The carrot and the stick

When it comes to motivation, a lot of people talk about the choice between a stick and a carrot. The concept derives from the story of an old donkey that doesn’t want to move, where a carrot is used to coax him forward and a stick is used to force him from behind.

The reward and punishment approach is supposed to prompt desired behavior (such as changing your dietary habits) but, as one comedian pointed out, the only thing you’ll ever find between a stick and a carrot is a donkey...of course, when it comes to raw food, we’re all in favor of the carrot but we do take exception to the stick!

If we can take one lesson from this, it is the fact that we have moved toward a more healthy raw food diet not because we have to, but because we want to.

We’re here to help you understand the pros and cons of a raw food diet, its implications for your health, which ingredients to eat and which to avoid, and how to prepare delicious raw vegan food!

After all, education is the best form of motivation.

What is a raw food diet?

A raw food diet focuses on the consumption of uncooked and unprocessed foods, with a particular emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables. However, in the same way that vegans are regarded as “salad munchers”, the raw food diet is also commonly misrepresented. That’s because the diet is much less exclusive than you might think…

What can you eat on a raw food diet?

Fresh fruits and vegetables are a given but sprouted grains, fermented foods, nut butters, plant milks, seed spreads, and plant-based cultured cheeses are all also consumed under the raw food criteria. Some individuals will still eat raw meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products as part of their diet but the majority of raw foodies are vegetarian or vegan.

What can’t you eat on a raw food diet?

Not everything can be eaten straight out of the earth; raw foodies need to be wary of toxins and antinutrients lurking in some plant-based foods. Here is a list of ingredients you might want to research further before eating raw or without preparation:

• Some nightshade plants (e.g. eggplants & potatoes)
• Mushrooms
• Cruciferous vegetables
• Beans
• Lentils
• Tubers (e.g. cassava)
• Rice
• Flour
• Ackee
• Raw olives

What are the benefits of eating a raw food diet?

Eating more raw food has a number of scientifically backed benefits, particularly when it comes to water-soluble nutrients. For example, the cooking process can inactivate or leach out vitamin C and B vitamins - boiling vegetables can reduce these by as much as 50–60%! Therefore, some raw foods are richer in nutrients than their cooked counterparts.

Another advantage of consuming raw vegetables is the presence of resistant starch, which acts as a prebiotic. In other words, the friendly bacteria in your gut like to feed on it, producing gas as a byproduct in your colon. Whilst this can cause discomfort for some individuals, scientists have discovered that adding some resistant starch to your diet can have an array of health benefits, including insulin sensitivity improvement, a reduction in blood sugar levels, and appetite suppression to support weight loss. Some studies have even found that butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid produced after consuming resistant starch, can decrease inflammation and reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

However, our favorite benefits of eating a more raw food diet are the appreciation you gain of your ingredients, the ability to bring out their unique flavors, and a greater awareness of alternative methods to food preparation.

Myth debunked: There is also a belief that raw food provides the body with vital enzymes to aid human health and digestion but this is unsupported by science. In fact, many of these raw food enzymes get denatured by stomach acid anyway and are largely unnecessary since the human body produces its own enzymes to digest food.

What are the disadvantages of eating raw food?

As with any ‘diet’, there are pros and cons and a strict raw food diet can certainly have its disadvantages. Some methods of cooking can actually enhance the nutrient levels and antioxidant activity of some foods. For example, cooked carrots contain more beta-carotene and cooked tomatoes contain more of the antioxidant lycopene than their raw counterparts.

In addition to the nutrient content, cooking plant-based ingredients can increase digestibility and reduce the level of antinutrients and toxins. However, these compounds are not found in all raw food and, if they are present, are usually only found in trace amounts - you’re unlikely to eat enough of them to cause any harm. But if you’re worried about antinutrients and toxins, then we recommend sprouting or fermenting your food!

Learn how to sprout chickpeas

Should you try it?

Of course! While we will never advocate a fully raw food diet without consultation from your doctor or nutritionist, we believe that the optimal healthy plant-based lifestyle is one that incorporates a balanced selection of raw and cooked vegan food. Some foods are better eaten raw, some are better cooked, and some convey benefits when either or.

Adding more raw food dishes to your life will help you to avoid eating processed meals and will keep you nourished and energized! Learning how to prepare and eat more raw food is a great way to enhance a healthy lifestyle. 

Want to learn more about raw food?

Preparing delicious raw food yourself starts with correctly understanding the fundamentals. By learning how to choose and combine the right ingredients, you’ll be able to create incredible dishes that will wow your friends and family because of your ability to draw out the desired flavors, textures, and appearance.

Where can you learn all of these things? 

From Sayuri Tanaka, a famous raw food chef living in Bali and founder of the Sayuri Healing Food Academy. With over 17 years of experience in vegan and raw vegan cooking, she now shares her secrets and tips in her first-ever online cooking course:

Click here to discover more raw food secrets