The Pitfalls in Vegetarian Nutrition (6) – Raw Diet

Burdock salad with wasabe sprouts
as a life force salad

A lot of vegetarians 

decided to pick up a vegetarian diet 

to pursue better health. 

Hence, along the path  of their wellness pursuance, 

it’s common to see vegetarians 

following the fad of raw diet.

Raw diet is a special diet which consumes 

only foods which are not treated with heat, 

to avoid damaging the natural enzymes in the food 

so that the foods are easy to digest. 

By wellness principles, 

the ease of digestion leads to better conservation of energy, 

and in turn brings about better skins, anti-aging effects. 

This is one major reason raw diet is gaining popularity.

Raw diet, just like a vegetarian diet, 

requires basic education, to plan safely and healthily. 

A common mistake is that 

many presume raw diet is merely avoiding cooked food. 

Therefore, many under-informed raw foodists, 

when avoiding heating their foods, 

have inevitably fallen to the trap of consuming mainly 

fruits, leafy salads and smoothies only. 

From the view of nutrition, 

although enzymes is highly valued, 

raw diet may cause nutritional imbalance

due to the relatively limited food choices. 

By Yin-Yang principles, 

fruits and leafy vegetables are generally 

inclined towards Yin properties. 

If one is to consume Yin food in large amount 

for prolonged period, 

the bodily system balance will be upset and cause disorders.

Therefore, there are a few critical remarks, 

raw foodists must take note of:

（1）     Not to be selective with food, and to diversify food varieties: 

          Due to the fact that most plants 

          generally contain toxins to different extent, 

          heat is often recommended to degenerate the toxins. 

          Going raw hence inevitably attracts fewer food options/varieties. 

          

          If a raw foodist, further becomes selective with food, 

          the risk of nutritional imbalanced may be worsened. 

（2）     Emphasize on germinated seeds and sprouts:  

          Among the 6 plant parts (root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit, seed), 

          seed has got the most comprehensive nutrition and 

          is generally inclined towards Yang properties. 

          

          Hence, the proportion of seeds in a raw diet 

          must be substantially high, 

          in order to secure comprehensive nutrition and 

          Yin-Yang balance. 

          Although some seeds can be eaten raw, 

          they are still somewhat toxic. 

          It is recommended to soak, germinate or sprout them 

          prior to consumption. 

          Some examples are: 

          sprouted mung beans, soaked almond and sunflower seed sprouts.

（3）    Increase the intake of root vegetables: 

          If can be taken raw, 

          try to increase the consumption of root vegetables; 

          because generally root vegetables contain more minerals 

          which is relatively little in other plant parts like leaf, flower and fruits.  

          

          Roots which can be eaten raw include: 

          ginger, radish, carrot, beetroot, sengkuang, burdock, Huaishan etc.

（4）   Take fermented food more frequently: 

         Fermented foods are rich in Vitamin B complex 

         which are relatively lacking in a raw diet. 

         

         The source of Vitamin B complex is mainly cereal grains 

         which generally cannot be eaten raw; 

         hence fermented food becomes a major source of Vit Bs for raw foodists.

         

         Moreover, fermentation reduces toxins in raw food, 

         rendering some raw ingredients safer to be taken raw. 

         For examples: fermented soy bean paste, rejuvelac, saurkraut, 

For beginners, 

(i) it is generally not recommendable 

to consume large quantity of raw food, 

because beginners have yet the matured skills and 

in depth knowledge about raw food. 

(ii) Should one decide to adopt a raw diet, 

it is advisable to take one raw meal per day only. 

This is to reduce the risk of nutritional imbalance. 

(ii) Also, if possible avoid taking raw during breakfast, 

as morning is already lacking of Yang elements.

(iv) Furthermore, as both raw and cooked diets are 

treated differently in the digestive system, 

it’s always recommended to keep both 

raw and cooked food eaten separately. 

If both raw and cooked foods are constantly mixed in meals, 

the digestive tract may be compromised in long term. 

(v) If occasionally both raw and cooked foods have to be mixed, 

ensure that there is an obvious difference between raw and cooked portions. 

In other words, 

arrange such that cooked food portion 

is a few times more than raw food portion, 

or vice versa. 

(e.g. 80% cook+20% raw or 20% cooked+80% raw)

This way the digestive tract is less confused.

Raw diet is profound. 

Before hastily leaping into a raw regime, 

slow down and first get the foundation of vegetarian diet steadily built up. 

As to how to build a good foundation for vegetarian diet, 

consider consulting experienced vegetarians or attend a vegetarian nutrition course.

*More raw diet tips at Recipe eBook: http://tinyurl.com/SimpleVegetarian

Many blessings,

Kee Yew

pureland2012-at-gmail.com

{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}