Hi everyone – first post. So I was searching the web for vegetarian recipes the other day and found your websight. I’ve only heard of raw veganism a couple of times before & I’d love to learn more. Does anyone have time for a few painfully basic questions?

* I’ve read on this sight that live food contains live enzymes. So how do I know if the food is live (like grains or beans)? And what is an enzyme and why do I want to eat it?

* Why is a raw vegan diet better (healthier) than an ordinary vegetarian diet?

* What does 80-10-10 mean? Or 8-1-1 or 9-5-5?

* I see lots of people talking about their percentage raw… 50% raw, 90% raw… 100% raw! Does that mean the percentage by volume or caloric intake?

* What is detox? How long does it last?

Please share your food philosophy! I’ve been looking for ways to improve my diet for years, but I never gave raw a serious look. I guess I thought it was too fringe or extreme, but now I have an open mind.

Welcome to the forum!

My view on raw foods starts with the enzymes.They are the living energy ,and in my opinion are the only foods we were designed to eat.The more you eat of them,the more you will want,till one day you couldnt concieve of eating anything else.
Anything that hasnt been cooked has enzymes,but certain food should be cooked prior to eating.
Percentage raw could mean both calories or volume.But I would lean toward calories.If you only eat 50% raw,you are way ahead of the general population,and thats part of what makes this way so good....you dont have to be perfect.And 50% is very achievable for most folks.

I am sure lots of folks will post info for you.
Thats what I have for now.

Keep coming back!

Vinny

Hi, raw_curious, and welcome!

Enzymes mean yummy things are headed for your tummy, but the enzymes in most foods have no reactive effective with your own digestive enzymes, or so I believe based on what science I know. Think of it this way--you don't want to eat anything so dead that it has no viable enzymes! Now, we do know that things like bromelain; from pineapple, and papain; from papaya, are reactive, but this is a slightly different phenomenon.

A raw vegan diet claims healthier-ness primarily because the heat-sensitive nutrients in the food have not been destroyed by cooking. Also, the food has not lost water content because of cooking. Generally, food that is raw is more fresh than food that is cooked; an exception is flash frozen, unpasteurized fruit. More fresh is more better!

80/10/10 is short hand for 80% calories from carbs(fruits), 10% calories from protein(greens), 10% calories from fat(nuts, fatty fruit), in general. It is a regimen created by sports physiologist Douglas Graham. There is a book explaining the diet.

As can be seen above, one can count raw percentages by calorie, or volume, or, I suppose, weight. Calorie is probably more accurate, but one doesn't need to be this exacting; if I make sure that most of the things I put in my mouth on any given day are raw plant foods, and avoid things like cheesy poofs and candy bars--high in fat and refined sugar calories--I assume I'm doing well

Lastly, as to detox: this is technically the body's purging of stored toxins as cells, primarily fat cells, expel their old detritus or fat. This occurs in any weight reduction diet; indeed, it is an everday process, but is generally less obvious than when shifting to high raw because this way of eating acts very quickly on the metabolism. Some people experience horrendous detox symptoms, some people experience barely any. No one can know concretely how filthy they are on a metabolic level, so everyone's responses to becoming raw vary.

These forums are a wealth of information. I'd recommend doing some searches and reading older threads to learn more. Good luck!

[www.foodnsport.com]

Hi and welcome....Detox will begin almost immediately, especially if you eat lots of citrus like oranges. However, detox can become quite uncomfortable, but you can slow it down by eating a little of the food that you're trying to give up.

Please be flexible, as it's no race, and it's much better to go slow and enjoy the transition rather than be hell bent on not giving in to cravings and loosing the plot entirely haha LOL

Cheers, jalan

I go raw 1)because it seems silly to destroy various nutrients contained in the food by cooking, only for the sake of cooking. (It's like taking a vitamin/mineral pill, and throwing out 1/3, half, or most of it's contents before consuming the pill. Why would anyone do it?) And 2)because it feels and partly because of this tastes better to eat food in it's natural state. This is also the reason I go for as simple meals/combinations as possible. I don't believe in enzymes etc simply because it has not been scientifically proven that raw food is superior to cooked food for this reason.

I go vegan because while meat and diary contain good nutrients, they also contain elements which are harmful for your body. Fish and seafood would have been bit better but alas it contains mercury, dioxins etc which are very harmful. I suppose sometimes/often the amount of harmful things your body will receive by consuming these foods might be negligible, but as with going raw I figured - why put even the smallest amount of nasties in? I do however use wholefood vitamin/supplement for essential vitamins and minerals, which for some has an animal source. So I suppose im not 100% vegan, I don't care though as I follow the diet for health reasons and not for the sake of animals.

my little philosophy heheh

raw_curious Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------->
> * Why is a raw vegan diet better (healthier) than
> an ordinary vegetarian diet?

lower glycemic index & glycemic load,

no exposure to AGEs (caused from high temp cooking)

better protection from cancer for raw vs. cooked vegetables [cebp.aacrjournals.org]

preservation of heat sensitive nutrients like vitamin C and enzymes

less processed junk food

greater control of your food (raw vegans probably sprout and grow more of their own food)

smaller carbon footprint

more whole foods