When you want to achieve better wellness, usually the first thing you want to change is your diet. The Low-Carb diet and the Raw diet are two of the most popular diets of today, even though they have different philosophies and will affect your body differently, but how do they stack up against each other?
Firstly, the Low-Carb diet: this is based on the belief of cardiologist Dr Atkins that carbohydrates had negative effects on his patients. The diet restricts carbohydrates, so your uses fat to function instead of carbs. In terms of difficulty, it’s easy to follow a low-carb diet as many of the listed foods are cheap, tasty and easy to find, and produce quick results. This typically means eating a breakfast of eggs, coffee, cheese and bacon, a lunch of a dark, leafy green salad with chicken, and a dinner of your choice of meat with dairy and select vegetables.
Another plus point of this diet is that many restaurants have low-carb options which make eating out comfortable. However, many people report gaining back the initial weight they lost once they returned to a normal diet. The diet also does not claim to help with any other health ailments, and Dr Atkins was controversially rumoured to have died from a heart attack.
The Raw, or Living Foods Diet, works on the principle that heating food can destroy and damage the enzymes, and lots of processed foods can cause weight gain and bloating. A raw food diet is rich in nutrients, easier on your digestive system, gives you more energy and can help your body get rid of a build-up of toxins and fat.
You can only eat foods that have been heated below 104°F or 40°C and so might breakfast on juice or a fruit smoothie and nuts with raw nut milk. A typical lunch might consist of salad with raw nuts, fruits and vegetables, and you might have a dinner of raw pizza, lasagne, or courgette spaghetti. On the plus side, many people report feeling more happy and healthy, and making a long-term lifestyle change rather than a temporary fix. The diet is also environmentally friendly, with many of the ingredients being natural and easily attainable. However, the list of foods is very limited and can restrict your social life.
Altogether, the Low-Carb Diet would get a C from diet school, and the Raw Diet would probably edge it with a B. Both diets are high in fat and salt, which is not good for your long-term wellbeing as it can hinder your weight loss and athletic performance and make you feel groggy and tired, but the Raw Diet does advocate fruits and vegetables, which the Low-Carb does not, so you might sustain yourself with a higher fruit intake. Each diet is not without its advantages or its disadvantages, and so what works for one person may not work for another. It’s all about finding the right choice for you.
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