Fruits. Sprouts. Nuts. Grains. Seaweed? The common factor between all of these food products is that they are part of the raw food diet.
The raw food diet is becoming increasingly popular, especially on the West Coast. Raw food restaurants have opened up all around the world, including five restaurants in Boston.
The diet consists of unprocessed, uncooked or organic foods, which means that this diet is at least 70 percent uncooked.
The different foods include fresh vegan foods, all raw fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, sprouts, root vegetables and squashes, fresh herbs and raw spices and seaweeds.
"Heating foods above 115 degrees Fahrenheit is believed to destroy enzymes in food that can assist in digestion and absorption of food," wrote Cathy Wong, in her article "Raw Food Diet."
According to Wong, cooking food can take the flavor out of it, as well as decrease the nutritional value.
Reed Mangels, member of the University of Massachusetts nutrition department, focuses on vegetarian diets and is familiar with the raw food diet since many raw food consumers, also referred to as foodists, are vegetarians.
When asked if food that is cooked above 115 degrees does in fact cause the loss of enzymes and drain the food of its nutritional value, Mangels had an answer ready.
"No," Mangels said. "Enzymes are proteins; and in the process of digestion in people's stomach, any enzymes present in a food are denatured and no longer active. This does not affect the food's nutritional value."
The raw food diet does have advantages, including increased energy and improved skin appearance. Weight loss, better digestion and a reduced risk of heart disease are increased while following the diet.
"A raw food diet is typically high in fruits and vegetables that provide substantial amounts of fiber, vitamins and some minerals," said Mangels.
The raw food diet also has less trans fats and saturated fats.
Both fats raise blood cholesterol level, according to the American Heart Association, which can lead to coronary heart disease and a risk in strokes and heart attacks. The diet is also low in sodium and high in potassium, magnesium and folate, a natural source of vitamin B9 found in foods such as beans, vegetables and peas.
An article from Eatingwell.com states that in 2005, a study by the Journal of Nutrition found that "raw-foodists were far less likely than the general population to register high levels of 'bad' LDL cholesterol."
There are different techniques that can be used to make the foods more digestible. For example, one can blend food, dehydrate food, soak nuts and dried fruit and juice fruit and vegetables for easier digestion.
Although there are good aspects of the diet, many dieticians and nutritionists do not believe the diet is healthy.
There are side-affects when a person begins the diet. It can cause mild headaches, nausea and cravings, which can occur for several days.
It is not recommended for children, pregnant women, anemic people or people at risk for osteoporosis. Participating in the diet can lead to a number of nutritional deficiencies in calcium, iron, protein and calories.
"It can be hard to meet energy [calorie] needs due to the bulky nature of the diet," said Mangels. "An unsupplemented raw food diet will be completely lacking in vitamin B12 and vitamin D, may be low in calcium, protein, iron and zinc."
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