Raw Vegan friends much needed ;)

bkvamp

Hello, I would like some raw vegan friends because I sometimes I need the support since none of my family members are raw vegans.
I will very seldom have something that is not raw and I would really appreciate the support for when I crave unhealthy food; I would like someone to encourage me not to give into temptation lol

Arexxx

Not vegan, far from it. Just curious- what kinds of things do you eat?

bkvamp

I have a daily fresh veggie/fruit juice, and salads but will get bad cravings for corn chips, crackers, and PIZZA! I feel so terribly sad after I eat these things so I don't know why I always get them when I crave them.

Arexxx

I get cravings for chips and pizza too haha. Just keep strong and delay eating the junk until the urge goes away. Or brush your teeth. Everything tastes bad after toothpaste :P

rachel7mj

Hey! I have been trying to eat Vegan for a while, did it pretty religiously for a couple months, felt great, but fell back into things like pizza and such over the summer. I want to start back up now though... What exactly is raw vegan though? I hadn't heard of that.

bkvamp

lol thanks for the advice!

bkvamp

"Hey! I have been trying to eat Vegan for a while, did it pretty religiously for a couple months, felt great, but fell back into things like pizza and such over the summer. I want to start back up now though... What exactly is raw vegan though? I hadn't heard of that."

Raw vegan is basically only eating fresh produce, nuts and seeds, nothing processed, or frozen. Also no bread or oils.

GiGi_FIERCE

I recommend these!

http://www.eatcleandiet.com/About_The_Diet/The_Books.aspx

http://www.amazon.com/The-Raw-Food-Detox-Diet/dp/0060799919

I love them!

Here is a banana bread recipe with whey protein I have tweaked:


No Sugar Added Vegan Banana Bread (altered from thebakingbird)
Makes one loaf

3 med to large very ripe bananas
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup coconut oil (IF ALLERGIC: use preferred oil)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons molasses (or dark honey for sweet over savoury)
2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder isolate

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (approx. 177 Celsius). Lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl mash the bananas thoroughly. Add the applesauce, oil, vanilla, and molasses (or dark honey), and whisk briskly to incorporate.

In a medium bowl sift in the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Slowly add sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredient bowl. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are happily combined. If you're using chocolate chips or nuts, fold them in here. (I add 1 full scoop of vanilla-whey-protein-isolate here).

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. I sprinkle another teaspoon of cinnamon on top of the smoothed batter and gently fold it under for a tasty crust!

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool. Eat as a quick breakfast or yummy addition to soup or salad. Of course, perfect for an after dinner treat, too.

Enjoy!

phylicia44

I am transitioning to a more raw diet. I won't say that I'm even going to be fully raw, ever, or even fully vegan. I'm early in the transition also. I'm sure things will change, but I'm taking things slooooowwwwwly right now. Last night I had a 100% raw dinner and today my meals have been 100% percent raw also. Last night for dinner, I hollowed out a zucchini and stuffed it with the zucchini flesh, corn, dill, kale, and a tomato. For lunch (I skipped breakfast, shame on me), I'm having a confetti green smoothie - kale, red grapes, a small handful of frozen mixed fruit (strawberries, mango, & pineapple) and some ice. I would like to find some semi-raw/raw friends. I have been on MFP for awhile now and only have one friend!

BiggestL0s3r

I wish I had the willpower to be raw vegan.
But I am a vegan, just not raw (although I do eat chocolate a few times within a month), and a very strict vegetarian of 7 years.

LaurenHR88

I've been a vegan for the last 2 years, I have done a few raw challenges but never stuck it out for much longer than a few weeks. I find it works to not be too hard or too strict about being 100% raw, I try to eat a high raw diet now, but I do eat a lot of raw foods too, this is working for me right now.

Thoth8

if you must go vegan, at least drink beer (alcohol-free if you're not a fan of alcohol) it's the only non-animal product I know that has vitamin b12..... b12 deficiency is deadly...some people can be vegans...because they can produce that vitamin independently in their stomachs... not everyone can though... I was born in the year of the tiger.. and an endomorph/protein digestive type to boot.... I tried vegan for 6 months, it was impossible for me... had b12 deficiency (sharp electric-like pains shooting through my legs due to nerve problems - b12 is important for nerves) I then stopped being vegan and the problem went away nearly instantly.

DWBayless

I'm vegan (I generally refer to myself as a strict vegetarian because when I say vegan, people expect a certain level of activism that I don't exhibit.) and try to eat as much raw as I can.

That said, I'm in a small FOB in Afghanistan, so fresh vegetables and fruits are sometimes difficult to get in quantity and the quality when they are here is sometimes suspect.. I've been vegetarian for most of the past 18 years and vegan for about a year and a half of that, though there have been periods where I've had to compromise.

I've never had a problem with B12 or iron, which I have checked regularly, but I am one of those few people who likes Marmite.

