A Semi-Raw Food Diet

A raw food diet is a vegan form of eating that primarily includes uncooked plant-based foods. Raw foodists contend that your body derives more nutrition and energy from food that’s closest to its natural state, because the live enzymes destroyed by the cooking process are intact in raw food. If you like the idea of going raw but find the diet to be too restrictive or not entirely convenient, a semi-raw food diet can deliver comparable benefits.

Raw Food Diet

Raw food, also referred to as living food, includes fully uncooked foods as well as those that haven’t been heated beyond approximately 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Raw foodists assert that higher degrees of heat destroy or denature live enzymes, drastically reducing the nutritive value of the food. A raw kitchen typically includes fresh, frozen and dried fruits and vegetables, raw seeds and nuts, fresh herbs, cold-pressed olive oil, flaxseed oil and coconut oil, fresh and dried herbs, different types of dried seaweeds and sprouted grains and legumes. Sprouting, or soaking, raw grains and legumes such as buckwheat, quinoa, oat groats, lentils, black beans and chickpeas, makes them edible without cooking.

Pros and Cons

A strict raw diet includes only uncooked or slightly heated plant-based foods and eliminates traditional processed foods, including acid-producing foods such as meat, dairy and most sources of added sugar. The diet is naturally heart-healthy and high in fiber, reducing risk of heart disease and enhancing digestive function. It’s not unusual for raw foodists to report weight loss, clearer skin, thicker and shinier hair, and an increase in energy. Critics of the diet, however, assert that cooking certain foods, such as carrots and tomatoes, frees up key nutrients, making them easier to absorb. Additionally, digestive enzymes vary from individual to individual, and some people might have more difficulty breaking down and absorbing raw foods.

Semi-Raw Food Diet

A semi-raw food diet usually consists of 75 percent raw food and 25 percent cooked food. In general, you still consume large quantities of fresh vegetables and fruits, herbs, dried seaweed and raw nuts and seeds. You might, however, opt to cook your grains and legumes, or add lean proteins, including eggs and fish. Aside from consuming as much raw, plant-based food as possible, a semi-raw diet doesn’t have any other rigid rules. If you don’t have time to soak oat groats for your morning oatmeal, for example, you can cook them and add fresh fruit and raw honey. If you need animal protein from time to time, you can incorporate it to satisfy your craving.

Considerations

If a full-on raw diet leaves you wanting a warm meal once in a while or animal protein on a regular basis, opting for a semi-raw diet allows you to reap similar health benefits without feeling deprived. If you constantly crave a certain type of food or nutrient that’s not included in your diet, your chances of successfully integrating it into your lifestyle long-term are reduced. Rather than adhering to a set of strict food rules, do your best to eat whole, fresh foods and listen to your body when you feel it needs something a little more substantial.