Varied responses to a raw food diet
by Sue Kira, Naturopath & Clinical Nutritionist
Client names and identifying information changed
I would just like to share a situation that happened many years ago in clinic when a group of staff who worked at a raw food retreat came to see me. They all had ‘before and after’ blood and health screenings with me.
The ‘before’ tests were done at the beginning of their employment, and the ‘after’ tests were run after they had worked at the retreat centre for three months and only had consumed raw foods during this time.
Their ‘before’ results were quite good as they were all fairly health conscious individuals. After three months, it was interesting to see that most of the group felt much better, with more energy and vitality, and their blood was less sticky.
But there was a small group of staff who felt awful, sick, lethargic and not their bright bubbly selves. They generally had weaker digestive systems to start with and sluggish elimination systems. I felt that a 100% raw food diet didn’t suit this group.
I gave them a trial to have two or three of their daily meals still raw, and to incorporate one meal a day as a bone and vegetable broth. I also recommended to stop eating sprouted legumes which may have been harder to digest.
After only two weeks they all reported feeling much better. One staff member felt it was important for her to eat two cooked meals a day and a raw salad for lunch, which worked well for her.
The point is that everyone may not benefit from a 100% raw diet; there are those who need to include at least some cooked food.Follow how your body feels. It’s important!
Bear in mind that in the first few weeks, your body may go through a detox and not feel too good. But after that, you should feel great. If not, then introduce a small amount of cooked foods. Or, go the other way where you eat cooked meals and gradually introduce raw foods here and there, and slowly build up your raw foods as your body adjusts to this new way of eating.