As more people look for natural ways to improve their health and energy levels, interest in the raw diet continues to grow. Centred around whole, unprocessed foods, this approach emphasizes fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and other minimally altered ingredients. Supporters of a raw diet often report having an increase in energy, improved digestion, and a greater intake of nutrient-rich foods. 

In this article, we'll explore the principles behind raw food diets, their potential benefits, and important considerations for maintaining balanced nutrition. 

What Is A Raw Food Diet?

Contrary to popular belief, raw food can actually be cooked or heated to a certain temperature. There is, however, some debate as to what acceptable maximum temperatures can be used and still considered ‘raw’. The most widely accepted guidelines state that as long as the cooking temperature stays below 118 degrees Fahrenheit, the food can still be considered raw. This allows for a lot of dehydrating of foods, a staple in raw food diets. See below.

What Are The Key Benefits of A Raw Diet?

Phytonutrients, Vitamins and Minerals

Probably the most obvious and perhaps profound benefit of a raw diet is the increase in phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. When naturally nutrient-dense foods are cooked, the very aspect that makes them healthier is significantly compromised. Raw food-ists have an increased intake of micro and macro nutrients, and antioxidants, which are important for disease prevention and overall better health.

Enzymes

Enzymes digest or break down our food. Our body produces and secretes enzymes for digestion as we eat, but food itself often comes with its own enzymatic effects; the most powerful of those are in raw fruits and vegetables. Cooked fruits and vegetables no longer possess this same enzyme activity.

Alkalinity

Cooking makes food more acidic. Combine that with the fact that highly processed foods, foods high in refined sugars, many animal proteins, and cooked grains (among many other aspects of a typical North American diet) also promote acidity in the body, and it's no wonder that our acid/base balance is typically out of whack! Why does it matter? Enzymatic reactions are not only heat sensitive, but pH sensitive, meaning digestion is compromised in an overly acidic environment. Our body retaliates by leaching calcium from our bones, increasing the risk for osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Raw diets shift the body back to a more alkaline state!

Improved Digestion

Cooked foods take longer to digest. This can be taxing on the body and lead to toxic accumulation due to poor elimination. Moreover, a diet high in processed foods can increase inflammation in the gut, potentially leading to a whole slew of health concerns. Optimal digestion is truly at the root of all health. More nutrients, more enzymes and faster breakdown all mean a healthier digestive system, ultimately meaning a healthier you!

Tips For Implementing A Raw Diet

Low in Animal Products

Raw diets are, out of both necessity and a perceived added health benefit, free from meat and usually all dairy; however, some exceptions apply. Some Raw food-ists still eat raw fish, or sashimi. Some will also consume raw dairy products.

Avoid Processed and Prepared Foods

Raw food enthusiasts generally do not eat prepared or processed foods, avoiding preservatives or precooking, which can again jeopardize the nutritional value of the food we consume. Instead, the focus is on fresh foods, most often organic – again to avoid potentially harmful pesticides. Fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as raw beans, legumes, nuts and seeds are staples of a raw food diet.

Learn to Soak and Sprout

Specifically for many nuts/seeds and bean, germinating is necessary for digestion (in the case of many beans, cooking actually increases enzymatic action for optimal digestion. Germinating beans is one way to get around this. Simply soak for a specified period of time in purified water (soaking times will vary depending on the bean and/or nut/seed). Use caution as some beans are simply off limits, soaked or not (ex. kidney beans)! Many who follow the raw food movement also take things one step further and sprout their own nuts, seeds and beans for even more added nutrition.

Dehydrate Food

With the purchase of a dehydrator, you can dehydrate virtually any fruit or vegetable, as well as nuts and seeds to make crackers, and even meat for jerky. Since temperatures remain low, over a longer period of time, dehydrating is another way to vary your food intake, while still keeping it raw.

Blend

Smoothies, gazpacho (cold soups) and dips, such as hummus, salsas, guacamoles, and pestos, are another way to maintain a varied (and tasty!) diet while still avoiding cooked foods.

Are There Any Disadvantages To A Raw Diet?

There are odd foods that are actually known to be significantly healthier when cooked. Tomatoes are perhaps the best example of this. Cooked tomatoes contain 3-4 times more lycopene than their raw counterpart. Therefore, consistently eating certain foods RAW does actually minimize their nutritional content.

From a Traditional Chinese medicine perspective, raw foods can be very damp forming, a diagnosis that comes with a unique and all too familiar set of symptoms, including fatigue, impaired immune function, a sensation of heaviness, and often recurrent candida, just to name a few. This can be remedied to a certain extent by adding warming herbs and spices to raw foods.

Generally speaking, a raw food diet is healthy if you enjoy making your own food and can take the time and effort to do it properly!

Moderation is key

If all this seems just a little overwhelming, start out slow. Try eating one raw meal/day, or maybe work your way up to 2-3 raw days/week. It’s a great lesson in learning to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in the diet, and rely less on packaged, pre-made (or even pre-cooked) meals. If you don’t think you are going to be diligent with soaking nuts and beans in order to keep protein intake up, and maintaining a varied diet (ie; blending, dehydrating, sprouting, etc. to give you more options), then perhaps an exclusively raw diet is not right for you. Aim for a 70/30 split; raw to cooked foods, or find the balance that best suits your lifestyle, and meets your nutritional needs.