It is no surprise that Raw Foodism has taken the health field by storm over the past few years. With an increased focus on society’s over-processed, animal fat, and chemical laden diet, the Raw Food Movement seems like a suitable alternative for many.
Raw Foodism is defined as “a lifestyle promoting the consumption of un-cooked, un-processed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the diet. If 75-100% of a person’s total food consumption is raw food, he/she is considered a raw foodist or living foodist” (Source). Generally, raw foodists do not heat their food above 118F (although this temperature is widely debated). The motivation for eating a raw food diet often comes from the belief that cooking food destroys beneficial vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.
It may seem like Raw Foodism is a new thing, and yes while it does seem trendy, it has actually been around for a long time. Back in the 1900’s, Ann Wigmore and Herbert Shelton claimed that a raw diet composed of fruits and vegetables was the best diet that humans could eat (Source). In 1984, Leslie Kenton’s book called Raw Energy-Eat Your Way to Radiant Health advocated a diet based on 75% raw foods, like sprouts, seeds, and fresh vegetable juice.
In recent years, celebrities like Uma Thurman, Mel Gibson, and Demi Moore have promoted raw foodism and helped to make it a common household name.
We have all heard about the research on various vegetables that are cooked superstars. For example, lycopene found in tomatoes has been shown to increase by 171% when heated at 190F for 15 minutes (source), blowing its’ raw counterpart out of the water.
Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based dietitian at the Medcan Clinic and regular feature on Canada AM, recently outlined the latest research on nutrients found in cooked and uncooked food.
She concluded that raw food is not always better.
Here are some of the interesting highlights of the article:
- Recent research shows that cooking food can actually increase the nutrients in foods
- Not all cooking types are created equal!
- Microwave cooking without water and only until tender maintained the highest antioxidant levels (Journal of Food Science, March 2009).
- Baking and grilling also preserved antioxidants
- Boiling and pressure cooking led to the greatest losses in nutrients
- All cooking methods increased antioxidants in carrots, celery and green beans (Journal of Food Science, March 2009)
- Cooking spinach and carrots produced higher levels of beta-carotene which is thought to prevent heart disease and lung cancer
- Lutein which guards against macular degeneration is also significantly higher when leafy greens are cooked
What about Minerals?
- Spinach, beat greens, and chard are all high in calcium. The problem? In their raw state, these green contain calcium binding oxalic acid which binds to calcium, preventing absorption. When these greens are cooked, the acid is broken down and more calcium is absorbed. This is why I often quickly steam my spinach before making a GM.
- 1 cup of uncooked spinach has 90 mg of calcium, whereas 1 cup of cooked spinach has about 260 mg!
What are the best cooking methods?
- Water is the enemy (leaches out vitamin C, folate and thiamin into the water. Beck suggests using the water to make a sauce!)
- Steaming, baking, and grilling are all suitable methods of cooking
- Boiling is the worst!
Leslie concludes that the following vegetables are best eaten raw because they contain high concentrations of glucosinolates, compounds that are converted to anti-cancer chemicals called isothiocyanates:
- Cabbage
- Bok Choy
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Cauliflower
- Turnip
Here are some of Leslie’s tips:
- Use gentle cooking methods such as grilling or steaming until vegetables are just crisp or tender! The less cooking the better
- Buy frozen veggies and fruits– they lock in more nutrients as compared to ‘out of season’ produce that has been transported across the country, losing many nutrients along the way.
- Prep vegetables just before consuming. When cut vegetables are exposed to light and air, they lose nutrients.
MY TAKE:
If you are now as confused as I am about the whole process, you aren’t alone! :D
It’s a bit overwhelming, isn’t it?
For myself, I think eating a mixture of cooked and noncooked foods works best for me. However, I know there are tons of people out there who swear by eating raw and that their energy and overall health has increased ten-fold. I think it is always best to do what works for YOU and how you will be happiest.
I also think there needs to be more research done on nutrients and cooking. I feel like there is so much to explore with this topic and so much that we still don’t know.
On the other hand, I think it is important to realize that we are never going to be able to eat the perfect diet!
Yes, many meals that I cook probably have vitamins and minerals leached out, but you know what?
That is ok!
Not everything I eat will provide me with the maximum amount of benefit. I think it is very easy to get caught up in this obsession with health, but sometimes it is important to step back and look at the big picture.
I will continue to enjoy researching about these topics because I love them, but I am not going to drive myself crazy trying to concoct the PERFECT diet. It just doesn’t exist.
Now tell me, what’s your take on this hot topic? :)
Interesting! I might consider steaming my spinach before a GM now!
@Katie T – I recently bought frozen spinach for my GM because the fresh spinach looked yucky and my GM was GROSS!!! But I think I put too much of the frozen in because it looks so much smaller when it’s frozen!!!!!
For me, a healthy mix of raw and cooked food works well. I have pondered trying a raw week, but my work right now doesn’t allow me to have the concentration on planning that I would need to have a balanced diet.
I think a lot of people may have grown up with veggies that were boiled beyond recognition, and there is definitely a happy medium between that and a short steam or sautee!
