Table of contents:
- Inner rules raw food diet
- 1. Don't eat cooked food
- 2. Use water that has been filtered or distilled
- 3. Use organic food ingredients
- 4. Consume soaked nuts first
- 5. Avoid certain types of food
- Benefits raw food diet
- Risk of undergoing raw food diet
Raw food diet or a raw food diet is one type of diet that is claimed to improve the health of the body. The background of this diet is that the heating process used when cooking food will reduce the levels of nutrients and enzymes in the food. Though these enzymes are good for digestion and help fight various diseases, especially those that are chronic in nature.
Inner rules raw food diet
Just like other types of diets, in the raw food diet there are also some rules that must be followed for those who want to follow this diet.
1. Don't eat cooked food
If you are on a 100% raw food diet, then foods that are processed at more than 46 degrees Celsius should not be consumed because food that is cooked or processed at a temperature of more than 46 degrees Celsius will lose some of its enzymes while making food harder to digest. Deep food processing raw food diet usually uses a food processor (food processor), dehydrator, and blender.
2. Use water that has been filtered or distilled
The main purpose of a raw food diet is to supply nutrients that help the cells in the body work in the most natural form possible. Because the presentation is in raw form, cleanliness is one of the important things that must be considered. Use of water that is not sterile can increase the risk of developing toxins or parasites in food and potentially causing disease. As one of the components that play a role in the processing of dishes on raw food diet (like to make smoothies and juices) then filtered or distilled water is best.
3. Use organic food ingredients
Because in this diet food processing using heat is strictly avoided, you must ensure that the food ingredients used are free from various types of toxins, one of which comes from pesticides. Processing and cooking food using heat can actually kill a wide variety of toxins and poisons in food ingredients, but if you decide to go on a raw food diet, then choosing raw materials that are “safe” by nature would be better.
4. Consume soaked nuts first
As one type of food ingredient that is widely used in raw food diet , processing of nuts also needs attention. Nuts like cashews, almonds, or hazelnuts should be soaked in (filtered) water first. This soaking function is to remove the bitter taste and make the nuts easier to digest, even if they are consumed raw. This soaking process can replace the roasting process that is usually used to process nuts.
5. Avoid certain types of food
Some types of food that are usually not included in this raw food diet are egg and milk products and their preparations because they tend to be dangerous if consumed without prior processing. To treat this, you can consume milk made from nuts, for example cashew milk or almond milk. Grains are also usually avoided because they usually have to be cooked first, the type of grain product commonly used in raw food diet is raw oats or raw quinoa which must be soaked before consumption.
Benefits raw food diet
The main concept of the raw food diet is the importance of natural enzymes present in food. The existence of this natural enzyme makes our bodies do not need to overproduce enzymes just to digest food. The raw food diet also believes that processing food using heat can reduce the nutritional value of a food due to the loss of most of the vitamins and minerals. Processed foods also tend to take longer to digest and can clog your digestive tract and arteries with less properly digested fats, proteins and carbohydrates. other than that raw food diet also claimed to be able to:
- Gives you more energy.
- Improves skin appearance and health.
- Increase the effectiveness of the digestive system.
- Lose weight.
- Reducing your risk of suffering from degenerative diseases, especially diseases related to cardiovascular health.
Risk of undergoing raw food diet
Although it claims to improve your health, just like other types of diets, a raw food diet is not without risks. Some things that you must pay attention to if you are going to live raw food diet is:
- Because they are not cooked, the food you eat may contain toxic and harmful parasites. Incomplete cleaning of food ingredients can increase your risk of developing food poisoning. And there are foods that you shouldn't eat raw, for example cassava, meat, and milk. Raw meat that is not properly processed can contain harmful bacteria, parasites and viruses. Milk that is not heated can also contain Mycobacteria bovis , which can lead to non-pulmonary TB disease.
- You may end up with a vitamin B12 deficiency. This vitamin plays a role in maintaining brain function as well as red blood cell production and DNA synthesis. Vitamin B12 can only be found in animal products such as meat, milk and fish. This type of food is a type of food that is difficult for those who run it raw food diet so the risk of developing a vitamin B12 deficiency increases.
- Your risk of osteoporosis may also increase. Some of the factors that affect bone density are insufficient calcium and vitamin D consumption and underweight. In raw food diet , the main food is a type of food that is low in calories such as vegetables and fruits. Although you can get calcium from dark green leafy vegetables (such as kale and broccoli), the amount of vegetables you should consume is greater. In contrast to the calcium found in milk, for example. One glass of milk alone can contribute 300 mg of calcium. Following a diet that tends to be low in calories can increase your risk of decreasing your bone density faster, leading to osteoporosis.
