Should it be a real life encounter or some Instagram/YouTube content with a person nearly falling out from your phone or laptop screen exuding an immense excitement and channeling super pumped energy straight through all your chakras and beyond, many people who start talking about their diet without a particular invitation will likely tell you that miracles happened to their bodies when they transitioned to the “Way of Eating #1055 proposed by Prof. X”. On the other part of the spectrum, there are very sad people who make your device’s display wet on the inside from precipitation of their emotions regarding some subject similar to “eating only onions for 1 month did not heal my pimples, so raw veganism is a scam” (this is pretty close mockery of a real story told by one Russian young raw vegan youtuber who indeed got disappointed in this dietary discipline because she was eating only green onion and, ooopsie, did not feel too great as a result). Polarization of opinions regarding raw veganism in relation to health aspects clearly indicates that this, well, let’s call it dietary discipline - I like it this way - can:
Be done right or wrong.
Can work for one person and not work for another.
P. 1 and P. 2 are bound variables, so depending on the person, right or wrong will vary.
So if 3 is addressed smartly, raw veganism must work with a right mindset and solid knowledge base.
Hence, let’s figure out whether raw diet can be beneficial to you if you are looking to feel and look younger, more agile, pain-free, keep your weight under control, be inflammation-free, minimize the frequency and spread of the harmful mutations among your cells, and so on. We will look into some scientific knowledge regarding raw diet and analyze why there is a bit of problem and will use some common sense on how matter behaves and how body functions along with logic to generate a field of information that will be a solid foundation for even skeptical people (or for those who seriously considering switching to fueling up exclusively with cucumbers starting Monday to make those wrinkles disappear after 29 years of being a loyal customer of butcher John).
If you want to argue the claims in this text, I, as a scientist, will be MEGA happy because we should constantly strive for truth and weigh all information even if it is marketed as “trust the science”. Hehe. Hehehe. Especially if there is conflict of interest. More so, if there is a huge capital involved. And even more so, if celebrities start advertising it. Then you know, that it is another pepsicola, and something from “as seen on TV” (like when the good’s worth is 10^6 smaller than the marketing campaign’s). Sidetracked. In fact, anything related to human health and well-being is extremely hard to measure and squeeze in tight and well-formulated black-and-white scientific formulae, and looking at the studies below, and raw veganism is a pretty poorly studied subject, it becomes clear why. This is an issue because we cannot assess all hidden pre-existing conditions and have extensive genetic analysis performed when we consider a large sample set, cannot efficiently and precisely track the daily food intake (many studies rely on people reporting on what they are doing, which is a possible source of huge error), cannot take into account all aspects of healthy lifestyle due to various levels of pollution, water quality, physical activity, stress levels, radiation exposure, and so on, so naturally the studies are limited to investigating certain markers that must be unequivocally related to the nutrition only, but which might not project onto the other vital metrics. Even without looking at the studies, success on a raw diet will depend on everything, starting from a mindset and inherent and acquired individual physiological properties of the subject to the type of the raw diet (there are juicers and extremists too!). And after we look at the studies, we will, first, get amazed by how little something outside of the mathematical norm is being studied comprehensively, and second, how many factors need to be included and aligned to properly gather statistics on a group of people who follow, presumably, the same diet, i.e., raw vegan diet. Knowing that it is a very stretchy term, validity of the existing scientific studies that I am giving as examples is questionable or requires soft wording, such as “might, if”, “given that A, B is possible”, and so on. I will look into some studies addressing popular concerns associated with raw plant-based nutrition.
Koebnick, C., Strassner, C., Hoffmann, I. and Leitzmann, C., 1999. Consequences of a long-term raw food diet on body weight and menstruation: results of a questionnaire survey. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 43(2), pp.69-79. - This work, in short, does not recommend following a long-term raw diet due to the amenorrhea in pre-menopausal women and body weight below the normal. The subjects of the study who consumed >90% of raw food were more likely to be affected by amenorrhea. I have questions to this work and would like to view the breakdown of nutritional deficits in subjects because scarcity of daily menu can easily be a prerequisite to developing hormonal “pause” (mainly due to insufficient fat consumption). Raw diet must and absolutely can be fat-rich. In addition, exhaustion of iron in the body caused by either inadequate supply of iron, by blood-sucking parasites, or by poor iron absorption due to non-favorable food combinations or cyanocobalamin (B12) deficiency can lead to reduced ferritin levels that can lead to either excessive blood loss during the periods or, with higher likelihood, to amenorrhea.
