Hi, I've been a vegan for a month now and doing well (was lacto-ova veggie before going vegan). I have been researching on the net about raw food diets and it sounds very intriguing, and in makes a lot of sense to me as well since I am a bit of a yogi. I work at home so the extra work in food preparation for a raw diet would not be that much of a problem. The problems I would foresee with a raw diet for myself is:

1. My husband is still an omni.
2. I recently moved out to small town and organic and health food stuff can be hard to find. (however, I hear there is farmers market starting)
3. I now live in "the snow belt" of Nova Scotia and it gets cold and a hot cup of soup is so comforting. Also because of this, getting fresh fruits and veggies may be a problem. It will be easy in the warmer seasons when I have a garden (and I have pear trees and blueberries)
4. The biggest thing I am concerned about is the fact that I have Ulcerative Colitis (an imflammatory bowel disease). I am doing well an a vegan diet with this condition, but sometimes eating large amounts of raw veggies are hard to digest. I dont have this condition so bad that I can only digest very well cooked veggies though. I haven't been able to find any info on raw diets relating to this sort of issue. So if anyone knows where I can get this info, please point me in the right direction.
5. Also I have to travel for work sometimes and it is hard to get vegetarian/vegan meals where I go and I would think just that much harder for raw. Is it hard to be raw and then not be raw for a few days when away?

Well, I hope I explained myself well enough. :o

I just looked up what a raw diet is. Uncooked and unprocessed organic foods. I'm all for the unprocessed organic foods but uncooked..well..I couldnt do it in these times..I love veggie stir fry too much. I'm guessing this is an expensive and time consuming effort but more power to you if you can do it. :nana:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com

This place explains it far better than I could in a post. :)

The only answer I know to that question is to try a recipe. ...I didn't seriously consider Vegan eating until a good experience I had at a Buddhist restaurant. (I started to eat there every day.)

There are raw recipes that I like. There are ones that are quite common, like Guacamole.

From what I've read, Raw foodists use different procedures to acheive similar culinary results. Crushing instead of Cooking. Dehydrating instead of baking. Soaking instead of Boiling. ...It just takes a little longer to plan things out.

Depending what kind of Vegan you are, Raw-Foodism may not be that big of a jump. ...But if you're vegan for only a short time, it may be better to enjoy some raw-foods recipes, and not further try to restrict your diet so soon.

Can't really answer whether it would hurt your digestive track problem. For me, the fiber only seems to help. (It's like a gentle scrubbing action on the inside of my colon.) After going Veggie for only a short amount of time, relapses into the omni world gave me IBS.

You're far enough north to have a nice summer greenhouse. Northern Alaska grows some of the biggest vegetables on record. Everything else can be gotten mail-order. ...I wouldn't give up hot tea if I were you though.

Sounds a little soon to place it as a restriction. ...I'd limit it to trying certain recipes. Maybe see if pulverizing veggies avoids any digestive problems.

One shouldn't "control" ones diet. One should "enjoy" ones diet.

Thanks, and I agree with you VeganforHealth. I am not planning on doing the raw thing anytime soon (if at all), but I will definity try to incorporate more raw foods in my diet. I did do a bit more research and I have found a source on Crohns/Colitis and a raw vegan diet.

naturegirl, don't know if this will help but i also have some real irritable bowel issues and my acupuncturist told me i should rarely eat raw veg and fruits as they are so much harder to digest. keep in mind that eastern medicine comes at food and body systems from a very different perspective than western.

i am a lacto-ovo veg. and do notice a lot of discomfort and problems if i eat a lot of raw veggies esp...good luck to you.

From what I understand, if you have IBS or IBD, you should start off with a raw juice diet until your colon has a chance to heal, and then you can work in more solid foods. But, like I said, I don't have it too bad so eating a salad won't bother me (raw veggies at every meal is perhaps another story) and fruit doesn't bother me at all (unless I eat a lot of something with a peeling). I have been increasing my raw food intake though and so far so good. I feel great too (less cramping and gas due to less beans and grains I guess)and more energy. I'm also making excellent use of the blender I got last year for Christmas!

naturegirl, you could try making green smoothies, too.

