Living Arts
Is Raw the Real Deal?
by Derek Shaw
Raw food provided nutrition for plants and animals millenia before humankind discovered fire. Many believe that early man was vegetarian while others contend that our primitive ancestors were hunters who ate raw meat. Most historians, however, will agree on the fact that the raw food diet is hardly a new trend. Some people even believe that it holds the answer to disease and addiction.
The raw food diet is primarily based on unprocessed, uncooked plants (preferably organic whole foods) like fruits and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans and seaweed. The occasional unpasteurized goat cheese, uncooked egg or raw fish are generally deemed acceptable although most raw-foodists abstain from eating meat and dairy products. Eating raw doesn’t necessarily mean the food must be cold. In fact, anything you eat can be warmed up so long as it doesn’t exceed 104 degrees. Microwaves are off-limits, but you can heat food by using a dehydrator or even the warming plate of a coffee maker. There are many ways of making food palatable without heating. Soaking nuts can soften or extract the shells without steam. Sprouting seeds, beans and grains substitutes the need for cooking.
Raw foods were first promoted during the mid-19th century by Sylvester Graham, an American Presbyterian minister known for vegetarianism and his “Graham” crackers. Graham believed that humans would not become ill if they consumed only uncooked foods. By the 1980s, raw foods such as sprouts, seeds and fresh vegetable juice were popularized by Leslie Kenton’s The New Raw Energy. The book advocated a mostly raw-food diet to prevent degenerative diseases, slow aging, boost energy and maintain emotional balance. Over the past two decades, raw foods have been assimilated into the mainstream. The diet is becoming popularized as many Hollywood stars, such as Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson, are consulting raw-food guru David Wolfe, owner of Sunfood Nutrition based in Santee, California.
Published in the Journal of Nutrition, an October 2005 study on the long-term consumption of raw food found that it lowers total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations. The diet is generally low in sodium and high in potassium, magnesium and fiber. It can also contain fewer saturated fats and trans-fats. However, experts warn that overdosing on certain substances, such as fruit or nuts, can lead to problems.
“People who experience fatigue are probably eating too much raw fat,” says Susan Schenck, author of The Live Food Factor, a comprehensive guide to the raw food movement. “Seeds and nuts, in particular, are hard to digest and easy to overeat.”
Artturi Virtanen was a Nobel-Prize winning biochemist who first showed that enzymes in uncooked foods are released when chewed. Enzymes are proteins that channel biochemical reactions in the body. Raw foodists believe that eating uncooked, natural foods preserves the body’s enzymes normally designated for metabolic functions and allows them to do other work. Heating food above 120 degrees Fahrenheit is believed to destroy enzymes that could otherwise assist in digestion. They also believe that cooking not only diminishes the nutritional value of food, it also lessens a substance’s “life force” which limits its potential building and curing powers.
“Raw foods are equipped with the living enzymes necessary for their digestion,” describes JP Alfred, owner of Peace Pies, a San Diego-based raw foods company specializing in flax seed pizzas, cashew quiche and hazelnut/raisin crust pies. “Your body stores its own enzymes rather than using them to break down the food and those proteins are then free to fix bigger problems.”
“Cooking changes the molecular structure of food and makes it pasty, oily and sticky, which clings to your ribs,” explains David Wolfe, whose latest book, Amazing Grace, outlining nine principles of raw food living. “The enzymes in raw food serve as ‘pac-men’ who circulate through the body as natural healers.”
Critics argue that while some enzymes are inactivated when food is heated, humans already possess enzymes in their liver, kidney and stomach for digestive purposes and don’t require additional help. The late Dr. Edward Howell, a noted pioneer in the field of enzyme research, insists that enzymes in food survive the digestive process as well, but some scientists believe that this theory goes against the biochemistry of enzymes which are very sensitive to PH levels. Enzymatic activity is vulnerable to being nullified outside a certain range of acidity.
“Enzymes not used for digestion are absorbed as amino acids and polypeptides,” explains Elaine Keegan, Head Dietician at Grossmont Hospital in San Diego. “My suspicion is that those enzymes are broken down in the intestinal track and essentially rendered useless.”
Experientially, raw foodists tout many health benefits of the diet including weight loss, increased energy, enhanced reflexes, improved complexion, less pain, better digestion and reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Testimonials of everything from putting AIDS in remission to eradicating grey hair and the disappearance of athlete’s foot are not uncommon in the raw food community.
Despite the growing success of the movement, the verdict is still out on raw foods—mostly because science is still catching up. There are many myths about diet and a lack of hard data continues to hinder the discussion. While it’s true that heating may convert food particles into harmful substances, cooking also makes certain phytochemicals easier to absorb such as beta-carotene in carrots. Raw foodists also contend that micro-organisms actually stimulate the immune system and enhance digestion, but bacteria can also result in food borne illnesses. Evident in the many E-Coli outbreaks of late, vegetables like lettuce, sprouts and green onions must be thoroughly washed before consumption.
Some experience a detoxification reaction when they initiate a raw food diet, especially if they’re accustomed to meat, sugar, and caffeine. Mild headaches, nausea and cravings can occur but usually don’t last more than a few weeks. A strictly raw-food diet may not be for everyone. Time and commitment are crucial to its success. Many ingredients are rare, expensive and made from scratch. Most nutritionists recommend a balanced rationing of raw and cooked foods, and they fear that children on raw diets may be at a greater risk for osteoporosis and anemia.
“I’m mostly concerned about children on raw food diets because kids need more protein and nutrients during their growing years than adults,” Keegan comments.
“I’ve witnessed many healthy kids being raised on raw food diets,” observes Schenck, a former elementary school teacher. “Junk food makes the brain go crazy…after lunch, kids get so hyped on sugars that they overload their pancreas and experience fatigue from hypoglycemia.”
Both the October 2005 Journal of Nutrition and the 1997 position of the American Dietetic Association found that a raw food diet increased levels of homocysteine due to vitamin B-12 deficiency. This can be remedied through supplements or “super foods” like blue-green algae and phytoplankton. As with any diet, a holistic perspective on nutrition is required. But perhaps the best way to dispel skepticism is to try it.
“The very awareness of raw food options will cause shifts in your lifestyle…opt for the salad, and take that shot of wheat grass when it’s offered,” Wolfe recommends. “Ease into the diet by adding in what you can and letting the food work its magic.”
Derek Shaw is a musician, skateboarder and writer. He loves his black lab Spot and Spot loves him. Visit him (and his band) at www.myspace.com/thedoomsdaydevice