Garcia, A.L., Koebnick, C., Dagnelie, P.C., Strassner, C., Elmadfa, I., Katz, N., Leitzmann, C. and Hoffmann, I., 2008. Long-term strict raw food diet is associated with favourable plasma β-carotene and low plasma lycopene concentrations in Germans. British Journal of Nutrition, 99(6), pp.1293-1300. - Beta-carotene is a pro-vitamin that gets converted into vitamin A in our body. It is interesting to analyze it in the light of raw diet because thermal processing of foods rich in beta-carotene, along with consuming such foods in combination with fats, specifically rich in vitamin E, are supposed to increase the bioavailability and conversion rate of beta-carotene into vitamin A (that is why all mainstream “health advice” will tell you to cook carrots or add cream to the carrot juice, which is gross and anti-tasty in my valuable opinion). In addition, some dairy and animal entities are regarded as potent sources of vitamin A. This study looks into the correlation between the beta-carotene intake and its concentration in plasma in raw vegan subjects, which is indeed a relevant thing to study. Good news is that this study showed that “despite” neglecting animal products and conventionally consumed fats, raw vegans still have high beta-carotene in blood plasma, as well as it demonstrates that with adequate consumption of fats from seeds and nuts, normal vitamin A levels were demonstrated among those following raw vegan diet. Again, we are back to the important thing - raw diet must be balanced and fat-rich. Then, a couple of years later, there was this study: Garcia, A.L., Mohan, R., Koebnick, C., Bub, A., Heuer, T., Strassner, C., Groeneveld, M.J., Katz, N., Elmadfa, I., Leitzmann, C. and Hoffmann, I., 2010. Plasma β-carotene is not a suitable biomarker of fruit and vegetable intake in German subjects with a long-term high consumption of fruits and vegetables. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 56(1), pp.23-30., which does not necessarily contradict the findings from the previous study, and showed that adjusted beta-carotene contents in raw vegans were on par with people’s on some recommended wholesome diet. So trend-wise the validity of the data still holds.
Ganss, C., Schlechtriemen, M. and Klimek, J., 1999. Dental erosions in subjects living on a raw food diet. Caries Research, 33(1), pp.74-80. - This study shows that in subjects with raw food intake >95% of total nutrition including citrus juice and following the raw diet for 17 - 418 months, an increase in dental erosion was observed compared to the control group that followed a conventional diet (whatever it means; rice, chicken, cheese, and an accidental cucumber?). So the study, and I will reiterate, where raw vegan subjects consumed citrus juice mostly daily (word mostly accounts for weird statistical numbers, comparable to “on average, a British household has 0.73 of a dog”) advises against raw vegan diet because it causes dental erosion. I think, just given the fact that raw vegan adepts were fed citrus juice, I can assume that their menu was pretty interesting because it is a hard-core 1999 raw veganism when people still believed (well, there are still people who juice their fruits or torture their enamel by eating mainly fruits without washing or neutralizing the acids afterwards) in juicing everything. In general, to keep teeth healthy and get the anti-inflammatory and reparative benefits off of the raw plant-based diet that can potentially provide benefits to the oral health, one must follow mineral-rich diet based on leafy greens, seeds, nuts, seaweed, and non-sweet and low-acid vegetables and fruits, along with the most important thing - good hygiene and prevention by using proper oral hygiene cosmetics and sticking to the healthy oral care habits! Ate a fruit? - rinse your mouth at least with water! A better option will be baking soda solution because it will readily neutralize the residual acid. And just do not juice your fruits.
Douglass, J.M., 1975. Raw diet and insulin requirements. Annals of internal medicine, 82(1), pp.61-62. - I could not view much information from this article, and I can only judge by the preview, I will be transparent on this, but I went and looked into the papers that cited this article. Basically, it was demonstrated that by “only the dietary changes”, a diabetic person was able to get by with 25% of their baseline insulin dose, and the subsequent works from a similar time era that I saw were focusing on treatment of diabetes with high-fiber diet plans, studies of insoluble fiber and impact on fiber-rich diet on insulin levels and on lowering the blood sugar. Is it a common knowledge in our days? I think so. Type II diabetes can be reversed in a couple of weeks by following a low-sugar raw plant-based diet.
