To Vegans and Vegetarians.......... thoughts on the "Raw Food diet"?
I was wondering what all you vegans and vegetarians who eat cooked food think about the raw food diet. I am not referring to a raw meat diet ("primal diet") but rather a raw vegan/vegetarian(raw honey/raw dairy) diet?
I was vegetarian/vegan for at least 3.5 years before I heard about the raw food diet and once I started learning I didn't stop and now I am a raw vegetarian (since I eat raw honey and once in a great while raw cheese). I have gone to a raw food support group in the area at a health food store and I suggested reaching out to the vegetarians and vegans on meetup and the leader of the group said she has gotten to some arguments with cooked food vegheads.
I was wondering just people's thoughts on a raw food diet, I must admit the first I was exposed to raw food diet was a video on youtube with this pale lady making onion bread in a dehydrator and I thought it was so stupid I was just like 'use a oven!!!'
But now I eat much simpler than I did when I was vegan and have gone through some noticeable changes like my depression I have suffered with for so long is gone a least more manageable, I have more energy since I used to be kind of fatigued and lazy, I can think so much clearer, and so many other little things that I just love. But as a note I don't eat 100% raw probably 80-99% and I don't follow 80-10-10.
So what do you think?
Raw food is tasty, and raw foodists are generally pretty chilled, nice people, but the ones who get all dogmatic and pseudosciencey seriously need to sit down and shut up long enough to take a few deep breaths.
I'm kind of intrigued by it, could you tell me what you eat in a typical day? What are some of your favorite raw foods?
i eat raw foods. there s a raw food chit-chat thread that we have, too.
i DO eat 80/10/10.. i like it, and it suits me since i'm vegan.
I find it very interesting, and it is probably very healthy. Just cant be bothered to make the effort with my busy life, vegan is hard enough as it is (sometimes).
what's 80/10/10?
what's 80/10/10?
http://foodnsport.com/
it's a raw vegan whole food diet that is high in fruit and greens.
it's 80% carbs
10% proten
10% fat
I eat a lot of raw foods, especially fruits and I often eat salads that are full of fresh raw veggies of a wide variety. Personally, I like balance, so I would not go raw. As a male, I like the idea of getting the antioxidant lycopene through cooked tomato products and raw foodists have been shown to be deficient in this antioxidant. I also do not buy into the "we need the enzymes that cooking destroys" because our bodies are pretty good at making enzymes, although a little help along the way certainly doesn't hurt.
Also, I'm kind of lazy, although I love to cook. I think being a raw foodist would take some planning and patience while waiting for grains and beans to soak, or stuff to dehydrate at low temps.
I've tried several raw recipes and dressings and love them all. It's amazing how creative one can be with raw food. I think everyone, especially the persons eating the standard western diet should eat more raw.
Interesting when you look at the resolution thread how many people said "eat more raw".
i think a raw diet would be an awesome way to live but it's def not for me... i do want to strive to eat more raw fruits and veggies but for dinner i crave hot foods... i think if it is done right it can be an awesome and healthy way to live for sure!
I was shortly interested in raw food. It seems like a diet that has worked well for many people. I can see how eating more fruits and vegetables make people slimer and give them a better complextion. However, I don't agree with the main tenent that eating raw makes it more nutritious and that we were evolved to eat raw. Cooking and light processing actually make most nutrients more bioavailable to us, in particular, zinc and selenium. So, I lightly steam my vegetables, eat salad and raw fruit but cook all my grains and legumes. My diet is about 30-40% raw. It seems to work for me. Also, I am big on taking B12 and vitamin D supplements. They aren't available in plant foods. Do not want to risk a major defenciency, especially for B12.
i agree with a B12 and D supplement as well as i have read many articles on pro vegan sites about the importance of these as well as certian amino acids
However, I don't agree with the main tenent that eating raw makes it more nutritious and that we were evolved to eat raw. Cooking and light processing actually make most nutrients more bioavailable to us, in particular, zinc and selenium.
My thoughts exactly. To be honest, I've been a little bit skeptical about the whole raw food movement. I think all things are healthy in moderation, but it seems that a great many people have taken what could have been some decent dietetic advice and become rigid and elitist about it. I've met many people who walk around with their noses high in the air and brag about the lengths of their fancy carrot-celery juice fasts. I've never encountered individuals like that on VegWeb, but they're all over the health stores in the wealthier areas of where I live. If eating a raw food diet helps you reduce your caloric intake and lose excess weight, all the power to ya. However, I still think that (like any diet) in the end it comes down to calories in--calories out and physical activity.
