Benefits of raw food diet ?

[Tigress]

The question is just that really, what, if any are the benefits of being on a raw food diet? Is it any better for you healthwise ?

 

I am quite interested in eating this way, so just looking for some feedback really.

 

Carmen

[Kathryn]

The main benefit is that raw foods are the only ones in which enzymes have not been destroyed. Those enzymes aid in the digestion of the food itself, so your body's digestive enzymes don't have to work so much (if your body needs more digestive enzymes, the pancreas has to work creating more, and can't work creating metabolic enzymes to help with tissue repair and a lot of other metabolic functions because its energies are diverted).

[Bigbwii]

Here's some thing that might be useful... check it out...it's for Fruitarians/Raw Vegans too...

 

Hope it helps!

 

 

 

On the benefits of

Fruitarian nutrition

 

Fruitarians develop a great feeling physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Fruitarians experience a feeling of finely tuned body, light, without few or no headaches, need less sleep and develop a greater resistance to illness, pain and aging. Fruitarian become more sensitive persons both physically and emotionally and develop the natural "instinct" to judge what does you good and what does you harm, fruitarian become more wise and expand their conscience…To be a fruitarian is to be free from all forms of cooked food addiction…and dead meat poisoning…

Fruitarian feel and look like younger, healthy with good looking appearance in hair, nails, skin and with good smell and taste…harmony in body shape…with more spiritual power and stronger feelings…aesthetically and sexually that is very important…

 

"The proper application of fruitarian dietary and lifestyle is calculated to allow the human to produce healthy offspring, live more than 100 years of age, be free of all disease and only "mature" while not aging as most people think of it and peacefully die a natural death in their sleep. Man cannot eat of everything and maintain his good health. Man was created to eat of the fruits of the trees"

 

Fruit nutrition does not pollute the earth and promotes the planting of new trees bringing all the benefits to the life supporting mechanisms of the earth. Fruit nutrition is a very simple concept of life style and makes life EASY "you need virtually no eating utensils, and you don't have to spend hours cooking."

 

When you eat fruits you nourish yourself with the best food stuff available on earth and simultaneously, you spread the seeds of the fruit contributing for new trees according to the laws of nature developed for millions of years…you do not kill any kind of life form, you do not have to kill any life form even a vegetable…

Year after year (and probably for your entire life range), the fruit tree gives you the fruit you need, you do not have to do anything for that, as far as the tree is healthy and good, you get good food! You eat a meal prepared with the "magic" of earth the sun and the "secret powers" of life…and that is precisely what is going to live inside of you and build up every part of your body…that is the building material for your brain too… When the tree is too old, you may cut it, and use it as timber for your home construction, furniture or anything else. What other nutrition system is more beautiful and logical than this?

 

The benefits of a Fruitarian nutrition are too many and for the common people they seem something too good to be true or idealistic…well, there is a way to know the truth: try it for one month! Then you will find out by yourself where the truth is…

 

Some of the benefits of fruitarian nutrition:

 

More mental power, more mental clarity with new and total different ideas, more creativity and happiness, more energy, rejuvenation, increase of auto confidence, auto esteem, and freedom from the affective dependencies of ALL kinds! Total detoxification from toxins and purification of the body: Brain, cardio vascular system, respiratory system, nervous system, endocrine system, digestive system; and balance and harmony among all the parts of body, you will feel the body healthy in a global integrated way as a single entity and not divided with some organs better than others…

You feel cured from all kinds of wounds even the ones hidden than you never know about, cure of all the illnesses that you may feel and the ones in development that you still do not know, like tumors and cancer cells…

Cure and improvement over bad health symptoms as constipation, insomnia, depressive cycles, stress, hunger…with more relaxation and rest of the digestive organs.

Tremendous improvement of your immune system to resist to every kind of attack of allergies, virus, bacteria, etc.

Significative reduction or elimination of the menstrual flow for the women (maybe twice a year only or even nothing at all…)!

Revitalization of the sexual organs, increase of sensual feelings and of fertility. Clearer skin, brighter eyes, stronger and beautiful nails, better smell in the body, improved senses and general sensation of well being with the consequent recovery of the natural brightness and beauty typical of young people.

Growth of new hair.

Weight loss and fat loss, cellulite elimination and body molding of all tissues according to the genetic program of every one.

Self control over many emotional dependencies like: tobacco, coffee, alcohol, sweets…and unhealthy habits of living…

Improvement of muscular coordination and balance of the body.

Improvement on the capacity to work and develop professional skills.

Improvement on the relationship towards nature: animals, plants and trees, water, air, sun.

