Switching to raw veganism without having to worry about nutritional deficits?

[AwesomeUsername]

I´d like to switch to this kind of diet because it seems the healthiest overall, but I worry that I might end up with certain nutritional deficits if not done correctly.

So here´s a list of foods I consume on a daily basis; Apples, almonds, bananas, bell peppers, beetroot, broccoli, carrots, celeriac, garlic, grapes, lemons, oat meal, plums and kale.

The way I prepare it is to get a little bit of everything, put it all in a blender, blend it and drink that.

My main goals are that the foods I eat are readily available and cheap and can be consumed raw so that I can save both time, money and electricity because of its easy preparation.

I´m not an expert on nutrition, but I think these foods I picked are nutritious enough to provide a balanced amount of essential nutrients and a healthy pack of antioxidants. I´m not sure if this would work out for the long term, though. My main concerns are vitamin B12, and vitamin D, which AFAIK are hard or even impossible to find in plant foods only.

Is there anything I should add or subtract to this diet? I am open to take a supplement or two if I have to as long as it´s cheap and readily available, I only need to know which one and how much. If it could be solved with adding a food, that´s even better.

 

[roninsina]

Over a couple of periods of about a year living the raw food lifestyle, I found a few nutritionally dense food supplements. It sounds as if you're on the right track but I'd suggest adding a few items; blue-green algae (spirulina) and/or kelp (and other giant algae), then mushrooms/fungi, nutritional yeast, and finally, bee pollen. I know that last one isn't considered vegan, but I have known many raw fooders to use it anyway. I'd also suggest sprouting any seeds/nuts/legumes as the protein and enzymes are multiplied several fold.

These should take care of any concerns for vitamins D and B12. Although, raw food lore suggests you can get more than adequate D from daily skin exposure to sunlight (and to brave this for at least an hour a day in all feasible weather conditions) , and once the intestines have been adequately cleansed of plaques from gluten (etc.) that an adequate amount of B12 can be absorbed from the gut biome....fwiw.

There are a few members who have spent much more dedicated time as raw fooders than I ; the moderator universecannon and Inaniel, among them.

Good luck to you!

 

[dreamer042]

Supplementation of vitamin D3 and B-12 (B complex even better) is pretty much vital no matter what your diet. You should also consider supplementing DHA/EPA, vegan algea based supplements are available. Also consider a high quality daily multivitamin, this latter is probably the best defense against deficiency on any diet.

That handful of foods you are eating is pretty spartan and such a limited diet followed long-term will likely result in micronutrient deficiencies. No matter what diet you follow, one of the best things you can do is to eat the widest variety of whole foods you possibly can. Try learning to prepare a new fruit or vegetable from the local ethnic market each week for an interesting way of expanding your taste horizons and micro-nutrient profile.

Also Avacado! Anyone following a plant based diet should absolutely make this fatty fruit the #1 staple of their diet.

 

[Doc Buxin]

I strictly followed this type of food regimen for a two years when I was a young man in my twenties (I attempted every specialty "health" diet I could get my hands on just to experience it).

Both dreamer042 and roninsina gave very good advice in the above posts that I would highly suggest you follow, especially the avocado advice. Dietary fats (other than trans-fatty acids, obviously) are essential for maintaining the structure & function of our brain, nervous system and all our hormones. I would add to dreamer's avocado advice and say to get very chummy with coconut oil and eat a lot of it.

I've learned the hard way (by experiencing it) the pros & cons of various diets. That being said, the biggest drawback of a vegan, raw food diet is the fact that it is "reducing" and "cooling", energetically speaking. Meaning that, if you are overweight, especially if you tend to produce red inflammations anywhere in/on your body, this is a very beneficial diet for your type. Of course, just like any energetic direction, eventually you will arrive at a point where reducing and cooling are not in your best interests (i.e., ending up too skinny & pale).

