Just curious! I am headed toward that way of eating, eventually. I'm sure it will take a while. Overall I eat vegetarian, some meat here and there, but I'm committed now to eating vegan, did great all last week. Like I said the ultimate goal is raw vegan, just wondering if there is anyone here that does it or wants to as well

Lauren

Not I.

I eat lots of raw fruits and veggies and sometimes sprouts if I am in the mood to grow them. I also (mostly) only eat raw nuts and raw nut butters. I love green smoothies and have started incorporating them into my daily menus.

Having said that, I have a few concerns about being completely raw.
1) Followers of vegan raw food diet say it is good to feel bad when you are eating raw. It shows that you are ridding your body of toxins (no scientific basis for this).
2) It is not unusual for followers of a vegan raw food diet to eat less than 1000 calories/day and sometimes much less than that. I have also seen followers of a raw vegan food diet say that is perfectly natural and good.

My opinion is that food should be varied and make you feel good. Also you need to nourish your body with nutrients and calories to keep you going.

I think it is good to think about the other side because the raw vegan books/sites I've read are very convincing but I think finding what works for you is best.

I wish I could man up and go raw vegan but I enjoy baking and cooking too much. Hopefully later on when I get a job and don't have to rely on my mom for buying my food I might try increasing my raw intake and eventually go raw.

I've done some but on a limited basis-- it gets old fast. Sorry to not be too enthusiastic.

I don`t think I could do it - I`ve tried but could only keep it up for a week. I am however very interested in this lifestyle and keep reading about it.

Have tried vegan, too, but could only do this for 3, 4 months. It`s not a vegan or raw friendly society!

What attracts you to the raw vegan lifestyle?

I considered it, but Dr. Weil changed my mind. I would think that if anyone would support such a natural way of eating, that it would be him. Yet he pointed out some very good reasons why the raw diet is not best for us and could be dangerous to our health.

Read this for his comments http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA357082

Thank you for this article which I read with great interest. I have heard many of these arguments before and followed discussions in raw food forums and a magazine I buy.

Raw fooders claim that their bodies learn to be more efficient in extracting the good things from raw foods, once they learn that cooked food is no longer forthcoming.

While I find that a low BMI must be a good thing, I never heard about the issues of bone mass and toxicity - I shall look out for this from now on.

Re - nuts: From what I gather from my raw receipe books I find this to be very true. Surely, nuts are healthy, but most of us will agree that, due to their exceptionally high fat content they should only be eaten in moderation (small handful a day).

Raw fooders say such receipes are meant to be for the transition period, to make this more enjoyable and ensure that people stick to it. Once you are into this way of eating for a few months/years, your desire for these things will lessen naturally, and you will want to start eating more simple things (even mono meals).

And this is the sticky point for me: A diet which includes "transitional recommendations" in order to make you stick to it at all, makes me suspicious. Some discussions I read in raw forums make me suspicious. People who claim to be "raw for years and loving` it" freak out at the thought of wedding receptions and the smell of cooked bacon and panic that they may slip. This leads me to believe that they are still living in constant deprivation.

It`s a lifestyle which is very black and white, with no leeway for special occasions. You are either raw, or you are not. People are extatic if they manage and distraught if they don`t. Do you see the parallels with anorexic behaviour? I do, and I certainly see it highlighted in the discussion boards.

Furthermore: if you eat too much raw (fruit, in particular) with too little fat (after transition period?) expect your teeth to deteriorate, as the acidity of your diet wil take its toll.

My personal verdict: Raw things are great and, certainly in terms of fruit and veg, usually nutritionally superior to their counterparts. Most of us do not eat enough raw foods and should make an effort to change this. I would not aim for an exclusively raw diet long term, due to all things mentioned above and in the article which Suzanne is linking to. Cooked food has a place in our diet, so does raw, although most of us could do with improving the proportions of each in our diets.

I think that sounds just like vast numbers of posts in 3FC. I don't mean that in a bad way. I think we're all making great changes. But I just don't see the the experience of people in the raw forum as much different than that of anyone who has changed (what they believe) to be a bad habit, one like eating, which forces you to partially partake everyday.

I would agree with Julie, we all have social pressures, no matter what diet we follow. Although I don't know why anyone would be tempted by bacon I've followed a vegan diet for 2 years and I love it. I have 'slipped' and generally those slips have happened because of either 1) social occasions or 2) reverting to binge habits. It hasn't happened a lot in the past 2 years but it has happened. I don't view myself as deprived in any way but I'm not perfect and have my own issues.

I was fascinated by this WOE and it influenced my diet quite a bit when I began my journey. In the end, it provided a positive influence, but being "raw" wasn't necessary to my plan.

Junebug - I agree. I've had periods where I have eaten 'high raw' which basically means you eat mostly raw with some cooked foods. I have a few raw 'cookbooks' as well.

Well, if there wasn`t a part of them which is still wanting those foods they would not need to worry about being confronted with them?

Yes. What I'm saying is the same logic could be said of many dieters on 3FC. They are afraid of going to social events because of overeating. Why wouldn't your words ("This leads me to believe that they are still living in constant deprivation.") apply the same to them? Why aren't you suspicious, then, of dieting?

Me, I think it might mean they were on the wrong plan for them. It might mean they are just still in the throes of breaking an addiction, which is a good thing. Actually, many *long term* maintainers still crave things they can't have because it goes out of control. I don't think any of them think they aren't still doing exactly what they should be doing.

People who are dieting will usually openly admit that they are not having things they would usually like and that they are craving things they try not to have.

Most of the raw fooders I came across will be very quick to point out how nasty cooked food is and that it`s not a sacrifice at all not to eat it and then, in another thread, bemoan the fact that they must forego it or, God forbid, when they have not forgone it.

The latter us usually also true for most dieters, but most dieters are more honet in saying that they still want the foods and only avoid them because they don`t fit in with their weight loss regime.

I didn't mean to post this and run lol I just fell off the wagon big time so I haven't been around here.

My interest in eating raw vegan was sparked after searching just plain old vegan stuff online and in books. I found my way to some raw food forums and was intrigued by everyone saying how great they felt, and also reading about athletes who follow the raw way of eating. I actually did do it for almost a month but then got away from it. I admit that sometimes I did feel crappy but that was also true with regular eating - meat, vegan, or not. I was in a groove where I wasn't eating tons of nuts and fats and felt really good most of the time.

I do think that it can be beneficial though I really didn't do it long enough to know of lasting effects, good or bad. I don't think it has to be black and white, and even if one doesn't go all the way, eating more raw food can't really hurt. I also don't buy that cooked food is nasty, there is a lot of cooked food that I love!! However it did do a number on my digestion when I went from all raw to mostly cooked again.

I am still open to the idea and am curious to see how I would feel and what would happen if I stuck to it longer. For now I'm just working on going back to vegan again