Studies have shown that there are reasons to avoid raw food diet. There is nothing wrong with improving your diet to lose weight or to try and make yourself healthier. The real issue is the information you have on the diet you want to try.
True enough, many people simply search about “healthy diet” and they try the first one that seems easy enough. But not every diet works for everyone and a raw food diet is one of them.
Most patients undergoing treatments and other medical services are switching from raw food diets to cooked foods. Although there have been campaigns suggesting that food is best taken in its natural unprepared state when all the enzymes are intact, you should avoid raw foods if you suffer from allergies or have a weak digestive system.
Raw Foods Affect Metabolism: Although consumption of raw foods, such as fruits and vegetables, has been associated with reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, there is mounting evidence that relying heavily on uncooked food can come with adverse effects in metabolic function.
Uncooked foods are hard to digest and require more energy to break down. This means that if you have a slow metabolism and rely on raw foods, you might end up eating a lot but only little goes to use. This leads to an accumulation of metabolic wastes which can compromise your health and pose you at a higher risk of illnesses.
Body Response to Raw Foods: There have been reports that raw foods elicit a minimal response from the immune system when a person consumes them. On the other hand, consumption of cooked foods increases levels of white blood cells, indicating a mild stress response in your body.
Metabolically speaking, raw food is costly to eat and digest. You, not only need a lot of energy to chew, but your body is compelled to do more to break down whatever you consume.
Raw Foods Trigger Hormonal Imbalances: Most raw foods contain compounds that block certain functions in the body, including thyroid function, leading to goitre or hypothyroidism. If you have an already weakened thyroid function, or you are prone to thyroid disorders, such compounds that block thyroid function will have adverse effect on your body’s ability to maintain hormonal balances.
Hormones have far-reaching effects in your body, and deficiencies or imbalances can wreak havoc on your wellbeing.
Source: Ripples Nigeria
This piece is good if the definition of raw food is UNPROCESSED raw food. The author may have done a more complete work by also having the reader to know that there is another category of raw food that is PROCESSED raw food; such as Smoothies, blended fruits, vegetables and juices; they are not cooked, yet processed. These do not have the disadvantages the author highlights. On the contrary, these categories facilitate metabolism as the raw food has been broken down into extracts that are easier to digest.