Improvement on the capacity to face suffering and less sensation of pain or discomfort after physical efforts, accidents or unpleasant facts of life…

Interior feeling of freedom…

Interior feeling of peace and joy!

Interior feeling of integration with the world in general and with all the human beings in particular.

Increase of the will to live!

Increase on the capacity to face EVERY kind of problems and increase of the capacity of decision!

Increase of FREE TIME…

Increase of memory and capacity to concentrate!

Improvement on the capacity to understand what is convenient for the human being (interior wisdom) with the power and courage to choose…

More freedom on the feelings which cause deep suffering as: jealousy, cowardice, shyness, solitude, violence, etc.

More freedom from different fears; nature, inoffensive animals, darkness, future, accidents, uncertainties; with the correspondent increase of trust and feeling good.

Development of a total new form of conscience and attitude towards life.

Total elimination of all symptoms of growing old as well as all degenerative conditions typical of the adult people of today with the conquest of a totally new health and vitality for more than 100 years…

Much more spiritual awareness and right use of will.

Does it seem to good to be true? Has it a taste of Paradise found? Are these just promises or idealistic claims? Does it look like a religion? Well, it is not indeed, you are not asked to "believe" anything…we are not making money on this…and we are not seeking any glory as well…but the time has come for the truth to be known and you were so fortunate to know about it in your lifetime…to experiment ALL of these improvements and many more not listed…on yourself… just do it…become a fruitarian from now on… you will proof by yourself that all the above remarks are TRUE! Amazingly it will not cost you a single dollar but you will save many, many of them and maybe your life too…and you will brighten it up well beyond your imagination and of our lovely "Blue Planet" too…

[SeaSiren]

I am high raw and love it! I am gearing up for a September 30 Day Raw Food challenge and I'll be consuming only raw food during thst time. I'll keep you posted.

[Tigress]

I kinda like the idea but more for summer. I think in the winter I would miss hot food, but thats probably just me being a baby.

 

I will delve further into the raw food diet before making my decision

[SeaSiren]

Rule of thumb is not above 110, therefore your food can be "warmed", using most ovens on the lowest heat, water warm to the touch etc. Some raw foodies like dehydrated foods or warm thier meals in a dehydrator (I don't). So you can sip on warm tea eat warm soup, etc.

 

I have been high raw for several months now, so the transition for me (I hope) should be smooth. I don't have the type of personallity to just jump in, I need to test the waters a bit....looks like it's time for a swim.

[Guest]

I feel great on the diet(80/20)...my recovery time is amazing and it was already quite good before I went mostly raw. I also have to put extra effort on my rides to sweat if its even in the upper 80s lower 90s. I only sweat on rides when its terribly hot...I've even gotten chills on rides that would have been warm/hot days before I switched my diet. I'm gonna stick to the 80/20 as long as I can stand the weather but I think by the end of October/early November I'll be going to 50/50 or even 40/60 which is almost what a regular vegan would be eating anyway.

 

***I also think my muscles are getting denser...not that I've ever cared about that but I wasn't lifting at all when I went mostly raw and my muscles felt denser and looked more defined despite not changing my weight very much

[9nines]

T(if your body needs more digestive enzymes, the pancreas has to work creating more, and can't work creating metabolic enzymes to help with tissue repair and a lot of other metabolic functions because its energies are diverted).

 

What about drinking water right before, during or after eating? It might be a concern in this area.

 

I have heard it and one of the doctors, in the nutritional debate USDA forum (see my post with link in the Vegan Ketosis thread), talked about liquids diluting the enzymes and therefore drinking right before, during or after eating should not be done. He stated that doing so was a large cause of indigestion.

[Bigbwii]

Ideally we would be eating fruits and each fruit has just the right amount of water already in it....

[SeaSiren]

My 30 Day Raw challenge begins tomorrow!!!!

 

I will continue, my challenge posts in my log. Wish me luck!

[Guest]

Good luck...tear that produce up Once my loan check comes in I'll probably only eat cooked food a couple times a week and be all raw mostly every day so I'll be on it too

[VeganGirl2006]

Good luck to you! I can't wait to see how it works for you.

[moai]

The question is just that really, what, if any are the benefits of being on a raw food diet? Is it any better for you healthwise ?

 

After lots of reading in the mainstream science it seems to me the benefits are predominantly like so:

 

1. Greatly increased protection from most types of cancers. If you have been reading the headlines in the past two years or so, you might have noticed that a number of studies found no protection from fruits and vegetables. And this is largely true when the researchers do not separate cooked from raw. On the other hand, when they do, they find high protection from raw, but not cooked vegetables, with most protection coming from leafy greens and when the person's BMI is less than 25.

