This is an extension of my previous article on the challenges of raw foods Below is a quick summary of 2 further challenges.
1.
Lower body temperature - Some people experience a drop in body temperature on the raw food diet.
The main reason suggested for this is that the digestive system doesn't need to work nearly as hard to digest food and since digestion helps to create body heat you naturally see a drop in body temperature.
I would question this theory as other organs and systems have a much greater impact on body temperature than the digestive system.
a.
Whilst digestion can impact body temperature an area that has a far greater influence is the thyroid gland.
This gland regulates the speed of the metabolism of every cell in the body (and thus the body as a whole).
A drop in thyroid function is almost always accompanied by a drop in body temperature.
For me the answer more than likely lies here.
But why would this happen? b.
There are two possible reasons; firstly, many of those people that turn to raw food also turn vegetarian or vegan (or are already).
One of the main foods many vegetarians eat for a protein source is soy.
Soy is not the health food it is made out to be and one of its many harmful effects on the body is that the isoflavines found in soy inhibit thyroid function.
This inhibited function can then lead to a lower body temperature.
c.
The other possible explanation relates to the digestive system.
Whereby a raw food diet can result in a significant reduction in the breakdown and absorption of nutrients in the digestive tract*.
A possible effect of this reduced absorption could then be a reduction in the amount of calories absorbed from the diet.
The lowered calorie intake that then results will lead to a decrease in thyroid function.
This happens as a natural attempt by the body to slow down the metabolism in order to preserve calories.
As far as your body is concerned a reduction in calorie intake below its minimal requirements is a signal to the body that food is scarce and it needs to reduce metabolic rate in order to ensure its survival.
It is this same phenomena that is behind the inherent weight problems experienced by those that regularly restrict calories, known as yo-yo dieting.
It dates back to our more primitive days when food would often be scarce and the body would attempt to protect its long term survival by preserving calories.
It is essentially a survival response and over time will lead to a suppressed metabolism and ill health problems further down the line.
d.
This ironically is one of the main reasons many raw foodists take up the diet, in the belief that it will improve their health and help prevent ill health complaints.
Raw diets can and will achieve both of these objectives but only if they are introduced correctly and are appropriate to the individuals current state of health.
e.
The only way of knowing if a thyroid problem is the cause of a drop in body temperature is to either: · Seek the aid of your doctor.
Although for many this may not reveal much as in many cases such problems are not picked up using the blood assessments used in mainstream medicine methods.
The medical tests are designed to identify a "diseased" thyroid or thyroid that is either in a hypo or hyper state by medical definition.
However many people have a thyroid that is under functioning at a subclinical level which will not be detected by such tests.
· Seek the help of someone trained in functional medicine/nutrition (such as myself), who can pick up such issues by testing the function of organs/glands and systems rather than whether they are diseased.
2.
Possible excessive weight loss - Whilst weight loss can be a positive thing, and a common reason some people start on a raw food diet, it can also be a negative thing.
Particularly if it is excessive weight loss that leads to a very gaunt and unhealthy look.
This can sometimes occur because of a reduction in digestive system and any subsequent reduction in nutrient and calorie uptake into the body and the impact of this on thyroid function.
Read my article on "When And Why Raw Food Diets DO And DON'T Work" to understand this point better.
These are just some of the challenges, there are others.
Check out my other articles for more challenges of raw food diets.
* In order to avoid confusion it is worth pointing out why I have suggested that raw food diets can both improve (outlined in one of my benefits articles) and worsen digestion.
This is because of the affect raw food can have on different areas of the digestive system, where in some ways it will likely improve function and in other ways it is likely to worsen function.
It is also totally individual and very much depends on the digestive health of an individual when they first begin on a raw food diet.
This is explained in more detail in other resources I have created (articles, ebook, videos, etc).