Foods

Hi!! i have been researching raw foodism and i am very interested in it (the vegan-ish one, not the nasty one where u drink unpasteurized milk and raw meat)  i'm wondering if anyone here has ever tried the raw food diet and what they thought of it. i'm a recent vegetarian and thats working out just dandy. i don't eat dairy products really except milk, but i just don't bother reading ingredients for stuff like that. I still don't feel like my diet is.. optimal. so ya just wondering what everyone on here thinks/knows about the raw food diet!

There are a few threads over on the vegetarian board that you might find interesting.  My thoughts are mixed.  On the one hand, I'm certain it's possible to be healthy on a raw/vegan diet.  On the other, I believe that human beings operate best on a varied, omnivorous diet and that the ability to cook certain foods to break them down and make them digestible is part of why we're a successful species.  I also think that being a raw foodist could be rather socially isolating on occasions.  

I'd strongly recommend that if you go this route you really get to know your nutrition as thoroughly as possible.  Someone eating solely raw food has to be exceptionally careful about their calorie intake, for example, to avoid undereating.   And they have to make sure that they're getting as broad a range of nutrition as possible.

personally, i feel the raw food diet could be healthy, yes, but often it isnt. I personally feel that raw veganism is too extreme, not protien rich, and too labor intensive. i feel that veganism misses out on many healthy animal fats, and enzmes from dairy, etc.

most raw foodists that ive seen, look very very very unhealthy, thier skin is a strange pigment and they look rather emaciated and weak. Personally i cant say much better about vegans either.

Personally im a omnivore who eats a mostly vegetarian diet, and im perfectly healthy, however i would never risk being a vegan.

I have a close friend who does the "hallelujah acres diet" It is almost entirely raw foods, mostly vegetables. Also, it's more than just the diet; it's a lifestyle that includes proper exercise, meditation, relaxation. My friend directly connects this lifestyle with his remarkable recovery from bladder cancer. Here's his story: http://www.advocatesinternational.org/pages/g lobal/resources/Newsltrs/news04/cancer.php

There are a lot of horror stories out there about raw foodism and veganism, take them with a grain of salt. My diet is roughly 95% raw and vegan and I'm the picture of health! I hope you don't mind, Dartrinton, if I quote your "risk being a vegan" at the Vegan Fitness week this year ;).

Just like with any other diet you have to ensure you get enough nutrients, the only one I've struggled with really is iron. Non-heme sources of iron aren't as readily absorbed and certain foods (spinach, soy, drinks with caffeine) can hinder the absorption even more, so that's something you might want to keep an eye on.

I've noticed some concretical improvements in the condition of my skin, my childhood arthritis is long gone and people have actually commented on how healthy I look (that's a first), so anyone suggesting raw vegans are emaciated or weak should chat with my doctor and personal trainer for a different view

If you're interested, give raw foodism a shot and see how you feel. Going 100% raw immediately might be ill-advised, but you can experiment with increasing your intake of uncooked foods gradually. Some people will indubitably find it doesn't suit them, but it worked for me: I get all the nourishment I need and enough energy to do hard weight lifting six days a week. I've even built muscle!

agian, if you know what your doing, you can be a bery healthy vegan, or raw foodist. However most people jump into it with a blind eye. many vegans dont properly prepare thier grains, or seeds, or beans ( Ie: destory phytic acid and tyrspin inhibitors) so they usually dont get optimal nutrition or protien. Many vegans also eat soy isolate, which is not a health food, its deadly as sin.

agian, take the good with the bad, personally im practically a vegetarian myself, so agian i highly reccomend mimally cooking, processing your food. even cookbooks from 1935 say this.

I gave the raw food diet a try and I found it extremely inconvenient and unpleasant to follow. If you like eating only fruits and veggies and raw nuts for every meal and snack, it's pretty easy. But if you'd like something more once in a while, there's a lot of work involved -pureeing and dehydrating, etc. I'm no stranger to the kitchen and I love to cook and prepare food, but the raw diet really threw me.

But, I've heard that the health benefits are great. I applaud anyone who can stick with it!