Hey everyone!

Well, I just started my 3rd week of raw. My first 2 weeks were 99.9% raw. However, yesterday I heard some stuff about how raw vegan diet has some disadvantages, like low HDL levels, b12 deficincy, calcium and vitamin d problems, teeth problems, lack of amino acids etc. Now I don't feel as optimistic about my diet.

So far it has been good though. I don't have constipation problems on raw diet, my weight has gone down a bit in these 2 weeks, and I don't eat/think about food 24/7. But now I'm worried.

I dunno what to do. I dunno, maybe I should do 50% raw? How real are the dangers of raw vegan diet?

I wouldn't say a raw vegan diet has those "disadvantages." But people who choose any type of diet should be mindful of their B12 absorption and intake, calcium intake, and exposure to sunlight, as well as practice proper flossing and brushing. Lack of amino acids? Uhm, that'd come from a lack of food/sufficient calories. LOL

The raw vegan diet is not for everyone. It has worked out well for me, and I love the health and benefits I get from it. I would say that going 100% raw vegan as quickly as you did would present a set of problems all by itself, regardless of other problems that may arise on this diet.

Take some time to do some homework, and find out what other people who have been raw vegan for a long time are doing, and then try them out for yourself and see if they work.

For myself, I took half a year to transition from cooked foods to raw foods, and the after being 100% raw, I took 2 years to transition from a high fat raw diet to a low fat raw diet.

I don't know about the specific dangers of the raw vegan diet, as I have had good results with the diet. But I have read reports of others for whom the diet did not work for them. I would try it and see, and talk to people for whom the diet is working rather than talking to those for whom it didn't work.

CoconutMilk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey everyone!
>
> Well, I just started my 3rd week of raw. My first
> 2 weeks were 99.9% raw. However, yesterday I heard
> some stuff about how raw vegan diet has some
> disadvantages, like low HDL levels, b12 deficincy,
> calcium and vitamin d problems, teeth problems,
> lack of amino acids etc. Now I don't feel as
> optimistic about my diet.
>
> So far it has been good though. I don't have
> constipation problems on raw diet, my weight has
> gone down a bit in these 2 weeks, and I don't
> eat/think about food 24/7. But now I'm worried.
>
> I dunno what to do. I dunno, maybe I should do 50%
> raw? How real are the dangers of raw vegan diet?


Now this is both raw and vegan forum so I shouldn't really be posting this, but if you already taking of going 50% raw - surely it would be better instead to take very good quality vitamins/minerals supplement (which are often raw but sometimes not vegan because of D and B12, and also iron). For me it's a no brainer, and this is the diet I personally follow - raw and vegan with a supplement pill, and with no worries about my health!

you could think of it this way too...

" I heard some stuff about how non raw non vegan diet has some disadvantages, like b12 deficiency, excess calcium and insufficient vitamin d problems, teeth and gum problems, excess of amino acids etc. "

the raw vegan diet is better in every way.

and there are many who are thriving

focus on the ignorant
naysayers and your fears will paralyze you.

prana

and fresh

nice advise

2 sides of the same coin

I would say even if you think it may not be the best long-term diet for you, it can only help and heal you in the short term, so I would definitely keep at it for a period of time and then see how you feel. Also, if you're 99.9% raw, don't settle for less, because it's a slippery slope once you start eating cooked again - it's not easy getting back to all raw. Some people take months or years of 'transition' to get to where you are now.

i agree with Prana. Make sure you do your homework. Do not listen to only those who have positive comments about the diet, as there exist those who have experienced serious health problems on it. Make an educated decision. Listen to YOUR body.


RawGosia channel
RawGosia streams

There are a ton of people who have slipped into serious health problems on a low-fat raw vegan diet. Others have thrived. I say keep it up while keeping a close eye on your health. And yes, do your homework.

People who question and who honestly express their issues on the diet are not "ignorant." They're smart. You're off to a good start.

The low fat vegan diet can be very challenging. When one eats this way, one really gets in touch with feeling that is happening internally, and this can be quite overwhelming. Most everyone in our society has a large amount of repressed or suppressed pain, and this pain becomes very evident when eating a low fat vegan diet. Also, most of us were not properly trained on how to deal with this pain, the pain of stored emotions that had been stuffed deep inside over most of our lives. Most of us were not trained in the art of spiritual surrender.

Also, ones beliefs about the nature of the world, the people around us, is a reflection of some deep internal beliefs about ourselves and our reality. If a person view the world as a place where there are all too many victims, that there are people or animals or things out there that need rescuing or fixing, these views are reflections of the way we see ourselves and how we in general view reality. There are very few people who are raised or trained to see that everything is exactly the way it should be, and is in fact perfect. People who have this view tend to have the ability to surrender to whatever comes their way, and find themselves more at peace. Its the lack of internal peace that can rear its ugly head on the raw diet, as we get more in touch with our internal selves and we begin to manifest more of our deeply held beliefs, partly because the raw vegan diet avails a lot of energy to the being.

So when I see a lot of people failing at the low fat raw vegan diet, I am not surprised. Most people don't have the tools to deal with what shows up on the diet. Most people are harboring a ton of pain that they may not even be aware of, and may not feel until they become raw.

