Raw Food Diet? Beware!

Raw food diet was first coined by Maximilian Bircher-Benner (1867-1939), a Swiss doctor who examined the raw food for the treatment of patients. Eating raw food version of Banner is eating food that is not cooked, and not exposed to pesticides and herbicides (chemical weed killers), which includes fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

Currently, the raw food diet has undergone variations. Some choose to consume 75% - 80% based foods herbs uncooked or cooked to a temperature of no more than 57.5 degrees Celsius.
There also are choosing animal products such as unpasteurized milk, cheese made from raw milk base, raw fish meat, and other meat cooked not too ripe.

Research reported Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States shows, between 1993 and 2006 more than 1500 people in the US sick from drinking milk 'raw' or eating cheese made from milk 'raw'. The CDC also reported that the consumption of unpasteurized milk to 150 times as a likely cause of food-borne disease (disease arising from contaminated food) and causes the hospitalization risk 13 times greater than consume pasteurized milk products. Unpasteurized milk can carry the bacteria Salmonella, E-coli, and Listeria, which raises a lot of food-borne illness, especially in people who have weakened immune systems (the elderly, pregnant, and children).

Pasteurization (heating process at least 162 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds) to help ensure the safety of the possibility of tainted milk from the harmful microbes. Pasteurization does not cause lactose intolerance and allergic reactions; not lower the nutritional value of milk; and can turn off harmful microbes without eliminating important antibacterial substances in milk are healthy (lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase, lysozyme). Fish and meat undercooked also similar. The half-baked cooking process still gives 'chance' on microbes in fish and meat (both susceptible polluted) to survive and cause food-borne.

Eating raw vegetables to optimize nutrient intake is not always true. Cooking vegetables can actually help facilitate the process of digestion of nutrients in it -as mentioned in the British Journal of Nutrition study. The results showed that those who undergo strict raw food diet had higher levels of lycopene in below average. Though lycopene is needed by the body as an anticancer and cholesterol lowering.