Is there a difference between vegetarian
and raw food diets? A raw foodist is a vegetarian, but one who generally is not
going to cook his vegetables or fruits. A vegetarian is someone who simply
doesn’t eat meat, fish or poultry, but only consumes vegetables, pasta, and rice.
A vegetarian might eat meatless spaghetti sauce or order onion rings in a
restaurant. (Not the healthiest choice, but sometimes it’s hard to find
something to eat in a restaurant if you’re vegetarian – even harder if you’re a
raw foodist.)
There are different categories of
vegetarians, like vegans, or fruitarians, and raw foodist is a category of
vegetarianism. We haven’t seen anything about sushi being considered a raw
food, but it is. Raw food, though, generally means eating raw, uncooked fruits,
vegetables, dried fruits, seaweeds, etc.
But to be a raw food purist means raw
broccoli, not steamed. To a vegetarian, someone committed to not eat meat or
fish or animal products, steamed vegetables are just as good, although everyone
would agree that steaming can take out nutrients from foods, rendering them
less nutritious. A vegetarian might consume dairy or egg products; however a
vegan will not consume any animal products at all. And a raw foodist is a vegan
who consumes only uncooked, unprocessed raw foods.
It is also thought that the cooking process destroys vitamins and minerals and that cooked foods not only take longer to digest, but they also allow partially digested fats, proteins and carbohydrates to clog up our gut and arteries.
Followers of a raw diet cite numerous health benefits, including:
- increased
energy levels
- improved
appearance of skin
- improved
digestion
- weight
loss
- reduced
risk of heart disease
