Hi All,

I made a decision to look after my health and fully transition to raw. I am a female, 32 y.o., into health and fitness, have been eating cooked food (including meat and seafood) for my whole life, however, I don't eat junk fast food and don't drink soft drinks. Recently I when I've had sweet craving I started having raw desserts, never new they're so yummy and it felt great after eating them!
Can someone tell me based on their experience how easy/hard it is to transit to raw and how long it takes? Does anyone have any food crisis during transition (sickness, cravings, etc)?
What's the best way to start?

Thanks,
Anna

Hi Anna,

Raw foods are certainly healthy, but so are cooked whole plant foods. All mainstream vegan organizations recommend that people eat cooked legumes (beans,lentils, peas) and whole grains.

If you are interested in following a raw or mostly-raw vegan diet, a reputable book is Becoming Raw, by vegan Registered Dietitians Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina: https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Raw-.../dp/1570672385 .

The raw vegan movement has sparked significant controversy within the larger vegan community, because certain raw vegan advocates are claiming that cooked foods are unhealthy ("Fully Raw" Kristina is one such advocate). This claim is not true. The Becoming Raw book, while providing detailed information about raw vegan nutrition, does not discourage people from eating cooked foods.
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I tried converting to an all fruit fruitarian diet. Only lasted 3 days then I started getting horrible stomach cramps and they didn’t stop until I threw up. I decided raw isn’t for me. I can’t eat a lot of fat because they hurt my stomach too so a more traditional raw vegan diet of avocados nuts and seeds I know wouldn’t work for me. I find i do best on Cooked potatoes. Lots and lots of potatoes. Sorry. Not helping. I know. In my eyes. Potatoes are the answer to everything. The perfect food for humans....all hail the humble spud! Lol!!

Also I wanted to add that the idea that raw is best for us isn’t supported by science. Yeah humans are the only ones who cook our food. But we’ve been cooking starches and eating them for hundreds of thousands of yearsmayne even millions. We’ve evolved extra enzymes in our saliva that specifically for breaking down starches. We can’t eat like chimps because we simply don’t have the same physiology. They have larger intestines, more massive jaws. Smaller brains. Humans evolved on cooked starches. That’s why our brains are so huge despite the fact our stomachs and jaws are small. Our jaws shrunk, and our brains grew because of cooked starches. It’s too hard to get all the calories we need on a 100% raw diet. Unless you eat a lot of fat. But we are not biologically designed to eat a lot of fat. We are carb eaters. Our brains require massive amounts of carbs. Starch. We are starch eaters. Believe me when I say I’ve tried damn near every diet out there. Starch is what my body likes best. (All hail the humble spud!)

It's not something I have tried or considered, but I don't think I could go completely raw. It would be nice to hear peoples experiences. Best of luck