Raw foodism 641274 226050398 2008-07-16T16:37:18Z 69.89.100.166 /* Recent research */ format {{Refimprove|date=March 2008}} {{Unbalanced|date=March 2008}} {{otheruses4|raw food consumption by humans|a raw diet for cats or dogs|Raw feeding}} [[image:Rawtomatopasta1.jpg|thumb|300px|A raw tomato sauce with olives, celery, spinach and walnuts on courgette (zucchini) 'pasta' noodles.]]'''Raw foodism''' (or 'rawism') is a lifestyle promoting the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the [[diet (nutrition)|diet]]. Depending on the type of lifestyle and results desired, raw food diets may include a selectıon of raw [[fruits]], [[vegetables]], [[nut (fruit)|nuts]], [[seed]]s (including sprouted [[whole grain]]s), [[egg (food)|eggs]], [[fish]], [[meat]], and [[Pasteurization|unpasteurized]] [[dairy]] products (such as [[raw milk]], [[cheese]] and [[yogurt]]). A ''raw foodist'' (or 'rawist') is a person who consumes primarily raw food, or all raw food, depending on how strict the diet is. Raw foodists typically believe that the greater the percentage of raw food in the diet, the greater the health benefits. Members of the raw food community claim that raw food encourages weight loss and prevents and/or heals many forms of [[sickness]] and many [[chronic disease]]s. Wrangham, a specialist in chimp behaviour and a critic of this nutritional approach claims that cooking is obligatory for humans, as of millions of years ago.<ref name=Wrangham>{{cite journal |author=Wrangham R, Conklin-Brittain N. |title=Cooking as a biological trait |journal=Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol |volume=136 |issue=1 |pages=35–46 |year=2003 Sep |pmid=14527628 |doi=10.1016/S1095-6433(03)00020-5 |url=http://anthropology.tamu.edu/faculty/alvard/anth630/reading/Week%208%20Diet%20tubers/Wrangham%20and%20Conklin-Brittain%202003.pdf}}</ref><ref name=Cookingupquiteastory>Cromie, William J. [http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/06.13/01-cooking.html Cooking up quite a story: Ape, human theory causes evolutionary indigestion], Harvard Gazette Archives</ref><ref name=TheWayWeEatNow>{{cite news |last=Lambert |first=Craig |title=The Way We Eat Now |publisher=Harvard Magazine |date=May-June 2004 |url=http://harvardmagazine.com/2004/05/the-way-we-eat-now.html}}</ref>. However, most archaeologists and anthropologists, most prominent of whom is Professor Loring Brace, tend to dismiss Wrangham's claims, citing a much later date for the advent of cooking, given that hearths for cooking only appeared c.250,000 years ago <ref> url=http://cogweb.ucla.edu/Abstracts/Pennisi_99.html</ref>. There are also various other concerns regarding major flaws in Wrangham's theory relating to consumption of cooked starchy tubers supposedly leading to bigger human brains, given that average human brain-size actually decreased in size by 8% after humans massively increased their intake of cooked-starchy foods from the start of the Neolithic era. <ref> http://www.beyondveg.com/nicholson-w/hb/hb-interview1f.shtml</ref>, <ref>http://www.rawpaleo.com/adventCook.html</ref> == Background == === History === The consumption of raw food is a universal practice among animal species. There is, as yet, no clear evidence as to when cooking was invented, with Wrangham claiming that cooking was invented as far back as 1.8 million to 2.3 million years ago, to others suggesting that cooking was invented as late as 40,000 <ref>http://www.falconblanco.com/health/alimentation/rawfood1.htm</ref> or 10,000 years ago.<ref> http://www.living-foods.com/articles/rawfreshproduce.html </ref> Evidence of fire is inconclusive as wildfires started by lightning-strikes are still common in East Africa and other wild areas, and it is difficult to determine as to when fire was used for cooking, as opposed to just for warmth or keeping predators away. However, the majority of archaeologists place the advent of cooking at around 250,000 years ago. Raw foods gained prominence throughout the 1900s, as proponents such as [[Ann Wigmore]] and [[Herbert Shelton]] claimed that a diet of raw [[fruit]]s and [[vegetable]]s is the ideal diet for humans. Interest in the "Raw Foods Movement" continues to grow today, and especially prevalent in the Western United States, like California where many resources are available for one to learn more about and practice a raw foods lifestyle. [[Artturi Ilmari Virtanen|Artturi Virtanen]] (1895-1973), showed