I am sorry if this is the wrong subject to put this under but I didnt know which one to use. I am currently a vegetarian and living with a friend who eats meat. I was discussing going raw with him and he said I am going to miss a lot of nutrients and stuff.. Is this true? What are the negative effects of going raw? Thanks.

You will be just fine if you eat a variety of foods, fruits, veggies (including plenty of dark green leafy) nuts, and seeds.

The only "down side" is possible detox symptoms. Many suggest transitioning into raw to eliminate or lower this possibility.

Helpful Raw Sites:
One of my favorites, I have their e-books and DVD and thoroughly enjoyed them:
http://www.thegardendiet.com/
I am active here, but it is there for Raw support and to support Alissa's book's and dvd (which I also have):
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/
Alissa's site:
http://www.alissacohen.com/
Raw Documentary coming soon (I can't wait):
http://www.rawfoodchat.com/forums/raw-food-video-audio/rawcumentary-30-days-raw-286.html#post809
Their front page:
http://www.rawfoodchat.com/
Shazzi's site:
http://shazzie.com/
More Raw Forums:
http://www.raw-pleasure.com/raw-food-news/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,62/
http://www.rawfoodsupport.com/
http://www.rawfood.com/cgi-bin/forum/ultimatebb.cgi
Forum and recipes:
http://www.rawfoods.com/index.shtml

It's more like you miss a lot of nutrients when you cook foods. Raw assures that no nutrients have been destroyed by heating.

Just like any diet if it's not well planned it can lead to defiencies. Eat lots of variety!

Yeah, there are lots raw vegan body builders and raw vegan marathon runners. They aren't missing anything.

There's been a 'debate' about B-12 here for vegans and raw vegans. You can take a little supplement for it, if you are low. Otherwise, that's pretty much it.

Typically, when someone makes a blanket statement about a lifestyle without offering any information to back up that statement, they are acting out of insecurity and/or ignorance. Like the parents who don't allow their teenager to pursue a vegan lifestyle because they know nothing about it and are therefore scared of it, etc.

I say the proof is in known raw foodists (or fruitarians or vegans or lacto ovos or people who only eat rocks and dirt) who have done what they do for years and are still alive and kicking.

Like when someone dares to tell me I am not getting enough protein because I don't eat flesh, I simply reply, "Well, I haven't eaten flesh in years and my body seems to be intact".

I know this isn't exactly what you were looking for, but I wanted to offer a little perspective instead of fuel for your argument with your friend.

Tomatoes are the usual case brought up in this context. Cooking them gets you a lot more lycopenes. It also trashes *all* of the vitamin C.

Anthony- I've heard that blending the tomatoes provides just as much lycopene as cooked.

I'm not sure of the raw vegan "rules" but one multi-vitamin daily couldn't hurt.