Is the Raw Food Diet Good or Bad?

To be or not to be a raw-cheater?

Raw food every year is gaining more supporters, confident that it is the optimal food system for the body. Is it so? What is the benefit and harm of raw food? And what are the principles behind it?

What is a raw diet?

Raw food – food products without heat treatment, primarily vegetables, fruits and berries. In the diet are also present dried fruits, a variety of legumes, nuts and seeds. However, some raw food eaten products of animal origin: unpasteurized milk, raw eggs, jerky meat and fish. Although the true adepts replace meat with the same beans, dried eggplants and mushrooms. And they also prepare milk at all from soy, grain and almonds.

Various cereals are allowed to be consumed in a sprouted and soaked form. To products of raw foodstuffs it is possible to carry honey and any oils of cold pressing. They drink exceptionally raw filtered or mineral water, as well as freshly squeezed juices.

Energy of nature

The ardent supporters of this system are sure that raw food is the way to immortality. In their opinion, the treatment with raw food allows you to get rid of all existing diseases forever, and “live food” helps to live in harmony with nature. What is the real benefit of such nutrition?

Most vitamins, minerals and amino acids that are found in fresh foods are not destroyed by heat treatment and enter the body in full. Consumed in large quantities of fiber improves digestion. Raw food – healthy food also because it allows for a short period of time to cleanse the body of toxins and other harmful substances. There is an opinion that raw food eaters are less prone to heart disease and cancer risk. It should also be mentioned that raw diet for weight loss is one of the most effective methods due to low caloric content of foods and almost complete absence of fats and harmful carbohydrates.

Side effects

However, do not forget about the harm that the body causes the raw diet. Problems can begin already in the first stages, because the transition to a fundamentally new food system is always associated with stress. Headaches, diarrhea, irritability, general weakness and poor state of health will definitely make themselves felt when eating habits change sharply. That is why raw food for beginners carries a certain risk.

Nutritional deficiency is the main minus of raw food. Deficiency of vitamin B12, contained only in animal food, negatively affects the state of nerve fibers and the production of red blood cells. Lack of iron leads to the development of anemia and is especially dangerous for women. With such a system, vitamin A, zinc, iodine and magnesium are poorly digested.

As a result of raw food, or rather, the lack of thermal processing of food, parasites can enter the body. In addition, some products in themselves are capable of causing poisoning. So, raw beans or soybeans secrete toxins in the stomach. And many types of vegetable protein are the strongest allergens, provoking negative reactions of the body.

No wonder physicians strongly recommend this system of nutrition only to relatively healthy people. That is why the transition to raw diet should be carefully thought out and implemented under the supervision of a specialist.

Ingenious menu

How to start a raw diet? Refusal of the usual products should be smooth. Meat, semi-finished products, canned food and smoked meat should disappear from the diet gradually. Next to them – other products of animal origin, flour products, sweets, tea, coffee and alcohol. Food processing in the first stages can be carried out at 45 ° C. The higher temperature, according to the raw food experts, makes the food “dead.” Nuts are best soaked in pure water for 4-8 hours. So out of them will go unnecessary bitterness, and they are quickly absorbed by the body.

With a raw food menu may well include oatmeal. To do this, pour flakes of water at night, and in the morning add bits of fruit or berries. Tomato gazpacho and similar cold vegetable soups can also be added to the diet. And cutlets from vegetables are allowed. However, for their preparation it is necessary to acquire a dehydrator. In addition, at your disposal – all the abundance of vegetable and fruit salads.

And you can also make almond cheese. Soak over night in the water 2 cups of almonds. In the morning we wash it and crush it in a blender, gradually pouring in 1-2 glasses of water. The resulting mass is transferred to a gauze pouch and suspended for 8-12 hours at room temperature. In such a “cheese” you can add garlic, lemon juice and seasonings.

Remember how to switch to raw food without risk to health, only a specialist knows! Therefore, it is first necessary to secure its recommendations, and to pass the necessary examinations.

Image credit: Einladung_zum_Essen

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