Unlock Your Health Potential: The Power of Juicing for Vitality and Well-being

Chapter 1: Pros And Cons Of The Raw Food Diet

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A raw food diet means that 75% of one’s diet is only raw food, and mainly this consists of uncooked fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouted beans.

Food that is heated about 116 degrees Fahrenheit is not allowed when following a 100% raw diet.

“Baked” goods such as breads or crackers are made in a dehydrator, in which changes to fruits and vegetables textures can also be attained.

Those who follow the Raw Food Diet are known as rawists, according to the Living and Raw Foods website. Rawists believe that this type of eating plan enhances their energy and boosts their health.

Furthermore, proponents of the diet say that the best part of a raw food diet is that the nutrients, and especially the enzymes, are not destroyed in the process of cooking and are thus available to be absorbed and used by the body.

There are critics of the raw food diet and some downsides you need to consider before embarking on a diet that consists entirely of raw foods.

Such a diet, for example, is usually a vegan diet, which lacks the protein seen in a diet that embraces fish, poultry, and meat.
You can get your protein by eating raw fish, as long as it comes from a safe source or else you risk a chance of ingesting pathogenic bacteria from these foods.

These are the pros and cons of eating a raw food diet:

Pro: The raw food diet retains the natural enzymes and undamaged phytonutrients that can be absorbed by the body but are broken down in the cooking process.

When you eat the untainted enzymes, digestion is helped, and the body can better absorb other nutrients when the enzymes are left untouched. This can increase the health and wellness of the cells of the body.

Con: While a raw food diet is a good thing in theory, it is not what is recommended in Ayurvedic teachings and in Traditional Chinese Medicine. According to these health programs, cooked foods are better for you because they are already partially broken down, so they are more easily digested.

Not all of the phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables are destroyed by cooking and some vegetables are actually absorbed better after they have been cooked.

Pro: Raw foods have a cooling effect on the body. This is why raw food diets are more popular in places where the climate is warm, such as the southern states and Hawaii. According to traditional Chinese medicine, raw foods cool the body and reduce inflammation.

People who are dealing with inflammatory conditions may do better with a raw food diet, while those who have problems feeling cold all the time would not thrive on a diet where everything they eat is cold.

Con: As mentioned, some foods are absorbed better by the body after they have been heated up. One example is tomatoes. The lycopene in tomatoes is a potent antioxidant that is better absorbed when the tomatoes are cooked.

Other vegetables, including spinach, kale, onions, and garlic have been found to be more nutritionally available after they have been cooked because the cooking releases important phytonutrients that would not be digested if the food is taken in raw.

Overcooked foods, however, especially overcooked or burned meats contain acrylamide along with other chemicals that can cause cancer and can lead to inflammation.

In order to avoid this problem, foods should be steamed lightly or sautéed in oil in order to release all of the phytonutrients and to start the digestive process.

Pro: Many people are deficient in enzymes that would can be replaced by eating raw foods, which have not had their enzymes destroyed.

If one eats a cooked diet, some experts recommend supplementing the diet with enzyme supplements so to improve their nutritional profile, but this can also be achieved by adding more raw food to one’s diet.

Some of these enzymes include phytase; lipase, amylase, alpha- galactosidase, and invertase—all of which can help food get broken down easier so that the nutrients can be absorbed.

Con: The best diet is a diet that is balanced in terms of eating some foods raw and some foods cooked.

Experts say that, while eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables is beneficial, the diet should also contain foods that are lightly cooked, including roasted vegetables, cooked fruits, meats, and eggs.

This can provide you with the enzymes you need to absorb food as well as cooked food, which is much easier to digest than raw food.

There is no one perfect diet out there and that includes the raw food diet. Raw foods might be good for people who need the enzymes in order to digest their food, but it may be bad for people who need the partial digestion of lightly cooked foods.

