Living Foods Diet

Raw foodism is a movement promoting the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods, as a large percentage of the diet. A raw food diet consists only of foods which have not been heated above a certain temperature. The maximum temperature varies among the different forms of the diet, from 92ºF to 118°F (33°C to 48°C). A raw food diet is a vegan diet and includes a selectıon of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds (including whole grains).

A raw foodist is a person who consumes primarily raw food, or all raw food, depending on how strict the person is. Raw foodists typically believe that the greater the percentage of raw food in the diet, the greater the health benefits. They generally believe raw food prevents and/or heals many forms of sickness and many chronic diseases. Freezing food is considered acceptable by many raw foodists; Although decreasing enzyme activity, it is still a raw food and some choose to preserve nuts and seeds in a freezer.

Food preparation
Many foods in raw food diets are simple to prepare, such as fruits, salads, meat, and dairy. Other foods can require considerable advanced planning to prepare for eating. Rice and some other grains, for example, require sprouting or overnight soaking to become digestible.[citation needed] Many raw foodists believe it is best to soak nuts before eating them, in order to activate their enzymes.[citation needed]

Preparation of gourmet raw food recipes usually call for a blender, food processor, juicer, and dehydrator.[citation needed] Depending on the recipe, some food (such as crackers, breads and cookies) may need to be dehydrated. These processes, which produce foods with the taste and texture of cooked food, are lengthy.[citation needed] Some raw foodists dispense with these foods, feeling that there is no need to emulate the other non-raw diets.[citation needed]

Care may be required in planning a raw food diet, especially for children. There is little research on how to plan a nutritionally adequate raw food diet; however, nutritionists and raw M.D.s are usually willing to provide professional advice.[citation needed] Raw foodists claim that with sufficient food energy, essential fatty acids, variety and density, people of all ages can be successful at eating raw foods, although whether the diet works for any one person depends on their unique metabolism.[citation needed]

Avoiding poisoning
As the consumption of raw foods gains popularity, some unsafe foods have entered the diets of humans. The following should be consumed with caution:

Buckwheat greens are toxic when raw, particularly if juiced or eaten in large quantities by fair skinned individuals. The chemical component fagopyrum is known to cause severe photosensitivity and other dermatological complaints.[16][17]
Kidney beans, including sprouts, are toxic when raw.[18]
Rhubarb: when eaten in sufficient quantity, leaves can be toxic when raw, stalks are completely safe to eat when harvested early.
Potatoes: a member of the nightshade family, produce the toxic alkaloid solanine when they turn green. Solanine can be neutralized by cooking in a deep fryer.[19] In processed potatoes such as chips and fries, there is little hazard since peels are removed and they are fried.[20][21]
Raw foods contain bacteria and may contain parasites, which may cause foodborne illnesses. Heating to high temperatures destroys most bacteria and parasites.