprocessed, and many times organic foods as the main part of the diet. Common foods eaten include raw fruits, dried fruit, vegetable juices, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fish, and raw dairy products (milk, cheese, and yogurt). Many times the raw foodie is vegan or vegetarian. The followers of the diet believe that raw food is healthier for the body and that cooking food over 116-118 degrees destroys important enzymes. They also believe that cooked food takes longer to digest.  They often use a dehydrator to cook where the temperature does not reach over 118 degrees.

Raw Lasagna
Advantages: This diet is good for the environment. It is uses more natural foods and has less packaging.  The food choices are often healthier. Many people experience weight loss due to many of the foods being lower calorie. It can also help to decrease cholesterol, blood pressure, and triglycerides. 
Disadvantages: The food on this diet can be expensive, cause deficiencies (see below), hard to follow long term, and is difficult to provide enough energy for demanding work and activities. 


Nutritional Adequacy: People on the raw food diet can experience deficiencies in vitamin B12, calcium, and iron.  They are also at risk for losing bone and decreasing their HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol).

Cost: Foods typically cost more and require more preparation time than other foods.

Resource: San Antonio Dietetic Association: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/sada/2010/05/raw-food-diet/

Has anyone ever tried eating a Raw Food Diet? 
What are your thoughts?

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Comments

  1. Hi there! I think I might try this but will probably add some chicken or fish for protein.

    Cousin Cathy

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  2. I've done several diets in the past due to my health issues and the raw food diet was definitely one of them with a variation-I would eat a lot of raw fruits, veggies, and nuts, but I would also introduce the maximum daily allotment of protein through tuna, organic chicken, venison (my family is big on hunting), etc.

    I find that I feel better when on this kind of diet :)

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  3. This is really a great post. This is really informative about nutritious foods. We should watch our diet to be healthy.

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