We had a lecturer on raw foods come talk to us about two years ago. There was a very glancing discussion of how to transition to raw, but nothing really specific on how to accomplish this, or over what time frame, etc.

Michio Kushi, a macrobiotic practitioner, counsels that people who live in a temperate climate should have no more that 33 percent of their diet by volume raw; people in a tropical climate, no more than 50 percent.

However, most raw foodists that I have seen seem to talk about a 75 percent to 100 percent raw food diet.

Dr. McDoogal also cautions that people he has known who have tried raw diets are often tempted to have numerous servings of fruit, particularly dried fruit, per day. He recommends that people on raw diets have no more than 2 servings of fruit per day.

I guess what I am hinting at is a measured, take-it-slow approach might better suit your needs than throwing caution to the wind in pursuing a raw diet.

Is Raw for everyone?

Nope. I don't think raw is for everyone. While I understand the benefits of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc., I see nothing unhealthy about cooked whole plant foods. A 100% raw diet seems like it would be very hard and possibly unhealthy to maintain on a permanent basis.

Dr. McDoogal also cautions that people he has known who have tried raw diets are often tempted to have numerous servings of fruit, particularly dried fruit, per day. He recommends that people on raw diets have no more than 2 servings of fruit per day.

I guess what I am hinting at is a measured, take-it-slow approach might better suit your needs than throwing caution to the wind in pursuing a raw diet.

I'm curious about the fruit part. Did he mention why just 2? Is it expected that there would be a lot more servings of vegetables, then?

I'm curious about the fruit part. Did he mention why just 2? Is it expected that there would be a lot more servings of vegetables, then?

Perhaps its either a problem created by the acids in fruit or the fact that vegetables contain a greater variety of nutrients and shouldn't, in essense, be crowded out.

Nope. I don't think raw is for everyone. While I understand the benefits of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc., I see nothing unhealthy about cooked whole plant foods. A 100% raw diet seems like it would be very hard and possibly unhealthy to maintain on a permanent basis.


There was a raw foodist, Dr. Norman Walker, who lived well into his 100's. There's also a woman in her mid 90's that lives in Washington, I think. She's a raw foodist. I think I remember her name being Elizabeth Baker. I'd have to double check on her name.

I know many who have been raw vegan's anywhere from just starting out to as long as 30 years. It's not unhealthy if done right, just like a veg*n lifestyle.

There was a raw foodist, Dr. Norman Walker, who lived well into his 100's. There's also a woman in her mid 90's that lives in Washington, I think. She's a raw foodist. I think I remember her name being Elizabeth Baker. I'd have to double check on her name.

I know many who have been raw vegan's anywhere from just starting out to as long as 30 years. It's not unhealthy if done right, just like a veg*n lifestyle.

I'm not saying there's never been a healthy longterm raw vegan. I was just sharing my opinion of the question asking if 'raw was for everyone'. :)

I'm curious about the fruit part. Did he mention why just 2? Is it expected that there would be a lot more servings of vegetables, then?

The concern about fruit was two-fold. First, that people would be basically overdosing on sugar, and that this would be unhealthy. Second, he was speaking in the context of recommending that people increase the proportion of raw foods they eat as a way of losing weight. Eating too much sugar would sabotage this weight-loss goal.

About the sugar in having too much fruit, I think another issue is that a lot of raw foodist who eat a lot or mostly fruit have more tooth decay etc., problems (at leasts thats what I read on some raw food sites.)

There are so many different systems of proper eating out there and I think the best thing to do is to experiment a little bit and find out what works best for you. Right now, having increased my raw veggie and fruit intake a bit and eating a bit less legumes and beans, I feel pretty good. Maybe I have find a good balance for me.

Jeena: do you have any recipes you could share for green juices? I have find that romaine blends well with fruit (i.e., you can't really taste it over the fruit).

About the sugar in having too much fruit, I think another issue is that a lot of raw foodist who eat a lot or mostly fruit have more tooth decay etc., problems (at leasts thats what I read on some raw food sites.)

There are so many different systems of proper eating out there and I think the best thing to do is to experiment a little bit and find out what works best for you. Right now, having increased my raw veggie and fruit intake a bit and eating a bit less legumes and beans, I feel pretty good. Maybe I have find a good balance for me.

