Raw veganism?

missiontofitness

I just want to start by saying that this is not in any way shape or form a post to knock this lifestyle. I'm just trying to get opinions on it.

I've caught wind of the raw foods movement within the past year, and it's been an inspiration for me to include more fresh produce in my diet, and to try to eat more towards my own definition of clean eating for my body. While I would and will never commit to a fully raw (and organic) lifestyle, I've seen a lot of gurus who have.
I've also seen some extreme examples. One guru (FullyRaw Kristina) is a long distance runner who runs a co-op, and also eats what I think is an inhuman amount of food each day to reach her calorie goals. Another one, Freelea, posted a video about how she ate 51 bananas in a day. How do people fit all of that inside them?! How do they know exactly what to eat? How can they afford hundreds of dollars a week on food?

So here's what I'm wondering:

What are your opinions on this lifestyle?
How sustainable do you think it is to live off of a fully raw vegan diet?
Have you ever tried it? If so, what was your experience?
Would you ever try a lifestyle like this? Do you think it's too restrictive?
Have you noticed an impact on your body by introducing more fresh produce into your diet during you lifestyle change? Do you balance it by eating meat as well?

Thanks for your opinions! I just want to restress this is simply an opinion post, and not meant to bash anyone. So please also keep any comments non-judgmental as well.

Mr_Knight

Raw food is so 10 years ago.

neanderthin

Raw food is so 10 years ago.

Very popular with the eating disorder crowd.....a very good place to hide is seems. Personally, I couldn't begin to find that extreme of a restriction of foods in general, and dangerous for the ill informed to ever believe it either makes any sense or is healthy.

missiontofitness

Raw food is so 10 years ago.

Very popular with the eating disorder crowd.....a very good place to hide is seems. Personally, I couldn't begin to find that extreme of a restriction of foods in general, and dangerous for the ill informed to ever believe it either makes any sense or is healthy.

I did read an article that vegetarianism and veganism is sometimes a front for an eating disorder; but it's also important to remember that not everyone is disordered within that lifestyle.

I think the one thing that does get me is the food restriction; some gurus barely eat fats, and won't include many seeds or avocados in their diets or recipes. One thing I've leaned through this site is that you do need fats (good fats) to function. I wonder how they get enough, if they're eating so little?

Rocbola

Kristina is awesome! A lot of the raw and vegan gurus who go fully raw overnight do so because they are sick and have to. People like John Kohler, Kristina Carillo-Bucaram, Jay Kordich and Kris Carr were all sick, and went raw overnight to fight their diseases. If you are not sick, you could try dabbling at first. Just try to swap out as many of your regular meals with fresh fruits and veggies.

From experience, DO IT!!!! It's so worth it. Try it for a couple of weeks, and you will FEEL what i am talking about.

Rocbola

Raw food is so 10 years ago.

You're missing a few zeros.

missiontofitness

Kristina is awesome! A lot of the raw and vegan gurus who go fully raw overnight do so because they are sick and have to. People like John Kohler, Kristina Carillo-Bucaram, Jay Kordich and Kris Carr were all sick, and went raw overnight to fight their diseases. If you are not sick, you could try dabbling at first. Just try to swap out as many of your regular meals with fresh fruits and veggies.

From experience, DO IT!!!! It's so worth it. Try it for a couple of weeks, and you will FEEL what i am talking about.

I personally have no desire to go fully raw (nor can I afford it). But I do love how I've felt by incorporating more salads, fruits, and veggies into my diet now. It's also inspired me to treat myself to a blender after Christmas, and to start juicing and doing smoothies again. I really think finding the movement has been helpful to help me evaluate my food choices better, and to find a good balance between healthy consumption of meats and produce.

tigersword

Well, our brains and intelligence were able to evolve because we started eating meat and cooking our food. So I see raw veganism as a very silly concept, as it pretty much goes against human evolution.

