Raw Food Diets: Benefits And Risks

By: Reid Marilyn Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Raw food diets are nutritious eating patterns popular among those who want to lose weight and those who desire overall well-being. These diets focus on fresh, raw, and natural food while they do away with anything that's cooked or heated. The reason? Well, according to the followers of these types of eating pattern, much of the nutrients needed by the body are lost during cooking and heating of food above 116 degrees Fahrenheit. And if a person really wants to enjoy good health, the best way is to go raw.

The Benefits of Raw Food Diet

Going raw on food offers a lot of benefits, not only in terms of health but as well as when it comes to practical reasons. Among these benefits are the following:

• Rawfood diet is beneficial to overall health

1. It reduces unhealthy fats in the body and risks of heart disease
2. It reduces the occurrence of certain types of cancer like bladder cancer and oral cancer
3. It also reduces occurrence of cold and flu
4. It improves digestion due to the preservation of digestion-enhancing enzymes in raw foods
5. It gives more energy—even if you eat only a small amount of food

• Raw food diet is also proven to improve aesthetic physical aspects

1. It's proven to improve the health of the skin, making it look radiant
2. It also makes a person look younger
3. It is an ideal means for losing weight

• Preparation of raw foods is easier and simpler, so it's more practical

1. Raw foods do not require the complicated process of cooking, and they can be easily prepared with simple equipment like blender and juicer
2. Cleaning up after meals is also easier when you go raw—no greasy residues or whatsoever
3. Preparing raw foods do not require a lot of ingredients and utensils, so you can save more on your expenses

All these benefits are more than enough reasons to go raw in your diet. But, before you do so, before you jump into raw food consumption, you must know that there are also some risks with raw food diets. You must be aware of these so that you can counter their effects and get only the best benefits.

The Risks of Raw Food Diet

Raw food diet is no doubt an ideal eating pattern, but it also has some limitations and risks. For one, there are some foods whose nutrient contents are best absorbed when cooked. These foods include eggs as well as some vegetables like tomatoes. Aside from this limitation, there are two risks with an all-raw diet. These are the following:

1. Food poisoning. First and foremost, most plant foods are exposed to chemicals like pesticides. Therefore, if you're eating raw, be sure that you choose the food you eat. It's also important that you thoroughly wash and clean the food before preparing it.

2. Nutrient deficiency. Researches have shown that while raw food diet is rich in some nutrients like Vitamin A, it is lacking in other nutrients like Vitamin B12 and iron, calcium, and omega 3. Therefore, if you're going into this kind of diet, you may need to take vitamin supplements.

By knowing all the benefits and risks of raw food diets, it would be easy for you to strike correct balance. This will ensure that you get only positive results and avoid the negative ones.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: For the past 10 years Marilyn Reid has been active as an advocate for Alternative Health Therapies, with an emphasis on healthy living and Raw Food Diets. Marilyn has been fascinated with the work of the Healthy Lifestyle Nutritionist and Guru, David Wolfe and has a blog which keeps up with the latest in the world of Healthy Lifestyles at HealthyFoodRawDiet.com