Raw food, the consequences of eating all raw

We have before us a new fashion, raw food or eaten raw, exclusionary and restrictive diet. Its proponents claim that is the best diet to promote and restore health and for which the human body was designed by nature. They also say: it is the only clearly non-toxic diet, because the heat of cooking destroy nutrients (which is cooked above 42 ° C is dead food, all enzymes, vitamins and minerals are lost) and simultaneously generate toxic.

For this reason we might think it is healthier eating raw food, but no scientific study has shown that a raw diet is healthier but rather the contrary, since eating only foods without any heat treatment, it may not only not be healthy but become dangerous because of the risk of suffering toxicoinfections and certain nutritional deficiencies (calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, protein and calories).

The health risks associated with this power must be compensated with strict food safety precautions and supplement it not to be deficient in nutrients.

It is considered the person raw food diet that bases its raw foods, ie no culinary treatment with heat. Many of these foods are fruits and vegetables that are consumed as are provided by nature without any processing. Sometimes also they include germinated cereals or legumes and dried or fermented foods. Some are not only raw food vegetarian, but introduce other raw products in your diet, such as fish or eggs, which raises the risk of poisoning if certain precautions are not taken.

Be the diet that is, the important thing is that it includes all the nutrients the body needs. All extremes are harmful. The best diet should be one in which the minimum run health risk. One thing is to take two daily servings of fruits and raw vegetables, as recommended in a balanced and healthy diet, and another thing to eat only raw food or with a light heat treatment. Sporadic consumption of raw products, such as meat or fish carpaccio, sushi or ceviche can also be present in a healthy diet, as long as proper sanitary precautions are taken.

Risks in eating raw food

Apart from food contamination by microorganisms or other chemical or physical substances are toxic natural, anti-nutritional factors in foods that are eliminated by cooking. If you take the raw food can cause health damage. These toxic substances act by interfering in metabolic processes and nutrient bioavailability as in the case of antivitamin factors, enzyme inhibitors, and polyvalent antiminerales antinutrients.

In most cases where raw foods are consumed, security measures are summarized in two basic tips: get a trusted product in origin which also must be very fresh; and extreme hygiene measures for conservation and handling.

Vegetables

They can be a vehicle for transmission of pathogenic microorganisms or parasites such as toxoplasma. If not cooked they should be sanitized prior to consumption, cleaning them with water and desinfectándolas with a solution of water and bleach suitable for food, and then rinsed in tap water or commercial solutions already prepared. It should also be washed with clean water fruits, whether consumed with skin or not.

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Seafood

Seafood may contain anisakis combat that heat treatments above 60 ° C, or by pre-freezing at minus 20 degrees Celsius for 24-48 hours, or up to 72 h in home freezers.

They may also contain microorganisms such as Vibrio (V. parahaemolyticus), or viruses, such as hepatitis A, which are inactivated by the heat of cooking. Especially bivalve molluscs (oysters, mussels, clams ...) that are filter feeders, and is indispensable pre-purge its sale and consumption, even if they will be cooked.

Meat, poultry and milk

Consumption of raw or undercooked meat is related to development of toxoplasmosis, dangerous during pregnancy or in immunocompromised patients. It can also contain microorganisms such as Campylobacter, Yersinia, Listeria or Salmonella, specially in bird meat (chicken or turkey) origin that can be eaten in raw or undercooked. Pork undercooked transmitted trichinosis.

Milk can harbor microbial contaminants, such as Brucella, the causative agent of brucellosis or "Malta fever" if eaten raw. Cheeses made from unpasteurized raw and less than 2 months of healing milk zay contain listeria, serious pathology in pregnancy affected the fetus.

The eggs

Its oil consumption is not recommended both for nutritional reasons and food safety. It contains a substance called avidin, which acts as antinutrient, blocking the absorption of biotin (vitamin B8) and can cause vitamin deficiency. The cooked egg causes denaturation of the avidin and biotin allows room is available for the organism. Moreover, the egg may be contaminated by Salmonella, which is destroyed by cooking.

To consider

Some foods have more nutritional value raw and others when they are cooked (the case of animal protein, beta-carotene vegetables or vegetables, carbohydrates or cereals, legumes and tubers).

Among the advantages of eating raw are the preserve micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and some enzymes that are destroyed during cooking, and more chewing is required, which increases the feeling of fullness and tend to eat less.

The cooked through heat, besides having a sanitizing effect on food (destroys pathogens that may contain), may enhance its digestibility and assimilation (in the case of animal proteins or vegetable fibers), remove toxins and anti-nutrients and facilitate their consumption and develop new aromas and flavors.

It is also true that cooking certain foods can release toxic substances, but extreme caution can minimize the risk. Thus, excess temperature can burn food and generate undesirable substances. It is the case of oil steams or other foods such as rich in carbohydrates and proteins by the so-called Maillard reaction produce substances harmful to health, such as acrylamides or furan.

However certain types of pollution are not removed by the heat, as the remains of pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, heavy metals or radioactive contamination.

In food, as in all aspects of life, everything is about balance and a healthy diet should predominate plant foods like fruits and vegetables (at least two crude a day servings), legumes, nuts, whole grains , tubers and small amounts of low-fat dairy, eggs, fish, white meat and olive oil, the necessary hygienic conditions be carefully monitored to reduce the risk of toxoinfección.