The Science Behind Starting a Raw Food Diet

If you’re starting a raw food diet, you definitely want to make sure you learn enough about it

so you can achieve success on a raw vegan lifestyle. Having thrived on a mostly raw food plan for 16 years in between us, we’re excited to share the ins and outs about eating this way.

When people hear about raw foods, they usually think that it’s all to do with eating a few salad leaves with some sticks of carrot and so is a dull and tasteless diet.

Well, the exact opposite is true.

Starting a raw food diet actually brings with it exciting new flavours, variety, and abundance. Raw meals are super easy and quick to prepare and the health benefits are tremendous.

A raw food diet is one which is made up of whole, fresh, ripe, vegan produce, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

If you eat a fully raw vegan diet, your produce will be consumed in its raw state and not cooked.

Some people prefer to eat a high raw diet, where the majority of their daily calories come from raw food, whilst some of their calories come from simple cooked vegan options.

Starting a raw food diet: why you should do it

Eating raw foods is something that can take your health and whole life to a whole new vibrant level.

Just some of the health benefits of eating this way include:

• Improved energy levels
• Clearer skin
• Natural weight loss
• Improved digestion and elimination
• Improved nutrition
• Clearer mind and focus
• 24/7 natural detox of your body
• Avoidance of artificial food additives
• Avoidance of unbalanced and unhealthy foods like refined sugar and oils

The science behind starting a raw food diet

Studies show great evidence for the protective and healing ability of this diet, which include:

• Healthy Bones. A study found that people who follow a raw food, vegan diet had lower bone mass than those eating a standard American diet, yet their bones were healthy with no signs of osteoporosis. (1)
• Lowers risk of cancer. A study found that raw food vegans had lower IGF-1 hormone levels in their bodies and so a lower risk of contracting various types of cancer. (1)
• Better antioxidant status. A study found that a raw food, vegan diet provides significantly more dietary antioxidants than a cooked, omnivorous diet, and that long-term followers of this diet have a better antioxidant status than the omnivorous diet eaters. (2)
• Longer, healthier life. A study found that there was a decreased in all-cause mortality, including cancer and heart disease mortality for people eating up to 7+ portions daily of fruits and vegetables. (3)
• Improved rheumatoid arthritis. A study found that people with rheumatoid arthritis noted a marked improvement in their pain, swelling of joints and morning stiffness when eating a raw food, vegan diet. (4)
• Improved fibromyalgia. A study discovered that subjects with fibromyalgia noted an improvement with their joint stiffness, pain and with their quality of sleep when eating a raw food vegan diet. (4)

What kind of raw food diet is the healthiest?

If you’re starting a raw food diet, you need to follow the right one.

Generally speaking, there are two approaches to eating a raw food diet:

1. You’re getting most of your calories from carbohydrates in fruits.
2. You’re getting most of your calories from fats and restrict your consumption of fruit.

The mainstream raw food diet is based upon fat and this would include eating lots of foods like nuts, seeds, coconut fat, oil and avocadoes.

Even though these kinds of foods (except for oil) can be very healthy for you to eat, they don’t work well when eaten in large quantities and are being relied upon as your main source of calories.

Some of the health issues that can result from eating a high fat, raw food diet include:

• Brain fog/lack of mental clarity
• Depressed mood
• Fatigue
• Food cravings
• Constipation and digestive issues
• Blood sugar issues, including candida

A healthy raw food diet is one that will be high in carbohydrates and lower in fat, with 10-15% maximum of your total daily calories from fat.

A high fruit, raw food diet will not negatively affect your blood sugar levels, which is contrary to many people’s belief.

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