People who eat a raw diet consume plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts and limit cooked, processed and animal foods. Though a raw diet provides plenty of fiber and limits fat intake, this type of eating plan also poses certain risks to health, according to Andrea Giancoli, a registered dietitian and American Dietetic Association spokesperson quoted in the August 16, 2008 issue of the "New York Daily News."
Affects Vitamin Absorption and Intake
Consuming a raw diet affects your intake of vitamins critical for health. According to Ms. Giancoli, eating only raw foods compared to cooked foods makes it harder for the body to absorb certain vitamins and minerals. Lycopene, a carotenoid that carries antioxidant properties and may prevent prostate cancer, is only available from cooked tomatoes, for example. A German study from A.L. Garcia and colleagues, published in the June 2008 issue of the "British Journal of Nutrition," found that people who ate raw food diets long-term had normal levels of vitamin A intake, but 77 percent of raw food dieters had lycopene intake below recommended levels.
Lowers Cholesterol Levels
Eating a raw foods diet tends to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, according to research by C. Koebnick and German colleagues published in the October 2005 issue of the "Journal of Nutrition." Only 14 percent of people who derived 70 to 100 percent of their daily calories from raw foods had high low-density lipoprotein, or "bad," cholesterol levels, and none had high triglycerides. High triglyceride levels, like high cholesterol levels, indicate an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, almost half of the raw food dieters had low levels of high-density lipoprotein levels, the "good" form of cholesterol. Having a high high-density lipoprotein level protects against heart disease.
Decreases Bone Health
A diet based primarily on raw foods could put you at risk of osteoporosis, a bone disease that causes bones to weaken and increases your risk of fractures. Research by L. Fontana and colleagues at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis published in the March 28, 2005 issue of the journal "Archives of Internal Medicine" indicated that people who ate a raw foods diet consumed significantly less calcium and vitamin D and had a lower body mass index than those consuming a diet with cooked foods. A lower body weight could decrease bone strength, and reduced calcium and vitamin D intake could increase a person's vulnerability to osteoporosis, according to the National Institutes of Health's Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center.
References
- "New York Daily News;" Raw Food Diet May Lead to Nutrition Shortfalls, Say Experts; Bev Bennett; August 16, 2008
- "Journal of Nutrition;" Long-Term Consumption of a Raw Food Diet Is Associated With Favorable Serum LDL Cholesterol and Triglycerides But Also With Elevated Plasma Homocysteine and Low Serum HDL Cholesterol in Humans; Koebnick C et al.; October 2005
- "British Journal of Nutrition;" Long-Term Strict Raw Food Diet Is Associated With Favourable Plasma Beta-Carotene and Low Plasma Lycopene Concentrations in Germans; Garcia AL et al.; June 2008
- "Archives of Internal Medicine;" Low Bone Mass in Subjects on a Long-Term Raw Vegetarian Diet; Fontana L et al.; March 28, 2005
- National Institutes of Health's Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center: Osteoporosis Overview
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