Pros & Cons of a Mostly Raw Food Diet

Following a raw food diet is an up and coming trend, as numerous health and wellness benefits are associated with eating raw plant foods. Knowing more about the pros and cons of a raw food diet helps you know if this way of eating is right for you!

What Is a Raw Food Diet?

A raw food diet is a plant-based diet that excludes animal foods of any kind. All foods are unprocessed and eaten raw or heated at very low temperatures. Raw food diets mainly consist of:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Sprouted grains
• Legumes
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Extra virgin oils
• Plant milks

Alternative ways to prepare plant foods (without cooking them) include soaking, sprouting, blending, juicing, and dehydrating. A mostly raw food diet is easier, as sprouting grains and legumes is optional.

The Benefits of Raw Food Diets

When choosing a raw food diet, such as the biblically-based Hallelujah Diet, you’ll reap the following health and wellness benefits:

1. Nutrient Preservation

Cooking raw foods (especially boiling them) allows essential vitamins and minerals to escape, leaving cooked foods less nutritious than raw foods. Essential nutrients escape in discarded water used to boil foods, and heat often deactivates enzymes responsible for optimal nutrient absorption. Eating raw foods ensures you’re getting the highest amounts of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals possible.

2. Reduced Chronic Diseases

Eating raw, plant-based food diets instead of the standard American diet helps reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases. Studies show that plant-based diets are associated with a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. So, when you’re ready to increase your life expectancy and quality of life, nix red meat (especially processed meat) and other animal foods.

3. Better Weight Management

Adopting a raw food diet rich in plant foods increases your risk of achieving or maintaining a healthy weight. Studies show that vegan diets help prevent overweight and obesity and promote weight loss in overweight adults. Why is this the case? Plant diets are loaded with low-calorie vegetables and other fiber-rich foods that fill you up. They lack animal fats, processed foods, fried foods, and added sugars that can pack on calories and weight quickly.

4. Increased Energy

Many people who switch to raw food diets from standard American diets report increases in energy. The reason is due to weight loss associated with vegan dieting and increases in vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients present in fruits, veggies, and other plant foods. Added sugars, other additives, and chemicals found in processed foods may contribute to overweight, obesity, and fatigue.

The Possible Drawbacks of Raw Food Diets

As with any type of diet, possible drawbacks exist when following a raw food diet. Examples include:

1. Raw Food Diets Are Restrictive

Eating a plant-based, raw food diet is restrictive, as you’re eliminating processed foods, animal foods, and cooked foods. But, after about a week or two of eating clean, your junk food cravings should diminish.

2. They Require Careful Planning

To avoid nutrient deficiencies, you must carefully plan a raw food diet. You might require dietary supplements to prevent deficiencies in nutrients abundant in animal foods. Essential nutrients to focus on when following an entirely plant-based diet include omega-3 fatty acids, , vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, and iodine. We’ve done the careful work for you. B-Flax-D from Hallelujah Diet provides flax for omega 3 fats as well as extra B12, zinc, vitamin B6, vitamin D, selenium, and vitamin K2. Iron is not usually a problem. Iodine is available as a separate supplement.

3. Use Caution to Avoid Foodborne Illness

Because you’re not cooking foods to kill microorganisms, be careful about cross-contamination from other foods and surfaces to avoid foodborne illness when following a raw food diet. This is especially true if you share a household with people who prepare raw meats or eggs. Cross-contamination can even occur at the grocery store, so make sure you thoroughly wash fresh produce before eating it.

Get Started with a Mostly Raw Food Hallelujah Diet

If you’re thinking about trying a raw food diet to improve your health, reduce disease risks, and lose weight if you’re overweight, consider the Hallelujah Diet! This way of eating is a Biblically based vegan meal plan that includes nutritious juices, Hallelujah Diet supplements, and a menu containing 15% cooked foods and 85% raw plant foods. The small portion of cooked foods in the Hallelujah Diet might include vegan soups, black bean burgers, steamed veggies, or baked potatoes and a lot more. The diet is loaded with nutrients, is easy to follow, and provides you with customized menus and recipes. Your individual meal plan is based on your health and whether you have any medical conditions. When you’re ready to look and feel your best and follow a Bible-based diet that enhances your body’s natural healing power and disease-fighting capabilities, give the Hallelujah diet a try!