Raw food diet & vegetarianism: Some meaty health facts

Two of the hottest topics on nutrition today are the raw vs. the cooked diet and the practice of eating meatless meals. Each one has its own proponents who cite the significant health benefits of these two nutritional practices. What is the real score? Here’s what you should know about raw food and vegetarian diets.

The raw vs. The cooked

The belief in the benefits of raw foods  sometimes called “living foods”  is nothing new. Sylvester Graham, for whom the crackers are named, promoted raw foods 150 years ago, just as some chefs, cookbooks, celebrities, and websites promote them today. Among other claims, raw food diets are said to eliminate headaches and allergies, improve memory and immunity, ease arthritis, and reverse diabetes. Proponents say that cooking destroys nutrients, enzymes, and the “life force” of the food itself.

• The basics. A raw food diet is based mostly or exclusively on uncooked and unprocessed plant foods (often organic), including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains. Most followers are strict vegetarians, though some eat unpasteurized dairy foods and sometimes even raw eggs, meat, and fish. Foods are prepared by using blenders, processors, and dehydrators, and can be served either cold or warm, but not hot enough to cook them. Truly dedicated raw foodists shun sugar, vinegar, coffee, tea, soy products, most vegetable oils, dried herbs, and alcohol.

• The benefits. Raw food diets encourage people to eat lots of fresh produce and other nutritious foods that are low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, and high in fiber. Few studies have compared the health effects of a raw food diet versus other eating patterns, but vegetarians, in general, tend to have a lower risk of heart disease and are less likely to be overweight. And in a study from Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, people who eat the most raw (as compared to cooked) cruciferous vegetables have a reduced risk of bladder cancer, possibly because the raw vegetables retain more cancer-protective isothiocyanates. Cooking, after all, does reduce some phytochemicals, including isothiocyanates, as well as many vitamins.

• The drawbacks. Some nutrients and potentially beneficial plant compounds are less available to the body in the raw state. Heat is needed to break down a plant’s cell walls and release the compounds. Cooking a carrot releases extra beta-carotene, while cooking tomatoes releases more lycopene.

Of more concern, some uncooked and unpasteurized foods pose a risk of food poisoning, which is especially dangerous for pregnant women, young children, the elderly, people with compromised immunity, and those with chronic medical conditions, such as liver or kidney disease. Raw sprouts, raw oysters, and raw (unpasteurized) milk products have been the cause of many outbreaks of food-borne illnesses in recent years. Heat kills pathogens. Depending on how strict the diet is, people on raw food diets may also need to take supplements to make up for potential shortfalls in calcium, iron, vitamin B12, and other nutrients.

• What about the enzymes agreement? Raw foodists claim that the enzymes in raw foods (destroyed by cooking) prevent “toxicity” in the body, and have other curative effects. But these enzymes are there for the plants, not us. Moreover, they are largely inactivated by the highly acidic environment of the stomach and this cannot aid digestion farther down in the intestines or have other benefits. And there’s no evidence that the enzymes can become reactivated in the intestines, as some raw foodists say. In any case, even if some enzymes do survive, the body usually makes all the enzymes it needs to digest and absorb food. The claims by some raw foodists that our bodies have a limited supply of enzymes make no sense either, and are simply not true.

• A matter of balance.  Raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds are certainly good for you. But you don’t need to  and should not  restrict yourself to raw foods only. There’s no conclusive evidence that a pure raw food diet will prevent or cure any condition or disease. Plus, it’s an extreme diet that’s hard to maintain over the long run, deprives you of some of the tastiest and most nutritious foods, makes dining out difficult, and can be deficient in some nutrients.

Meatless meals

Being a vegetarian has both health and environmental advantages. You may shun meat for animal welfare or religious reasons, too. You need not be 100-percent vegetarian, though  eating a few meatless meals a week or just reducing the amount of meat on your plate is enough to reap some health benefits.

Here are some of the ways to be a vegetarian:

• Strict vegetarians or vegans avoid all animal products, including meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, and eggs, as well as anything derived from animals (such as gelatin, which comes from pigs or other animals, and often, honey).

• Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs along with plant foods.

• Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy foods.

• Ovo-lacto-vegetarians eat eggs and dairy.

• Pesco-vegetarians eat fish.

• Pollo-vegetarians eat poultry.

• Semi-vegetarians or flexitarians rely mainly on plant foods but eat meat on occasion.

Here are the most common questions asked on how to go vegetarian in a safe and nutritious way.

What are some health benefits of being vegetarian?

Plant-based diets  with lots of vegetables, legumes (beans, lentil, peas), fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds  are linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and some cancers, notably colorectal cancer. Vegetarians tend to weigh less and have lower cholesterol levels and fewer digestive problems, such as constipation. Vegetarian diets are high in fiber, unsaturated fats, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants  and low in saturated fat and cholesterol  all of which may contribute to the health benefits. Vegetarians also benefit, no doubt, from the fact that they tend to lead healthier lives in general.

Isn’t it hard to get enough protein on a vegetarian diet?

No. Vegetarians typically consume less protein than meat eaters, but can still easily meet their needs. Legumes are top sources of proteins, but grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables also provide some. Meat substitutes, such as veggie burgers, and soy crumbles, provide about as much protein, ounce for ounce, as meat. If you choose a variety of foods  especially if you eat some dairy and eggs  you should get all the proteins you need.

Do you have to combine certain foods at every meal to get “complete” protein?

No. Animal foods provide all nine “essential” amino acids needed to make “complete protein,” whereas plant foods, with a few exceptions (notably soy and quinoa), are incomplete, meaning they lack one or more essential amino acids. “Complementary” protein sources  such as beans and tortillas, or peanut butter and bread  provide adequate amounts of all the amino acids. It used to be thought that you had to eat complementary proteins at the same time. But research has shown that you only need to consume all the amino acids over the course of a day, which is easy to do if you eat a variety of plant foods.

Are all vegetarian diets healthy?

Not necessarily. It’s easy in fact, to eat an unhealthy vegetarian diet. Lots of junk foods  chips, cookies, candy, and soda  are vegetarian. A vegetarian who eats mostly refined grains, fried foods, and sweets, for example, will have a less healthy diet than someone who eats lean meat and dairy in moderation and consumes lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

Are vegetarians at risk of vitamin and mineral deficiency?

Vegans are at risk of vitamin B12 deficiency. Animal products are the only reliable sources of vitamin B12, which is important for the nervous system and to prevent anemia. If you eat no animal foods, look for vitamin B12-fortified products such as some soy milks and breakfast cereals and/or take a B12 supplement.

Some vegetarians may also fall short of zinc, calcium, vitamin D, and iron depending on their diets, and should consider taking a daily multivitamin/mineral pill, as well as calcium and vitamin D supplements. If you do not eat fish, maybe you should take an omega-3 supplement as well, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Why is going meatless better for the environment?

Producing meat  beef in particular  requires more energy and causes more pollution than does growing plant foods, According to a recent study from Loma Linda University, an animal-based diet uses about three times more water and fossil fuels, 13 times more fertilizer, and 40 percent more pesticides than a vegetarian diet. And a 2009 report from the Worldwatch Institute blamed at least half of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions  at least 32,000 tons of carbon dioxide  on livestock. Skipping red meat and dairy products just one night a week for a year saves the equivalent in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced to driving 760 miles! –Tyrone M. Reyes, M.D. (The Philippine Star)