Raw foods are gaining popularity with a growing number of Americans, but many doctors are warning against the trend, The New York Times reports.
While most raw diets tend to be vegan — heavy on uncooked fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and sprouted grains — some do include raw meat or fish, as well as raw or unpasteurized milk, yogurt, and cheese.
That concerns many doctors who warn that children's digestive systems, in particular, may not be able "to pull the nutrients out of raw foods as effectively as an adult's," noted Benjamin Kligler, M.D., a family practitioner with the Center for Health and Healing in Manhattan.
It's hard to gauge how many families have adopted raw food diets, but websites abound, along with recipes, books, support groups, and products for purchase.
Anapama Chawla, M.D., director of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, pointed out that although fruits and vegetables are very good sources of vitamins and fiber, "they do lack protein." Legumes, lentils, chickpeas and red beans, which have protein, she said, "can't be eaten uncooked."
Raw, unpasteurized animal products can also spread E. coli and salmonella, Dr. Chawla added — one reason the American Academy of Pediatrics advises against feeding unpasteurized milk to infants, toddlers and pregnant women.