Raw Living Food Diet

Adherents of a raw or living food diet consume only uncooked food, including fruits, vegetables, grains and even meat. "Raw foodism" has gained popularity throughout the end of the 20th century and into the 21st. Despite critics' warnings of malnutrition and poisoning risks, raw foodies claim their diet makes them look and feel healthier.

History

"Raw foodism" features prominently in most diets: most of us eat raw salads and fruits on a regular basis. However, a diet comprised of only raw food is less common. Popularized in the 1970s by Dr. Ann Wigmore, a cancer survivor and designer of the Living Foods Diet, the raw living diet has developed into a raw food movement, since Wigmore's death in 1994. A variety of groups continue to promote her work internationally. The raw food movement now includes a collection of books, articles, restaurants and even a gourmet culinary institute in California.

Types of Raw Food Diets

Wigmore's Living Foods diet contains no animal products; nutrition comes from vegetables, seeds, nuts and grains. This type of diet is also known as "raw vegan," but Wigmore's isn't the only way to eat raw. Some foodists eat uncooked meat and fish.
For foods to be considered "raw," they can't have been warmed past 116 degrees F. Foods cooked over 118 degrees, lose natural enzymes, according to raw food dieters. Raw foodists often warm foods without cooking them.

Techniques

Consuming only raw food can be detrimental to your health if not done correctly. Recipes and techniques abound, including the much-recommended practice of letting grains sprout before consuming them. This too came from Wigmore's research; her diet revolves around wheat grass and other sprouted grains. Sprouted nuts, seeds and grains are "living foods" and are believed to provide more enzymes and "life force."

Claims

Raw food contains phytonutrients, which may have significant health benefits. Chef Cherie Soria of the Living Light culinary school claims that phytonutrients "reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, and type 2 diabetes." She also suggests that raw food can slow the aging process.

Raw food is often presented as an alternative to the unhealthy "SAD" or Standard American Diet. Wigmore claimed that the American diet left her prematurely aged and cancer-ridden because it inhibited proper digestion. Whether or not this is true, many people believe that raw milk and dairy is better for children because it contains no additives and has improved nutrition.

Criticism

The most evident flaw in raw foodism is that it carries a danger of food poisoning, which can lead to severe illness and even death. Cooking food helps to remove some of the harmful microbes that cause food poisoning; without cooking, poisoning risk is higher. Food poisoning aside, many critics claim that eating raw foods can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Raw veganism in particular can provide insufficient amounts of calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, zinc and protein. A 1999 survey of long-term raw-food adherents found that they were prone to being underweight; about 30 percent of women had amenorrhea or lack of menstruation.