Every other day a new name emerges as a ‘diet trend’. We all find it tempting and the thought of trying it always comes in our mind. So, why is it so? This is because they promise you to achieve your goals in less time with shortcuts. The ‘raw food diet’ is a fad that claims to reverse diabetes. This method has gained a lot of popularity now a days but it has been followed since ages.
What is raw food?
Raw food diets, often referred to as raw foodism or raw veganism, are composed mostly or entirely of raw and unprocessed foods. Proponents believe that cooking is harmful because it destroys the nutritional content of the food.
Read also: Diabetes Diet: 7 Diabetes-Friendly Breakfast Recipes Under 15 Minutes
Can diabetes be cured with a raw food diet?
- Firstly, cooking will reduce the nutritional content but we can always reduce the loss. Stick to using proper cooking methods for different foods.
- Diabetes can be controlled with a balanced diet and lifestyle changes. You don’t need to restrict yourself for life to manage diabetes. Mix your foods well so that they do not raise blood sugar levels. A well-balanced diet contains the right amount of carbohydrates, protein, fiber and good fats.
- Happy gut, happy you right? Raw food diets are gut destroyers because raw foods are difficult to digest and they interfere with the composition of the gut microbiome. Raw foods contribute to flatulence and bloating.
- Fiber is extremely important when it comes to gut health and even diabetes. The amount of fiber in a raw food diet is very high, excess fiber causes gas, bloating, discomfort, cramps.
- Imagine if you didn’t wash your food properly and ate it raw? Pesticides and fertilizers are used in abundance nowadays. Cooking will help inactivate or kill some harmful bacteria and reduce the side effects of pesticides.
- A balance is what you need for a healthy life.
- Fruits: Wash your fruits thoroughly, eat them raw, chew them thoroughly and do not juice them for maximum benefits.
- Vegetables: Meanwhile cook your vegetables as usual and enjoy them as soup, vegetable, stir fry.
- Pulses: Soak your pulses well and cook them thoroughly for better digestion and combine them with complex carbohydrates.
- Carbohydrates: Cook and eat whole grains. Raw diet tells you to stay away from processed food but so does a balanced diet. To manage your gut health and diabetes, you need to avoid processed, packaged foods high in refined sugars, simple carbohydrates, sodium, additives, etc.
Finally, it is very difficult to meet your daily nutritional needs if you follow a raw diet. Even if the amount of nutrients is slightly reduced during cooking, cooking food thoroughly ensures that its nutrients are properly absorbed and assimilated in your body. With the rising cases of diabetes in India, our focus should not be on shortcuts and gimmicks but on holistic lifestyle management which includes balanced diet along with physical activity for a lasting change.
About the author: Prachi Shah is a Clinical Dietitian, Consulting Nutritionist and the founder of Health Habitat.
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