Jeena: do you have any recipes you could share for green juices? I have find that romaine blends well with fruit (i.e., you can't really taste it over the fruit).


Well, the sugar from fruit is far better than the refined stuff. But yeah, if you do eat a lot of frit, particularly citrus, one thing you can do after eating is to rinse your mouth out really well with water. With citrus, you have to wait a little while before brushing you teeth. But it's really not too much of a problem as long as you know about this stuff beforehand.

I don't have recipes from green juices but I do have some for green smoothies. I like the smoothies better because you get all the fiber from the fruit and greens, too.

One book that I would highly recommend is Victoria Boutenko's "Green For Life". Has everything and anything green smoothie, etc etc.

http://www.rawfamily.com/articles.html Good article on green smoothies with some sample recipes near the bottom. I love green smoothies. I make a big blender of it daily. The fruit overpowers the taste of the greens so it tastes wonderful and it's very healthy for you. It's great for kids, too, as it's a way of sneaking in greens to their diet to make sure they get enough every day.

I believe (as do many health professionals) that a raw diet is *not* for infants or children.

So I guess no, a raw diet isn't for everyone.

4. The biggest thing I am concerned about is the fact that I have Ulcerative Colitis (an imflammatory bowel disease). I am doing well an a vegan diet with this condition, but sometimes eating large amounts of raw veggies are hard to digest. I dont have this condition so bad that I can only digest very well cooked veggies though. I haven't been able to find any info on raw diets relating to this sort of issue. So if anyone knows where I can get this info, please point me in the right direction.
5. Also I have to travel for work sometimes and it is hard to get vegetarian/vegan meals where I go and I would think just that much harder for raw. Is it hard to be raw and then not be raw for a few days when away?

I think you can get all the health benefits from a raw diet with your normal veg*an diet supplemented with fresh veggie/fruit juices from your own juicer. By juicing your fruits & vegetables you get all of the benefits without upseting your digestive system because the juicer separates the healthful, vitamin, nutrient & enzyme rich juice from its fiber. So your body is able to assimilate all the good stuff without any real involvement from your digestive tract. It's good to give your GI tract a break from time to time, not to mention your liver & pancreas. I think this would be your best route with IBS.

One book that I would highly recommend is Victoria Boutenko's "Green For Life". Has everything and anything green smoothie, etc etc.

http://www.rawfamily.com/articles.html Good article on green smoothies with some sample recipes near the bottom. I love green smoothies. I make a big blender of it daily. The fruit overpowers the taste of the greens so it tastes wonderful and it's very healthy for you. It's great for kids, too, as it's a way of sneaking in greens to their diet to make sure they get enough every day.

Yes, I am familar with this family. I love their strawberry, banana, romaine smoothie! I got lots of good ideas from that site. I did find however that celery doesn't mix well with fruits (because the celery overpowers the fruit--and i only used one stalk. It didn't taste bad though, just not what i was expecting.)

lol. I had to use celery once because I was out of leafy greens. Oh, boy. I won't ever do that again.

I know it's not for me. I have IBS and find that eating many vegetables and fruits raw (especially those with tough skins) can be quite painful. The majority of raw fruits and vegetables are higher in nutrients when raw, but I have read no credible literature to support the claims that many raw foodists make that cooked food is somehow bad for you. Many nutritious foods can be made much more digestible when cooked. If your digestive tract can tolerate it, it's great to add more raw fruits and veggies to your diet, but in my opinion you shouldn't feel that not eating mostly raw will somehow compromise your health.

It's not for me! I just can't get full eating that way!

I did find however that celery doesn't mix well with fruits (because the celery overpowers the fruit--and i only used one stalk. It didn't taste bad though, just not what i was expecting.)

Actually... I used to make this salad with pineapple (I used the canned variety), apple and cellery, adding the leftover juice from the pineapple, and also a little lemon juice. It was really quite tasty. :)

I've been eating a LOT of fruit smoothies lately.....and have been having a hard time digesting it. Not that I really care...it's delicious enough to ignore the pain. But, based on this, I don't think I could go raw. Two meals a day raw is hard to handle as it is.