Thoth8

vitamin b12 can be found in yogurt, eggs, fish, and other foods that not so strict vegetarians would eat, if you've been a strict vegan this way for 18 years without any symptoms, then you're a lucky man! you manufacture the vitamin all by yourself in your stomach!!

runner115

DWBayless - LOL! I had to look up FOB and Marmite...my goal is now to find it in Northern California...looks like it may only be available as Vegex here...any serving suggestions??

Laineyvegan

I have been vegan for 6 months and I am loving it, it was difficult at the start (cravings) but they have subsided now mainly.
I have tried raw and felt really good on it but dont think I could stick it out for too long. I am trying to eat healthier now though. I have smoothies most mornings and salads for lunch, so I think I am high raw but not 100%.

Also you can get b12 as a vegan (raw not too sure about) there are alot of milks that have added b12 to them also alot of cereals have b12 added too.

As far as helping with cravings- brushing your teeth like someone else suggested or having sugarfree chewing gum take away sweet cravings for me. If yu have a dehydrated you could make your own crackers. I believe it can be a bit long winded tho.

mirandamayhem

I'm not great at sticking to raw, can only manage days at a time, hell even vegan is hard at the moment, but a good person on facebook if you're on facebook is https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.kane.522 she lives and breathes raw!!

trunkfish

Hi bkvamp
I recently signed up to a Vegan Pledge for a month and went on an introductory day in London where a bunch of Vegans from Vegan Campaigns had put on some really lovely free food, cookery demonstrations and talks. They also measured cholesterol and blood pressure as a vegan doctor was there to monitor the changes after a month of being vegan. I was surprised how easily I stuck to the diet and would like to carry it on.

I'm eating a lot more raw food and find that the thing that jazzes it up is a good dressing. I use a lot of fresh orange juice in dressings, sesame oil, peanut butter, lime juice etc, fresh herbs.

I would recommend Hugh Fearnley Wotzit's River Cottage Veg where 2 raw food vegans turned out a load of really lovely looking food. The chocolate (avocado) cheesecake looked to die for. If you Google River Cottage Veg you should find their recipes - things like crispy kale, and the cheesecake, online.

DWBayless

I always had the Brits that I worked with pick some up for me when they were home. There aren't any Brits here, so I'm looking for a source myself. Preferably someplace online that packs things for the long haul. It takes mail about a month to get out here.

I'll be here for a while though, so it is worth the wait.

curvyvegan

I'm vegan, but not raw. Feel free to add me!

veganbaum

I'm vegan (I generally refer to myself as a strict vegetarian because when I say vegan, people expect a certain level of activism that I don't exhibit.) and try to eat as much raw as I can.

That said, I'm in a small FOB in Afghanistan, so fresh vegetables and fruits are sometimes difficult to get in quantity and the quality when they are here is sometimes suspect.. I've been vegetarian for most of the past 18 years and vegan for about a year and a half of that, though there have been periods where I've had to compromise.

I've never had a problem with B12 or iron, which I have checked regularly, but I am one of those few people who likes Marmite.

I loooove Marmite on toast. My roommate, also vegan, is not a fan. Fine with me, I don't have to worry about him eating it. Anyway, not a raw vegan here, just had to chime in on the Marmite.

Kymmy81

I'm vegan and very interested in increasing my raw intake. I'm maybe 60-65% raw at the moment. Happy to have new friends!

clairerose11

If you cannot find Marmite then Vegemite is the same, just tastes a little different .. I prefer it actually.

stardustyouniverse

I'm a (new) raw vegan, add me if you like

lumayaa

me too, add me

Sway

So easy... I just make my own chips etc... get a dehydrator to help with the transition. At first you'll rely on nuts, avocados... but they became too heavy at times. There are TONS of recipes, and websites out there! It's pretty easy. Vegan is SOOOoooo easy to do, with being raw, you basically need to plan ahead of time.

mamagooskie

I'm vegan (for over a year now) but not a raw vegan. I find vegan easy but I don't know what raw all involves sorry....but you can add me on a friend if you want. Please leave me a note in the request if you do.

shoniabrown

Hi Everyone -

I have a question regarding the vegan diet as well. I've been 90/10 vegan for the past month now and it started off great. However, by the second week, I found myself really bloated and gassy. I was eating a lot of processed fast food vegan/vegetarian foods and when I did my research I found that processed foods and soy could cause this bloating and flatulence. So I removed most of the processed foods and soy from my diet. Now I eat mostly whole fresh foods as well as starchy vegetables and grains. Last week I have severe cramping and I felt like an alien was living in my tummy. LOL! Then the extreme diarhea came on and I out of frustration took Immodium AD to calm the stomach. Now, with the help of the Immodium and the new diet, I am consitpated, bloated, and the tummy just feels horrible. I've continued to research the correlation of being vegan and bloating/flatulence, and many people say it's because of the drastic change in diet and increase in fiber. What say you, MFPeeps? What has your experience b een when changing to a vegan lifestyle and if you did get a sick tummy, did it ever subside or do you still have problems with whole foods? Your advice is greatly appreciated.


Shonia