Does science support a raw food diet? What about vegetarianism, is it a healthy way of life? What about omega-3s and B vitamins? Do flavinoids, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and lycopenes in fruits and veggies help us win the battle against obesity, heart disease and cancer? Do we need to detoxify the colon with something other than food?

Can a Raw Food Cleanse Cure Diseases?

To decide if raw food will help your body fight disease it’s important to realize that there are two kinds of health issues. You can’t alter genetic factors that predispose you toward diseases, reverse aging, erase gender or alter medical history. It’s possible to use diet to minimize the chances that genetic inclinations will turn into diseases prematurely.

Science has studied fruits / vegetables and proven many contain high levels of antioxidants / phytochemicals. Eating fresh foods high in antioxidants may reduce free radicals and diminish the likelihood of cancer or heart disease, however, recent studies indicate that it may have to do with flavinoids or other phytochemicals. Studies suggest that while a raw food cleanse isn’t medicinal, some fruits and vegetables provide more than nutrition and may stimulate disease fighting responses, although exactly which phytochemicals, antioxidants or other elements are responsible, is unknown.

While only some foods have been studied (and some may be considered exceptionally high in cancer reducing properties), there’s clear evidence to support recommending a vegetarian diet. A raw food cleanse may be a start toward lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, reducing heart disease and colon cancer and stimulating weight loss.

Have the Benefits of Vegetarianism Been Proven?

Flavinoids can be found in raw blueberries, blackberries, black currents and strawberries. The body can absorb the antioxidant properties, so blending strawberries with blue-black fruits/berries into a smoothie may be one way to reduce free radicals.

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage contain folic acid, beta-carotene and vitamin C. They also have glucosinolates – a sulfur / nitrogen compound from glucose and an amino acid – that stimulates cancer-fighting enzymes. While not a cure, veggies in the Brassica family have been proven to help protect the body. If vegetable consumption lowers the risk of colon cancer, what happens to the glucosinolates and isothiocyanates when veggies are cooked?

Professor Paul Thornalley from Warwick University has conducted various studies on Broccoli and other Brassica veggies, explains that boiling them destroys over 70% of their value and stir-frying, steaming and microwaving leads to a 15 – 20% decrease in glucosinolates. Apparently, the less they’re cooked the better!

A Raw Food Cleanse or a Partly Raw Way of Life

A raw food cleanse may have positive benefits, but the word “cleanse” is misleading. Science doesn’t support detoxification based on the erroneous idea that toxins build-up in the colon and can’t be eliminated normally. A raw food cleanse should more correctly be a way of eating fresh fruits and vegetables to increase fiber intake, and maximize disease prevention properties daily. It’s recommended to eat raw vegetables and fruits as a lifestyle, not a temporary cleanse. The benefits of vegetarianism can be maximized by including carrots for beta-carotene, spinach for vitamin C, and peas for folic acid / fiber that the colon requires for elimination.

The Benefits of Vegetarianism that Doesn’t Exclude Fish

Science supports vegetarian diets, but the benefits of vegetarianism could be lots if primarily carbohydrate, low-protein, meat/cheese substitutes, wheat gluten, and processed ingredients. Programs for healthy vegetarian weight loss will include five fresh vegetables/fruits a day, soy, tofu/tempeh, beans, legumes, and….FISH. Tuna, salmon and other fish/seafood dishes should be included to get essential omega-3s and B vitamins. Low-cal vegetarian weight loss programs with carbohydrates have been clinically tested to be less effective than those high in protein. Why? Protein satisfies for longer – therefore less hunger. Tofu, fish, beans, legumes, varied vegetables, and blended soups, will satisfy the tummy plus deliver essential amino acids, omega-3s, vitamins, minerals, flavinoids, phytochemicals and fiber.

Green Tea Supplements

Green tea supplements for fat loss and cancer prevention? Okay, but drinking the tea as a beverage is just as beneficial, perhaps more so if replacing black tea / coffee. The US National Library of Medicine says that green tea may help prevent (not cure) pancreatic / ovarian, cancers, minimize the risk of developing cervical dysplasia and lower blood pressure / cholesterol. Instead of taking a green tea supplements in capsules, it’s recommended to drink 2 – 4 cups of tea a day, along with a vegetarian lifestyle. Don’t depend on extracts promising to burn fat. Green tea may help with weight loss due to containing Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) a type of flavinoid, but it’s not a magic fat burner. The scientifically proven way to burn fat is to reduce the required 2000 / 2500 calories to about 1500/ 1800, and do so with high-fiber, high protein, satisfying foods.

Cleansing with Renu Herbs

Renu Herbs has become famous for colon cleansing and detoxification. But, are cleansing herbs essential? Scientific research suggests that the colon eliminates waste when given water and a low-fat, low-sugar, low-carb, fiber-rich diet. People who suffer from constipation need three things: water, fiber and exercise. Meat and carbohydrate-rich diets provide less than half the fiber required for proper elimination, therefore increasing fiber though vegetables, psyllium husk, bran, split peas, lentils, lima beans, green peas and drinking lots of water, will give the colon what it needs.

Are Renu Herb Colon Cleanse products Harmful?

For short-term use, the Renu Herbs Colon Cleanse is considered safe and contains: cascara sagrada (a laxative), senna (diuretic/laxative), psyllium (fiber), turkey rhubarb (diarrheic/laxative), Aloe, barberry root (for bile production) and slippery elm (a mucus secretion stimulant). While Renu Herbs cleanses may help constipation due to poor diet, healthy bowel function should be maintained with everyday foods. Use Renu Herbs only to jump-start the bowels; best in conjunction with a raw food cleanse or to maximize a vegetarian weight loss program, or at the start of a lifestyle change that will lead to vegetarianism , which will eventually help the colon cleanse itself.