Could simply modifying the way we select and prepare the foods that we eat to provide a pathway to the fountain of youth? By consuming an unprocessed diet, free from preservatives, additives, and processing techniques such as cooking, we can slow down the biological clock, live our fullest lives for longer, and defy the untimely effects of ageing on our bodies and minds. Are raw foods the elixir of youth, accessible to all of us in nature's very own garden?

Introduction

The importance of diet and its influence on overall health has become a major focus in our everyday lives. The foods we consume have a remarkable effect on our internal environment, either promoting health or inhibiting it. Food has long been thought of as nature's medicine, with extensive global research in this area providing real scientific evidence supporting the overall benefits of a whole food or plant-based diet on a person's health and longevity.

We have already discovered that a low-sugar diet can provide a reversal of type two diabetes, and the ever-increasing benefits of intermittent fasting are becoming increasingly apparent in the treatment and reversal of common chronic health conditions. Now there is a focus on the effects of a raw food diet on health, with potential links to how it can slow down the biological clock and keep us younger for longer. 

The benefits of following a raw food diet

For centuries, people have searched for ways to combat the ageing process, whether it be in the form of taking vitamins or medications, applying topical treatments or electing to undergo cosmetic surgery, the anti-ageing market is a very profitable business. It may just be that the answer to living our fullest and most youthful lives can be influenced and determined by what we choose to eat. Some of the health benefits attributed to consuming a raw food diet include:

• Weight loss and maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI)
• Reducing the risk of developing diabetes¹
• Improved cardiovascular health
• Anti-wrinkle and skin-enhancing properties
• Energy boosting properties

The ageing process

The ageing process is inevitable, as our cells begin their decline at the molecular level, the accumulating degenerative damage ultimately leads to disease. As we age, we experience a range of symptoms, such as:

• Our skin loses its elasticity due to depleting collagen production, resulting in sagging and wrinkled skin
• Changes to mobility occur due to wear and tear of the joints, together with decreasing muscle tone and mass
• Decreased cardiovascular health and increased cholesterol levels result in an increased risk of heart disease and strokes
• Thinning and greying of the hair, due to decreased production of pigment in our hair follicles
• Decline in cognitive functioning; degenerative changes to the neurons in the brain initiating cognitive impairment

What if a change in only the foods we consume could delay and stagnate this process and enhance our quantity and quality of life over its duration? 

What is a raw food diet?

So, what is a raw food diet? It is as it sounds, it is eating food that has not been cooked or heated beyond 40-48℃. Furthermore, it must be unprocessed and nutrient-rich. Raw fruit and vegetables form the major dietary constituent, followed by unprocessed dairy products, nuts, seeds, legumes, dried meats and fish.

Minimal processing and choosing foods in their natural form is the rule of thumb in following this regimen. The benefits of following this diet are not a new finding, with some of the earliest research dating back to the 1800s when Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Brennen administered the diet in treating jaundice, and he continued to be an advocate of following the diet throughout his career.²

Types of raw food diet

1. Raw-vegan diet - A diet containing raw unprocessed food products such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes
2. Raw-vegetarian diet - A diet containing raw unprocessed food products as above, and unprocessed animal products such as unpasteurised dairy and eggs
3. Raw-omnivorous diet - This diet contains all of the above, with the addition of raw unprocessed meat and fish products

The science behind the raw food diet

Cooking food depletes the nutritional value of the foods we eat

Why is food that is uncooked and unprocessed healthy for us? It is common knowledge that cooking foods such as vegetables via methods such as boiling, frying and roasting, depletes the vitamin content and hence the nutritional value. Fruit and vegetables provide an abundance of nutritional benefits, such as containing fibre, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.

Additionally, raw vegetables contain free amino acids, which are essential in the growth and repair of our cells. Cooking vegetables decreases the free amino acid content and reduces our access to them, linking the process to a reduced capacity to repair ageing and damaged cells.³

Antioxidant-rich foods combat oxidative stress 

Raw fruit and vegetables contain high levels of immune system-boosting antioxidants. It is well-researched and widely accepted that antioxidants boost the immune system in fighting age-related oxidative stress within the body. An imbalance leading to oxidative stress is found to lead to many degenerative and chronic diseases associated with ageing.⁴

Antioxidants therefore aid in increasing health and longevity by counteracting this imbalance and maintaining cellular and systemic homeostasis.⁵ Antioxidant-rich food sources include blueberries, spinach, kale, carrots, cabbage and avocado, to name a few.