 

2. Greatly increased intake of protective phytochemicals--these are the compounds that have no nutrient value but have many other benefits and these tend to be partially destroyed on cooking. Some studies have shown that a small number of chemicals are more available on cooking, such as lycopene because cooking will break down the fibrous matrix and release such compounds while at the same time destroying some of them. But if you actually read the studies, most of them do not compare equial calorie servings of cooked and raw tomatoes.

 

It seems to me that best availability is with raw foods that are blended/pureed. That way you break down the fibrous matrix to release the beneficial compouds without the drawback of partial destruction by heat.

 

3. Somewhat increased intake of certain vitamins which are damaged or destroyed on cooking.

 

4. Somewhat increased intake of dietary fiber, this depends on the individual diet however. The high fruit/fat types will not have very high fiber intakes, while the high vegetable/leaf types will. Fiber is very important for cardiovascular and colon health.

 

5. Greatly reduced exposure to dietary glycotoxins: when you heat protein/fat foods you get advanced glycation end products which have been shown to be damaging to health especially in diabetics. They also contribute to premature aging and a number of other diseases.

 

Also there are some drawbacks:

 

1. Many raw foodists refuse to supplement with B12 and D2 thinking these are not "natural."

 

2. Some of them have a hard time getting enough calories, depending on what they eat. This may be particularly true for growing children.

 

3. Some of them overdo it with fruit and/or fat.

 

4. Some of them think that raw is all and that there is no need to watch vitamin and mineral intakes.

 

5. Some of them have this all or nothing attitude and I find that to be magical thinking.

[Kathryn]

Great post, Moai!

 

The drawbacks you mention are exactly the reasons why I have reservations about a 100% raw diet in the long run. I agree with your comment on 'magical thinking' as well. It seems to me that some raw foodists refuse to believe scientific evidence (like the studies done on the Hallelujah Acres raw foodists that showed they were low on B12 and needed to supplement), or thinking that 'if something (B12 again, for example) can't be found in raw foods, then it's not a necessary element.

 

It also does seem that in order to get enough calories on an all-raw diet, one has to eat a rather high amount of nuts and fatty foods, which doesn't seem ideal.

 

To me, an 80/20 raw-to-cooked (as you are doing, VeganPotter) seems like a good thing to aim for, with the benefits of raw foods and a reduction of the drawbacks. (For some reason 80/20 seems to work well in many areas of life: I often come back to that number).

[Guest]

I love the 80/20 all the time...but I think going raw in the warm season and cooked in colder seasons is probably nearly as good so long as you avoid too much high acid foods in the winter

[Kathryn]

I love the 80/20 all the time...but I think going raw in the warm season and cooked in colder seasons is probably nearly as good so long as you avoid too much high acid foods in the winter

 

I agree.

 

Raw is definitely more appealing during warmer weather as well.

[moai]

I think 80/20 is best, too. Adherence is easier than for a 100% raw diet. I don't know about others but I no matter how good my intentions, I always blow it first thing in the morning when I put soymilk in my coffee.

 

I see no reason why cooked beans should be avoided. Ditto for cooked sweet potato, some lightly steamed cruciferous vegetables, and even some cooked whole grains. Especially in winter!

 

From the glycotoxins standpoint, cooked fats are the worst, cooked proteins in the middle, and cooked carbohydrate foods, the least bad.

 

The only bad thing about cooked whole grains to me is that they aren't as nutrient-dense as vegetables. Most healthy vegans would do better to increase raw vegetable intake and this usually means decreasing the less beneficial foods.

 

But athletes do need more concentrated sources of calories; whole grains that are cooked can be used to fill the need after lots of raw fruits and vegetables and nuts/seeds and legumes are used.

[Kathryn]

From the glycotoxins standpoint, cooked fats are the worst, cooked proteins in the middle, and cooked carbohydrate foods, the least bad.

 

The only bad thing about cooked whole grains to me is that they aren't as nutrient-dense as vegetables. Most healthy vegans would do better to increase raw vegetable intake and this usually means decreasing the less beneficial foods.

Can you expand on the idea of "glycotoxins"? (glyco-sugar?).

 

I agree that most grains (especially wheat) are not very nutritious (and are overused in the US). Certainly not enough to hold the largest place on the food pyramid!

 

The most nutritious 'grains' seem to be those that are actually 'seeds' (buckwheat, quinoa, not sure about millet as far as it's botanic category). Wild rice is also good.

