Can eating raw foods reverse diabetes? Here’s what a nutritionist said | Health
The raw food diet has become one of the latest dietary trends among people who want to reverse chronic diseases such as Diabetes. It is basically the practice of eating uncooked or unprocessed foods and mostly consists of foods of plant origin. While a diet is full of nutrients, retains many of the enzymes in food, helps with weight loss and offers many other benefits, does it really help reverse diabetes? We asked an expert. (Also read: World Diabetes Day 2022: Doctors give advice to no more diabetes and disease remission)
Studies show that diabetes can be reversed by making certain lifestyle changes like your eating habits. Raw foods are generally considered healthy because they retain nutrients lost during cooking and also contain no sugar or salt.
“The raw food or raw vegan diet is one of those diets that eliminates all processed and ultra-processed foods. Consists mainly of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. seeds, this diet is quite similar to the vegan diet.Unlike the vegan diet, the foods are not cooked above 40-48 degrees Celsius. Only eaten in the raw food diet. Foods like yogurt, kefir, kombucha and sauerkraut that are simply processed and fermented are also included in this diet,” says registered dietitian Garima Goyal.
Foods that undergo intense processing with pesticides, fertilizers and other preservatives are removed. Most of your fruit and vegetable juices and salads can also be eaten raw.
Benefits of raw food in diabetes
For diabetics, raw foods can be beneficial in a variety of ways.
“First, there’s no such thing as processed food to imply that no junk food can help achieve weight loss goals for people who are overweight. Finally, with this diet, you can stay away from it. all possible added sugars and preservatives that when consumed can cause blood sugar spikes Consume raw foods like sautéed vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, vegetable juices and soaps Spleen are a good source of fiber and can keep you full for a long time. They are digested slowly and ensure a gradual change in blood sugar levels without sudden peaks. These foods are unprocessed Goyal. says foods that also retain many vitamins and minerals can also be beneficial.
But can raw foods really reverse diabetes?
Goyal says that while the diet sounds fancy, it can’t be your only solution to reversing diabetes. You need other elements of a healthy balanced diet for overall health.
“With the benefits of fiber and other nutrients, raw foods can be part of your diet, but you don’t need to change your entire diet. Grains and varieties. Beans are a staple of the Indian diet and without them and other cooked meals, your diet would be starved of calories, protein and other important nutrients. ,” said Goyal.
Nutrition experts said that it is not possible to just change the diet and ignore other factors.
“To reverse the effect, in the early stages, aggressive lifestyle interventions including a healthy diet, exercise, and stress management are extremely important. However, you also cannot give up. It’s important to balance all of these interventions with both reversing and controlling your diabetes,” the expert said.
Dietary supplements (excluded from the raw food diet) such as chromium, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids are also prescribed under certain circumstances.
“It may not be possible for everyone to reverse diabetes, but for some, it’s still an achievable goal. Instead of radically revamping your diet, it’s a trend. specifically, you’re better off focusing on a healthy diet full of nutrients, regular exercise, stress management, and regular medication,” says Garima Goyal.