Compare & Contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Compare & Contrast - Essay Example One of the primary reasons why individuals choose the raw food diet is because they believe that heating food above 116 degrees Fahrenheit would destroy the enzymes within the food which assist in the digestion and absorption of food. Cooking is also thought to reduce the nutritional value and â€Å"life force† of food. However, critics of the raw food diet say that it doesn’t matter if some enzymes get inactivated when food is cooked because the human body uses its own enzymes for digestion. In addition, cooking makes certain phyto-chemicals, like beta-carotene in carrots, easier to absorb (Wong 2). The vegans on the other hand believe in a philosophy and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. People tend to pursue the vegan lifestyle primarily because of ethical commitments or moral convictions regarding animal rights, environment, human health, and spiritual or religious concerns. Hence vegans are strictly opposed to practices that involve factory farming, animal testing, and the intensive use of land and other resources for animal farming. The raw food diet is low in trans fats and saturated fats and high in potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber and health-promoting plant chemicals called phyto-chemicals. These properties are associated with a reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Proponents of this diet also believe that this diet offers numerous health benefits like increased energy, improved skin appearance, better digestion and weight loss. Similar to the raw food diet, a nutritionally sound vegan diet is free of cholesterol and is generally low in fat. On the other hand, this diet is rich in proteins, calcium, zinc and iron. Therefore, eating a vegan diet makes it easy to conform to recommendations given to reduce the risk of major chronic diseases such as colon cancer, heart attack, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, prostate cancer, and