From Non Veg to Raw Vegan

[Diana]

Congratulations on letting go of animal products.  I have been vegan a long time, and I have been raw vegan for stretches at a time.

I think it is great that you are listening to your body. Since you are still pretty young, it may not be much of an issue switching diets. Going raw is definitely a leap forward, so you may want to ease into that to avoid cleansing reactions. Raw is the best way to to eat since none of the components are destroyed during cooking, but there is still nutrition in cooked food.

So I would suggest starting with a vegan diet (without worrying too much whether something has a tiny bit of milk or eggs in it at first), and maybe once per day eating a salad or adding raw vegetables in with your cooked food. Then as you get used to that, you can ramp up the raw food. One thing I love to do (just about every day) is chop up a bunch of different veggies into very small pieces, such as lettuce, zucchini, cucumber, green pepper, cilantro, tomato, small amount of onion if you like it, and any vegetables you have on hand, chop up tofu or tempeh, then add olive oil, MCT oil (coconut), balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, dill weed, and garlic powder—mix it all up well. After mixed sprinkle some hemp seeds or other chopped nuts on top. The small vegetable pieces combine into a tasty combination unlike regular salad.

If you like cheese, here is a link to the most awesome delicious and nutritious vegan "cheese" sauce (it's great drizzled on any soup or chili, used as a sauce with pasta, or for a dip with veggies):

vegan cheese sauce

And if you are used to using creamer in coffee or tea, here is a great vegan creamer recipe:

https://wholefully.com/cashew-coffee-creamer/

I mention the above wonderful recipes as it can sometimes be hard to find substitutes for the things you like, and I don't recommend relying too much on processed foods. But take it easy on yourself, try not to be too militant about the transition and have fun with it, and since you are already listening to your body and willing to follow these prompts, you'll do great.

For butter, the absolute best and healthy choice is Miyokos. If you can't find it in a grocery store or health food store, I used to order it online (but since it has become more commercially available I am not sure the website still ships). I just looked it up and it is still shipping: Miyokos. It is made with the same process as dairy butter but it uses nuts, and there are no additives or other things to make it taste like regular butter but it totally does (better I think). Miyokos also has the most delicious vegan cheeses, also made with the same process as dairy cheese only using nuts, and like the butter, have no additives or flavorings that are unhealthy.

There are a lot of vegan meat substitutes out there, some healthier than others. I would stay away from the recent more commercial brands such as "impossible burger" and read the labels. Gardein is a good brand.

If you go online and look for raw vegan or vegan recipes, there is a lot of great stuff. Taking charge of your health like this is a wonderful thing to do.