Getting Raw and Edgy with the Raw Food Diet

What Makes a Diet “Raw”?

The Raw Food diet is probably the easiest diet to explain as the whole idea behind it is held in the 3-letter title: “Raw”.  Also called “Rawism”, the raw food diet is essentially an even more strict version of the Ornish diet.

It is a chosen lifestyle of eating where followers consume plant foods in their most natural state: uncooked and unprocessed. Followers use food dehydrators instead of stoves and ovens because they believe that high heat destroys beneficial enzymes and vitamins in foods.  Temperatures of the hydrator are rarely over 115-118 degrees.

What Will I Be Giving Up with the Raw Food Diet?

Well besides everything? Um…

Most who eat this way are also vegan so they avoid animal products or anything that came from an animal like eggs and cheese.  Some eat eggs and cheese made from raw or unpasteurized milk. You can’t really eat anything that can’t be consumed in it’s natural state and nothing fried or processed.

What Do I Get?

Among simply vegetables, seaweed, sprouts, whole grains, nuts, beans and dried fruits are often staples of the Raw Food diet plan.  The diet is said to be full of fiber, nutrient-dense and low in fat and sugars.  The big claim is that by eating these types of foods you lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, and countless other diseases brought on by metabolic syndrome.

What Else Should I Know?

Studies and skeptics of this diet have shown that eating this way leads to severe Vitamin B12 deficiency.  Vitamin B-12 is only found naturally in animal products and among its functions are nerve development and maintaining a healthy red blood cell count.

Because the diet is high in nuts and grains, this can also lead to increased bone density and calcium loss within the body.

What’s the Skinny?

Well as you could guess if you have read Know My Body before I have a lot of concerns with the raw food diet plan.  I do think it is awesome they are trying to eat foods in their purest states and preserve nutrients.  I totally agree.

I am pretty concerned about the lack of protein and fat.  We are carnivores.  No way around it.  Protein and fat satiate us, they help to preserve lean mass and cut fat.  They are also huge in maintain a proper balance of HDL and LDL levels, triglycerides, blood sugar, and I can go on forever…

Instead why don’t you read on to find out a bit more why protein is so awesome.  Check out The Protein Series.  Also to understand why the right type of fats are valuable, check out The Fat Series.

Next Diet

The next diet asks the question, can you “eat to live“?

About Cade

Cade is the founder of Know My Body. Sorry...no doctor degree, fancy gym, multi-million dollar fitness program, or label as a self-proclaimed health guru of biblical proportions. He is a common guy just like you. Maybe that helps him get you a bit better.

He has worked the past several years trying to get a grasp of "health knowledgeries" from the perspective of a person working a 9 to 5 job and dealing with the normal and not-so-normal challenges that life gives. Visit our About Page to chew on some more knowledge about Cade and how we want to help you at Know My Body.