What do you think of the raw food diet?
Asked by
ronski (
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)
February 6th, 2009
My roommate is a vegan raw foodist. She seems very healthy and energetic, but sometimes I wonder if the philosophy that it is better than eating cooked foods is really correct? What do you think?
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43 Answers
Cooking food does cause the loss of some nutrients, but it also makes the food easier to digest.
There could very well be something to eating raw vegetables. It would probably strengthen your digestive system.
I actually think it makes sense. My brother has been a strict raw, organic vegan for about 5 years and is the healthiest person I know. He has literally not had so much as a cold in 5 years. My mother was very worried about this diet and got him to agree to see a doctor of her choosing (he’s 30, mind you) for a battery of tests. The results all came back incredibly good.
@Likeradar wow! have you ever thought about trying it?
@ronski I’ve thought about it. However, my life-style and my brother’s are really different. He lives and works at a raw-food based rejuvenation center and sees food as a way to fuel his body. I live and work in mainstream society and see food as yummy and delicious. I’m a lacto-ovo-pescatarian (I eat dairy, fish, and eggs) but taking those extra steps to be a raw vegan would just be more work than I’m willing to do, sadly.
How would you manage a raw food diet and still eat out at regular restaurants?
I think it will make for healthier people, but only because it’s likelier to be better food than the “standard Western diet.” There are other diets that are also good for you.
I feed a raw food diet to my dogs. The benefits to their energy, coats, and health is visible. Not to mention the fact that they love it.
I do try to include raw fruits and vegetables in my diet daily, although I would be unlikely to eschew cooked foods altogether. I like them too much.
For me that could be potentially deadly. I think it all depends on the person and their ancestry.
So I suppose a raw diet means no coffee…not even hot tea?
I can eat broccoli that is cooked but if I try to eat it raw my mouth and throat swell. It’s the same for almonds, apples, and snow peas. The doctor says that some proteins are heat sensitive and those are the ones that I’m reacting too. So when the food is heated it destroys those proteins and I then have no problem eating those foods.
I’m getting gas pains just thinking about it.
I would want to be on the “mouth and throat don’t swell” diet too!
@bythebay: Not necessarily. But raw coffee does sound rather gross. And I’d say that any water below boiling would still count in the case of hot beverages. Or maybe you’d just have to eat the tea leaves at the end.
@petethepothead: Mmmmm, raw coffee or tea leaves; that’ll get you going in the morning!
Just a pinch between the cheek and gum…
If it had to be raw, I’d go for coca leaves. :D
Good call, Marina. All in the name of good health!
i knew a guy who lost 12lbs doing this. But it was a tad weird (well, he was, at least) for my tastes.
For example: I bought a Trader Joe’s package of mixed california wild rice. yeah, essentially it’s brown splinters. Even after boiling, not so much with the tasty. So anyways, I made have the package, didn’t like it. Gave it to my associate on the raw food diet. In front of me, he pours the remaining rice into a styro cup, pours olive oil into it and eats it, as is.
i could hear the rice grinding against his teeth.
i shudder at the thought of his following morning…
screw that! you can’t have a barbecue with raw stuff so that’s a no go for launch Houston
@petethepothead raw coffee can be rather bland actually. Growing up in Hawaii we kids would munch on them all the time just for “dares”. Now the coffee berry is very tasty. We would eat the berry and suck on the seed or bean until it was no longer sweet. Then we would try to see how far we could spit the seed. Kind of like watermelon spitting.
Raw fruit and veggies——Good
Sushi and tartare——Bad
Rice, wheat, barley——Bad
As far as a raw diet, in a good restaurant like Alive! in San Francisco, a nice change of pace——very good
As far as a lifestyle, the majority has spoken for the last 15,000 years——absolutely not, Uh-uh, no way Jose, you must be kidding, throw a shrimp on the barbee.
@galileogirl: I adore Sushi, and a good Tartare, Mmmmmmmm.
But I would draw the line at raw rice,barley, etc.
Sushi, Sashimi, A good assortment of veggies (that don’t cause anaphylaxis) Yeah that’s yummy. I agree the raw grains is a bit much.
It is fine. I could not live from total raw foods, though I don’t like red meat and that can not be eaten raw, unless immune to Salmonella or something. Yuch!
@galileogirl
No! They’re all good! :)
Oh, and I hate eggs and milk, too.
@90s_kid: Tartare is made with raw beef.
3 medium oil-packed anchovy fillets (optional, adjust salt if added), rinsed and minced
2 teaspoons brined capers, drained and rinsed
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 large egg yolks
10 ounces USDA prime beef tenderloin, cut into small dice, covered, and refrigerated
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley leaves
4 teaspoons olive oil
3 dashes hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Delicious!!
@bythebay
I had no idea what tartare was.
But I like most sushi so that’s what I though the general Idea was. And yea, mostly fish sushi.
I have had steak, back when I did not give it up. I liked it well done.
@bythebay
Then that shows you are just against me. Now let’s avoid an argument.
@bythebay no, i know. it was a joke from a skit on SNL once. nevermind. <scurries away>
@eponymoushipster: That’s right!! You have great recall…
@90s kid: You said you liked sushi, tuna tartare is the same thing with some added ingredients. No arguments here.
I was talking about the raw beef tartare.
You did not mention the tuna one at first, but only the meat one, trying to crack me. Don’t you get it?
my roommate actually sprouts things like raw beans and grains, which i think than makes it okay to eat. she also drinks tea, but this is against some people’s philosophy. everything can be cooked below a certain temperature (not boiling), so she drinks tea anyways!
i guess i asked, because i’ve always been a big fan of vegetable soup, and can’t see how that wouldn’t be just as good as eating a carrot!? but i think it’s probably a good idea to introduce more raw foods into out diets.
@eponymoushipster i certainly wouldn’t eat grains that weren’t sprouted! what a weirdo!
@ronski yeah, he was. now he lives in Mongolia or something, so, well, .... yeah.
@reponymoushipster That dude is an idiot. Raw grains have too much fiber for our bodies to digest. You can’t eat them on a raw diet, it f’s with the system. Hence people sprouting (like ronski’s roomate)
You can also live mostly raw. For example, I live mostly vegan…until I get baked and want cheese.
ha. well, he was full of shit, so there you have it.
@Likeradar – I am a lacto-ovo-pescatarian, like you. I just refer to myself as pescatarian and I get enough $heet for that one. Trying to explain why I chose to be one is nearly impossible.
I like a lot of my veggies cooked and I love my lacto, ovo, and pesca too much to give them up.
Better start cooking my veggies and rice for supper!
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