that [[enzymes]] in uncooked foods are released in the mouth when vegetables are chewed. It is believed that these enzymes interact with other substances, notably the enzymes produced by the body itself, to aid the digestion process. [[Francis M. Pottenger, Jr.]]'s laboratory work with generations of cats fed on either cooked or raw foods concluded that a diet exclusively of raw milk and meat was the only adequate intake of nutrition which ensured the maintenance of optimal health for the cats. Leslie Kenton's book, ''The New Raw Energy,'' in 1984 popularized food such as sprouts, seeds, and fresh vegetable juices, which have become staples in many different food cultures. The book brought together research into raw foodism and its support of health, citing examples such as the sprouted seed enriched diets of the long lived [[Hunza people]], as well as [[Max Gerson]]'s claim of a raw juice-based [[cancer]] cure. The book advocates a diet of 75% raw food in order to prevent degenerative diseases, slow the effects of aging, provide enhanced energy, and boost emotional balance. Restaurants catering to a raw food diet have opened in large cities,<ref>[http://www.live-food.com/resources/locations.html Live-Food.com: Locations<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and numerous all-raw cookbooks have been published.<ref>[http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.net/Amazon/VegRawFoods.htm Raw and Live Food Vegetarian Books<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Currently, there exist many proponents of the Raw Foods lifestyle, that have resources available on proper nutrition and transitional lifestyle diet changes. Among them, include Matt Monarch, Angela Stokes, David Jubb Ph.D., Norman Walker Ph.D., Douglas Graham Ph.D., David Wolfe, Alissa Cohen, Aajonus Vonderplanitz, Dr Mercola, Vinny Pinto and Paul Nison. Vast resources, including forums, recipes, personal testimony, nutritional guides, medical information, and products exist online as well and are available for anyone interested in researching Raw Foods. In the documentary film "[[Supercharge Me]]!" an overweight woman filmed her experience of eating exclusively raw fruits and vegetables for 30 days to show the results, taking the opposite approach of "[[Super Size Me]]." ===Beliefs=== Common beliefs held by raw foodists: * Raw foods contain [[enzymes]] which aid digestion, meaning that the body's own enzymes may work unimpeded in regulating the body's metabolic processes, and heating food above 110-120 degrees Fahrenheit degrades or destroys these enzymes in food. * Eating food without enzymes makes digestion more difficult, which could lead to [[toxicity]] in the body and cause excess consumption of food, [[obesity]] and [[chronic disease]]. * Raw foods contain [[bacteria]] and other [[micro-organisms]] that affect the [[immune system]] and [[digestion]] by populating the [[digestive tract]] with [[gut flora]]. * Raw foods have higher [[nutrient]] values than foods which have been cooked. * Wild foods are the most nutritious raw foods.<ref>[http://www.living-foods.com/articles/davidinterview.html Interview of David Wolfe, co-author of ''Nature's First Law: The Raw Food Diet'', by Bob Avery.]</ref><ref>An Invitation from Sergei. Raw Family Newsletter, June 2007. [http://archives.zinester.com/1819/133854.html?rss=1 Statement on Wild Edibles]</ref> * [[Freezing]] food is acceptable, even though freezing lowers enzyme activity. This view is, however, only held by some raw-foodists, with many raw-foodists actually viewing freezing as harmful, though not as unhealthy as cooking. ==Research== ===Early 20th century=== A 1933 paper by E. B. Forbes says, "Cooking renders food pasty, so that it sticks to the teeth, and undergoes acid [[Fermentation (food)|fermentation]]. Furthermore, the cooking of food greatly diminishes the need for use of the teeth; and thus tends to diminish the [[circulation]] of blood to the jaws and teeth, and to produce under-development of the [[maxillary]] and contiguous bones—thus leading to contracted [[dental arch]]es, and to [[malocclusion]] and [[impaction]] of the teeth, with complications of great seriousness."