This is partially because fruits and vegetables, though healthy, simply don’t provide enough calories or protein to make up the majority of the diet.Īdditionally, cooking increases the digestibility of foods, making it easier for your body to get calories and nutrients from them. Some people may not find it possible to eat enough raw food to meet their daily calorie needs ( 12, 17). When someone switches from a mostly cooked diet to a mostly raw diet, their calorie intake is likely to decrease dramatically. Yet despite this, there are also many cons to a raw food diet. To its credit, a raw food diet limits the intake of foods known to contribute to poor health if you eat them in excess, such as processed junk foods and added sugar.Īdditionally, a raw food diet nearly guarantees weight loss because it is low in calories. It also incorporates other foods that are high in nutrients and fiber. Mainly, it is very high in fresh fruits and vegetables. It also destroys certain harmful compounds and kills bacteria.Ī raw food diet has some positive points. Cooking decreases some nutrients, yet increases others. Raw food is not any healthier than cooked food. To learn more about the benefits of raw versus cooked foods, check out this article. In large quantities, these can block your body from absorbing minerals ( 9, 10).Īdditionally, cooking also kills harmful bacteria ( 11).įor these reasons, it’s important to eat a variety of both raw and cooked foods. For example, cooking grains and legumes reduces lectins and phytic acid. However, cooking actually increases the availability of other nutrients and antioxidants, such as lycopene and beta-carotene ( 6, 7, 8).Ĭooking also helps inactivate or destroy some harmful compounds in food. In fact, the body already produces its own enzymes to facilitate chemical processes including digestion and energy production ( 3).Īnother core belief behind the raw food diet is that cooking destroys the nutrient content of foods.Ĭooking can indeed decrease certain nutrients in food, especially water-soluble ones like vitamin C and B vitamins ( 4, 5). However, many enzymes denature in the acidic environment of the stomach anyway ( 1, 2). High heat does cause most enzymes to denature - that is, to unravel or change shape. The diet’s advocates believe that these enzymes are vital to human health and digestion. One of the main reasons the raw food diet discourages cooking is because of the belief that cooking destroys the natural enzymes in foods. In fact, research shows that both cooked and raw foods have health benefits. However, like many of the core beliefs behind the raw food diet, this idea is not backed by science. Raw food diet supporters believe that eating mostly or all raw food is ideal for human health. Processed and refined foods are discouraged. The raw food diet is made up of foods that have never been cooked. Cooked fruits, vegetables, meats and grains. ![]()
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