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Raw Food Diet: Lifesaver or Passing Fad?
Sting sings its praises. Demi Moore swears by it. It just might be Cher's secret “fountain of youth” and even Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and tennis great Venus Williams have turned to a raw diet at times for reasons that ranged from wanting to look and feel better to losing weight.
You don't have to be famous, though, to discover what the Raw Diet phenomenon is all about. All you really have to be is ready to face the challenge of limiting your food and drink to uncooked (or slightly heated) fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and grains and possibly raw animal products.
The raw food diet is based on the belief that uncooked food is the most healthful for the body. Most food is eaten raw, however heating food is acceptable as long as the temperature stays below 104 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. The idea is that heating food destroys its nutrients and natural enzymes, which is bad because enzymes boost digestion and fight chronic disease. For example, the cancer-fighting compounds in broccoli, sulforaphanes, are greatly reduced when broccoli is cooked. Certain vitamins, such as vitamin C and folate, are also destroyed by heat.
Most people who follow a raw food diet are vegan. Others include raw animal products, such as raw milk, cheese made from raw milk, sashimi, ceviche (raw fish), or carpaccio (raw meat) in the diet, while others include cooked food for variety and convenience. In general, raw food accounts for 70 percent or more of the diet.
To find out what foods are typically eaten on a raw food diet, read the List of Foods to Eat on a Raw Food Diet. [great list [ http://www.seventhgeneration.com/learn/blog/raw-food-diet-lifesaver-or-passing-fad