<ref>The Ohio Journal of Science. Vol. 33, No.5 (September, 1933), 389-406</ref> In a 1936 work entitled ''Nutrition and Physical Degeneration'', dentist [[Weston A. Price]] observed dental degeneration in the first generation who abandoned traditional nutrient dense foods which included unprocessed raw foods e.g. unpasteurised milk products, fruit and dried meats. Price claimed that the parents of such first generation children had excellent jaw development and dental health, while their children had [[malocclusion]] and tooth decay and attributed this to their new modern insufficient nutrient diet (which would have included a proportion of raw food). Dr. Edward Howell, an [[Illinois]] physician, wrote ''Food Enzymes for Health & Longevity'' in 1941. Forty years later he published ''Enzyme Nutrition'' And "Eat Me Raw", Two books which claimed that the [[pancreas]] is forced to work harder on a diet of cooked foods, and that food enzymes are just as essential to digestion as the body's self-generated enzymes, claims which have not been verified. The book was based largely on ideas from his previous book, and ideas derived from flawed enzyme research from the 1930s before it was established that enzymes were proteins. === Recent research === Researchers at the [[University of Toronto]] and another published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggest that ingesting uncooked or unpasteurized [[dairy|dairy products]] may reduce the risk of [[colon cancer]]. Mice and rats fed uncooked sucrose, casein, and beef tallow had one third to one fifth the incidence of [[adenoma|microadenoma]]s as the mice and rats fed the same ingredients cooked.<ref>[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2208161&dopt=Abstract Promotion of colonic microadenoma growth in mice and rats fed cooked sugar or cooked casein and fat]</ref><ref>[http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/84/13/1026?ck=nck Promotion of Aberrant Crypt Foci and Cancer in Rat Colon by Thermolyzed Protein]</ref> Several studies published since 1990 indicate that cooking [[meat|muscle meat]] creates [[heterocyclic amines]] (HCAs), which are thought to increase cancer risk in humans. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute published results of a study which found that human subjects who ate beef rare or medium-rare had less than one third the risk of stomach cancer than those who ate beef medium-well or well-done.<ref>http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/heterocyclic-amines National Cancer Institute - Heterocyclic Amines in Cooked Meats</ref> While eating muscle meat raw may be the only way to avoid HCAs fully, the [[National Cancer Institute]] claims that cooking meat below {{convert|212|F|lk=on}} creates "negligible amounts" of HCAs. Also, [[microwaving]] meat before cooking may reduce HCAs by 90%.<ref> http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/heterocyclic-amines</ref>. Unfortunately, there have been some major concerns among the public regarding the carcinogenic effects of microwave-cooking, and a link between microwaving and leukocytosis<ref> http://www.mercola.com/article/microwave/hazards.htm</ref> There have also been major concerns regarding AGEs(Advanced Glycation Endproducts) in cooked foods, which have been shown to cause serious deterioration in human health over time, such as increasing the risk of diabetes etc. <ref>http://www.andersonclan.us/andersonclan_top/ages.html</ref> [[Nitrosamine]]s, present in processed and cooked foods, have also been noted as being carcinogenic, being linked to stomach cancer. <ref> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrosamine </ref> Also, toxic compounds called PAHs, or PolyCyclic Aromatic Amines, present in processed, smoked and cooked foods, are known to be carcinogenic.<ref> http://ec.europa.eu/food/fs/sc/scf/out154_en.pdf</ref> [[Germany|German]] research in 2003 showed significant benefits in reducing [[breast cancer]] risk when large amounts of raw vegetable matter are included in the diet. The authors attribute some of this effect to heat-labile [[phytonutrients]].<ref>Nutr Cancer. 