Scleroderma

In a recent article on restoring alkalinity in the body, we noted that changing your diet and introducing an abundance of living and raw foods provide a much safer alternative than traditional medicine in restoring the body’s alkalinity, and subsequently ensuring good health.

This notion has been an integral part of the Foundation's philosophy, and one we continually share with our Scleroderma patients and their families. We believe that with a commitment by patients to changing their diets and add living and raw foods to their meals, will reverse any acidic imbalance in the body, and help them to live longer, healthier lives.

A diet of raw food involves eating whole, live, nutritionally-dense organic uncooked and un-processed foods as a large percentage of one's diet - as much as 75 -80%. These would include for example, fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed.

Remember the 80-20 goal? Heating food above 46 degrees celcius is believed to destroy enzymes in food that can assist in the digestion and absorption of food, thus diminshing its nutritional value. Heating has also been shown to create the carcinogens, mutagens, free-radicals and other toxins that are associated with many of today's chronic diseases, from diabetes and arthritis to heart disease and cancer.

The raw food diet contains fewer trans fats and saturated fat than the typical Western diet. It is also low in sodium and high in potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber and health-promoting plant chemicals called phytochemicals. Proponents of the diet believe it has numerous health benefits, including:

• Increased energy
• Improved skin appearance
• Better digestion
• Weight loss
• Reduced risk of heart disease
  

There are some common misconceptions regarding such a diet - that it is expensive and that it takes a lot of time to prepare. However, when you do it correctly, a raw food diet is actually one of the easiest, most convenient and most economical ways you can eat. Some popular techniques used in preparation include:

• Sprouting seeds, grains, and beans
• Juicing fruit and vegetables
• Soaking nuts and dried fruit
• Blending
• Dehydrating food
  

It should be noted though that some people experience a detoxification reaction when they start the raw food diet, especially if their previous diet was rich in meat, sugar, and caffeine. Mild headaches, nausea, and cravings can occur but usually last for several days. You should also be aware that certain nutritional deficiencies can occur on the raw food diet, including:

• Calcium
• Iron
• B12 – The Journal of Nutrition study found that a raw food diet increased levels of homocysteine due to vitamin B-12 deficiency.
• Protein
• Calories
  

Once again, you don't have to cut out all other foods, otherwise you probably wouldn't get enough protein and variety of nutrients, yet alone make interesting meals that you enjoy - hence the 80-20 formula. For more on the science of raw food versus cooked food, visit http://www.beyondveg.com/tu-j-l/raw-cooked/raw-cooked-1a.shtml

References:
wikipedia (2009), "Raw foodism", Accessed via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_food
Raw Food For Life (2009), "The Science Of Raw Food", Accessed via http://www.rawfoodlife.com/
Cathy Wong (2007), "Raw Food Diet", Accessed via http://altmedicine.about.com/od/popularhealthdiets/a/Raw_Food.htm
Vegan Society (2008), "Healthy choices on raw vegan diets", Accessed via http://www.vegansociety.com/food/raw_food.php
Medical News Today (2009), "What Is The Raw Food Diet? What Are The Benefits Of The Raw Food Diet?", Accessed via http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/7381.php