Whether for weight loss, health or ecological reasons, some people follow a raw food diet. This diet typically consists of raw fruits, raw vegetables, soaked nuts, sprouted seeds and legumes, and foods dehydrated at low temperatures. A raw food diet tends to be far lower in calories than both the standard American diet and other food plans, due to its lack of saturated fats, trans fats and starchy carbohydrates.
Types
Caloric intake on a raw food diet varies by the type of diet you choose. An omnivorous raw foodist can also eat raw animal-based proteins, raw nut butters, raw coconut milk and dried fruit, all foods that have more calories. The Living and Raw Foods website lists other subcategories of raw foods diets, including fruitarians, who focus on fruits, juices and dried fruit; sproutarians, who consume mostly sprouted grains, nuts and seeds; and juicearians, people who center their diet around fresh juice. These restrictive diets are lower in calories than ones that allow more variety, and can approach a starvation-level diet of fewer than 800 calories.
Misconceptions
Not all raw foodists follow a 100-percent raw food diet all the time. The Living and Raw Foods website defines a raw food diet as one in which the person consumes 75 percent living and raw foods. The other 25 percent of food may consist of low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods such as cooked legumes, vegetable soup, low-fat dairy products or even whole-grain cereals and lean proteins; this diet can still qualify as a typical low-calorie diet, totaling around 1,500 to 1,900 calories per day with average serving sizes. However, if the additional foods consumed include sweets and foods high in fat, the diet becomes a high-calorie food plan.
Features
Raw food chef and cookbook author Alissa Cohen outlines a nutritive, diverse meal plan that combines different raw foods and results in a diet naturally low in fat and calories, but not a starvation-level diet. Her raw meals include breads made of only sprouted grains, sprouted nut and seed patties packed in protein, enchiladas made with corn and flax seed tortillas, pesto-stuffed mushrooms, raw squash pasta in sun-dried tomato sauce and a faux chocolate cake made with figs, nuts, cashew cream cheese, coconut and carob powder.
Warning
A raw food diet should not be fat-free. Cohen asserts that raw foodies require healthy sources of fat, easily found in avocado, olives, nuts, coconut and seeds.
Expert Insight
Dr. Marc Lawrence, a self-proclaimed celebrity diet consultant, asserts that a raw food diet transcends fads and trends. It centers around unprocessed foods and whole, natural ingredients, resulting in a food plan dense in essential vitamins and minerals. He compares corn straight from the cob, at 90 calories per serving, to processed corn chips, with about 600 calories per serving.
Member Comments