Dear Alice,
I have been hearing a lot about the "Raw Diet", a diet in which you only eat raw vegetables, fruit and sprouts, and drink only purified water. The people who eat this way claim that they have more energy, feel better, and look better. I would like to try this diet... but I don't know if it is completely safe and healthy. What do you think?
Thanks,
Considering
Dear Considering,
No magical reason exists for eating only raw foods. Plus, the "raw diet" is a limited one — a person would not get the nutrients s/he needs, because it sounds as though it could be difficult to obtain enough protein, calcium, iron, and zinc, among others. Eating raw foods also doesn't allow for any of the items people have the most problems with — cookies, candy, cakes, fried foods... you get the picture. Over the long haul, this method of eating could prove to be too restrictive, and ultimately unhealthy.
There's also nothing wrong with cooking foods. It denatures (breaks down) some proteins to allow our bodies to further digest them. Some other nutrients become more available to our systems for absorption after they're cooked as well. For example, lycopene, a plant chemical, is found in greater abundance in cooked tomato products than in raw ones. Cooking also helps destroy certain bacteria that may cause harm to our bodies.
If you're looking to improve your eating plan, without going to drastic measures, try consuming at least five fruits and veggies a day. Once you have that down pat, have three or more daily servings of whole grains. Next, include three to five servings of legumes (beans and peas) per week. By the end of a month, you could make great strides in healthful eating, whether the food's served hot or cold. Mangia!
- Alice
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The ''raw diet''