For me personally, I've found that eating too many raw foods will tear up my digestive system. I get terrible gas and stomach cramps anytime I eat large portions of raw veggies or uncooked fibrous grains. I prefer to lightly steam my veggies (which may actually increase they're nutritional values), I LOVE fresh salads, and eat lots of raw fruits... but I definitely prefer my legumes and grains cooked.
Oh wow! what a response!
Narcissus,
I hate the dogmatic people like I am a member of a raw food forum that will be unnamed and people on there just think cooked food is poison and toxic. I am fine with a little cooked food but high raw is my goal. Also some of the raw food gurus can get annoying and seem to only want to profit from the whole thing.
supadupabee,
Well let's see what I usually eat :
Green Smoothie of (I chew it while doing homework):
fruits (like 3 oranges maybe 3-4 kiwi, a few bananas)
greens (collard greens, cilantro, kale)
soaked seeds (always flaxseed and sesame seeds
Pre gym Snack:
fruit (maybe half a cantaloupe with a few oranges and a banana and some Spuirilina tablets)
At the gym I usually have Mate or Roobois tea and maybe an orange to keep me going
Post Gym Smoothie
fruit (maybe 2-3 bananas)
greens (collard, kale, cilantro)
seeds (flaxseed and sesame seeds)
Dinner (I ususally eat a good amount of fat at this meal, if I have too much fat before the gym it doesn't help me at all there)
Tonight I had two stuffed Mushrooms (stuffed with Sunflower seed and Chickpea mush)
Or maybe a large salad with an avocado and tempeh
or celery and carrots with a pumpkin seed dip
or raw chana masala (I have the recipe on here)
Snack
Banana (maybe with a little almond butter)
Orange
Chocolate bar (not raw, but so what?)
I am basically new to this whole raw food thing maybe a month into it really deep and I don't many favorite things except the pumpkin seed dip which I'll post on here. I have been experimenting around and falling back in love with the veggies I got bored with being vegan.
edd677,
I thought that I didn't have the time but now I spend so much less time in the kitchen. I basically throw things in a blender or food processor or set things aside to soak and that's all. I love the simplicity of raw food. I keep it really simple as you can see by the above daily food regiment - basically a lot of fruit and greens and some nuts and seeds.
hespedal,
I applaud you for doing 80-10-10 but I find it hard in a colder climate. A little fat helps keep me warm and helps fight dry hands from the cold. I currently fall into a 60-30-10 sort of diet, maybe 80-10-10 in the summer when there's more fruit and the warm sun! 80-10-10 seems to work wonders for many, I think whatever you find works stick with it.
Tweety,
you know I thought it would take time but it just takes motivation to be raw. I rarely sprout legumes or seeds. I do soak flaxseed and sesame seeds for smoothies but that maybe takes 5 minutes total. I don't have a dehydrator just don't have the money or need for it.
amymylove,
before I went like really high raw it would always be my goal to eat all raw until dinner and that is how many raw foodists live in the cold months. I guess it is another thing with vegans or vegetarians as long as you eat whole food not processed shit then some cooked and a good amount of raw is good.
dl-bailey,
I do eat cooked foods but right now not that many but I get a vegan pizza at Trader Joes they just sound so good lately! I just basically eat whatever and now I don't even try making foods they just come together. It's like discovering how to cook all over again. I do supplement with Vitamin D and I do eat eggs (local free-range organic only) maybe once a week at most and/or nutritional yeast for some B12.
well i think ur typical meal plan sounds awesome and healthy! whatever works for u :) it seems like ur trying to do the whole raw thing the way it's supposed to be... hesp does a great job at it too...and some others... i just think like with many aspects of veganism some people don't go about their diet the right way and make people who r doing it correctly and healthfully look bad :( (uh hum myself included unfortunately)... most of u peeps r really inspiring though
<------Raw Foodist
I've been a raw foodist for just over one year now and it does take a firm committment to stick with it. For me, the key to sticking with it has been variety. A girl cannot survive on salad and smoothies alone! It can take a lot of advanced prep and it does help to have all the equipment (dehydrator, juicer, spiral slicer, mandoline slicer....). I know it can be pricey but sometimes you can find it cheap at thrift stores. I got my juicer for $5.00 at the Goodwill and if I recall correctly, Capture (raw foodist on this site) found a mandoline slicer for almost nothing at a thrift store. There are a lot of good books out there (even Raw Food for Dummies) and there are also a lot of great websites.
