Eating fresh, whole foods is appealing, especially at this time of year. Some people take this fresh concept a step further by consuming all of their foods uncooked. In other words, raw.
Supporters of the Raw Foods Diet argue that once food is cooked, its enzymes — which they claim are essential for optimal digestion — are gone. But in reality, it’s the body and not the food that supplies the enzymes needed for digestion.
A raw diet essentially excludes entire food groups such as cooked meat, poultry, fish, beans, and legumes. Nutrients that are hard to come by include protein, vitamin D, iron, calcium, zinc, and B vitamins. Anemia is a real possibility.
Anecdotal reports suggest that children who have raw diets are constantly hungry and can be underdeveloped for their age.
Another concern is that a child’s digestive tract may not be able to extract nutrients out of raw foods as well as an adult’s tract.
“Raw fruits and veggies require a bit more digestion,” says Skylar Griggs, a pediatric dietitian at Boston Children’s Hospital. “Think of chewing a cooked carrot versus a baby carrot.”
Some nutrients, such as the carotenoids found in carrots, sweet potato, and kale, are actually enhanced by the cooking process. The heat that softens the vegetables is breaking down the cell walls, making the nutrients more available.
Some raw diets include raw meat or fish, as well as unpasteurized milk, yogurt, and cheese.
“Uncooked fare, especially raw meat, poultry, and raw dairy products, come with a myriad of health risks which include food-borne illness,” Griggs says. “My views are in line with the American Academy of Pediatrics, which discourages the use of raw or unpasteurized milk and milk products as the health claims related to drinking raw milk have not been verified by scientific evidence.”
It can be a challenge to follow this diet over the long run. What about birthday parties, sleepovers, and other social events? Will your child be left out of the fun? Keep in mind, a child who has been fed only raw foods may struggle with appropriate eating behaviors as he gains more independence.
Eating raw takes a lot of work, creativity, and careful planning.
“Parents should speak with their pediatric care provider before their child starts on a raw diet,” cautions Griggs. “The child’s growth should be measured closely and micro and macro nutrient deficiencies should be monitored.”
Christine Palumbo is a Naperville-registered dietitian nutritionist who is a new Fellow of the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Follow her on Twitter @PalumboRD, Facebook at Christine Palumbo Nutrition, or Chris
Seedy date balls
INGREDIENTS:
8 x 8-inch sheet of parchment paper
6 Medjool dates, pitted and halved
6 dried plums (aka prunes), pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup fresh or frozen (and thawed) blueberries
1 teaspoon cacao powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup chia seeds
DIRECTIONS: Line an 8 x 8-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper. Combine the dates, plums, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips, blueberries, cacao powder, salt, and water in a food processor or blender and process until almost smooth.
Take about 1 tablespoon of the date plum mixture, and with wet hands, shape it into a ball. Place the ball on the prepared pan. Repeat until you have used up all the date-plum mixture.
Pour the chia seeds into a small bowl. Roll each ball in the chia seeds and place it back on the prepared pan. Place the balls in the freezer to chill for 2 hours. Wrap each ball individually in parchment paper or bakery tissue paper, place in a sealable plastic bag and keep frozen until ready to pack or eat.
NUTRITION FACTS: (1 date ball): 80 calories, 12 g carbohydrates (7 g sugar), 2 g protein, 3 g fat, 0 cholesterol, 20 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.
Used with permission from Sweet Debbie’s Organic Treats: Allergy-Free & Vegan Recipes by Debbie Adler.
