melon image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
Overview
From vitamins and minerals to disease-fighting antioxidants, raw fruits and vegetables offer a plethora of nutrients to boost your health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, consuming fresh produce may help protect you against many types of pervasive health conditions. Although a diet consisting exclusively of fruits and vegetables may be too restrictive to maintain permanently, a short-term raw food diet can expedite weight loss and give your body a break from the processed foods that fill most modern menus.
Features
A raw fruit and vegetable diet consists chiefly of fresh, uncooked fruits and vegetables. As the Living and Raw Foods website explains, raw food diets eschew any items cooked above 116 degrees F, so steamed, boiled, baked or otherwise heated fruits and vegetables are not a part of this eating plan. Possible fruits to consume include bananas, mangoes, papaya, melons, citrus, apples, pears, berries, nectarines, apricots, peaches, grapes, pineapple and other in-season varieties; vegetables include bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, celery, carrots, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, seaweeds, leafy green vegetables and other varieties that are edible in their raw state. Raw fruit and vegetable diets may also permit juices and smoothies made from fresh produce, and some versions of the diet allow additional raw foods such as nuts, seeds, nut butters and sprouts.
Function
People may choose to follow a raw fruit and vegetable diet to lose weight, have increased energy, improve immune function and give their bodies a break from processed ingredients and food additives. Because a raw fruit and vegetable diet contains no animal products or byproducts, some people may adopt this eating regimen as a form of animal rights activism.
Benefits
Because fruits and vegetables are packed with fiber and water, these foods have a low energy density and can keep you full with relatively few calories--which can help you shed unwanted pounds and reach a healthier weight. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains, people who eat diets rich in fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of developing chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease, and the wide range of nutrients in fresh produce--including folate, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin A and antioxidants--can boost your immune system and keep your body running optimally.
Safety
Although a fruit and vegetable diet offers several short-term perks, a diet consisting only of these foods may fail to provide key nutrients needed for long-term health. Protein, essential fatty acids, iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and vitamin D may be chronically low or absent from vegan diets that omit grains, legumes, nuts and fortified foods, notes the American Heart Association. Consult with a health professional before drastically altering your diet, and consider supplementing with missing nutrients if you plan to eat an uncooked cuisine for an extended length of time.
Warning
Uncooked foods can harbor disease-causing pathogens, and a diet of raw fruits and vegetables may increase your risk of food-borne illness. According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, raw produce such as lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, spinach and melons can carry E. coli, Salmonella and Shigella, bacteria that can lead to symptoms such as abdominal cramps, fever, dehydration, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Freezing and refrigeration can slow the growth of illness-causing bacteria, but only cooking is capable of destroying them. Unpasteurized juices may be particularly likely to harbor pathogens.
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