15 bananas and 40 pieces of other fruit. With this nutritional challenge, the Australian Freelee aka "The Banana Girl" became known. Within a very short time, the pretty Freelee took off, feels thanks to their vegan raw food diet fitter and full of energy. Raw till four: How the raw food diet works "Raw till four" is the name of Freelee's diet. Until four o'clock in the afternoon only raw fruits are served. Water is drunk. The idea behind the raw food diet: The daily diet should consist of 80 percent carbohydrates and 10 percent protein and fat. At first this sounds a bit spectacular and also easy to implement. But who has thought of carbohydrates on delicious pizza, bread and potatoes: taste! In the "raw till four" diet, the only carbohydrate source is … well, nomen est omen: raw food. By four o'clock in the afternoon you should eat two meals of 1,000 calories in the form of fruits and vegetables. That may sound feasible – but remember: except for bananas, grapes and avocados, there are very few fruits and vegetables that have more than 20 – 50 calories per 100 grams. Means: You have to take in immense quantities. Although this is also possible in the form of smoothies and juices at "Raw till four" – the taste experience is of course one-sided (here 7 delicious raw food recipes). In the evening may then be eaten a third meal. Fruits and vegetables are now taboo. The still allowed 500 – 600 calories may be taken in the form of pasta or rice. How healthy is the raw food diet? The fact is: lots of vegetables and fruits are required in a healthy diet. Fruits provide valuable vitamins, phytochemicals and fiber. However, the high proportion of fiber in the "raw till four" diet is an enormous burden on the digestive organs.

It can cause flatulence, stomach ache and diarrhea. In addition, this diet is extremely one-sided despite healthy end products. And: Fruit contains a lot of fructose – and it's not much healthier than table sugar. For people with fructose intolerance, the raw food diet is nothing anyway. Legumes such as lentils, beans or peas are also not allowed in the raw food diet. And that, even though they provide just that much valuable protein – and that is especially important for vegans. In a word, the "raw till four" diet is just another trend cure – but by no means a permanent diet. Who really wants to change his diet to healthy, should follow the recommendation of the OEGE, the Цsterr. Society for Nutrition, hold: every day two handfuls of fruit and three handfuls of vegetables. Furthermore, valuable protein from lean meat or low-fat dairy products, unsaturated fatty acids from vegetable oils and whole grains should come on the plate.