A raw food diet can take on a multitude of different forms; including a raw food diet that is strictly vegan or vegetarian, or one that is omnivorous. The distinction between the different forms of raw food diet that exist is not merely an academic point of discussion, and the reason for this is that different types of raw food diet have different degrees of health risks and complications associated with them.
Potential health complications associated with a vegan-based raw food diet
Clinical studies that have been conducted into the effects that a vegan based raw food diet has upon the body has identified that people who engage in such a diet have a higher rate of suffering from a multitude of different nutritional related deficiency and these are listed in more detail as follows.
A naturally occurring chemical element, calcium plays an integral role in the overall performance and wellbeing of the muscular-skeletal framework of the body which should come as little surprise considering the fact that 99% of the calcium deposits that are stored around the body are to be found in both the teeth and the bones of the skeleton.
However, although calcium is itself most commonly associated with its beneficial role that it has to play in regards to the maintenance of the optimal performance of teeth and bones, this is not the only essential function that calcium has to play.
The role that calcium has in the maintenance of good health
Calcium is also used to regulate the physiological process of exocytosis, which is the term used to describe the expulsion of vesticles from the inner layer of cells; through the permeable membrane that encloses it. One of the most common elements used within the exocytosis process is soluble protein which itself will then be distributed around the cells of the body for the production of essential amino acids as well as the repair of muscle tissue and various enzymes including liptides.
A lesser known function that calcium has is that it also plays a role in the regulation of the electrical conduction cardiac system; and whilst this particular physiological process lies within the remit of the element sodium, calcium can be used in lieu of the sodium element in situations where sodium levels are insufficient.
Calcium deficiency in children: rickets
One of the most common long term health effects that will arise as a direct consequence of long-term calcium deficiency within the body is the development and onset of a skeletal disorder known as rickets which is indigenous to children.
Rickets itself is the process whereby the structural stability and density of the skeletal bones are reduced, thereby making the bones much softer and therefore brittle which in turn; exponentially increases the likelihood of compound fractures occurring. Another associated health complication with calcium deficiency is that the ability of the body to properly clot blood is impaired and these two variables combined will also increase the risk of the onset of another severe bone disorder known as avascular necrosis.
Calcium deficiency in adults: osteoporosis
Adults who confine themselves to a strictly enforced vegan based raw foot diet must also be aware that they too are not entirely free from the potential long-term health complications and pathologies that can arise from a profound deficiency of calcium and so they can suffer the development of osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis has been described as the adult version of rickets and in some rudimentary level, there is a degree of similarity between the two. However, osteoporosis will specifically manifest itself in a series of issues that are not as evident within rickets and these are as follows:
- The relative bone mineral density of the afflicted regions will be reduced below the healthy range of the BMD rating which is currently capped at 2.5 by the World Health Organisation.
- Both the types and volume of proteins that are currently present within the afflicted bones will also represent a significant deviation from the norm.
- Finally, X-rays will identify that the microarchitecture of the skeletal framework is brittle and impaired.
The reason that vegans who follow a strict raw food diet are more susceptible to the onset of calcium related deficiency disorders is due to the fact that they will not consume the sources of food that are most commonly associated with providing the body with the requisite amounts of dietary calcium which happen to be milk and cheese.
The Achilles heel of the raw food diet: presence of antinutrient agents
Proponents of the raw food diet of any description will be quick to claim that the cooking process effectively destroys the essential nutritional goodness of the food item in question. However, clinical studies have identified that many different types of food happen to have a high content of the so called antinutrient agents.
Antinutrient agents are compounds which are both synthetically produced and naturally occurring that as their name would perhaps indicate to the reader, serve to effectively limit the ultimate absorption of essential nutrients, nutritive elements and dietary minerals within the gastrointestinal tract of the body.
Phytic acid and its impact on the body
Phytic acid is one such antinutrient agent and it is a common element found with the vast majority of plant tissues including both edible and non-edible plants and more in particular; bran related products such as brown rice and wholegrain.
The reason that phytic acid is of significance is to the due to the fact that it engages in the chelation process; whereby polydenate ion is then combined with a single atom. Speaking plainly, the end result of this process is that whenever phytic acid happens to be present within the gastrointestinal canal (which it must be by virtue of the fact that it is incapable of being digested) ; it directly inhibits the ability of the small intestine to absorb certain dietary minerals.
These include zinc and iron, and it is for this reason that vegan based raw food diet practitioners are especially vulnerable to the devastating impact of pernicious anaemia.
As can be plainly seen, a raw food diet is something that must be carefully weighed and considered before rushing into it in earnest. If you are informed and follow it correctly though, it is the most healthy diet a person could have. Unfortunately, it is not easy for most people to do so.