 

I think for grains, people should definitely think beyond the most-oft-used wheat, rye and oats (which are often the most hybridized, usually not to increase nutrient content, but to make them more beneficial for the producers in some way) and go for grains like teff, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, even spelt or kamut (more nutritious, non-hybridized cousins of wheat).

[Guest]

If I were somewhere warm and I had raw foodies to prep food with all the time I'd love to see how I would feel being completely raw so long as I could afford it. My biggest problem is loving cooking and being broke...otherwise the truly raw month I had was amazing...but the 80/20 feels almost as good. My body performs nearly as well but I just don't feel as purified during the day when I'm just working in the studio or relaxing. I still feel much better than when I'm on my normal cooked vegan diet but not quite as good as the all raw

[moai]

Can you expand on the idea of "glycotoxins"? (glyco-sugar?).

 

Advanced glycoxidation end products (AGEs), derivatives of glucose-protein or glucose-lipid interactions, are implicated in the complications of diabetes and aging. Diet can be a significant environmental source of AGEs, which may constitute a chronic risk factor for cardiovascular and kidney damage.

 

AGEs are produced endogenously from the nonenzymatic (haphazard, not requiring enzymes) glycation of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. AGEs can also form from lipid peroxidation, to form advanced lipoxidation end products (ALEs). Recent studies have measured that about 10% of diet-derived AGEs are absorbed and correlate with circulating and tissue AGE levels. Dietary AGE restriction resulted in significant reduction of circulating AGE levels and disease progression in animal models of atherosclerosis and diabetes, as well as in diabetic patients with normal renal function and in nondiabetic patients with renal failure. These findings suggest that dietary AGEs may constitute a chronic environmental risk factor for tissue injury.

 

In the following table, foods were prepared for standard cooking times with commonly used cooking methods: boiled in water (100°C), broiled (225°C), deep fried (180°C), oven fried (230°C), and roasted (177° C).

 

 

Food item AGE (kU/g or /mL of food)

 

Fats:

Almonds, roasted 66.5 kU/g

Oil, olive 120 kU/mL

Butter 265 kU/g

Mayonnaise 94 kU/g

 

Proteins

Chicken breast, broiled×15 min 58 kU/g

Chicken breast, fried×15 min 61 kU/g

Beef, boiled×1 h 22 kU/g

Beef, broiled×15 min 60 kU/g

Tuna, roasted×40 min 6 kU/g

Tuna, broiled×10 min 51 kU/g

Cheese, American 87 kU/g

Cheese, Brie 56 kU/g

Egg, fried 27 kU/g

Egg yolk, boiled 12 kU/g

Tofu, raw 8 kU/g

Tofu, broiled 41 kU/g

 

carbohydrates:

Bread, whole-wheat center 0.54 kU/g

Pancake, homemade 10 kU/g

Milk, cow, whole 0.05 kU/mL

Milk, human, whole 0.05 kU/mL

Enfamil (infant formula) 4.86 kU/mL

Apple 0.13 kU/g

Banana 0.01 kU/g

Carrots 0.1 kU/g

Green beans 0.18 kU/g

 

It can be seen that cooked fats are highest in AGEs, uncooked carbohydrates lowest, and cooked proteins, intermediate. Uncooked proteins are also relatively low in AGEs compared to cooked proteins. Using this knowledge regarding AGE sources enables individuals to reduce a previously unrecognized dietary risk factor that contributes to the pathologies in normal aging, diabetes, and kidney disease.

 

AGEs (advanced glycation end products, either exogenous--preformed from the diet, or endogenous--produced in the body) accumulate in the dermis and accelerate photaging. Denatured (cooked) proteins are more likely to glycate once ingested. Cooked fats are worse,

 

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) have been reported to accumulate in the dermal skin. AGEs hastened photoaging of the skin by means of active oxygen species such as *O(2)(-), H(2)O(2), and *OH, generated during UVA irradiation.

 

AGEs decrease both hyaluronic acid (HA) synthesis and activity of elastase-type matrix metalloproteinase (ET-MMP).

 

refs:

 

food--

Goldberg T, Cai W, Peppa M, Dardaine V, Baliga BS, Uribarri J, Vlassara H, Advanced glycoxidation end products in commonly consumed foods, Am Diet Assoc. 2004 Aug; 104 : 1287-91, PMID: 15281050

 

skin--

Okano Y, Masaki H, Sakurai H., Dysfunction of dermal fibroblasts induced by advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and the contribution of a nonspecific interaction with cell membrane and AGEs., J Dermatol Sci. 2002 Sep;29(3):171-80

 

There are many more studies. You can google or search pubmed for exogenous glycation or glycosylation. The ill-effects tend to be much more pronounced in diabetics than in normals.