The raw food diet fits well with a gluten-free lifestyle. Most food allowed on the raw diet is not cooked or processed, meaning it often doesn't contain the gluten from flour so common in packaged foods. Raw food diets instead focus on eating foods in their natural state without any cooking. This leads to many gluten-free foods and drinks ideal for celiacs. However, the raw food diet does have some drawbacks.
Raw Food Diet
The basic idea behind the raw diet is that you can't eat any cooked food. That includes foods prepared with cooked ingredients, though some raw diet followers allow less strict guidelines. According to Stephen Walsh, Ph.D. writing for the Vegan Society, most raw food diets involve raw plants making up 80 percent of your diet. Some foods may seems eligible for inclusion in a raw foods diet. Peanut butter, for example, seems like a good way to get protein on the raw diet. However, the peanuts contained within are roasted before pulping.
Gluten
Gluten triggers nasty symptoms in the intestines of some people, known as celiacs. The problem is that gluten occurs in a large range of foods, from bread to cereals. However, most natural plant-based products do not contain gluten. As the raw diet focuses on eating fresh, unprocessed foods, the chances of your eating gluten plummet significantly. A celiac, for example, will avoid bread at all costs. A person following the raw diet will avoid most bread too, but for different reasons.
Gluten in Raw Foods
Gluten comes from plant sources. So, you're not guaranteed to avoid gluten by following a raw foods diet. However, gluten mainly comes from wheat grains, as well as some other grains such as barley. If you're sensitive to gluten and want to follow a raw food diet you can omit grains from your meals and snacks. Similarly, avoid foods such as cous cous and bulger wheat. Other common foods in the raw diet, such as fresh vegetables and fruits, don't contain gluten at all.
Considerations
The raw food diet may present some risks to both celiacs and gluten-tolerant people. Though it may help celiacs to more easily avoid certain gluten-rich products, it may also lead to a lack of proper nutrition. You need to get the full range of amino acids from proteins. Soy products and pulses will help you get a range of proteins. However, you may need to add some cooked foods such as eggs and poultry to keep your diet balanced. Eating foods such as eggs raw may present health risks in the form of salmonella and other bacterial infections.
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