If you feel like it, come on over to the raw thread and chat.
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=23616.0
Here are some pictures of my food:
Swamp Soup
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/Stormflakes/VegWeb/PB150102.jpg
Green Machine Salad
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/Stormflakes/VegWeb/PirateDayOthers051.jpg
Berries with Coconut and Lime Juice
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/Stormflakes/VegWeb/PirateDayOthers057.jpg
Raw Tostadas
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/Stormflakes/VegWeb/027.jpg
Raw Burgers
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/Stormflakes/VegWeb/003-3.jpg
Zucchini Linguini with Pesto
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/Stormflakes/VegWeb/002-2.jpg
Raw Strawberry Pie
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/Stormflakes/VegWeb/013-2.jpg
Spicy Red Pepper Soup
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/Stormflakes/VegWeb/011.jpg
Berry Parfait
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/Stormflakes/VegWeb/P2020002.jpg
80-10-10 is definitely tough in northern climates... especially since it's more of a lifestyle than a diet.
i know many n northern climates (from forums that i am on) start there own organic fruit buying co-ops and such to get wholesale, good quality fruit all through the year... and then they move to the tropics. lol.
For Vitamin D, go outside. You'll make it from simply being in sunshine.
Vegans aren't short on amino acids. Maybe it was the context? What site were you reading, amymylove?
For Vitamin D, go outside. You'll make it from simply being in sunshine.
Vegans aren't short on amino acids. Maybe it was the context? What site were you reading, amymylove?
some people that live too far north do have to supplement, unfortunately. i think anywhere above the 45th parallel during the winter?
yeah and all the amino acids are def available in fruits and veggies only.
as far as b12, i'm researching it, but it seems like it shouldn't be an issue. as long as you are digesting/absorbing properly you should be able to get the minute amounts you need from organic food and bacteria in your mouth and such.
For Vitamin D, go outside. You'll make it from simply being in sunshine.
Vegans aren't short on amino acids. Maybe it was the context? What site were you reading, amymylove?
some people that live too far north do have to supplement, unfortunately. i think anywhere above the 45th parallel during the winter?
yeah and all the amino acids are def available in fruits and veggies only.
as far as b12, i'm researching it, but it seems like it shouldn't be an issue. as long as you are digesting/absorbing properly you should be able to get the minute amounts you need from organic food and bacteria in your mouth and such.
Long-term studies have shown that vegetarians have higher homosistene levels and brain shrinkage due to inadequate B12 intake. This may explain why vegans have a life expectancy close to those of meat-eaters and vegetarians only have a slightly longer life expectancy. Vegans also have heart attack rates comparable to meat-eaters. Their is also some evidence that vegans and vegetarians that don't supplement their diets with B12 will develop cognitive problems later in life. Don't make the assumption that you can get adquite amounts of B12 from your diet. We cannot obtain B12 from bacteria in our digestive track or unwashed vegetables. All vegetarians and vegans that do not supplement have significantly lower levels of B12 levels than meat-eaters. B12 defficiency does take several years to become apparent. But, when it noticed it is usually severe and almost always irreversible.
Fortunately, vegan B12 supplements are inexpensive, easy to find and highly absorbable. I buy TwinLab's B-12 dots for $8 at my local grocery store. It is 100 500mg tablets. You only have to take it a few times a week. One bottle lasts 4-6 months.
Some vegetarians and non-vegetarians assume that supplements mean that their is sometype of diet failure. It does not. Most people in this country have to obtain vitamins and minerals from some time of supplementation (i.e. iodine and Vit D).
For Vitamin D, go outside. You'll make it from simply being in sunshine.
Vegans aren't short on amino acids. Maybe it was the context? What site were you reading, amymylove?
here were 2 i looked at recently:
http://www.veganhealth.org/
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/vegan.htm
i am new to this unlike many of u and trying to figure all this out
Long-term studies have shown that vegetarians have higher homosistene levels and brain shrinkage due to inadequate B12 intake. This may explain why vegans have a life expectancy close to those of meat-eaters and vegetarians only have a slightly longer life expectancy. Vegans also have heart attack rates comparable to meat-eaters.
Wow. All this is news to me. Since I'm a science-minded person would you mind providing your sources? Thanks.
I do understand that Vit B12 supplementation from a supplement or fortified food is essential for vegans as there is no plant source available. Don't disagree with that fact.
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