A raw vegan diet blends veganism and raw foodism. The diet involves foods that are plant-based, raw as well as unprocessed. Raw vegan diets prohibit animal products, such as meat and dairy products, and foods that need cooking. Individuals may choose to follow a raw vegan diet to try and improve their health. They could also identify with the ethical and ecological principles of the diet.
What Are The Health Benefits Of The Raw Vegan Diet?
The raw vegan diet is abundant in nutrient-rich plant foods. It’s also linked to a number of different health benefits.
May Improve Heart Health
A raw vegan diet could improve heart health owing to its focus on fruits and vegetables — both of which are consistently associated with lower blood pressures as well as a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke.
In addition, this way of eating includes plenty of nuts, seeds, sprouted whole grains as well as legumes. Studies demonstrate that these foods may improve blood cholesterol levels as well as further lower your risk of heart disease.
Observational studies report that vegans could have up to a 75% lower risk of developing high blood pressure as well as a 42% lower risk of dying from heart disease. What’s more, a number of different randomised controlled studies — the golden standard in scientific research — observe that vegan diets are very effective at reducing LDL cholesterol.
A number of different studies have looked at the effect of raw vegan diets specifically. However, their high content of nutrient-rich plant foods may provide similar results — though more studies are required.
May Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes
Also, a raw vegan diet may reduce your risk of diabetes.
Again, this could partly be due to its focus on fruits as well as vegetables, which are associated with a lowered risk of type 2 diabetes. In addition, this diet is rich in fibre — a nutrient linked to lower blood sugar levels and increased insulin sensitivity. One recent review study linked vegetarian – as well as vegan diets – to a 12% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, with vegan diets being the most effective.
What’s more, vegan diets do contain good amounts of nuts, seeds, sprouted grains and legumes, which may further assist to lower blood sugar levels. That said, not many studies have looked at the direct impacts of raw vegan diets. However, as they’re likely to include as much — if not more — nutrient- and fibre-rich fruits and vegetables as compared to other kinds of vegan diets, comparable benefits could be expected.
May Aid Weight Loss
A raw vegan diet seems to be very effective at assisting people to lose weight and keep it off. In fact, studies regularly link raw food diets — including raw veganism — in order to lower amounts of body fat.
In one study, individuals following various raw diets for over 3.5 years lost around 10–12 kg. What’s more, the participants with the highest ratio of raw foods in their diet also had the lowest body mass indexes (BMIs).
In another study, individuals following a raw vegan diet had a total body fat percentage between 7–9.4% lower as opposed to those eating a typical high-fat diet. Furthermore, several high-quality studies report that low-fat vegan diets — including raw vegan diets — are very effective for weight loss.
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