Rather than the extreme of eating a raw diet, it is recommended by many holistic practitioners that a balance is struck between cooked foods and raw foods so that the digestive system is taken care of in the healthiest way.

How A Raw Food Diet Can Help Type 2 Diabetes

Part of the cause of type 2 diabetes is a diet high in processed and overcooked foods as well as foods that are high in sugar. By eating a raw food diet, you can decrease the amount of sugar you put in your system and can lose weight.

Evidence suggests that losing just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can have a great impact on type 2 diabetes and on overall blood sugar. A raw food diet can help you lose weight quickly and naturally.

Type 2 diabetes is extremely common. More than 20 percent of individuals under the age of 20 carry a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Part of this comes from an epidemic of obesity and unhealthy eating habits.

As a result of high blood sugars and obesity, the insulin sensitivity of the body’s cells go way down, and glucose cannot enter the cells to be used as cellular fuel. This causes the cells to starve for energy.

A healthy diet consisting of raw food can greatly alter the outcome of type 2 diabetes and can not only slow the disease process but can reverse the effects of diabetes.

This means eliminating the standard American diet, which consists mostly of processed foods, fast foods, dairy products, meat, and sugar-containing foods. Instead of this diet, you need to substitute the bad foods with raw vegetables and fruits. You also need to exercise in order to lose some weight.

How A Raw Food Diet Can Counteract Type 2 Diabetes

The raw food diet was pioneered in Switzerland by a Swiss doctor, Maximilian Bircher-Benner in the mid-1800s. He was the doctor who invented muesli, which consists of grains mixed with dried fruits.

The raw food diet involves a plant-based diet in which food is eaten in its completely natural state.

It means that food is not:

• Cooked
• Processed
• Microwaved
• Genetically engineered
• Irradiated
• Treated with herbicides or pesticides

People who believe in this diet say that, when you heat or process foods, you destroy most of the nutritional benefits of the food, including the phytonutrients, vitamins, and healthful enzymes. Foods that are uncooked are believed to be more wholesome for the type 2 diabetic.

Eating a Raw Food Diet

The idea behind eating a raw food diet is that all food consumed is eaten in its unprocessed state. It is a vegan diet in which no animal products are eaten. Foods cannot be heated above 118 degrees Fahrenheit. It is allowable to dehydrate food so that vegetables retain their crunchiness and fruit can be turned into tasty fruit leathers. Foods that can be eaten on a raw food diet include vegetables, fruits, juices, seeds, nuts, raw almond butter, grains, seaweed, sprouts, raw beans, virgin coconut oil, olive oil, herbal tea, and coconut butter. If you choose not to eat completely vegan, you can drink unpasteurized milk, raw eggs, raw fish, raw meat, and cheese.

Foods you can’t eat on a raw food diet include any kind of refined sugar, processed salt, flour, pasteurized milk, caffeine, baked goods, pasta, ice cream, soda, many types of juices, alcoholic beverages and fast foods.

You will likely be eating mostly at home, because most restaurants only serve cooked food. You can grow your own sprouts, juice fruits, and vegetables, dehydrate fruits and vegetables, chop, or blend any type of fruit or vegetable.

Benefits Of A Raw Food Diet On Type 2 Diabetes

A raw food diet can help the type 2 diabetic lose weight. In one research study, those who ate a raw food diet lost 9 percent of their body weight over a three-month period of time. It also decreases cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The fasting blood sugar and Hemoglobin A1C level will drop when the weight falls off. A raw food diet also contains plenty of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, and phytonutrients.

The biggest downside of a raw food diet is that it is expensive. There is also a chance that the type 2 diabetic will suffer from a decrease in bone mineral density and bone mass. Raw food diets can also have less vitamin B12, iron, calcium, vitamin D, and omega 3 fatty acids.

In addition, not all foods are better for you when eaten raw. Eggs and tomatoes absorb better when they are cooked. Potatoes, raw fish, and raw meat are potentially dangerous as they can carry foodborne illnesses.