Lately, I have had many patients ask me what I think about the raw food diet.

In the past few months it has received quite a bit of media attention and thought it would be a great idea to explain the pros and cons of eating a diet of raw food only.

This type of diet does provide heaps of fiber which helps to maintain healthy bowel function. Additionally, raw food retains more vitamins and minerals as they aren’t affected by the cooking process

On the flip side, following this type of diet if you have a poor digestive system, most likely will exacerbate your symptoms.

According to Chinese Medicine, raw and cold food will injure your body’s ability to effectively digest food. The result is bloating, loose stools, and undigested food in stools. If this type of diet is continued for a long time this may lead to malnutrition as a result of poorly absorbing nutrients from the impaired digestive system.

So what is the best thing to do? Incorporate some raw food into your diet. Eating raw nuts, salads and fruits is extremely beneficial to maintaining your health through introducing essential vitamins, minerals and fiber.

However, ensuring you incorporate meats, grains and cereals as well which must be cooked will provide a more completed meal plan that positively impacts the healthy manufacture and balance of hormones, and neurotransmitters to maintain health and wellbeing. If your digestion is struggling here are some foods that can assist with improving its functioning

• Eat a variety fresh food
• Eat while relaxed – avoid eating when in a hurry or stressed as the body doesn’t prioritise digesting food when you are stressed. The result is indigestion, belching and possibly stomach pains
• In the beginning of your day have warm water with a squeeze of lemon. This stimulates the digestive system and also helps with neutralising the body’s pH level making it less acidic and more alkaline.
• Lightly cooked meals as they are easier to digest
• Try and have a mixture of sweet, bitter, pungent flavours in cooking
• Sweet Flavours – root vegetables, grains
• Bitter Flavours – rocket, watercress (assists in digestion)
• Pungent Flavours – onions, coriander, chives (assists in digestion and moves QI, which is energy in the stomach)
• Sip green tea or peppermint tea during your meals to enhance digestion, or perhaps small amounts of red wine, as this too can assist in digestion

Hope you enjoyed the article Dr Irene Prantalos. Salubre Health Solutions Melbourne.