2003;46(2):131-7</ref> == Raw food diets== The following popular diets include only raw foods: {| class="wikitable" ! '''Diet''' ! '''Raw foods included in the diet''' ! '''Notable adherents''' |- | [[Anopsology|Instinctive eating]]<br>(anopsology) | fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and meat–typically excludes dairy | Guy-Claude Burger, Bruno Comby, Renato F. Sison, M.D., Severen L.Schaeffer. |- | [[Fruitarianism]] | fruit, nuts and seeds, and sometimes greens, sprouted grains & legumes | Morris Krok |- | Primal diet | fatty meats, dairy and [[vegetable juice]]s<ref>[http://www.beyondveg.com/nieft-k/rvw/rvw-we-want-to-live.shtml A critical review of "we want to live"]</ref> |Aajonus Vonderplanitz |- | Raw foodism | Food from all food groups (unheated or warmed to a temp less than 105 degrees) |- | [[Raw veganism]] | fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains and legumes | [[Shazzie]], [[David Wolfe (vegan)|David Wolfe]], Dr. [[Gabriel Cousens]], |- | Low-fat 80 10 10 diet [[raw veganism]] | fruit, vegetables, limited amounts of nuts and seeds (if any) | |- | Raw [[vegetarianism]] | fruit, vegetables, sprouts, nuts, seeds, grains, legumes, dairy, eggs and honey |- |Raw [[Paleolithic Diet]] | Lean and fatty meats, organ-meats, fruit, vegetables, honey, nuts, fish, shellfish, eggs - excludes dairy, grains,legumes and vegetable juices<ref>[http://www.rawpaleo.com/ Raw Paleolithic Diet<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |- |Wai diet | fruit, nuts, fish, and eggs<ref>[http://www.waidiet.com/ WaiDiet<!-- Bot generated title -->]|</ref> |- | The Garden Diet | fruit, vegetables, sea vegetables, sprouts, nuts, seeds, honey, Celtic sea salt, olive and [[linseed oil|flax seed oil]]s<ref>[http://www.thegardendiet.com/ The Garden Diet - Raw Food Family Site<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |} ===Food preparation=== Many foods in raw food diets are simple to prepare, such as fruits, salads, meat, and dairy. Other foods can require considerable advanced planning to prepare for eating. [[Rice]] and some other grains, for example, require [[sprouting]] or overnight soaking to become digestible. Many raw foodists believe it is best to soak nuts before eating them, in order to activate their [[enzymes]], and deactivate enzyme inhibitors. Preparation of ''gourmet'' raw food recipes usually call for a [[blender (device)|blender]], [[food processor]], [[juicer]], and [[Food dehydrator|dehydrator]]. Depending on the recipe, some food (such as crackers, breads and cookies) may need to be dehydrated. These processes, which produce foods with the taste and texture of cooked food, are lengthy. Some raw foodists dispense with these foods, feeling that there is no need to emulate the other non-raw diets.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} Care may be required in planning a raw food diet, especially for children. There is little research on how to plan a nutritionally adequate raw food diet; however, nutritionists and raw M.D.s are usually willing to provide professional advice.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} Raw foodists claim that with sufficient [[food energy]], essential fatty acids, variety and density, people of all ages can be successful at eating raw foods, although whether the diet works for any one person depends on their unique metabolism. In 2007, [[Tonya Kay]]'s raw vegan diet was nutritionally analyzed and published in an eBook entitled "Raw Nutritional Analysis - A month on Tonya Kay's autumn diet". On average, her vitamin and nutrient intake was found to be superior to the FDA requirements.<ref>www.kayosmarket.com</ref> ===Avoiding poisoning=== As the consumption of raw foods gains popularity, some unsafe foods have re-entered the diets of humans. The following should be consumed with caution: * [[Buckwheat]] greens are toxic when raw, particularly if juiced or eaten in large quantities by fair skinned individuals. The chemical component [[fagopyrum]] is known to cause severe [[photosensitivity]] and other [[dermatology|dermatological]] complaints.<ref>{{cite web | last = Arbour | first = Gilles | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Are buckwheat greens toxic? | work = Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients | publisher = Find Articles |date=December 2004 | url = http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_257/ai_n7638045 | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-02-04 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=PDF Article by Gilles Arbour | url =http://www.gillesarbour.com/buckwheat_assets/Buckwheat%20Greens.pdf | accessdate = 2004-06-15 }}</ref> * [[Kidney beans]], including sprouts, are toxic when raw.<ref>N.D. Noah, A.E. Bender, G.B. Reaidi, and R.J. Gilbert. "Food poisoning from raw red kidney beans." ''British Medical Journal'' [[1980]] [[July 19]];281(6234):236-7.