Raw foods for extended periods of time will also weaken the Spleen/Pancreas/Stomach System's (and to a lesser extent, the Liver/Gallbladder System's)ability to create what is known as "the digestive fire" (what modern nutritional science calls "enzymes & digestive acids"), the literal energy required to break down and digest foods in general. This is one reason why, while I was on that particular diet, I supplemented with a strong Panax ginseng tea, the only really warm (both literally & energetically speaking) thing I ingested in those couple years.

I hope this helps you find your way a bit better. If you ever have any questions always feel free to PM me. I have been doling out advice like this for over thirty years professionally and always for free.

 

[downwardsfromzero]

I would suggest lacto-fermenting your vegetables. This greatly assists availability of nutrients and supports a healthy gut biome.

 

[dreamer042]

I would add to dreamer's avocado advice and say to get very chummy with coconut oil and eat a lot of it.

:thumb_up: :thumb_up: :thumb_up: :thumb_up: :thumb_up: :thumb_up: 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

I can't believe I forgot that! Coconut oil in/on everything all the time!!!

 

[universecannon]

I slowly transitioned to a raw plant/fruit based diet in 2009/2010 and have thrived ever since. To echo others, get a lot of variety. Lots of greens at first is important. Nuts and seeds. Herbal teas. Maybe spirulina and cacao powder for smoothies. Variety is important. I take b12, vitamin D and some probiotics like kimchi etc.

You might find this researchers info useful

WARRIOR

Warrior.do is a resource exploring alternative tools to upgrade the mind, at the intersection of science, spirit and technology.

www.warrior.do

 

[Doc Buxin]

Universecannon's post above reminded me that I forgot to mention that the climate/latitude that you live in (obviously) plays a major role in how long you can maintain this particular type of diet in a balanced manner.

Without writing a book about it (which I could, believe me) the closer you live to the equator, the easier it is to maintain a healthy balance with this diet. The closer you live to the poles dictates that this regimen may not serve you well in the long run.

 

[Ulim]

I´d like to switch to this kind of diet because it seems the healthiest overall, but I worry that I might end up with certain nutritional deficits if not done correctly.

Isnt that already a contradiction? "The healthiest" "nutritional deficits" :?:

I think eating healthy is one thing. But as usual the rule applies "dont overdo it"
Drinking water is good. Drinking 5l a day will pretty much end you.
Eating vegan is good. Eating only vegan with low protein plants is not good.

 

[downwardsfromzero]

Universecannon's post above reminded me that I forgot to mention that the climate/latitude that you live in (obviously) plays a major role in how long you can maintain this particular type of diet in a balanced manner.

Without writing a book about it (which I could, believe me) the closer you live to the equator, the easier it is to maintain a healthy balance with this diet. The closer you live to the poles dictates that this regimen may not serve you well in the long run.

And that is exactly why I had to start eating cooked foods come September after six (wonderful!) months of this diet.

 

[Doc Buxin]

Universecannon's post above reminded me that I forgot to mention that the climate/latitude that you live in (obviously) plays a major role in how long you can maintain this particular type of diet in a balanced manner.

Without writing a book about it (which I could, believe me) the closer you live to the equator, the easier it is to maintain a healthy balance with this diet. The closer you live to the poles dictates that this regimen may not serve you well in the long run.

And that is exactly why I had to start eating cooked foods come September after six (wonderful!) months of this diet.

Exactly! This is not a dietary regimen that leads to optimal balance in cold weather climates.

Believe me, I learned the hard way to be moderate and NOT go to extremes.

Just one of many examples I can give is quite pertinent to this thread. I undertook a raw, vegan diet in the colds of Alaska as a 23 & 24 year old. And juice fasted all weekend, every weekend when I wasn't at work. Along with 4 hours of extreme yoga, pranayama & meditation every day between 4 a.m. & 8 a.m. Then several miles of cross-country skiing to top the morning off before work.

