Eating the wrong foods contributes to an unhealthy weight and high cholesterol levels. Cholesterol clogs your arteries, increasing your risk of heart disease and other cardiovascular problems. Some people believe adopting a raw diet lowers cholesterol levels and unclogs your arteries. Discuss raw foods with your doctor before changing your diet to treat high cholesterol.
High Cholesterol
Eating too much unsaturated and trans fats causes your cholesterol levels to rise. Not all types of cholesterol are dangerous. Your body needs high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, to remove excess cholesterol molecules from your body. The more dangerous types of cholesterol are low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. These forms of cholesterol cause your arteries to clog, decreasing the efficiency of blood flow.
Raw Food Diet Features
Raw food dieters believe most people eat too many processed foods, which tend to be rich in sodium and saturated fats. They also claim cooking food destroys its natural nutrients and beneficial enzymes. Raw food dieters try to incorporate as many uncooked, unprocessed foods into their diets as possible. Some dieters exclusively eat raw foods, while others aim for 80 or 90 percent uncooked foods. These foods tend to be low in calories and saturated fat, which may help you lose weight and decrease your cholesterol levels.
Sample Foods
Many raw food dieters are vegan, meaning they do not eat any animal proteins. These people eat salads, raw fruits, nuts, seeds and uncooked grains. Apples, prunes, pears and uncooked beans contain soluble fiber, which tends to lower LDL cholesterol levels. Raw walnuts, pecans and almonds also lower cholesterol levels and improve blood vessel health, according to MayoClinic.com. You can also lower your cholesterol by incorporating olive oil into your diet by drizzling it over fresh salads or using it to flavor other raw foods.
Some raw food dieters are not vegan and eat animal-based proteins. These dieters may eat raw tuna and other fatty fishes to get omega-3 fatty acids. Fish oil supplements, ground flaxseeds and canola oil also contain omega-3 fatty acids, which improve cardiovascular health.
Considerations
Following a raw food diet may help you lose weight and lower your bad cholesterol levels. In a study published in October 2005 in "The Journal of Nutrition," researcher Corinna Koebnick found a raw food diet lowers total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. However, study participants also had lower levels of "good" HDL cholesterol, which removes cholesterol from clogged arteries. Following a raw food diet may also increase your risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency. Before eating raw foods to lower your cholesterol and unclog your arteries, talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of the diet. Other factors, such as genetics and lifestyle, affect the health of your arteries and remain unchanged by a raw food diet.
References
- "The 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; Koebnick, et al.; October 2005
- MayoClinic.com; High Cholesterol; June 2011
- "The Vegan"; Healthy Choices on Raw Vegan Diets; Stephen Walsh; Autumn 2002
- Live Science; The Raw Food Diet: A Raw Deal; Christopher Wanjek; July 2006
- MayoClinic.com; Cholesterol: Top Five Foods to Lower Your Numbers; May 2010
