Is the goal of improving your diet really to be 100% raw?
For some people it is. For me, not so much.
I’m not a big fan of putting labels on things or striving to be a certain “%” raw. After all, how can you tell if you’re 85% raw?
If you’ve read Eating for Energy you’ll know that I espouse adding more raw plant-based foods into your diet. And I even give you 120 recipes and a 12-week meal plan to help you do just that.
But my intention isn’t to convert into a raw foodist. It’s up to if you want to be 100% raw.
As a nutritionist, not a fanatic, my first priority is to recommend what I think are the healthiest dietary options. For most of us, eating more fruits and vegetables falls into that category.
But there are also instances when just might be better off cooking your food. And this is where some people and other raw foodies might give me some grief. Believe me, I’ve received hate mail from others telling me that our diet should 80% fruit, others telling me that we need meat and dairy, and on and on.
That’s great. That’s what works for them.
I’m not here to convince you that you need to be 100% raw. I’m here to inspire and educate you as to what is healthy and what is less healthy.
Here are some examples of vegetables that you MAY consider cooking every now and then:
Broccoli
This cruciferous vegetable contains tons of cancer-fighting and health-giving properties. But, in its raw state, it also contains goitrogenic compounds which can depress your thyroid. These are lessened when broccoli is slightly cooked, steamed, boiled (ie. heated).
Spinach
Even I add raw baby spinach to my salads and smoothies but some research shows that raw spinach contains oxalic and phytic acids, natural compounds which can impair calcium and iron absorption, respectively.
Further studies out of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have revealed that spinach (along with carrots, broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, and a few others) may provide greater amounts of antioxidants like beta-carotene and other carotenoids in its cooked vs. raw state.
Am I blowing the whistle on a 100% raw diet?
You might think I’m crazy for recommending non-raw foods, but the reality is that eating more plant-based foods should be the overall goal. Time and time again and study after study have shown that moving toward more of plant-based diet will improve ALL aspects of you health!
If it so happens that most of those fruits and veggies are raw, then that’s great.
Will some oxalic or phytic acid ruin your body’s ability to absorb important nutrients? Probably not to a significant degree.
So whether you choose to move closer to a 100% raw diet is up to you. I’m not here to judge.
The point I am trying to make in this post is that HEALTH, not fanaticism, should be our primary objective.
If you feel your body doesn’t respond well to ALL foods in their raw state, then don’t it force the issue. Many people have trouble getting all that fiber to co-operate with their system. If you want to enjoy a warm vegetable soup (instead of cold raw soup) during the cold winter months, then go right ahead and don’t feel bad about doing so!
At the end of the day, if you can enjoy a head of broccoli, even cooked, then in my books that’s far better than not eating it at all.
In sum…
Do I believe that most of your diet should be raw plant-based foods? YES.
Can you still cook some of your food? YES – if you like.
I’ll finish by leaving you with something very powerful to keep in mind…
You make the rules! You determine which dietary approach and which foods work best for your body. For me, Eating for Energy resonates with my constitution. And it does for millions of other people as well.
But if your body functions optimally with the occasional piece of meat or free-run eggs, then that’s great. Just make sure you’re getting tons of fruits and veggies on the side, and you’ll be fine!
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References:
Miglio, C. et al. (2008) Effects of Different Cooking Methods on Nutritional and Physicochemical Characteristics of Selected Vegetables. J. Agric. Food Chem., 2008, 56 (1), pp 139–147.
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