Raw foods offer several distinct advantages over cooked foods in terms of nutritional value. With few exceptions, vitamins, minerals and digestive enzymes are all present in higher quantities in fresh, whole raw foods. Raw foods may also have variable effects on your blood sugar. Consult your doctor or nutritionist for guidance in selecting the most appropriate diet for your health needs.
Cooking Effects
Cooking foods may contribute to blood sugar imbalances by promoting the rapid breakdown of complex carbohydrates into simple sugars, according to Gabriel Cousens, M.D., author of the book "There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The Tree of Life 21-Day+ Program." By contrast, a diet high in raw foods and low in fats is an effective natural treatment for Type 2 diabetes in some people. Additionally, enzymes in raw starch foods have been shown to decrease blood sugar levels over a three-hour period after eating the foods compared to the same foods eaten in their cooked form, Cousens says.
Calorie Consumption
Eating raw food decreases your total calorie consumption, which leads to weight loss if you are overweight. Fewer calories also translates to better blood sugar management. Many vegetables also contain a form of soluble fiber known as inulin, which slows the absorption of sugar, and prevents increases in trigylcerides and insulin. Inulin is found in particularly high concentrations in Jerusalem artichoke.
Glycemic Index
Raw foods, which are mostly eaten in their natural, whole and unprocessed form, have a lower glycemic index, a measure of how rapidly a food digests and turns to sugar, than cooked and otherwise processed foods, according to Ruthann Russo, Ph.D., M.P.H., author of "The Raw Food Diet Myth." Cooking increases the glycemic index of vegetables; stewed vegetables have a higher glycemic index than stir-fried vegetables and raw vegetables are lowest of all in glycemic index.
Considerations
As a caution, not all uncooked foods are low on the glycemic scale. Dried fruit, while uncooked, is a more concentrated source of sugar than fresh fruit and will raise your blood sugar levels considerably more than fresh fruit. Similarly, juicing, which uses raw fruits and vegetables, is a form of processing that concentrates the nutrients as well as the sugar content of these foods, leading to a greater risk for elevating your blood sugar. Raw food also carries a higher risk of bacterial and parasite contamination. If you are highly active or have a medical condition such as anemia or osteoporosis, a raw food diet might not provide you with sufficient calories or nutrients for optimal health, according to Columbia University Health Services. This type of eating may also be less practical and convenient for people who live in cold climates, where growing seasons are short.
References
- "There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The Tree of Life 21-Day+ Program"; Gabriel Cousens, et al.; 2008
- "Raw Food Treatment of Cancer"; Kristine Nolfi; 1995
- "The Raw Food Diet Myth"; Ruthann Russo; 2008
- "Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human"; Richard Wrangham; 2010
- "Prediabetes: What You Need to Know to Keep Diabetes Away"; Gretchen Becker, et al.; 2004
- Go Ask Alice; Ooh, Baby, I Like It Raw (Or, is a Raw Diet Healthy?); July, 2000