I was a very extreme young man into hard-core self-discipline and when I decided that I was going to try a new dietary regimen, I dove into it 110% with the steel Will of a Zen Warrior.

I paid big prices for my youthful extremes, I also benefited greatly from them in certain ways on certain levels.

This is why I offer my sincere advice. I believe that you should be able to do whatever you want to with your life/body/energy field as long as you're not harming others. However, there will be prices to pay and sacrifices to make along the way. My job for a very long time has been to inform people of those prices and sacrifices so that they can make an deeply-understood decision for themselves as to what path they want to take. My advice these days is always try to be balanced and moderate and to avoid extremes of anything.

Peace.

 

[Doc Buxin]

I´d like to switch to this kind of diet because it seems the healthiest overall, but I worry that I might end up with certain nutritional deficits if not done correctly.

Isnt that already a contradiction? "The healthiest" "nutritional deficits" :?:

I think eating healthy is one thing. But as usual the rule applies "dont overdo it"
Drinking water is good. Drinking 5l a day will pretty much end you.
Eating vegan is good. Eating only vegan with low protein plants is not good.

Also, Ulim is quite correct stating this.^^^^

The word "healthy" is incredibly over-used and misunderstood (especially by Westerners and super-especially by U.S. citizens).

A particular food or diet can be very beneficial for one person and be detrimental to another depending upon a myriad of factors, not the least of which are their body type, where they live on the planet and what season it happens to be.

"The only difference between a poison and a medicine is the dosage".
-Some Old Wise Dude

 

[obliguhl]

I´d like to switch to this kind of diet because it seems the healthiest overall, but I worry that I might end up with certain nutritional deficits if not done correctly.

I think you might want to pm jamie or look up his posts on the matter as he's been on this journey and developed a somewhat critical position over the years. Good to know the Pros and Cons, especially when it comes to more extreme lifestyle choices.

 

[downwardsfromzero]

"The only difference between a poison and a medicine is the dosage".
-Some Old Wise Dude

Paracelsus (Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim)

 

[Doc Buxin]

"The only difference between a poison and a medicine is the dosage".
-Some Old Wise Dude

Paracelsus (Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim)

Oh yes, that is correct. I should have remembered that.

Thank you very much downwardsfromzero!

 

[downwardsfromzero]

Eh, you're welcome - thanks for clarifying the magnesium supplement thing. I have powder with magnesium gluconate and ascorbic acid which seems to work fine.

 

[jamie]

I´d like to switch to this kind of diet because it seems the healthiest overall, but I worry that I might end up with certain nutritional deficits if not done correctly.

I think you might want to pm jamie or look up his posts on the matter as he's been on this journey and developed a somewhat critical position over the years. Good to know the Pros and Cons, especially when it comes to more extreme lifestyle choices.

Yes I did the diet, at the time trying to heal inflammatory bowel disease due to at the time yet to be diagnosed Ankylosing Spondylitis and fibromyalgia..so keep in mind that was my starting point to begin with.

My view? It's a detox diet, for obvious reasons. Long term the odds of complications are high. I felt like the next step was my hair falling out etc. I have a really good well educated physician who works in functional medicine, and whats her opinion of it? Not high.

Others will have other experiences that differ from my own.

If I could go back and do two things back then?..it would be take vitamin supplements(esp B vitamins) and eat as little nuts as possibe. I ate tons of them and they are extremely pro inflammatory for me and others on raw vegan diets echoed the same...they tend to binge on them which really makes nut issues full on. That need to binge on nutty fat and protein to me means something is off. No protein cuts it for me really aside from meat.

I live on an auto immune version of a modified for me paleo diet, based on very $ blood work etc. This is the only diet I feel okay on. There is no one interned fad diet that works for me. Noone is so much the same that you can just say everyone go raw vegan, or paleo. or SAD etc and expect identical results.

I also tried fruitarianism in a last ditch effort to rid myself of radiating IBD pain, to no avail. I actually think every time I did these diets I got closer and closer to full on diabetes.

