Mindful eating, a raw food diet: Pros, cons & how to do it
Eating healthy food in Singapore is not just about piling up on salad
Text: Grace Ma
If you enjoy crunching raw foods like vegetables, fruits and nuts, or savouring a ceviche, you’re probably one of those people for whom mindful eating a raw food diet would be a breeze. It usually involves uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods. Some may go as far as to eat unpasteurised dairy foods, raw eggs, meat and fish, while others are happy with a more relaxed definition that includes food cooked under a low heat point.
When handled hygienically, a raw food diet's benefits are numerous: weight loss and lower risk of diabetes and heart diseases being some of them. Dr Naras Lapsys, a nutrition and antiaging consultant at The Wellness Clinic, says that eating colourful raw food, particularly with the skin on, provides additional antioxidants and vitamins to your meals, compared to cooking it in water or oil for prolonged periods. Go for variety and choose across the rainbow spectrum to ensure you get a wide range of micro-nutrients.
No animal products
During his over 20 years of experience, Dr Lapsys has not noted a significant take-up of the raw food diet. He says that it’s usually approached with a plant-based perspective and with a fair amount of discipline (mindful eating). “It is not an easy eating pattern as it requires a lot of continual preparation. You need to plan very well for this to be a successful style of eating,” he says.
It is also “nearly always” a raw vegetarian diet with no animal products. However, not everyone is able to digest raw vegetables fully, so he warns of gastrointestinal problems. “If you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome or problems with the pancreas not being able to produce some of the enzymes to break the food down, this diet may not beneficial,” he cautions.
Gaby Luo, a nutritionist at wellness resort SANGHA Retreat, says: “Raw foods are definitely healthier than ultra-processed foods, but not really healthier than lightly processed foods that are steamed, stir-fried or blanched.” She continues, “For some of the foods, light cooking can even increase the absorption rate of some nutrients, such as soybeans, tomatoes and eggs. For most of the leafy vegetables and fruits, eating raw is recommended. For protein-rich foods, such as meat, eggs, dairy and soybeans, light cooking is recommended. Foods that are prone to contamination by herbicides, pesticides, or soil and water pollutants are not suitable for eating raw.”
Contrary to the common misconception that cooking makes nutrients disappear, the loss is actually not significant. Luo recommends steaming, blanching (less than one minute), stir frying (less than three minutes) for vegetables, and high-pressure slow cooking or sous-vide for meat.
Sangha’s executive chef Paul Then says that the raw food trend has been popular in China and resort guests have been taking to the resort’s fresh fruit, juices and snacks such as dehydrated red dragon fruit and sesame seed granola bars. He works closely with Luo to create balanced meals, which include raw foods such as root and leafy vegetables, dried fruits, seeds, nut butters as well as fermented kimchi and lacto-fermented plums, tomatoes or seasonal mushrooms.
Lighter and more energetic
Dr Jason Culp, the Naturopathic Physician at wellness resort Chiva-Som, says that the effectiveness of a raw food diet ultimately depends on how well each person responds to food consumption. He says: “The process of appropriate cooking and the application of heat helps to make some foods more digestible and palatable. Some individuals with weak digestion and poor assimilation of nutrients may benefit from greater amounts of cooked foods as well. Others report feeling lighter and more energetic from eating primarily raw foods may benefit more from a raw foods approach. It is important to listen to your body and trust your intuition on what kind of food works best for your health.”
Some of the popular dishes at the resort include sashimi (raw fish) and probiotic salads consisting of vegetables, berries and nuts with homemade fermented dressing to support a thriving gut microbiome. Dr Culp says there is “no single correct diet method” and the healthiest ones are those that consist of minimally processed, low-sugar, organic and clean foods that provide all the essential nutrients.
Ultimately, a diet should not be a source of anxiety or pressure to make the right choice. It should also not negatively impact on your quality of life. Leave space for flexibility and you’re more likely to maintain it over longer periods of time, Culp adds. “This is not a license to consume whatever you want. Eat mindfully and trust your sense of what makes you feel well or not, regardless of the ‘healthy’ suggestions by the latest diet research or social media post.”