Rocbola

Kristina is awesome! A lot of the raw and vegan gurus who go fully raw overnight do so because they are sick and have to. People like John Kohler, Kristina Carillo-Bucaram, Jay Kordich and Kris Carr were all sick, and went raw overnight to fight their diseases. If you are not sick, you could try dabbling at first. Just try to swap out as many of your regular meals with fresh fruits and veggies.

From experience, DO IT!!!! It's so worth it. Try it for a couple of weeks, and you will FEEL what i am talking about.

I personally have no desire to go fully raw (nor can I afford it). But I do love how I've felt by incorporating more salads, fruits, and veggies into my diet now. It's also inspired me to treat myself to a blender after Christmas, and to start juicing and doing smoothies again. I really think finding the movement has been helpful to help me evaluate my food choices better, and to find a good balance between healthy consumption of meats and produce.

A lot of people get great results without going fully raw. I like your approach of incorporating more salads, fruits and veggies, and green smoothies are great, too.

Check into the work of people like Joel Fuhrman, John McDougall, Alan Goldhamer and Caldwell Esselstyn, if you haven't already. They get great results with a partially cooked diet that includes not only the raw fruit and veg, but also legumes, grains and other starchy vegetables, like potatoes. That manner of eating is a lot less restrictive and a lot cheaper.

RawFoodBelle

I could never go 100% raw vegan, but I find it beyond ridiculous to see that people bash this lifestyle, since it is just about the healthiest thing you can do (if you make sure you don't JUST eat fruits & vegetables, but also get your protein and fats in).

It is certainly not the ONLY way to good health, but to say it is unhealthy, is simply the strangest thing. It is also not for people with an eating disorder, because raw vegans often (have to) eat over 3,000 calories a day. But because it passes through your system so fast, you will not get fat.

I do high raw pescetarian for health. This means I mainly eat fruits & veggies, but also have eggs and fish on a regular basis for my protein and healthy fats. I do this for my health. After 20+ years of dieting, I know what my weaknesses are and with this lifestyle I can avoid those. Finding a lifestyle is not only about finding what works for your body, but also for your mind.

I can't do moderation very well, as I am an emotional eater. I do well when I "restrict" what I eat, but not how much. If I allow myself to eat bread, I will eat a LOT of it. Just as an example. Now I do high raw, I can eat 2,000 calories of fruit and veggies (and occassionally have sardines, herring and a meal of 5 eggs) and still lose weight.

What I do not like about this lifestyle is the people preaching it - there are some people on YouTube (Freelee, Durianrider) that preach it like it is the best thing on this world and they like to bash overweight people and constantly emphasize how skinny you will get doing this. I stay away from these types of people.

I, personally, do this for health and weight loss, and it works great. No more being hangry all the time and no more boredom binges. I don't think it has to be super expensive. It can be, but if you look for discounts and adjust to that, it can be quite cheap. I pay on average 100$ a month on fresh fruits and vegetables. I just look at what is in season and what is on sale and get that.

ETA: I am not super strict. I will allow myself a steak, cake, chocolate when I want to - this may not be every week, but on birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, I am not going to deprive myself from food that I love. I just have to plan these days so I don't go overboard.

missiontofitness

I could never go 100% raw vegan, but I find it beyond ridiculous to see that people bash this lifestyle, since it is just about the healthiest thing you can do (if you make sure you don't JUST eat fruits & vegetables, but also get your protein and fats in).

It is certainly not the ONLY way to good health, but to say it is unhealthy, is simply the strangest thing. It is also not for people with an eating disorder, because raw vegans often (have to) eat over 3,000 calories a day. But because it passes through your system so fast, you will not get fat.

I do high raw pescetarian for health. This means I mainly eat fruits & veggies, but also have eggs and fish on a regular basis for my protein and healthy fats. I do this for my health. After 20+ years of dieting, I know what my weaknesses are and with this lifestyle I can avoid those. Finding a lifestyle is not only about finding what works for your body, but also for your mind.

