Raw
Food-Fad Diets
By
Robert Ferguson
"The Master Weight-Loss Coach"
Turn
on the television, pick up a magazine or visit your hairstylist
and you'll learn how movie star, Demi Moore, is fit and beautiful
because she eats raw food. I have people asking me at fitness
and health centers, "What do you think of the raw diet?"
I think to myself, "Wow! Here we go: the new food-fad
diet is to 'Go Raw.'"
All
you need is a paring knife, a blender, and a juicer and you
can eat your way to a more fit, lean and healthy lifestyle.
Before you throw out your microwave, cookware, and cookbooks
and stove, consider the reality that both raw and cooked food
have their benefits. Truth is: the invention of cooking has
proven itself to be a great advancement for human welfare,
and raw food is nothing new. Over a century and a half ago,
Sylvester Graham, for whom the cracker is named, promoted
raw food. Although not much scientific research supports the
health benefits of raw food, I did find one published study
that dated back to 1946 where Francis Pottenger showed health
benefits for cats fed raw food.
The
argument by today's devotees claims raw food�sometimes
called living food�contains
enzymes the body needs, as well as possessing curative powers.
Well, when it comes to enzymes, those in raw foods never make
it past your stomach, because the highly acidic environment
destroys them. With this being the case, these enzymes do
not and cannot aid in digestion in the intestines.
I am
not saying raw food isn't healthy, because most of the foods
I eat are raw. I am a true believer in eating foods in as
natural a state possible. However, this pertains to raw fruits,
vegetables, nuts and seeds. When it comes to beef, fish, shellfish
and eggs, I encourage you to use the invention of cooking.
You see...cooking is beneficial because it kills dangerous
bacteria. Furthermore, fewer people get sick and/or die from
eating cooked foods than raw. Cooking enables us to consume
pasta, rice, and other grains, such as wheat and corn.
You
probably didn't know that carotenoids (i.e., beta-carotene,
the principal carotenoid in carrots) in cooked food are more
readily available to the body. For instance, heating a carrot
releases extra beta-carotene from its cell walls, and the
same goes for lycopene in tomatoes. Raw beans, like most raw
protein, would be hard to digest, and the flatulence could
be unbearable.
On the
flip side, when it comes to vitamins, such as C and the B
vitamins, they're reduced in cooking. (Minerals come through
just fine.) And cooking meats at very high temperatures can
create cancer-causing substances. So, the final word is that
everything has its down side. Nonetheless, it is true that
to retain the most nutrients, it is best to cook most vegetables
for as short a time as possible�or
eat them raw if you like. And with regard to helping you lose
weight...the more fibrous carbohydrates you eat, the less
processed and highly refined and saturated foods you eat.
Therefore, you can expect to reduce your waistline.
Send
inquiries to: [email protected]
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