Additionally, fruits and vegetables containing yellow and red pigmentation contain a nutrient called carotenoid, a precursor of vitamin A. This substance has antioxidative properties also and is increased in the blood serum of people following a raw food diet. Increased concentrations of carotenoid within the body, are linked with numerous age-defying properties such as reducing the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer, Alzheimer's disease and age-related macular degeneration.⁶

Flavonoids and their lifespan-enhancing properties

Dietary flavonoids are found in some beverages such as tea and wine but also in raw foods such as cherries, berries, green vegetables, onions and apples. Increased flavonoid consumption has many health benefits. As well as antioxidative benefits, flavonoids have been found to have antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have suggested that foods rich in flavonoids if consumed regularly, could prevent chronic degenerative diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease.⁷

Preservation of enzymes found in raw foods

Natural enzymes are found abundantly in raw food products. As enzymes are proteins, they are denatured (lose the shape required to perform their function) and deactivated once exposed to the high temperatures experienced in the cooking process, and the chemical interactions during other food processing techniques. 

Raw food diet advocates claim that preservation and consumption of the natural enzymes found in raw foods boost our immune and digestive systems. This has yet to be proven scientifically, and with knowledge of the internal environment, it could be argued that our digestive system would destroy the natural enzymes during its natural activities, such as its interaction with stomach acid, which has denaturing and deactivating properties on proteins such as enzymes. 

The microbiome

Our body contains more microorganisms than it does human cells with approximately 30 trillion human cells and 38 trillion microorganisms.⁸ Over recent years, it has come to light that these foreign cells, which we call our microbiome, are not only beneficial to our health but vital in preserving it. The microbiome acts as a biological assistant, and when in balance, it is suggested that the microbiome may protect against many chronic degenerative diseases such as; rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, eczema, liver disease and chronic kidney disease.⁹

Studies have shown that consuming a high-fibre diet, such as the raw food diet, does promote diversity and health of the gut microbiome. This, in turn, promotes health and longevity, by providing a reduction in the prevalence of many chronic diseases associated with an unbalanced and depleted microbiome.¹⁰

The disadvantages of following the raw food diet

There are numerous limitations one must consider before embarking on the raw food diet. It is advised to seek medical consultation before embarking on a restrictive diet such as this. Some important considerations include: 

• It is very restrictive and difficult to maintain in the long term
• It is expensive. Organic whole foods are very expensive and more difficult to access than convenience foods
• Raw, organic food items have a shorter shelf life due to being unprocessed and therefore unpreserved, meaning that frequent trips to the shops are a must to replenish the fresh supply
• If not followed properly, the diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies
• It is calorie-restrictive. In the short term, losing weight may be of benefit, but if followed in the long term, it could lead to becoming underweight and malnourished. This, in itself, has detrimental health consequences
• Consuming raw animal products and unpasteurized eggs and dairy carries the risk of food poisoning. A serious condition that could be fatal

Summary

It is clear to see that there are many anti-ageing, health-promoting benefits of eating raw foods. Increasing vitamin, mineral, and fibre content promotes longevity and reduces the risk of chronic degenerative diseases associated with ageing. An increased lifespan, decreased waistline, enhanced energy stores and bright youthful skin, are all benefits associated with consuming raw food. However, some of the disadvantages can yield more detrimental health consequences than the benefits. 

Adopting a diet that contains more of these age-defying raw food components, along with the other food groups which have undergone little to no processing is a better alternative than strictly following the raw food diet. A healthy balanced diet would result in all of the benefits associated with incorporating raw food, whilst maintaining other aspects of our health that may be restricted while following this diet.

The flexibility offered in a more balanced approach to food, including the incorporation of daily exercise, makes it a much more sustainable lifestyle change, with fewer limitations on accessibility and affordability, whilst still providing anti-aging properties that enhance our quality of life.