To cook or not to cook
illustration by Alex Martin
Investigating the merits of the raw food diet
THE STOVE MAY become an obsolete feature of the kitchen as the raw food diet continues to gain popularity around the world. The diet, which consists primarily of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, does not allow heating food above 48 degrees Celsius. Diet followers claim that eating raw increases the nutritional quality of the food and leads to superior, lasting health.
According to Natasha Kyssa, an Ottawa-based raw food life coach and author of The SimplyRaw Living Foods Detox Manual, enzymes and nutrients in food are destroyed when it is heated above 48 degrees Celsius. The body is then forced to use its limited resources to account for the missing nutrients.
“When we’re eating raw, we’re getting the maximum nutrition from food,” Kyssa said. “When you eat this way, your body really thanks you for it, physically and emotionally.”
In addition to improving nutrition, the raw food diet is meant to increase energy levels, strengthen the immune system, and lead to natural weight loss. Liz Bolger, owner of local raw food catering company Culinary Consciousness, explained that cooked foods make people want to eat more because they do not have sufficient nutrient content.
“There’s the problem today with people being obese and starving. Their bodies are craving the minerals and enzymes that they’re not getting in cooked food,” she said.
Kathleen Turner, a dietician at the Ottawa Civic Hospital, is not convinced that raw food is more nutritious than cooked food.
“The raw foodists claim that there are more enzymes in raw food, but there is no scientific basis for that,” she said.
Turner warned that severe deficiencies in calcium and vitamins B12 and D can occur as a result of adopting the raw food diet. She added that diet followers are also at a higher risk of being underweight and may regularly feel tired.
“A strict raw food diet can’t guarantee an adequate energy supply,” she said, explaining that this is due to the lack of high-calorie foods on the diet and the longer time required to eat raw food. Raw food advocates counter that the diet can fully satisfy all of people’s vitamin needs. Calcium, for instance, can be found in broccoli, almonds, and tahini, which can be consumed in raw form.
Albert Legault, a retired Ottawa teacher, turned to the raw food diet two months ago in an effort to become healthier. Since the switch, Legault shed three pounds each week and felt more energized despite cutting out one hour of sleep.
“I pick up the energy of plants and fruit and it makes me feel a lot better,” he said. “It’s a nudge of health I haven’t known for years since I was a kid.”
Bolger credits raw food with helping her stay relaxed and changing her outlook on life.
“The raw food made me calm and stress-free,” she said. “It also made me kinder to other people. I think I’ve become more compassionate and empathetic.”
Bolger grows some vegetables in her home and uses a food processor and dehydrator to prepare raw dishes, such as crackers, cookies, pizzas, and pies. The crust of the latter two is made from soaked nuts and seeds that are required to be dehydrated.
“Anything you have cooked, pretty much you can have the raw version of it,” said Bolger of the variety that is available on the raw food diet.
Legault admitted that raw foodists may encounter difficulties in social situations. His mother was confused to hear about his diet because she did not know what to feed him and did not understand what the diet entailed. Legault frequently faces confusion about his diet, but notes that the feedback from others is not negative.
“It’s not a negative challenge when I visit other places that aren’t aware [of the raw food diet]. There is no negative feedback,” he said.
Kyssa’s SimplyRaw company offers a 28-day detox program to initiate newcomers into the raw food diet. She also holds private consultations and organizes monthly cooking workshops. Kyssa emphasized that people should not discount the raw food diet only because they cannot commit to being 100 per cent raw.
“We’re eating everything from nature and showing people how good they can feel. It’s not about being 100 per cent raw, but about being 100 per cent healthy,” she said.
Turner believes the jury is still out on the diet.
“There is currently not enough evidence to recommend the diet one way or another,” she noted. “There are benefits as well as consequences with this diet.”
