We get asked about raw food diets a lot. Now, we like raw foods as much as the next rabbit, and not just raw veggies. We like raw nuts, too (although Dr. Mike also likes his roasted and Dr. Mehmet likes nuts, especially almonds, soaked in water, which sounds odd but tastes good). Anyway, back to raw food diets. There's no magic -- or "active enzyme" advantages -- in living solely on raw foods. True, all those fresh veggies, nuts, berries and grains (and little or no red meat) will lower your lousy LDL cholesterol and triglycerides (unless you have the craving and budget for steak tartare). But there are tradeoffs: Your good HDL cholesterol will fall, too, not just your bad LDL. So will your vitamin B-12 levels, according to research on longtime raw foodies. And your artery-damaging homocysteine will increase, which ups your risk of clogged blood vessels.

That said, some foods really are better for you when they're raw. Five crunchy examples:

1. Carrots. Raw ones have more heart-healthy, cancer-preventing chemicals and vitamin C than cooked ones.

2. Zucchini. The sight-saving plant pigment called lutein is lost in cooking; so is vitamin C.

3. Broccoli. Eat it raw, and you'll get a hefty helping of potent plant nutrients that lower your risk of blood clots, plus vitamin C, and an enzyme that may demolish precancerous cells.

4. Pistachios. Roasting them destroys inflammation-cooling compounds that relax and dilate your blood vessels.

5. Almonds. Folate is a star in this nut. Raw ones have about 35 percent more than roasted. Walnuts have great nutrients raw, roasted or soaked.

The YOU Docs, Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen, are authors of "YOU: On a Diet." Want more? See "The Dr. Oz Show" on TV (check local listings). To submit questions, go to www.RealAge.com.

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