Want to go Raw Vegan for the summer, need friends!!

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Starting today I am going to go raw vegan for the summer, and if I like it I plan to continue it. But, I would like some tips from others or if anyone wants to do this with me!

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  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Best of luck to you.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
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    I eat a diet that is about 80-90% raw vegan. I went this way as I have a lot of digestive issues with food.

    I still do consume at least one cooked meal each day. Otherwise I consume fruit, veggies, salads, homemade juices, etc.

    Don't go raw vegan because you think it's healthier or will lead to more weight loss. It can be a tough lifestyle to stick with. It is also harder to ensure you are getting proper nutrition.
  • JacquiMarie70
    JacquiMarie70 Posts: 62 Member
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    You can add me! I have my food diary set to friends only. Have some great recipes as well :)

    I was a vegetarian for 3.5 years and then went vegan for a short while, until I ended up eating chicken and turkey again, but I still do no dairy.

    I loved it and felt really good. I have ibs so my stomach can barley tolerate much. I found when i started eating the meat again I definitely gained weight back and felt not at my best.

    Im trying to get back into eating no meat at all, I can definitely go without it and not miss is at all. 3 years ago I started dating my boyfriend and slowly got into eating meat again, mainly because I felt like a pain in the but to everyone and didnt like making others feel obligated to go out of their way to cook me something different then them. So to make things less awkward i just said screw it and ate poultry again. Thats pure lazy, so im trying to change my ways again slowly.

    I think it will be easier now because I have so many recipes and have read books upon books. Maybe we can motivate one another on this thing here!!

    Heres some books I enjoyed reading...The veganist by Kathy Freston, Skinny ***** by Rory Freedman (bad writing, but fast read), The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone...this was pretty informative i enjoyed it a lot, Forks over Knives by lee fulkerson. I also get the magazine called VegNews its awesome and gives you amazing references to other books and just animal awareness and stuff.

    Anyways...Good luck!!!!
  • JetsetterBabe
    JetsetterBabe Posts: 20 Member
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    Me too! Let's share some recipes! I'm currently at 60% raw, but would love to be 100% for summer time. I've been vegan for almost a decade.
  • madmiya
    madmiya Posts: 66 Member
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    im 60-70% raw. i eat salmon sometimes roasted veggies or chinese take out.
    the rest is mostly due to laziness. though i could probably go more raw.
    i like apples, bananas, persian cucumbers, carrots, kimchi, celery, broccoli, red onions, allll lettuces and spinach.
    i dont really do recipes because that defeats its purpose for me. good luck!
  • souralice
    souralice Posts: 66
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    I've been vegan for about a year and gluten free for about 6 years now. My roommate and I are trying to be mostly raw for a week to see how that goes. So far, so good! I really wanted to get away from eating out of cans and boxes and pay more attention to what I was eating. Even though I was already eating plant based, this has been a nice switch up, and we've been having an awesome time at the farmers markets!! Some of our favorite things right now:

    Chia seed "pudding" with raw almond milk, berries and crushed cashews
    Raw wraps of avocado, tomato, onions, garlic, pepper, and sprouts in chard leaves
    Watermelon juice with mint & basil
    And of course just tons of fresh fruits and veggies!!
  • JacquiMarie70
    JacquiMarie70 Posts: 62 Member
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    I drink all sorts of nut milk...but whats raw almond milk?
  • Meg_Shirley_86
    Meg_Shirley_86 Posts: 275 Member
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    Request sent!
  • souralice
    souralice Posts: 66
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    Raw almond milk is just made at home from raw almonds. I do this when I'm not feeling too lazy!

    Here is a recipe:

    http://vegetarian.about.com/od/rawfoodsrecipes/r/almondmilk.htm
  • Meg_Shirley_86
    Meg_Shirley_86 Posts: 275 Member
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    I eat a diet that is about 80-90% raw vegan. I went this way as I have a lot of digestive issues with food.

    I still do consume at least one cooked meal each day. Otherwise I consume fruit, veggies, salads, homemade juices, etc.

    Don't go raw vegan because you think it's healthier or will lead to more weight loss. It can be a tough lifestyle to stick with. It is also harder to ensure you are getting proper nutrition.

    I appreciate the honest feedback. The hubs and I are making an attempt at increasing the ratio of raw to cooked foods. However, I'm about to have a baby, we're moving, I have a 4 year old, full-time job, and a full class load to be concerned with, so I'm not sure if preparing raw food takes less time or more than what I am doing now, preparing (almost) everything from home.
  • Chelsilu
    Chelsilu Posts: 15 Member
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    Being vegan is a challenge at first anyway, but being raw is a huge challenge the whole time. It's really hard to get the calories you need for energy. Yes, fruits and veggies have a lot of carbs/ sugar which offers energy, but exercising depletes the carb storage pretty quickly. I have been 95% raw for a few months now and I am still getting used to it. The easiest way to transition is to slowly add more raw foods in place of cooked foods. Get a veggie spiralizer - it's awesome for making squash pasta! I would never recommend jumping right into it. Make sure you get enough calcium, vitamin D, and B12 - those nutrients are hard to get when you're not eating fortified dairy products (whether you are vegan or raw). You will feel weak and "unhealthy" if you aren't getting sufficient nutrients, especially D and B12. D is easy to obtain - 15 - 30 minutes of unprotected sun exposure per day. B12 you will probably have to supplement.

    Just be careful!
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    There are certain foods that are better for you cooked than raw, because their nutrients are better absorbed when cooked. I believe, for example, that carrots and tomatoes fall into this category. It might be worth doing some research on that before going completely raw. I can see the ethical reasons for going vegan, and there are some foods that are better for you raw, but sometimes it seems people jump on this bandwagon just to add another label to their way of eating.
  • JessiGoodwin
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    Me too! Let's share some recipes! I'm currently at 60% raw, but would love to be 100% for summer time. I've been vegan for almost a decade.

    I've been vegan for about 9 years and love it completely! I'm trying to incorporate more fresh and raw foods in my diet and want to be 90-100% raw this summer. It would be great to make some friends and find encouragement through this site. Feel free to add me :)