A raw vegetable diet is comprised around food that is not cooked or processed. Common foods included in the diet include sprouts, seeds, buts, fruit, seaweed, and of course, vegetables.
The basic guideline that most people follow when it comes to this diet is that food must not have been heated above 116 degrees F. People who follow or swear by the diet say that a food's enzymes are destroyed if the food is prepared at too high of a temperature. Enzymes help with the digestion of food, so food cooked at high temperatures its thought to negatively affect this process. Ultimately, people who follow the raw vegetable diet worry that the nutritional value of foods is heated out of the food.
People with digestion issues commonly follow the diet, as do people with chronic diseases like cancer. To be living raw, a diet has to be consumed of over 75% of uncooked or unprocessed food. Followers of the lifestyle swear that they have more energy, better skin and digestion, and a reduced risk of heart issues. The diet has less fats than other diets, so many people who are trying to work on their weight or fat content have been known to use this diet.
Though people who follow a raw vegetable diet do not heat their food past 116 degrees F, they do still cook it. They just use other ways of cooking. For example, they juice their fruits and vegetables, and they soak nuts, fruits, and even the seeds and beans they use. Another thing that people do is to allow their seeds to sprout.
To follow this diet, you'll need a blender, containers to soak and store grains and beans, and a dehydrator, which blows air through food at a low temperature.
There are some downfalls to the diet. Some people have mild headaches, some nausea, and there's the chance that a person may not get all of the nutrients they need. It's harder to keep track of one's vitamins when they're diet is so restricted, so people may get sick more often once on a raw food diet, especially if they're not monitoring the Vitamins they need or if they aren't consuming enough protein.
The raw vegetable diet isn't appropriate for people with anemia or osteoporosis and it is not recommended for children and pregnant women. This diet takes a lot of commitment, as most of the foods need a lot of preparation. People who want to follow the diet need to commit to it 100%, as not only is the food in need or preparation but some of the needed foods are hard to find. A person on this diet has to keep track of the food their ingesting or they may become deficient in calcium, iron, B12, or protein.
Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author.
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