</ref> * [[Rhubarb]]: when eaten in sufficient quantity, leaves can be toxic when raw, stalks are completely safe to eat when harvested early. * [[Potatoes]]: a member of the [[nightshade]] family, can produce the toxic alkaloid [[solanine]]. The flesh of the potato just beneath the skins is usually green if solanine is present, but one may be present without the other. Solanine can be removed by peeling the potatoes, or neutralized by cooking in a deep fryer.<ref>[http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntpweb/index.cfm?objectid=6F5E933B-F1F6-975E-7B1D19DE73F21505 Raymond Tice]</ref> In processed potatoes such as chips and fries, there is little hazard since peels are removed and they are fried.<ref>The University of Nebraska, Lincoln, “The Potato Education Guide: Greening” http://www.panhandle.unl.edu/potato/html/greening.htm</ref><ref>Food Science Australia, "Greening of Potatoes" http://www.foodscience.afisc.csiro.au/spuds.htm</ref> * Raw foods contain [[bacteria]] and may contain [[parasites]], which may cause [[foodborne illness]]es. Washing properly according to Health Department will cleanse the food properly along with proper storage. ==Raw food movement== Early proponents include [[Johnny Love-Wisdom]], [[Ann Wigmore]] and [[Viktoras Kulvinskas]] (co-founders of the Hippocrates Health Institute),<ref>[http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/node/399, more intelligent life], viewed 26 January 2007</ref> [[Arnold Ehret]] (author and advocate of [[fasting]]), [[A Hovannessian]] and [[Norman W. Walker]] (who advocated the consumption of juices, living up to the age of 99 years).{{Fact|date=April 2008}} Notable contemporary proponents include several published authors and lecturers such as David Wolfe, [[Shazzie]], Dr. Gabriel Cousens, Victoria Boutenko, Aajonus Vonderplanitz, Vinny Pinto, Dr Mercola and Sarma Melngailis. The principles of Natural hygiene promote a mainly [[raw veganism|raw vegan diet]].{{{Fact|date=April 2008}} Famous natural hygienists have included [[Herbert Shelton]] and [[Anthony Robbins]].{{Fact|date=April 2008}} ==Criticism and controversies== Advocates argue that nonhumans (that eat uncooked food) exhibit lower instances of [[degenerative disease]]s and therefore, if humans refrained from cooking their food, they wouldn't contract these diseases at current rates either. However, animals in the wild have been shown to suffer from arthritis,<ref> J Zoo Wildl Med. 2001 Mar;32(1):58-64. Inflammatory arthritis in canids: spondyloarthropathy. PMID: 12790395 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]</ref> cancer,<ref>J Vet Diagn Invest. 2003 Mar;15(2):162-5. A poorly differentiated pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma in a free-ranging Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). PMID: 12661727 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]</ref> liver and kidney diseases,<ref>Types of renal disease in avian species. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 2006 Jan;9(1):97-106. PMID: 16407081 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]</ref>and degenerative brain diseases,<ref>[http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_diseases/cwd/ Chronic Wasting Disease, USDA Publications], viewed 16 August 2007</ref>, and it is not known if the rate of instances is lower than that in humans, nor if there is any correlation between these ailments and pollutants created by human presence. Furthermore, the great deal of resources humans devote to promoting their own health and eliminating early infectious and traumatic causes of death reshapes human mortality toward slower, more difficult to treat causes, associated with old age (i.e. degenerative diseases). There have also been claims that cooking is obligatory for humans.<ref name=Wrangham>{{cite journal |author=Wrangham R, Conklin-Brittain N. |title=Cooking as a biological trait |journal=Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol |volume=136 |issue=1 |pages=35–46 |year=2003 Sep |pmid=14527628 |doi=10.1016/S1095-6433(03)00020-5 |url=http://anthropology.tamu.edu/faculty/alvard/anth630/reading/Week%208%20Diet%20tubers/Wrangham%20and%20Conklin-Brittain%202003.pdf}}</ref><ref name=Cookingupquiteastory>Cromie, William J. [http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/06.13/01-cooking.html Cooking up quite a story: Ape, human theory causes evolutionary indigestion], Harvard Gazette Archives</ref><ref name=TheWayWeEatNow>{{cite news |last=Lambert |first=Craig |title=The