Some individuals follow a raw food diet, incorporating only raw materials, for health or ethical reasons. The raw food diet is often vegan, and incorporates only raw foods because adherents to the diet believe that cooking damages the essential enzymes in foods. The raw food diet grew increasingly popular in the 1990s, with a number of celebrities picking up the diet for various reasons, although raw foodists began to appear in force in the 1960s.

Most followers of the raw food diet are vegan, because they believe that animal products are unethical or unhealthy. Some individuals on a raw food diet will eat animal products such as raw milk and cheese or some raw meats, although these represent a much smaller group. There are more extreme raw food diets, including fruitarianism, in which followers eat only fresh raw fruits.

Adherents to a raw food diet will not consume any food that has been heated over 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius), in the belief that cooking damages the structure of the food. Some raw foodists use a dehydrator to assist in food preparation. The dehydrator gently heats food and uses a convection fan to keep the heat distribution even. It is possible to produce a variety of dehydrated breads, crackers, and nuts to supplement a raw food diet.

If individuals on a raw food diet are careful and conscientious about the source of their protein and other vital vitamins, it can be quite healthy and safe. The raw food diet does require a much more extensive knowledge of nutrition than most individuals have. An unsafe raw food diet can result in illness and malnutrition, which are not generally the desired effects of the diet. Proponents of the diet believe that it is more natural than eating cooked foods, because humans evolved eating raw foods, with cooked food being a relatively recent introduction. However, curious diners should be cautioned that some foods are indigestible or dangerous when eaten raw, and caution is advised.

There are a number of books available to assist people interested in the raw food diet. A medical professional should be consulted before embarking on a raw food diet as with any major dietary change. The raw food diet also does not have to be boring, with a number of gourmet raw food restaurants popping up all over the world to satisfy sophisticated palates. Raw food culinary schools are also an option for interested chefs, who will learn how to prepare a wide variety of delicious meals aimed at tempting the palates of everyone from committed vegans to carnivores.

Most people on the raw food diet do not eat fully raw, but try to dedicate a significant portion of their diet to raw food. Increasing intake of fresh vegetables and fruit is almost always healthy, and most individuals would benefit from a higher proportion of raw foods in their diet.