I steam my spinach/collards in the microwave before adding them to my GM’s. After rinsing I just put them in for 15 seconds then let them cool for a minute or so.
wow this was great thanks for all the info!
This is why I’m high-raw = 100% raw just isn’t practical or entirely healthy (**in my opinion**).
I do have a few raw diet issues. Mostly based on from personal experience. I have known a handful of people who have done variations of this diet (some very extreme). My problem is that these people seemed to be following these diets as a way to obsessively control their food consumption, and not for the supposed health benefits. I know not everyone is like this, but I think this is getting lost in all the hype over the raw diet. For me, highly restrictive diets sends up a red flag for disordered eating. I’m all for getting maximum benefits from your food, and I get why people go vegan. But I also think it’s kind of scary to watch people I know use these diets as an excuse to hurt their bodies. My two cents anyways!
Nice post Ang! I think as you said, the cooking method is more important than the cooking vs. raw debate.
My opinion is similar to yours. I think it’s great to eat raw when possible, but there’s nothing wrong with cooking the food sometimes too! It’s important to get a variety of nutrients and foods into our systems, just as long as we keep it healthy!
I was surprised to see that broccoli was on the list for better uncooked. I’ve heard that steaming broccoli actually gives it more nutrients?
Yea I have heard the same- I think what it comes down to is that certain vits/mins are more bioavailable when COOKED and others when uncooked- for every food out there! I guess it just depends which ones you focus on! ~A
I really don’t worry about it.
I just eat whatever sounds good whether it be raw or lightly steamed or even roasted. I find a mixure of the two work for me.
Honestly, trying to eat all raw took a lot of joy out of cooking for me. There were too many restrictions! I would think that unless a child begins his/her life with a raw diet, it’s hard to convert without feeling some sense of restriction and deprivation. That’s totally just my take though.
Eat raw foods because you WANT to, not because you HAVE to. Eating and cooking should be joyous acts!
I think people should just eat naturally. Sometimes I think we put wayyyy too much of our thought activity into different food trends, diets, etc. As long as you’re eating healthy, whole foods and just keep varying it up, I really don’t think it’s a huge deal if you eat raw, cooked, or even the occasional lean steak or cupcake! lol
Thanks for this, Angela – this post is timely because I think the whole raw foodism debate is almost all I think about right now! I can’t get it out of my head! I am dedicated to eating healthy because it’s a source of interest and enjoyment for me, plus we all want to be well, of course, but without a real verdict on whether or not eating a high-raw diet is more beneficial than a mainstream diet, my head is swimming with what it all means for me and my own lifestyle. I would be interested in trying the high-raw thing for like a week perhaps, just because I’m interested and open to other lifestyles, but I have a feeling that the crux of it is to eat clean above all else and to make good choices. I can only do my best to know how to make that happen! It’s got to work for me and my lifestyle, at the end of the day. Thanks again for showing points in favor of both arguments!
Wow, I learned a lot from this post. I am going to steam my spinach for a bit before I use it in my GM too.
You know where I stand, for the most part!
That said, I make clear time and time again that the emphasis should be 100% healthy, plant based, and digestible, NOT 100% raw. And of course, different strokes for different folks.
LOVE the post! i think it’s really good to remind people that there is always an opposite side to the coin! :) So informative!
Great post, Angela! I think the best diet is something you can stick to permanently and a 100% raw diet just isn’t feasible for most. Some days you just need a hot soup!!
Thank you SO much for the information, Angela! I have to admit, I’ve been feeling a tad guilty lately when I see all these people eating all raw all the time….and I know I shouldn’t, because we’re all different and want/need different things.
I never knew much about raw eating before (other than the positive effects), so it’s good to know all sides. As for me, it’s more of a “I can’t imagine my life without warm/hot food” thang. ;-)
I agree! I think it is best to always do what makes you feel good!
Angela- I have a question for you..
I have just given up artifical sweeteners..(I am a true gum addict) and was wondering the effect that had on your weight? did you know your weight go up or down when you gave them up?? just curious.. thanks!
You may be shocked to hear this but my weight (and hunger) actually decreased when I gave up artificial sweeteners! And it is no wonder because the current research finds that they do make us eat more! Goodluck :) ~A
I agree with some of the above about the raw food thing being a trend and that it will soon fade away as trends do.
Great and timely post. The food blog world has been exploding with this topic lately and I have been quite aghast at some of the misconceptions and pseudo-science that many raw food bloggers have posted. The best was someone saying that calories don’t really “count” when eating raw because your body breaks the food down more effecently. What a load of BS. A friend of mine went raw a few years ago and gained about 10 lbs from all the dehydrated fruit and nuts he ate LOL
Thanks for posting the info about which foods are better raw vs cooked. I pesonally enjoy a mix of both depending on what I am eating. I have made some very tasty raw recipes and there are some great raw cookbooks out there. I think they aer a great way to add some variety especially in the summer when I don’t feel like using the oven but certainly not as a lifetyle or way of eating.