On the road to excellent health, there are a lot of forks. Some routes, such as vegetarianism or the Mediterranean diet, have significant science supporting them. Other ones, such as the vegan or plant-based diet, which shuns all animal products inclusive of eggs and dairy, are prize-winning converts. And then there’s a new offshoot, the raw vegan diet, which deems to be cooking to be unnatural and unhealthy.
Although the raw vegan diet isn’t new, it has been reclaiming popularity recently. It blends the tenets of veganism with those of raw foodism.
While some individuals may choose to follow it for ethical or environmental motives, most people do it for its supposed health benefits. These involve weight loss, enhanced heart health as well as a lower risk of diabetes.
How Does A Raw Vegan Diet Work?
The raw vegan diet is pretty simple. Take the vegan diet (which means that no animal products — meat, dairy, fish, eggs, and cheese – are allowed) and then only consume foods which haven’t been cooked beyond 48 degrees Celsius. This means that all of the foods which you consume will be either cold or lukewarm and will be served in their natural state — no steaming, roasting, or sautéing is allowed.
What Are The Benefits?
A raw vegan diet could improve heart health. This is because of its focus on fruits as well as vegetables. Both of these are consistently linked to lower blood pressures in addition to a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke.
A raw vegan way of eating also includes a lot of nuts, seeds, sprouted whole grains and legumes. Recent studies show that these types of foods may improve blood cholesterol levels and also further lower your risk of heart disease.
Observational studies have testified that vegans may have up to a 75% lower risk of developing high blood pressure in addition to a 42% lower risk of dying from heart disease. A number of different randomised controlled studies — which is the gold standard in scientific research — observe that vegan diets are especially effective at reducing bad LDL cholesterol.
A Raw Vegan Diet May Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes
A raw vegan diet may also lower your risk of diabetes. Again, this may partly be owing to its focus on fruits and vegetables, which are related to a lessened 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, which links vegetarian and vegan diets to a 12% reduced probability of type 2 diabetes, with vegan diets that are the very most efficient. What’s more, vegan diets include good amounts of nuts, seeds, sprouted grains as well as legumes, which may also help to lower blood sugar levels.
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