Raw food diets have been around for centuries.  In fact, ancient Indian texts describe various yogi sects practicing a predominantly raw foods diet in order to “purify” the body.  These yogi’s were constantly experimenting with various diet principles in order to achieve optimal performance in the body.

The belief is that raw foods contain raw enzymes that can assist in both healing and optimal function in the body.  Also, many who practice this style of eating believe that many of the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants are destroyed in the food when heated.  As a result, raw food contains all these nutrients and elements in their virgin raw form.

That all being said, can such diets be beneficial for those suffering with candida overgrowth?  Or should these types of diets be avoided by those dealing with candida?

Luckily, we hope to clear up some of the confusion surrounding raw food diets so that those suffering with candida overgrowth can make a better decision as to whether this type of diet is right for them!

Raw Food – Full of Enzymes

There is no denying the fact that raw food is plentiful in beneficial enzymes.  For those unaware, enzymes are the base in which the health of the body stems from.  To put it simply, enzymes are responsible for several different biological reactions in the body that are needed for optimal health and well-being.

For example, enzymes often act as catalyst in the body and can speed up the metabolic processes in the body such as digestion.  When digestion is good, all other facets of health typically improve.  In fact, it’s been shown that the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, gaba, acetylcholine, and histamine are all produced in the gut by various microbes (1).

Furthermore, these enzymes found in raw foods are said to help in the digestion of the food itself.  Many claim that poor digestion is often a result of cooked food that is devoid of its enzymes.  However, when the food is eaten raw, it contains enzymes that help assist the body in the breakdown of the food being consumed.

It’s for this reason that many raw food advocates claim that digestion improves almost immediately when adopting a raw food diet. 

Those dealing with candida overgrowth know all to well what poor digestion feels like and is a common problem in those dealing with this fungal overgrowth.  As a result, raw foods may be beneficial for those dealing with digestive disorders due to candida.

They Contain Raw Vitamins and Minerals

Cooking naturally degrades some of the vitamins and minerals present in foods.  Raw food advocates will make the claim that their style of eating provides more vitamins and minerals to the body since all of their food is eaten raw.

As a result, many claim that their health improves dramatically after being on a raw foods diet for just a short amount of the time.  In fact, many believe that vitamin and mineral deficiencies are the sole cause of disease and sickness in the body.

Heck, even noble prize winning scientist, Linus Pauling, made the claim in the 1960’s that “You can trace every sickness, every disease, and every ailment to a mineral deficiency.”

Unfortunately, it’s well known that those dealing with candida overgrowth in the body oftentimes suffer from mineral and vitamin deficiencies.  For example, it’s well known that a deficiency in zinc can lead to hyperactive growth of candida in the body (2).  Also, it’s been shown that magnesium has an inhibitory effect of the growth in areas such as the mouth and can help prevent conditions such as candidiasis (3).

High in Antioxidants

Raw food diets will naturally be very high in antioxidants.  This is because just like vitamins and minerals, antioxidants present in foods are degraded at high heat.  As a result, it’s said that those who follow a raw foods diet obtain more antioxidants than those who do not follow such a diet

Antioxidants are not only important for those dealing with candida, but they’re also important for optimal health.  For those unaware, antioxidants are needed in order to protect the body against free radical damage (4). 

These free radicals enter into the body through both diet and the environment.  Unfortunately, due to the modern world in which we live, the amount of free radicals we are exposed to has gone up significantly.  In truth, our ancestors never would have been exposed to the amount of free radicals that the average human is exposed to today. 

As a result, obtaining enough antioxidants daily is critical for both those with candida overgrowth and the average individual seeking optimal health.  However, due to the toxic byproducts candida releases into the body, more antioxidants are typically needed in those suffering with this pathogenic fungal overgrowth.

Different Types of Raw Food Diets

It’s important to understand that there are various types of raw food diets being advocating.  On one hand you have raw vegan, while on the other hand, you have raw primal diets.  Raw vegan diets include only raw plant foods, while raw primal diets include mostly raw animal products with little to no raw plant foods.  Both diets are on opposite ends of the spectrum and often times comes across as being extreme.

However, at this time, raw vegan is definitely the most popular of the two and seems to be more mainstream among the general population.  Unfortunately, there are various problems with the raw vegan diet.  This is mainly due to lack of necessary nutrients such as B12, DHA, EPA, D3, K2, vitamin A, and Cholesterol that can only be obtained from animal foods.

Interestingly, as strange and taboo as eating raw animal foods may be to some, they do in fact provide all the nutrients the body needs for survival.  For those thinking about the possibility of developing a parasitic infection from consuming such a diet, long term followers of this diet claim these “dangerous” parasites are nothing to fear. 

Although it may seem crazy, there are long term followers of this diet who have not once suffered from a parasitic infection.  However, it’s always recommended that you only use highly quality organic animal foods.

That being said, we are simply laying out the different types of raw food diets that are being advocated.  In no way, shape, or form are we recommending you try either of these diets.

The Problems with Raw Plant Foods

Despite the hype surrounding raw food diets, there is serious issues that can arise from consuming high amounts of raw plant foods.  In particular, raw plant foods contain high amounts of plant poisons and nutrient inhibitors.  These nutrient inhibitors are often referred to as “anti-nutrients” and can cause serious issues in the body if consumed in excess.

For example, both lectins, phytates, and salicylates have all been shown to contribute intestinal inflammation in the body (5)(6)(7).  These anti-nutrients are abundant  in raw foods such as nuts, seeds, and greens.

Also, raw vegetables, especially the ones in the cruciferous family, contain goitrogens which can have a negative effect on thyroid health if consumed in excess (8).

It should be mentioned that the only way to remove most of these anti-nutrients is through special preparation methods.  Typically, this involves cooking, boiling, soaking, sprouting, and fermenting.  Yet, even when these special preparation methods are used, some anti-nutrients still will remain in the foods.

The Bottom Line – Are Raw Food Diets Beneficial?

In our experience, raw food diets are over hyped.  In fact, we actually do not recommend such diets to our readers.  In both our opinion and experience, a raw food vegan diet actually causes digestive problems when followed long term.

Yes, there may be more vitamins and minerals present in these diets, but that doesn’t mean your body will absorb them.  It’s important to understand that all plant foods in their raw form contain anti-nutrients which can actually rob minerals from the body!  It’s for this reason that we always recommend you thoroughly cook your vegetables if you plan to incorporate them into your diet.

That being said, raw primal diets are an interesting beast indeed.  They typically contain no raw plant foods and as a result will not contain no anti-nutrients.  Also, unlike raw vegan diets, they do contain all the nutrients the body needs.

However, we also do not recommend such diets.  For thousands of years man has always cooked his food.  Even in hot tropical climates where raw plant foods and animal foods were abundant, fire was always used. 

There are only a few exceptions when animal foods were ever consumed raw and this would not be a daily practice.  As far as raw plant foods are concerned, seasonal fruits would have been typically the only safe thing for humans to eat.  Almost all wild plants are extremely toxic and consuming any of them in their raw form would have been avoided at all costs.  However, cooked starchy tubers often were staples among various Native American tribes who were living off “the fat of the land.”