I can't do moderation very well, as I am an emotional eater. I do well when I "restrict" what I eat, but not how much. If I allow myself to eat bread, I will eat a LOT of it. Just as an example. Now I do high raw, I can eat 2,000 calories of fruit and veggies (and occassionally have sardines, herring and a meal of 5 eggs) and still lose weight.

What I do not like about this lifestyle is the people preaching it - there are some people on YouTube (Freelee, Durianrider) that preach it like it is the best thing on this world and they like to bash overweight people and constantly emphasize how skinny you will get doing this. I stay away from these types of people.

I, personally, do this for health and weight loss, and it works great. No more being hangry all the time and no more boredom binges. I don't think it has to be super expensive. It can be, but if you look for discounts and adjust to that, it can be quite cheap. I pay on average 100$ a month on fresh fruits and vegetables. I just look at what is in season and what is on sale and get that.

ETA: I am not super strict. I will allow myself a steak, cake, chocolate when I want to - this may not be every week, but on birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, I am not going to deprive myself from food that I love. I just have to plan these days so I don't go overboard.

Thank you for your response; I really love your outlook on the way you eat. It sounds like you have a great balance with things and that you've worked how you want to eat around your limitations (the part about emotional eating). I really think your outlook is similar to mine, and you've given me some new ideas on how I should be eating as well.

Rocbola

RawFoodBelle: very well said!

RawFoodBelle

I could never go 100% raw vegan, but I find it beyond ridiculous to see that people bash this lifestyle, since it is just about the healthiest thing you can do (if you make sure you don't JUST eat fruits & vegetables, but also get your protein and fats in).

It is certainly not the ONLY way to good health, but to say it is unhealthy, is simply the strangest thing. It is also not for people with an eating disorder, because raw vegans often (have to) eat over 3,000 calories a day. But because it passes through your system so fast, you will not get fat.

I do high raw pescetarian for health. This means I mainly eat fruits & veggies, but also have eggs and fish on a regular basis for my protein and healthy fats. I do this for my health. After 20+ years of dieting, I know what my weaknesses are and with this lifestyle I can avoid those. Finding a lifestyle is not only about finding what works for your body, but also for your mind.

I can't do moderation very well, as I am an emotional eater. I do well when I "restrict" what I eat, but not how much. If I allow myself to eat bread, I will eat a LOT of it. Just as an example. Now I do high raw, I can eat 2,000 calories of fruit and veggies (and occassionally have sardines, herring and a meal of 5 eggs) and still lose weight.

What I do not like about this lifestyle is the people preaching it - there are some people on YouTube (Freelee, Durianrider) that preach it like it is the best thing on this world and they like to bash overweight people and constantly emphasize how skinny you will get doing this. I stay away from these types of people.

I, personally, do this for health and weight loss, and it works great. No more being hangry all the time and no more boredom binges. I don't think it has to be super expensive. It can be, but if you look for discounts and adjust to that, it can be quite cheap. I pay on average 100$ a month on fresh fruits and vegetables. I just look at what is in season and what is on sale and get that.

ETA: I am not super strict. I will allow myself a steak, cake, chocolate when I want to - this may not be every week, but on birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, I am not going to deprive myself from food that I love. I just have to plan these days so I don't go overboard.

Thank you for your response; I really love your outlook on the way you eat. It sounds like you have a great balance with things and that you've worked how you want to eat around your limitations (the part about emotional eating). I really think your outlook is similar to mine, and you've given me some new ideas on how I should be eating as well.

You're very welcome! I have been on MFP for about a year now (under a different account) and I have seen many people just bashing anything that doesn't fit their frame. If you eat any differently than they do, you're doing it wrong and they will have a thousand-and-one "studies" to back it up. I realized that these studies are to be taken with a grain of salt -- there's studies that say broccoli causes cancer. I do not listen to anyone on here who tries to tell others what is best, because that is different for everyone.

Surely, "eating healthy in moderation and working out" sounds great. But wouldn't we all be skinny and healthy if it were that simple? I know that moderation helps, I wasn't born yesterday. But tell that to someone who has been overweight almost half her life - it simply is not that simple.

