The first time I tried to go totally raw, I failed miserably. This was back in 1983, before the internet, and there was a grand total of 3 books to show me the way (all of which basically said to grow sprouts and eat processed nuts with Bragg's to taste! bleh!). Lack of knowledge, support and resources made it difficult to make healthy choices. I learned later that the #1 cause of failure to thrive on a vegan diet, whether raw or not, is not getting enough calories!
The early raw vegans were pioneers and we now have the benefit of learning from their mistakes. Now, it's a totally different world, with literally hundreds of raw vegan books, websites and resources available.
There are several schools of thought as to the 'best' and 'healthiest' raw vegan diet. There is much disagreement on that so we're all trying to figure it out through our own experiences. Here are some of the most popular approaches:
1. KISS (keep it simple) with a variety of cheap, simple foods, and a good balance between fruits, veggies and higher-fat foods like nuts, olives and avocados. Here is an example of someone who is thriving thusly, and in fact is a bodybuilder! He does so on a very tight budget too!
Danny Dalton - Raw Food Vegan Bodybuilder
Danny's channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4x83tSuoy-vwN7PMcZEcFw
Note that he does eat a LOT of food! But look at those muscles! 5+ years raw vegan and thriving.
2. High Greens, high fruit: Green smoothies were popularized by Victoria Boutenko, and are now a staple for many raw and 'high raw' vegans (myself included...I eat green smoothies every day). The Boutenko family were all very sickly, with diabetes and all the usual stuff, and then went 100% raw vegan and thrived for something like 8-10 years. They lived in a sunny area. But then they moved to a wet, cold area and started having some problems, so they ended up adding just a small amount of cooked vegan foods back into their diet. This seems to indicate that it's easier to be totally raw in a warm, sunny climate. I have found this to be true. I enjoy being totally raw vegan in the summer, but in the winter, it seems to make sense to eat warming soups, potatoes, beans, etc. Unless you are lucky enough to live in a tropical climate!
So, while the Boutenkos aren't 100% raw, they are still 'high raw' and offer a wealth of books, videos and resources, with high greens as their centerpiece.
Green Smoothie Revolution - Victoria Boutenko
Usually, green smoothies are made with fruit, so they're sweet. But you can also make savory green smoothies:
Savory Green Smoothie
3. Roger Haeske is one of the more successful long-term raw vegans. He offers lots of great resources. He has learned a lot through trial and error and shares his experiences. I just completed his 6-week raw vegan course and got some valuable tidbits, like sources of raw carbs other than fruit. I especially love his Savory Veggie Stews and this too is a staple for me.
Savory Veggie Stews
4. 80-10-10 This one is controversial and you will see lots of opposing views on it. It's basically the same ratio of carbs/fat/protein as the ideal espoused by Campbell/Esselstyn/McDougall et al, and can be either raw or cooked vegan, as long as it's the same ratio, but many advocates of the diet do it totally raw and are thriving. On this website you will see lots of hardcore athletes doing amazing things, all powered by simple raw fruits and vegetables! Amazing!
http://foodnsport.com/index.php
5. Gourmet, High fat raw vegan - Most of the raw vegan recipe books go out of their way to prove that the raw vegan diet can be delicious, so they make exotic, high-fat desserts using coconut oil and raw cacao, raw pizzas, and all sorts of amazing concoctions. There are even some high-end raw vegan restaurants that specialize in these delicacies.
It's nice to know that raw vegans can enjoy such decadence, but consuming such a high-fat diet on a daily basis is controversial. Many high-fat raw vegans are thriving, while others do better on the lower fat, higher greens version.
Dr. Gabriel Cousens, one of the leading long-term raw vegan gurus, claims a 100% success rate with anyone who wishes to go vegan or raw vegan. He says that, depending on individual metabolism, some people need more fats and less carbs, while others need more carbs and less fats. But all can thrive on a vegan or raw vegan diet. They just might need to tweak it a bit.
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The early raw vegans were pioneers and we now have the benefit of learning from their mistakes. Now, it's a totally different world, with literally hundreds of raw vegan books, websites and resources available.
There are several schools of thought as to the 'best' and 'healthiest' raw vegan diet. There is much disagreement on that so we're all trying to figure it out through our own experiences. Here are some of the most popular approaches:
1. KISS (keep it simple) with a variety of cheap, simple foods, and a good balance between fruits, veggies and higher-fat foods like nuts, olives and avocados. Here is an example of someone who is thriving thusly, and in fact is a bodybuilder! He does so on a very tight budget too!
Danny Dalton - Raw Food Vegan Bodybuilder
Danny's channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4x83tSuoy-vwN7PMcZEcFw
Note that he does eat a LOT of food! But look at those muscles! 5+ years raw vegan and thriving.
2. High Greens, high fruit: Green smoothies were popularized by Victoria Boutenko, and are now a staple for many raw and 'high raw' vegans (myself included...I eat green smoothies every day). The Boutenko family were all very sickly, with diabetes and all the usual stuff, and then went 100% raw vegan and thrived for something like 8-10 years. They lived in a sunny area. But then they moved to a wet, cold area and started having some problems, so they ended up adding just a small amount of cooked vegan foods back into their diet. This seems to indicate that it's easier to be totally raw in a warm, sunny climate. I have found this to be true. I enjoy being totally raw vegan in the summer, but in the winter, it seems to make sense to eat warming soups, potatoes, beans, etc. Unless you are lucky enough to live in a tropical climate!
So, while the Boutenkos aren't 100% raw, they are still 'high raw' and offer a wealth of books, videos and resources, with high greens as their centerpiece.
Green Smoothie Revolution - Victoria Boutenko
Usually, green smoothies are made with fruit, so they're sweet. But you can also make savory green smoothies:
Savory Green Smoothie
3. Roger Haeske is one of the more successful long-term raw vegans. He offers lots of great resources. He has learned a lot through trial and error and shares his experiences. I just completed his 6-week raw vegan course and got some valuable tidbits, like sources of raw carbs other than fruit. I especially love his Savory Veggie Stews and this too is a staple for me.
Savory Veggie Stews
4. 80-10-10 This one is controversial and you will see lots of opposing views on it. It's basically the same ratio of carbs/fat/protein as the ideal espoused by Campbell/Esselstyn/McDougall et al, and can be either raw or cooked vegan, as long as it's the same ratio, but many advocates of the diet do it totally raw and are thriving. On this website you will see lots of hardcore athletes doing amazing things, all powered by simple raw fruits and vegetables! Amazing!
http://foodnsport.com/index.php
5. Gourmet, High fat raw vegan - Most of the raw vegan recipe books go out of their way to prove that the raw vegan diet can be delicious, so they make exotic, high-fat desserts using coconut oil and raw cacao, raw pizzas, and all sorts of amazing concoctions. There are even some high-end raw vegan restaurants that specialize in these delicacies.
It's nice to know that raw vegans can enjoy such decadence, but consuming such a high-fat diet on a daily basis is controversial. Many high-fat raw vegans are thriving, while others do better on the lower fat, higher greens version.
Dr. Gabriel Cousens, one of the leading long-term raw vegan gurus, claims a 100% success rate with anyone who wishes to go vegan or raw vegan. He says that, depending on individual metabolism, some people need more fats and less carbs, while others need more carbs and less fats. But all can thrive on a vegan or raw vegan diet. They just might need to tweak it a bit.
...