Following a raw food diet is a definite way to slash your fat, sodium and cholesterol consumption, but you must be sure to eat enough food to get the nutrients you need. Fruits and vegetables make up the bulk of the diet, and while they are very vitamin-dense, they don't offer very much in the way of carbohydrates and protein, so you must make up for it with sheer volume. Once you understand which foods offer which nutrients, you can put together a menu that will meet your needs.
Carbohydrates
A raw food diet is made up primarily of carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables, although you must eat a large volume of food to meet your daily carb requirements. Between 45 and 65 percent of your calories should come from carbs; for a typical 2,000-calorie diet, this means 225 to 325 g per day. Considering an apple contains 34 g of carbs and a stalk of broccoli has 8 g, it's easy to see how much produce it would take to reach your daily allowance. Some raw foodists augment their fruit and vegetable diet with soaked -- not cooked -- grains like oats, barley and wheat to get a higher dose of carbohydrates in a smaller package. The good news is that the carbs in fruits, vegetables and grains provide plenty of fiber, so it won't be in short supply if you are eating enough food.
Protein
Fruits and vegetables are not potent protein sources, and while nuts do contain protein, they are also high in fat. Plant protein sources are also incomplete proteins, and must be combined appropriately to provide the essential amino acids your body needs. A 2005 study in the "Journal of Nutrition" found that raw foodists frequently develop vitamin B-12 deficiencies due to their chosen protein sources. This can be avoided by eating raw fish, unpasteurized milk and raw meat, but these products can cause food-borne illness. Buy them from a supplier you trust, store them properly, and only eat them very fresh.
Fat
A raw food diet is generally very low in fat, with nuts and avocado being the main source. Most fruits and vegetables are completely free of fat, but they can be dressed with some cold-pressed oils so your body gets the fat it needs to absorb certain vitamins. Adding raw animal products to your diet will increase your overall fat intake, but animal fat has a high percentage of saturated fat that contributes to coronary disease, so animal fats shouldn't be your primary fat source. The dramatic weight loss produced by a raw food diet is thought to be at least in part a result of eating a diet so low in fat.
Sodium/Cholesterol
Most fruits and vegetables are very low in sodium and cholesterol. In fact, the "Journal of Nutrition" study found that adhering to a raw food diet could actually lower blood cholesterol levels. Unless you eat a large percentage of raw animal products, sodium and cholesterol shouldn't be a concern. While cholesterol intake should remain as low as possible, your body does need a little bit of sodium to maintain hydration levels and electrolyte balance. The occasional piece of raw meat will serve, or vegetarian raw foodists may sprinkle table salt on their vegetables, as long as the consumption is kept below 2,300 mg daily.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork With These Nutrition Guidelines: Protein
- "Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism"; Consequences of a Long-Term Raw Food Diet on Body Weight and Menstruation: Results of a Questionnaire Survey; C. Koebnick et al.; 1999
- "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; C. Keobnick et al.; October 2005
- Living and Raw Foods: The Living and Raw Foods FAQ
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Nutrition Information for Raw Fruits, Vegetables and Fish
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