Whatever you do, eat as little sugar as possible. I count fruit as table sugar.

 

[jamie]

You also need vitamin K. Id figure out a source/supplement. You dont want to miss that.

 

[Doc Buxin]

the...yet to be diagnosed Ankylosing Spondylitis...

Holy shit jamie, I feel for you in a deep way. One of my most influential teachers in Southeast Asia, who taught me so much about Ayurvedic medicine, meditation, yoga, fasting, cold showers, etc., (all the while tripping balls on LSD) had the same affliction. It didn't stop him from being an incredible teacher and guide and it was incredibly peculiar how he would morph into different animals while we were tripping as he would move all hunched over with the help of his two canes.

...My view? It's a detox diet, for obvious reasons...

Thanks Jamie, yes it is. If one needs to lose weight and/or detox for almost any reason, this is a great diet to follow strictly, for a time... Once that time is over, it is not a maintenance regimen...One could, theoretically, waste away on this type of diet and I've seen it happen first hand.

...Long term the odds of complications are high...

Yes they are. One can only detox so much before one begins to eat away at essential connective tissue from protein deficit and not have enough lipid intake to manufacturer hormones or neurotransmitters, let alone keep the structural integrity of the brain and nervous system intact.

...eat as little nuts as possibe. I ate tons of them...

Without germinating nuts and seeds first, their inherent enzyme inhibitors and difficult-to-digest proteins can create devastating effects on certain people. Especially when following a diet like we're talking about that inevitably creates sensitivities in one's organ systems that one hasn't ever experienced before.

...That need to binge on nutty fat and protein to me means something is off...

The need to binge on anything means something's off.

...Noone is so much the same that you can just say everyone go raw vegan, or paleo or SAD etc and expect identical results...

Thank you again and amen to that! One's appropriate dietary regimen at any given time depends upon a nearly infinite amount of personal situations. The same goes for medicines, obviously.

...Whatever you do, eat as little sugar as possible...

That is some of the wisest advice ever given anywhere.

...I count fruit as table sugar...

Almost, but not quite... although, again, it depends on the person.

Like all substances, sugar/fruit can be a poison or a medicine, depending on the dosage.

 

[ghrue84]

Say I live in a place that's pretty much summer all year round, between 70 and 90F all year round. Would it be more beneficial for me to have a large amount of my diet be high water content tropical fruits and less cooked foods? I honestly feel much better and digest fruits much faster than I can digest say a quinoa with pumpkin, garlic, tomato and turmeric. I go with how I feel, and fruits make me feel spectacular for the most part, and my digestion isn't clogged or slow. I prefer to eat cooked foods, fats, and proteins just before going out of my house, that way, since these foods usually digest slower than the fruits, I won't have to eat while I'm out of my house. Sometimes I'll bring something with me if I think that I'll be outside for a long time so I don't buy food from strangers.

Avocados are one of if not the best protein for this diet, they're one of the healthiest fats and proteins you can intake in this diet. I also include spirulina, chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp seeds in my cooked meals and/or blended fruit. I think a lot of people don't eat enough in the vegan diet and that's why they get skinny and weak. I found it really hard to gain weight in the beginning of the diet because I think I was detoxing, and at the same time I was eating too little since I was accustomed to eating crap processed foods and gmo meats which are things that usually take 2-4 hours to digest, compared to fruits which can take between 15 mins to an hour and a half to digest. Also, try to eat as many different fruits as you can, variety can help in this diet, at first it's ok to have a bit of a fixed set of foods because you're still learning but over time, add more and more fruits and veggies to add different nutrients from different sources.

I'm not sure I'd recommend taking B-12 supplements but I have taken them and I remember feeling energized by them. Please do walk about a mile or half a mile every day in the sun for some vitamin D. If it's winter, then idk, I've never really lived anywhere else so my experience has always been a hot tropical island. Much love, health, and abundance for you my friend.