Fontana, L., Shew, J.L., Holloszy, J.O. and Villareal, D.T., 2005. Low bone mass in subjects on a long-term raw vegetarian diet. Archives of internal medicine, 165(6), pp.684-689. - Here we find an analysis of the bone mass and, importantly, quality in raw vegans compared to the subjects following standard American diet. The BMI of the raw vegan individuals was also considerably lower compared to the overweight control group. In addition, predominant proportion of women in each group were post-menopausal (so in a risk group for osteoporosis). The study concludes that the bone mineral content and bone mineral density were significantly lower in the raw vegan groups, that in part was explained by the retention of bone tissue due to the increased levels of protective sex hormones in the individuals with increased fat proportion. However, bone elasticity and turnover (remineralization) was maintained in the raw vegan group, so the likelihood of bone fracture might not be increased compared to the overweight individuals following standard American diet. Additionally, raw vegan individuals were likely to have higher levels of bioavailable vitamin D synthesized in the body, given the sufficient exposure to the sunlight, considering that all raw plant-based subjects had BMI in the normal or low range. This study, in summary, demonstrates that middle-to-advanced age raw vegans might be lacking the protective effect of increased fat percentage in the body on bone mass retention, however, the bone turnover and vitamin D synthesis and availability were sufficient in the raw vegan sample set. The sample sets for each group in this study are small, and I would say that the average physique of the representative groups was drastically different, so the study is interesting, yet it could be refined if, say, raw vegan and standard-diet people with comparable physical activity and body compositions were compared against each other. Yet, regarding the study’s outcomes, my comments to that, again, will be related to the dietary and lifestyle choices that can contribute to the bone quality. First, of course, sufficient exposure to the sunlight or supplementation with vitamin D if the climate zone where you live do not permit to be irradiated with sunlight for synthesizing enough vitamin D naturally. Second, vitamin K2 must be supplied to the body in adequate amounts, which especially needs to be kept in check on plant-based diet, so sauerkraut is a necessity. Combine it with leafy greens and with mineral-rich seaweed foods to enhance the bone remineralization via improved Ca delivery to the bone tissue. Silica and collagen are also important things to keep in mind. Lots of physical activity is another vital aspect of bone health! In general, predominant consumption of meat and dairy with inadequate consumption of raw plants is a risk factor for osteoporosis, so a well-planned, adequate plant-based diet along with other healthy lifestyle habits and stress-management is a tool for skeleton’s longevity (it starts gradually desorbing before you hit 30, by the way!). I am still studying the influence of the inorganic mineral consumption on the body functions, including formation of stones and bone demineralization, so I will not be outright advocating for a certain mineral regimen, but the speculations that minimization/elimination of the inorganic minerals (i.e., precipitates that sediment upon thermal processing of foods and water) in favor of consumption of minerals delivered to the body inside the organic matrices (i.e., from raw foods) can be not just beneficial, but vital, especially for those approaching an advanced age, exist and there must be a basis for it!
In summary to this short review covering some influences that raw plant-based diet might make on the different body systems, I will say that the following studies must be conducted to make any apparent conclusions regarding the raw diet and its health implications:
Comparison between adequate raw plant-based diet VS. cooked plant-based diet featuring the same foods as in the first group, but thermally treated where applies. By adequate raw diet I imply a dietary protocol that covers all nutritional needs by inclusion of mushrooms, sprouts, seaweed, and so on. Mainly, I would like to compare the vitamin and mineral absorption and inflammation markers, also check body composition (cooking often results in increased sugar content due to the thermal breakdown of starches and fiber).
Comparison between fully raw diet VS. mostly raw diet, with the later containing cooked grains and legumes with exception of harshly processed foods (baked/fried/grilled). I would design the dietary plans for each group in accordance to the conventionally recommended protein, carbohydrate, and fat intake calculated for the respective calorie intake, while fiber content would be floating dependent on the types of food and with fiber content calculated for both soluble and insoluble. Same metrics, plus creatine, would be interesting for me to see, and, perhaps, there are other vital parameters that I might not know about that could be valuable to analyze too.
Comparison between adequate mostly raw diet VS. blue-zone diets.
Transient comparative study of the different subdivisions of raw diet over extended periods of time (“mostly” can be a variable too): mono VS. fruitarian VS. liquid VS. strict raw whole foods VS. strict raw vegan keto VS. mostly raw whole foods VS. mostly raw vegan keto. Maybe I am unaware of some other exotic types of raw diet, so educate me in the comments or send me an email. I want to see what happens to the pancreas, liver, kidneys, bones, and teeth on either of those diets, along with, possibly, observations of suppressed viral activity of certain retroviruses, benign tumors and polyps, and so on. I would be interested to monitor the vitamin B12 levels in the blood and B12 stores over not-so-long periods of time without supplementation. Also, dependence of the gut flora composition based on the amount of fiber and unbound fructose consumed.
Here is my summary of some studies on key concerns regarding the raw diet practice. Coming from the device and quantum physics background, where 0 and 1 principle is applied to the subjects of the study, unless some “magic” factor, such as suddenly malfunctioning tool that secretly screwed up a sample set and you are trying to rationalize the nonsense data, happened, it is quite challenging to properly interpret the individual pieces of knowledge harvested on such a complex, ever changing, interconnected system as human body! We are not infusoria, that is for sure… That is why I insist on the principle of watching Nature closely and exercising as much awareness as possible when it comes to your own body, mind, and overall health! The subject of raw nutrition might appear attractive and seemingly easy, but to make it work one has to, is obliged, must get educated beforehand. A person considering going raw must be equipped with knowledge on the options on where to harvest necessary nutrients, they must have an extreme connection with their body along with the laboratory-established data of deficiencies and health risks to make an educated move towards new diet with tailored functionality to address the possible concerns and/or for long-term maintenance. It is art and it is science of how to maintain your only real property. If you don’t know it the best, someone else will come and take advantage of your ignorance.
Thank you!
Raw Form of Life.
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