Unless you are a toddler, eating some sort of food raw does not normally breed discord at the dinner table. Most people have eaten food in an uncooked stage at some point in their lives, from an ordinary mixed green salad to a piece of fruit. More adventurous eaters have consumed exotic raw foods, like sashimi or steak tartare. And while eating raw fish or meat may be saved for special occasions, the idea of eating raw food is not considered unusual or daunting.
But the concept of eating an exclusively raw food diet is something new and fringe. Raw foodists, who primarily eat uncooked, unheated, unprocessed, and preferably organic foods, must maintain a diet of at least 75 percent raw food with a goal of reaching 100 percent of their diet from fresh foods. Raw foodists do not eat any food that has been heated to over 116º F, which they believe destroys beneficial enzymes and decreases overall nutritional value. As crazy as it sounds to the average undisciplined cheeseburger-chomping, coffee-drinking individual, raw foodists try not to stray from this one strict rule.
Go Raw or Go Home
And yet, within this very strict rule, raw foodists come in many shapes and sizes. Cynics will be happy to note that raw foodists are not just vegans looking for more excruciating ways to punish themselves. While the basic source of nutrition comes from eating raw fruits and vegetables, you can be a raw food vegetarian and include raw (unpasteurized) milk, honey, and eggs in your diet. Or you can be a raw food omnivore and eat raw beef and fish. Or you can be a juicearian and consume all your raw foods in a juice form. Or you can be a fruitarian and eat only raw fruit, which includes tomatoes and avocados. Ah, to be a raw foodist and contemplate all these wonderful choices!
Despite the obvious limitations on one’s diet, those who follow raw food diets are adamant about the health benefits. They believe that cooking destroys the natural enzymes that are essential for good health and this heating renders food toxic. According to the Web site living-foods.com, eating raw or “living” foods helps to improve energy and overall well-being, aids in weight loss, builds the immune system, improves appearance, and helps to recover from and prevent illness.
