RAW VEGAN DIET in a Nutshell - What, Why and How?

This is a post I wanted to make for a long time, but was a bit hesitant - it is a topic I am truly passionate about, since turning to a raw diet full of delicious fruits and veggies has enhanced my life on so many levels and I found it difficult to write a post that reflects this amazing new lifestyle in a way that it deserves. Although you might only think about all the stuff you have to cut out, a raw diet is actually much more about an abundance of juicy and flavorful foods which not only taste wonderful, but also let your body feel at its best.

Raw food is considered anything that is not heated above 45° Celsius or 112° Fahrenheit. Therefore some raw vegan dishes are made with the help of a dehydrator where the temperature remains below this sensitive limit. In a broader sense a raw food diet can also include raw eggs, milk, meat, fish or honey. But since a plant based diet is in my opinion the only reasonable and compassionate choice, I will only focus on a diet without any animal products.

Just lettuce and cucumbers now? - What to eat as raw vegan

Not at all, you actually get to dive into so many colorful, juicy fruits and veggies on this diet journey - I am surprised that I even seem to stumble across a new fruit almost every week while traveling, there are just so many different kinds. The raw vegan diet also includes nuts, seeds, sea vegetables like spirulina, chlorella, nori or wakame, fermented foods and sprouted beans. When you turn to more raw produce, you will naturally eat less processed foods and therefore cut out harmful food additives or industrial solvents that are mostly included in these.

Berry banana smoothie bowl with flaxseeds and kale - find the recipe here!

Colorful as a flower meadow - Types of raw diets

Following a raw vegan diet can still mean so many different things. The strongest distinction you could make when observing different styles of eating raw is the share of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the diet. In this sense, the foods containing mostly carbohydrates are fruits and veggies, the ones with a higher fat content are nuts and seeds. Therefore some people are focusing on high-carb foods with a lower intake of fats in their diet, others are on the other side of this spectrum eating mostly high-fat foods with a lower proportion of carbohydrate-rich foods. But there are also raw vegans all in between these two positions.

The Raw Gourmet - Low-carb, high-fat diet

There are raw vegans that eat a much bigger proportion of fatty foods and less carbohydrate-rich fruits and veggies in their diet, which is often called raw gourmet cuisine similar to the widely-known keto diet. Such a way of eating might consist of dishes like raw lasagne, pizza, wraps, cakes, crackers or cheese plates. These meals most of the time include a lot of nuts and seeds that are blended and dehydrated to make for example a crunchy pizza base.

Although I love to dive into such delicious treats now and then (you would be surprised how similar it tastes to the traditional cooked recipes), I believe in the healthy benefits of a low-fat diet and therefore consume a diet based on carbohydrate-rich foods. The advantages for your health are so wast, that they deserve a whole post for themselves.

Raw pizza at "Seeds of Life" in Bali - check out my raw dining story!

The Fruitarian - High-carb, low-fat diet

Since fruits are more calorie-dense then veggies and easier to digest, the diet of strict fruitarians consists of just fruits, smoothies and colorful fruit bowls. And did you know that tomatoes, zucchinis, cucumbers and avocados are actually also fruits? Apart from that some people also expand the definition and include veggies of all kinds, in beautiful green salads, as sticks with a creamy dip, cauliflower rice, brokkoli sushi or in tasty recipes like zucchini noodles. And of course, a low-fat diet can still include fatty foods like nuts and seeds, just only in a much smaller proportion than the share of high-carb foods.

As always in life, you can not put anyone into a box and most people whose diet consists of raw, plant-based foods don't follow a strict regime nor a specific percentage of fats and carbs, so that these two extremes also make enough space for a middle way.

Papaya tastes amazing in combo with mango and mint - get the recipe here!

Don’t kill the good stuff - Cooking and its effects

Did you know that the custom of cooking our foods actually alters its nutritional value? Enzymes are destroyed beyond a temperature of about 45°C and since enzymes take part in any metabolic process, this can have a great impact on our overall health. Without a sufficient intake of enzymes the vitamins, minerals or hormones in our body can not do their job properly and several health conditions can be the result.

Great digestion, happy body - Support your digestive processes

Apart from that, raw foods move much faster through our digestive system. Cooked foods, especially fatty animal products sit in our body for quite some time since it is more complicated to digest them. This results in fermentation processes within our digestive tracts which cause gas, inflammation and an accumulation of toxic substances - not something that helps us to lead a long and healthy life.

This is also the reason why the stool of people with a diet rich in animal products and cooked foods usually has a pretty unpleasant odor. And did you know that 2-4 bowel movements daily are considered as healthy digestion? Try raw foods for a certain time and you will definitely notice the difference while visiting the restroom.

You don't need a dehydrator for a raw pizza - Try my recipe instead!

The sweet spot - The acid-base balance of foods

Our diet also influences the acid-base balance in our body. If our body’s pH value becomes more acidic, we are risking to develop diseases, since an acidic environment reduces the efficiency of our cells and inhibits the continuous removal of waste through our lymphatic system. Among air pollution, a stressful lifestyle, processed foods, a diet low in nutrients and minerals and insufficient water consumption - cooked foods also lead to more acidity in our body. Raw food on the other hand support the alkalization of the body and therefore counteract this degenerative process.

Trade your empty calories for richness of nutrients

Furthermore, raw foods like fruits and veggies are naturally lower in calories, that’s why we can eat larger quantities to satisfy our hunger. This means we not only consume foods with a high nutrient-density in itself, we are also eating a lot more of them compared to a diet consisting mostly of cooked foods. Well, of course it is much easier to loose some excess weight with this diet since the intake of sufficient nutrients, dietary fiber as well as the healthy fruit sugar help us to overcome unpleasant cravings. But if you would like to maintain your current weight or even get a little more body mass, there are also some methods you can follow to make sure this lifestyle supports your individual goals.

Watermelons are one of the best fruits for a detox - my 10 day challenge!

More than just food - The new clarity of mind

In addition to those health benefits, many raw foodies are amazed by the great mental clarity as well as an uplifted mood they reached after transitioning to this new style of eating. This also translates to an easier journey to overcome conditions like depression, addictions and anxiety. If you are into meditation, yoga or any other spiritual practices you can also benefit from more profound adventures into the depth of your inner self.

An enhanced taste experience is also a pretty exciting benefit.

Did you ever go through a juice cleanse or similar fasting protocol and felt that everything tasted much stronger in its flavors right afterwards? This is what a raw food diet can feel like all the time! Not only your tastebuds, but also all your other senses might become more sensitive. I myself can absolutely relate to that, since every color seemed to have gotten a little brighter, every smell reached me on a deeper level and common sounds became fascinating to me.

Your eyes will love the colors, your taste buds the flavors - rainbow salad!

A transition to a new diet or lifestyle can be quite a challenge and it is rarely done over night. But it can be a life-changing step, as long as you know your own motivation. So why are YOU interested to including more raw foods into your daily life? With a clear intention behind it, any shift towards more health and happiness becomes so much easier and definitely more rewarding.

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Have a wonderful day and a fruitful journey ahead!

Yours, Anais

🍓Hungry for some more healthy nuggets? Check out my raw vegan posts:

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Disclaimer: I am not a registered dietitian, doctor or trained detox expert. My goal is to share my knowledge from conclusive research and personal experiences to inspire you on your own raw adventure. I do not give medical advice and am not liable for any negative consequences you might face by following any information from this post - even if it is too much energy from a newly gained vibrant health and no idea how to deal with it. Always do your individual research when it comes to your precious health, it is absolutely worth the extra effort!