I have found through experience that this lifestyle works for me, and I am having great successes. But I know other people believe fruit causes blood sugar spikes (which I find ridiculous... but that is a discussion I will not get into) and some others couldn't think to eat 10 bananas and 15 oranges a day, whereas I love eating that way

rayonrainbows

honestly, i'd probably find it too restrictive and frustration.. i like hot foods!

however, i was "normal" vegan for 4 yrs before i switched to veg these last few years, and i hardly found it restrictive at all once i got used to it..... in fact, i'd say it opened up the door to me appreciating and exploring new foods.... couldn't just heat up a pepperoni hotpocket in the microwave, had to get creative... and now i can whip you up a whole yummy vegetarian meal from scratch with any random ingredients you give me.. and i also lost about 45 pounds my first 8-9 months of being vegan, without counting cals, which i maintained off for years no problem

_TastySnoBalls_

i did the 100% raw vegan bit last year...i lasted 4 weeks...lol. yay for incorporating more raw vegetables and fruits into what you eat, but other than that raw veganism is BS

KombuchaCat

I was raw vegan for about 6 months a couple of years ago. I have to say, I felt AMAZING!!!! So much energy, my skin glowed! If you are incorporating raw nuts and seeds I don't see how you would have to eat an "inhuman" amount of calories. If you are just eating fruit/veg then yeah, you'd be eating all day, unless you ate all dates and bananas, which some people do .
It did become tedious to keep up with. I work full time and my husband is not vegan. It takes lots of planning ahead if you don't want to live on salads, smoothies, and mono-meals all the time. Making wraps, cookies, crackers in the dehydrator is fun at first but, once again, if you haven't planned ahead and just don't have time it's frustrating. Managing the raw food items in your fridge when that's all you're eating, making sure everything is superiorly fresh, is frustrating. Raw food items in the healthfood store are quite expensive.
Currently I follow a vegan diet with lots of raw foods depending on the season. In the summer there are times when I eat 80-95% raw at least. I incorporate raw food treats when I feel like it and have the time. I think it would have been easier for me to stick to if my husband would have done it with me...but preparing raw vegan things and his meals (he will eat almost anything I make but a couple times a week wants something not vegan, like I'll make what would be a meal for me and heat up a sausage or something for him to have with it) and working full time is just too much. You could tell me to leave him to his own devices but that's just not how our household works. Plus I love to cook and bake so I missed that as well.
Bottomline, my opinion is that raw veganism is a healthy, noble way to eat. I don't think it means you have an eating disorder. It works for some people and doesn't for others.

RawFoodBelle

i did the 100% raw vegan bit last year...i lasted 4 weeks...lol. yay for incorporating more raw vegetables and fruits into what you eat, but other than that raw veganism is BS

Just because it didn't work for you, doesn't mean it is BS...

Carnivor0us

i did the 100% raw vegan bit last year...i lasted 4 weeks...lol. yay for incorporating more raw vegetables and fruits into what you eat, but other than that raw veganism is BS

Just because it didn't work for you, doesn't mean it is BS...

It's BS for her.

But I'm down with a raw diet. Raw milk, raw eggs, raw meat. Excellent for health.

ilmb87

I don't think I could do it. I like my dirty, dirty chips and other "junk" too much to ever cut them out completely.

But more power to the people who can stick with it!

diannethegeek

Surely, "eating healthy in moderation and working out" sounds great. But wouldn't we all be skinny and healthy if it were that simple? I know that moderation helps, I wasn't born yesterday. But tell that to someone who has been overweight almost half her life - it simply is not that simple.

Just want to point out, I've been overweight for more than half my life and "moderation and working out" really were that simple for me. Simple, not always easy.

Your post kind of makes it sound like you don't think fat people can moderate themselves. It really is possible to develop some self-control, I promise you.

But hey, if you found something else that works for you, way to go.