Rachel Frenkel

1/21/12

5th Hour

The Raw Food Diet

What types of foods are eaten?

·  Mainly fruits and vegetables like apples carrots, kale, spinach, etc. are eaten during the raw food diet. For protein and nutrients there are beans, nuts, seeds, and legumes also for calcium. Raw fish is rarely eaten but is a choice within the diets standards. Any food cooked over the degree of 118 is not considered part of this diet.

Why/How is this different than others?

·  This diet is unique because it is a diet meant for vegans and vegetarians to lose weight. This is also unique because it does not allow cooked food for consumption.

What are the possible side effects of the diet?

·  Some possible side effects of the Raw Food Diet include lack of vitamin B12, a vitamin found only in animals and because of the lack of cooked food one cannot gain these vitamins. Vitamin B12 is used to make red blood cells and help carry oxygen throughout the body. Lack of iron, resulting in amenia, can become a problem unless replaced by iron rich foods including pumpkin seeds, beans, dried fruits, molasses, and prune juice. Calcium deficiency is commonly found, but can be avoided by eating legumes, nuts, seeds, and leafy greens. Other energy effected problems in fatigue and impaired cognitive functions.

What are the expectations of this diet?

Pros:
·  The variety it offers the ability to make it unique to the user.
·  Easy snack accessibility
·  No contaminates from raw food produces
·  Healthy fats and fibers
·  Few calories
·  Avoids high blood pressure and strokes
·  Increase in energy / Cons:
·  Work load is large, having to slice, cut, chop, dehydrate, and clean rinds
·  High grocery expenses, only organic food
·  Some vegetables have nutrients released when cooked
·  Lower bone mass
·  Low vitamin D
·  Reduced Nutrient intake
·  Impaired immune system
Compare the “energy in vs. energy out” for a topical day:
·  For the recommended amount of calories for the diet, 1,280, the result an increase in brain activity and a strengthened ability to remember things. Previous users of the diet say that it improves energy levels and leads to more activities.

·  The expected results of this diet are weight loss and better nutrient.

Carbohydrates:

The recommended amount 22g per day in the Raw Food Diet: this is because most fruits and vegetables within the Raw Food Diet contain carbohydrates that give the body raw energy.

Lipids:

The recommended amount of lipids should be 46g. This is because this is natural sugar and can be converted to energy faster giving the body a chance to break down and use it as energy rather than it becoming stored as fats.

Proteins:

The recommended amount of proteins is a small 2g per day. This is because proteins are mainly found in meats and are not as vastly found in fruits and vegetables which make up the Raw Food Diet.

Digestion:

Physical Digestion and chemical Digestion start in the oral cavity. The teeth start the physical Digestion by breaking food down, giving it a bigger surface area, where the saliva starts the chemical digestion which will break the food down further. The digestion of starch starts with salivary amylase, for in saliva. This is secreted in the salivary glands. Salivary amylase breaks down starches into complex molecules like maltose.

The food then passes into the esophagus, where it is then moved down by a wave like motion called peristalsis. This brings the food down into the stomach where proteins are then digested. Pepsis, its inactive form found in the stomach pepsinogen, break the bonds of the proteins to break them down into polypeptides. When food enters the stomach gastrin alerts hydrochloric acid to then enter the stomach to active pepsinogen.

Then the food passes the pancreas where the pancreatic juices neutralize the acid and pass the live where bile, secreted in the liver held in the gallbladder, is released from the gallbladder and breaks down fats into small fatty droplets. Then the food enters the small intestine where it is then broken down further into amino acids, fatty acids and glycerol, and monosaccharides. These are then absorbed by the villi, diffused into the capillaries and then into the bloodstream to then diffuse into each of the body’s cells.

The body needs these monomers for growth and maintenance. These are used to create structures, new cells, or finish processes. These are broken down so the body can make its own proteins, carbohydrate, and fats.


The Raw Food Diet vs. The Israeli Army Diet

Claim: The Raw Food Diet seems to be the healthiest choice out of the two diets if someone wanted to lose weight. The Israeli Army Diet is meant for quick weight loss, not health.

Evidence: The Raw Food Diet and The Israeli Army Diet are both diets are meant to increase weight loss and improved health through its process. The Raw Food Diet consists of only eating raw foods or slow cooked foods under the temperature of 118°F. This diet lasts as short or as long as the dieter wants and can be stopped or picked up at any time. The Israeli Army Diet is a quick weight loss diet and only lasts 8 days. The Israeli Army Diet has the user eating for two days only apples, the next two days only cheese, the next two chicken, and then the last two salad. This diet is meant for quick weight loss for the user and is not meant to keep pounds off for more than a couple weeks.

Reasoning: A healthy diet is determined on the benefits that the diet does for the user. Does it help them lose weight in a healthy way? Are the average nutrient requirements met or close? What are some potential health problems? For the Israeli Army Diet, weight lose occurs from starving the body of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates that are necessary for functions, so the body resorts to using its own supply of stored energy, fats. Unlike the Israeli Army Diet, the Raw Food Diet has no limitations of the amount of something and does not have a narrow range of things the user can eat as the Israeli Diet does. For example a medium apple only has 80 calories, no fats, only 22g of carbohydrates, and no proteins. For two days the body is expected to only eat apples which limit its ability to work, relying on its lipids stored in the form of fats. Some major risks of the Israeli Army Diet include fatigue, lack of energy, and the inability to exercise resulting in inactivity. In retrospect the Raw Food Diet seems to be the most nutritious and “healthy” out of the two. Although the Raw Food Diet has its flaws, as is not the best diet for both nutrients and weight loss, the Raw Food Diet seems to offer the best variety of nutrients and calories, needed for bodily functions.
Works Cited

Cespedes, Andrea. "Raw Diet Risks." LIVESTRONG.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/439906-raw-diet-risks/>.

Eliaz, Isaac. "Pros And Cons Of The Raw Food Diet." Prevention. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/pros-and-cons-raw-food-diet>.

Fuhrman, Joel. "Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman." The Cold Truth About Raw Food Diets : Disease Proof. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/healthy-food-the-cold-truth-about-raw-food-diets.html>.

Rail, Kevin. "Pros & Cons of Raw Food Diets." LIVESTRONG.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/18744-pros-cons-raw-diets/>.

"Raw Food Diet Review - Foods You Can Eat, Meal Plans, and More." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/raw-food-diet>.

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"Starting a Raw Food Diet." Starting a Raw Food Diet. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.thebestofrawfood.com/>.

US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/raw-food-diet>.