Way We Eat Now |publisher=Harvard Magazine |date=May-June 2004 |url=http://harvardmagazine.com/2004/05/the-way-we-eat-now.html}}</ref>.However, most archaeologists and anthropologists, most prominent of whom is Professor Loring Brace, dismiss Wrangham's claims, citing a much later date for the advent of cooking, given that hearths for cooking only appeared c.250,000 years ago <ref> url=http://cogweb.ucla.edu/Abstracts/Pennisi_99.html</ref>. There are also various other concerns re major flaws in Wrangham's theory as regards consumption of cooked starchy tubers supposedly leading to bigger human brains, given that average human brain-size actually decreased in size by 8% after humans massively increased their starch-intake from the start of the Neolithic era. <ref> http://www.beyondveg.com/nicholson-w/hb/hb-interview1f.shtml</ref>, <ref>http://www.rawpaleo.com/adventCook.html</ref> ===Food enzymes in the stomach=== Some raw foodists claim that ingesting [[enzyme]]s aids digestion in the [[mouth]], [[stomach]], and [[intestines]]. Specific human digestive enzymes are secreted into the [[gastrointestinal]] tract, each [[catalysis|catalyzing]] a specific reaction in the digestion of food from [[macromolecules]] to small molecules which can be absorbed over the [[epithelium]] of the [[small intestine]] by [[active transport]]. Most plant enzymes will fulfill completely different roles important for [[metabolism]] in the plant; the majority will be [[denatured]] in passage through the acidic stomach; and others will lack required [[cofactors]] in the intestine, rendering them useless in digestion. Accordingly, there is no evidence that ingestion of raw foods or plant enzymes aids digestion under normal conditions, in the lower stomach. Also, commonly enzymes are very sensitive to [[pH]] and their activity will be nullified outside a specific pH range.<ref>Creighton, T.E. ''Proteins - Structures and Molecular Properties'' ISBN 978-0716770305</ref> The digestive enzymes produced by the stomach are active in the low pH (2-4) of the stomach, whereas enzymes found in most foods will be most active at cellular pH (approximately 7).<ref>Berg, J.M.; Tymoczko, J.L.; Stryer L. ''Biochemistry'' ISBN 978-0716767664</ref>. Some enzymes found in acidic plant foods such as fruits are active at low pH similar to that of the human stomach, but there is no evidence that they participate in digestion. However, it has been pointed out by Weston-Price/WAPF advocates that enzymes in raw foods survive for a while in the upper stomach, thus facilitating digestion during that time. It has also been pointed out that overreliance on the human body's ability to make enzymes, rather than supplying enzymes via raw foods, helps to weaken the body over time<ref>http://www.realmilk.com/enzyme.html</ref> Some fruitarians counter that dietary enzymes such as [[bromelain]] and a protected form of [[Superoxide dismutase|SOD]] have been shown to be absorbed through the intestines and into the bloodstream. This is a misunderstanding of the process of digestion: all ingested enzymes (including bromelain and SOD) are proteins themselves, and can be digested to free [[amino acids]] by human [[proteases]] and [[peptidase]] in the stomach and intestine - allowing the absorption of these (but no functional enzyme) into the bloodstream. ===Dental malocclusion and cooked food=== Some critics believe that humans have evolved to eat cooked foods. Advocates counter that this is repudiated by the incidence of [[malocclusion]] found in cooked-food-eating populations. However, this claim is disputed by dentists who state that malocclusion tends to be an [[inherited trait]].<ref>[http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001058.htm Malocclusion of Teeth] viewed August 5, 2006</ref> Some research contradicts common opinion amongst dental practitioners and shows that malocclusion is essentially an acquired, and therefore avoidable, trait.<ref>[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=1998301&query_hl=6&itool=pubmed_DocSum Heritability of craniometric and occlusal variables: a longitudinal sib analysis.]