Reflection on Raw Food Diet

Enthusiasts of raw food diet claim, that food is not only about nutrition, but also about life's energy. Food, which is eaten in its natural unprepared state, with all the enzymes intact, is the source of vitality, and our nourishment. In our hands, it is also an ammunition of strength and self-reliance. Labored beginnings, however, characterize the raw diet. It is a slow process, not a single event in time. But with mindful approach to food, we can select from life, what is best for our well-being.

Both paleo diet and raw diet discard processed and artificial food, and replace it with a simple and natural ones. Enthusiasts of raw food diet claim, that it is their lifestyle and although it is not an easy transition, it can be adopted by many. Testimonials from ordinary people are endless, but there is always one underlying note: it is a challenging diet and it works most effectively, if you follow the rule of 80:20, meaning that you rely on raw food 80% of a time and eat cooked food for the other 20% of a time.

Raw veganism is a plant-based diet, that involves no cooking. No food is heated above 42 degrees Celsius. Foods are eaten fresh, sprouted, dehydrated with low heat or fermented. So taking these ideas into consideration, let's come up with a healthy regime, which is also nutritious. Let's create a 1800 calorie diet plan, which is quite restrictive, hence more challenging. It is a daily plan for 1 person. So let's take a look:

1/6 cookie sheet of dry seed crackers (see below), 50g almonds, 25g nuts (3 walnuts, 3 brazilian nuts), 100g quinoa or lentils (every other day), 50g pumpkin seeds, vegetables (200g romaine lettuce, 2 tomatoes, 1 red pepper, 200g cucumber, 7 radishes, 1 beetroot, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 fermented cucumber, 2 onions), fruit (1 orange, 1 apple, 1 nectarine).

The above mentioned plan translates into the following:

vitA:821%, vitC:650%, vitE:113%, vitK:388%, vitD:?, vitB1:168%, vitB2:96%, vitB3:75%, vitB5:66%, vitB6:137%, vitB12:?, folate:290%, Ca:82%, Fe:120%, Mg:203%, K:175%, Zn:117%, Se:442%

COMMENTS

1. Healthy raw food diet means eating approx. 1.2kg of vegetables, 0.5kg of fruit. It is also based on eating nuts, almonds and seeds – we need approx. 180g of them every day as well as some grain and legumes, such as quinoa and lentils (I selected quinoa since it is the most nutritious type of grain and the same rationale was for selecting lentils).

2. Due to calorie restrictions, there is no room in this diet for any type of sweets, even those prepared raw. It is also hard to incorporate into this diet fruit, such as banana or avocado because of the calories (1 banana corresponds to 100 calories and ½ avocado means 160 calories). The same goes for oil. We should limit ourselves only to olive oil, due to high content of vitamin E.

3. The recommended amounts of vitamin D and B12 can only be derived from eating raw fish. If we consume raw fish twice a week, then we will take care of our daily requirements for those vitamins. The other options are to supplement the diet with vitamins or by adding nutritional yeast.

4. If we follow the rule of 80:20, then it is OK to cook hard-to-digest food like quinoa or lentils. It is also advisable to cook carrots and add them to food containing phytic acid, such as nuts or seeds (see here).

5. We should consume 1 fermented cucumber every day, to take care of our intestinal flora. Fermented vegetables contain probiotics, which are important in maintaining a healthy gut.

6. Raw food can be source of infection and it is due to the fact, that most food is in a fermented state and is of plant-origin. Hence it is very important to sterilize the equipment and wash thoroughly vegetables and fruit. We should wash them in acidic water to remove microorganisms and in alkaline water to remove pesticides. It is also advisable to rinse the mouth with water and baking soda. 

 

REFLECTION

Raw plants and vegetables tend to be hard on our digestion. So if we are constantly eating foods, that our bodies cannot digest, our ability to digest food in general is weakened. A weakened digestive system can cause bloating, indigestion, constipation or loose stools, malnutrition, food allergies and a lowered immune system, even if we consume food filled with nutrients supporting our health. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it is believed, that raw foods are too “cold” - or yin – in nature and require too much energy from our part to digest. The cold, hard-to-digest food puts a damper on the body's digestive fires. The prolonged practice of eating raw depletes body's energy from having to support the weakened digestive system, which results in less energy for other bodily functions. Hence, enthusiasts of this diet steer towards uniform meals, to ease the digestion. They prepare simple meals and follow the rule of proper combining. In addition, a helpful tip is to keep fruit at room temperature and take vegetables from fridge at least 1 hour before eating. Eating food at room temperature aids the digestion and may alleviate some of the problems associated with eating raw.

Raw food can be the source of infection and every enthusiast of this diet knows, that raw food diet requires a lot of attention on our part. We should stay away from ready-to-eat food found in grocery stores as well as be wary about eating-out. The main reason why this type of food can be unhealthy is, because it is processed to encourage the growth of microorganisms. Every time when we ferment or sprout food, we also encourage the growth of bacteria and if not careful we can make ourselves ill, because of what we eat. This is probably one of the reasons, why raw food lovers tend to cook at home and devote a lot of their time to washing food and preparing meal for themselves.

Arguments against this diet rely on not sufficient scientific evidence showing, that it can be healthy. And this is true simply, because we lack evidence based on practice and real-life stories. However, we often hear, that raw diet is the source of malnutrition. Raw food lovers are deficient in vitamin D, B12, calcium, iron, zinc, omega-3 and selenium. If you look again at my plan above you will see, that raw food diet is only sensitive to deficiencies in vitamin D and B12. Vegans try to circumvent the problem and eat nutritional yeast. And yes, they can be a good source of vitamin B12 but at the same time they are the source of vitamin B complex overload (for example 100% of vitamin B12 translates into 640% of vitamin B1, 570% of vitamin B2, 280% of vitamin B3 and 480% of vitamin B6). If you are on raw food diet and eat flax seeds and walnuts, then you are OK with omega-3 and brazilian nuts take care of selenium requirements. Good sources of calcium are almonds, sesame seeds, and oranges, so you may want to pay close attention to this food, not to become deficient in calcium.

For sure it is a quite restrictive diet, hence not for everyone. Personally, I love eating warm food and I do not think, that I will ever try switching to eating raw. However, as I have shown you above there are certain tricks to make this diet healthy. But is eating raw really hard on our digestion and drains us of energy in the long run? I leave it to others to decide. Definitely we need more evidence backed up by practice. The best thing about Raw Food diet, in my mind, is that it shows us, that with careful planning, we can also be healthy, if we rely on raw food, such as vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds. Sounds impossible, almost like paradox and that's the beauty of it all.

Seed crackers (1 cookie sheet): 1 cup flax seeds, ½ cup sesame seeds, ½ cup sunflower seeds. Ferment all in acidic water overnight. The next day rinse it thoroughly and mix all with ¾ cup of water to create thick dough – add your favorite spices. Leave to rest for approx. 5 minutes. Spread the dough onto a cookie sheet covered with a baking paper. Dehydrate in a dehydrator or bake in the oven set to 42 degrees until dry.