In addition to the emotional issues that arise on this diet, most people coming from the SAD diet are not aware of how unhealthy they really are. With the SAD diet, with all of its stimulating foods, people are quite functional even though internally they may be harboring cancers or tumors or pre cancerous growths. So a person may look and feel just fine, but internally they are really sick. I was like this. When I first starting eating low fat raw vegan, I got super sick. My skin turned grey. I had continuous dark circles under my eyes. My weight dropped down to 130 pounds, and I looked emaciated. I had very low energy in addition to having grey skin. I got dizzy easily and had balance problems. The flesh in my arms and upper body disappeared, and I did not look at all healthy. And I was super tired all the time, I could not function at work, in fact I could barely drive to work. So I took time off. And I found I needed to sleep 16 to 18 hours a day. I took off 4 months from my job to sleep as much as I could. By the way, how many people in our society are willing to take this kind of time off from work for their healing? I don't know, but I would guess the answer is very few, and most of them would simply say the the raw diet just doesn't work for them. And I agree with them, it didn't work for them. But for me, in spite of the sickness, in spite of the low energy, in spite of the various symptoms, I really felt this was my healing, this was truly detox, I and rode it through. And afterwards I was rewarded with a much healthier body than before I got sick, and my body became very quick to heal whenever I got injured. The benefits I received vastly outweighed any symptoms I experienced when I got sick, and the 4 months I took off from work paid for itself in terms of the new body I got.

If I didn't have a spiritual practice in place, if I hadn't been working on learning how to deal with my spiritual and emotional pain, I may not have had the fortitude to endure the symptoms and to continue with my healing. But for some reason, something inside me told me that things were going to be okay, and though I was really sick, this sickness was going to be temporary.

Once again, hh has put words in my mouth. I didnt say any of the words that he implied that I did by putting quotes around the word I used.
There is in fact much ignorance about diet.
we are supposed to believe that eating raw plants is dangerous or prone to deficiency.
The opposite is true.
The only recourse that the naysayers have is that we are all so different when there is no evidence of it.
Its a shame that newbies are subjected to such mixed messages
It takes a strong person to persevere.

well said by prana who could very easily be
One who reverted and blamed the diet.
it can easily be done wrong .
just like anything else.

any diet can be done wrong.

as with any diet, one must pay attention to nutrient intake. Amino acids is one of the most abundant things if you are drinking veggie juice and smoothie. 2 things that need to be a staple in every raw vegans diet. B 12 can easily come from wheatgrass and sprouts. And yes, a raw vitamin would be an amazing supplement to fill in the gaps. Very few people who eat normal food ever get blood work ups done, yet lots of people run scared about eating raw vegan. Just study how to get proper nutrients and you should have no fear.

Agree with many of the prior posters, with any diet proper planning is the key. There are online sites that can give you an assessment of your nutritional intake, I think FitDay is one, Cron-o-meter or something like that. For a raw vegan diet, I strongly recommend Becoming Raw by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina, two vegan RDs who have put together a pretty good primer about what the main issues are with designing a sound raw vegan diet. They talk pros and cons and don't sugar coat where there legitimate raw vegan issues, e.g. vitamin B-12.

Every diet has risks and opportunities. Done well, a raw vegan is one of the best. Good Luck.

Paul

Freelee's brother jumped ship.
This is taken from his FB while fending some angry vegan girls. Poor freelee she was so proud of him :-( :

"Who said I didnt try to understand my deficiencies? I love it when people jump to conclusions without all the info.. filling the blank spaces to justify releasing their own frustrations of the world under the careful guise of compassion.

And YES my own health does come before the animals I eat.. It took me a while to remember that but nature created me with the ability to make my own decisions and to evolve to be more powerful and resourceful than any other animal, hence allowing humans to kill and eat them. Nature is not always a thing of beauty.. animals kill the babies of other animals and they dont flinch when they do.. they are simply living out natures programming. I strayed from the path.. felt crook for too long and returned to what made sense."


What do you think?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/2012 05:32PM by Duke.

Thank you Prana, for being so open in telling of your experience. I found that the spiritual and emotional awakenings difficult to deal with, and you must know from my posts, that I'm still negotiating this terrain. For me, this is more stressful than the transition to a raw vegan diet.

The family trouble that I'm having atm is opening many old wounds from my childhood. But I know that this is part of my healing, and so I must do this.

Coconutmilk, there is much good advice in this thread, and all that I can add is not to be overly worried about not getting this or that nutrient etc. Listen to your body, listen to how you feel. Three weeks isn't that long, and people, including myself have lived without any food for longer periods. For sure, you are getting heaps more nutrients than your previous diet.

Also, so what if you eat a little cooked food, as I'd say that most of us aren't 100% raw anyway. The pain of old hurts that are brought to the surface during your cleansing, are better to work on than being overly hard on yourself.

All the best, jalan

This is my answer to Fresh. [www.youtube.com]


"Yoga is the science of the East.
Science is the yoga of the West.

--John Lilly [en.wikipedia.org]

Duke,

Psychologists would call that an awful lot of rationalizing, but [shrug] I wish this fellow well in whatever he's dealing with now.*



*I do not expect the siblings/parents/offspring of raw "gurus" to follow their relative's lead, necessarily.