</ref> It has been pointed out as well that wild animals have very low incidences of [[malocclusion]],<ref>http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/dn7035-human-dental-chaos-linked-to-evolution-of-cooking.html</ref>, by comparison to humans. Since wild animals eat raw food, but humans eat mostly cooked, this might actually indicate that cooking food leads to poor dental health, rather than any evolutionary explanation. Also Weston-Price<ref>http://www.westonaprice.org/brochures/wapfbrochure.html </ref> , an advocate of raw foods, pointed out in the 1930s that those native tribes which had healthy teeth all had diets rich in unprocessed foods, some of which was raw. Those native tribes which abandoned their traditional foods and which incorporated lots of processed/cooked modern foods into their diet in their place, invariably developed poor dental health. === Potential damage === A 2005 study has shown that a raw food [[vegetarian]] diet is associated with a lower [[bone density]].<ref>Fontana L, Shew JL, Holloszy JO, Villareal DT. ''Low bone mass in subjects on a long-term raw vegetarian diet.'' Arch Intern Med. 2005 Mar 28;165(6):684-9. PMID 15795346</ref> This may not be a problem however, as new research appears to indicate that high bone density early in life is associated with [[osteoporosis]], regardless of genetic variation.<ref>[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15949902&query_hl=1Lifetime high calcium intake increases osteoporotic fracture risk in old age.] .</ref> Douglas N. Graham (a raw foodism advocate) warns that most raw diets obtain a high percentage of daily calories from fats, by including significant amounts of avocado, nuts and seeds. According to him, these diets tend to be unsustainable since too much fat, even raw fat, causes health problems and results in the underconsumption of carbohydrates. He promotes a low-fat raw vegan diet which draws the great bulk of its daily calories from fruits, along with liberal amounts of vegetables and small amounts of nuts and seeds.<ref>[http://www.foodnsport.com/joomla/ foodnsport.com - Home<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> However, most Raw-Animal-Food diets, such as the Primal Diet, repudiate this advice, and recommend large, daily amounts of raw animal fat as being needed for greater health. One study of raw veganism shows [[amenorrhea]] and [[underweight]]ness in women,<ref>Koebnick C, Strassner C, Hoffmann I, Leitzmann C. ''Consequences of a long-term raw food diet on body weight and menstruation: results of a questionnaire survey.'' Ann Nutr Metab. 1999;43(2):69-79. PMID 10436305</ref> another one increased risk of [[Erosion (dental)|dental erosion]].<ref>Ganss C, Schlechtriemen M, Klimek J. ''Dental erosions in subjects living on a raw food diet.'' Caries Res. 1999;33(1):74-80. PMID 9831783</ref> ==See also== *[[Cooking]] *[[Food safety]] *[[Healthy diet]] * [[Whole foods]] == References == <!-- ---------------------------------------------------------- See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for a discussion of different citation methods and how to generate footnotes using the <ref>, </ref> and <reference /> tags ----------------------------------------------------------- --> {{reflist|3}} ==Further reading== *''On the synergistic effects of enzymes in food with enzymes in the human body. A literature survey and analytical report'' Prochaska LJ and Piekutowski WV, Medical Hypotheses 42: 355-62 (1994). *''Rebuilding the Food Pyramid'' by Walter C. Willett and Meir J. Stampfer, Scientific American January 2003. *''The effects of heat-processed food... on the dento-facial structure of animals'' by E.M.Pottenger, American Journal of Orthodontics and Oral Surgery August 1946, p467 *''Human 'dental chaos' linked to evolution of cooking'', John Pickrell [http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7035 New Scientist] [[29 April]] [[2005]] *''Looking at the Science on Raw vs. Cooked Foods'', Jean-Louis Tu [http://beyondveg.com/tu-j-l/raw-cooked/raw-cooked-1a.shtml] *''World's oldest BBQ burnt meat to a crisp'', Jennifer Viegas [http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2004/05/03/1100057.htm] *''Evolution of the Human Diet: The Known, the Unknown, and the Unknowable (Human Evolution Series)'', Peter S. Ungar (Editor), Oxford University Press, USA (October 26, 2006) (contains chapter by Richard Wrangham - The Cooking Enigma - containing his most recent research) [[Category:Diets]] [[Category:Diet and food fads]] [[Category:California culture]] [[ca:Crudivorisme]] [[cs:Vitariánství]] [[da:Råkost]] [[de:Rohkost]] [[fr:Crudivorisme]] [[nl:Raw-foodisme]] [[ja:ローフード]] [[pl:Witarianizm]] [[ru:Сыроедение]] [[simple:Raw]] [[fi:Elävä ravinto]]