How to Start a Raw Vegan Diet

Different people have different food interests. Their interests are based on personal preference, taste, ethics, etc. Generally speaking, human beings are omnivorous, however, human beings have also been following various food patterns, for instance, vegetarianism, vegan, etc. There is a slight difference between vegetarianism and vegan. While a vegetarian diet avoids meat products and eats only plant products and dairy products, vegan dieters do not eat any kind of animal products that include meats, eggs, milk, butter, cheese, etc. Raw vegan food is the type of food where one eats only plant-based foods, do not eat any kind of animal-based foods, and eat uncooked plant-based foods such as fruits, raw vegetables, juice, etc.

Raw vegan dieters also avoid eating plant-based foods that require cooking. The basic idea behind the raw vegan diet is cooking destroys vital nutrients, thus, you can get all the nutrients available in your food only when you eat raw. The raw vegan diet is considered one of the best options to detox and cleanse your body and lose excess weight.

Want to try a raw vegan diet, consider following these tips:

Consult nutritionist/dietician: Before you get started with the raw vegan diet, consider talking to a nutritionist or dietician. Everyone has his or her own nutrition requirement. Therefore, starting a raw vegan diet on your own can harm your body. You will have to undergo check-ups, examinations, and tests so that you know your body well. For example, you might have uric acid, and eating a lot of beans can be detrimental. Only your doctor and nutritionist can help you in this regard.

Start slow: If you were on a non-vegetarian diet previously, or vegan diet, it might be hard to begin a raw vegan diet. When you want to start a raw vegan diet, you will have to eat vegetables that do not require cooking, for instance, cucumber, cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, etc. You will also have to eat fruits and nuts which do not require any cooking. You can get all nutrients from plant-based foods that actually do not need any cooking, for instance, you can get protein from chickpeas, fats from avocado, carbohydrates from banana, etc. Even though a raw vegan diet can provide all necessary nutrients, by eating cooked and processed foods you have completely damaged your digestive system, therefore, your body may not accept raw foods in the beginning.  To avoid any complication, you can start by eating lightly steamed vegetables, or eating raw food in every alternative day or time of the day. For example, you can eat fruits in breakfast, cooked cereal in lunch, and juice in the afternoon. Starting slow means you don’t start eating all raw food from day one, instead, you start introducing raw foods in your plate slowly, you then gradually increase qualtity of raw foods and limit cooked foods. Finally, you only eat raw foods.

Start with your favorite fruits and vegetables: You may not like the raw food at first if you have never included much raw food in your menu previously. Therefore, begin your diet plan by including your favorite fruits and vegetables. Make a list of fruits and vegetables that can be eaten raw.

Stop eating cooked food gradually: Instead of avoiding cooked food or nonvegan food, on day one, it is recommended that you stop eating cooked and non-vegan food gradually. The best way to do this is to avoid one food at one time. This method will help you adapt to your new food habit.

Foods to avoid when you are on a raw vegan diet

The raw vegan diet is an uncooked plant-based diet, in other words, you can eat only uncooked plants, you cannot eat cooked foods, even the plant-based foods, or any kind of animal-based foods like dairy, meat, fish, egg, etc. You will have to eat uncooked raw plant-based foods. Therefore, you will have to choose foods that can be eaten without cooking, For instance, cereal needs cooking before eating, so, even though cereal is plant-based foods, you cannot eat cereal when you practice raw food diet. You can eat vegetables and fruits, and there is no restriction on this.

The raw vegan dieters also avoid refined sugar, instead of sugar, they use foods with high sugar content, for example, honey, dates, raisins, stevia,  etc. These people also do not use any kind of artificial sweeteners, nonetheless, they are okay with corn syrup, maple syrup, dextrose, rice syrup, malt, coconut sugar, and vanilla.

As far as salt is considered, some people season their raw food with salt, whereas some people strictly avoid salt in their food. Raw vegetables already have enough salt required for your body. If you have a history of low blood pressure, you might need additional salt in your food. In that case, use sea salts or eat salty foods like celery or seaweed. Do not use salts that contain additives like iodine.

You also have to include herbs and spices like garlic, turmeric, ginger, etc. in your diet. However, avoid using processed herbs and spices. If you have difficulty finding organic herbs and spices, try growing your own herbs, eat fresh or dry them in shade and eat dried herbs and spices. When you buy dried herbs and spices, make sure the herbs  are dried through heating. Some raw vegan dieters avoid spices as they believe you should only eat foods that forms the main ingredients of  your meal.