Okay, so I have been vegan for the last 3 years and I love it so much.
I have, after much thought, decided to become a raw vegan.
and I have a few questions.
If my post does not belong here, please let me know and redirect me to the correct board, any help would be appreciated in answering these questions so I can start out the right way.

1. I am assuming I must cut out all soda, coffee, soy milk, etc. but can I have caffeine pills like No Doz? Can I have orange juice if it says pasteurized on the box?

2. I know I have to take supplements for being a vegan and I do... are there any others you guys could recommend I take once I start the raw diet?

3. Can I put fruit in the blender? Can I juice my oranges in a juicer? Is that considered processing it?

4. Are there any non-smoothie alternatives to drinking water? I like water and I drink 64 oz a day, it just gets a little boring if I'm thirsty.

5. any non-caffeine related ideas for keeping my energy up? I'm kind of trying to stray away from nuts as they have fat and I do need to lose weight and haven't lost much during veganism due to medication I take that makes me have a large appetite and apt to gain weight

and finally 6. I spend all day and part of the evening rushing from classes to work to the gym to errands around town, etc. and don't have time to sit down and prepare something at home. is there anything I can just shove in my backpack and access easily while walking to class or before work? I know nuts, but is there anything else that doesn't need to be refrigerated?

Sorry for all the questions, I just don't know much about how to adapt raw veganism to my lifestyle just yet.

again, thank you for any help, I really do appreciate it.

Also another question

can I eat pickles? are they considered processed?

thanks.

howellbe Wrote:
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hello howellbe,


> 1. I am assuming I must cut out all soda, coffee,
> soy milk, etc. but can I have caffeine pills like
> No Doz?

you can do anything you want, but i wouldn't recommend drugs.


>Can I have orange juice if it says
> pasteurized on the box?

it's cooked

>
> 2. I know I have to take supplements for being a
> vegan and I do... are there any others you guys
> could recommend I take once I start the raw diet?


why do you think vegans need supplements?


>
> 3. Can I put fruit in the blender?

yes

>Can I juice my
> oranges in a juicer?

depends on the juicer.

> Is that considered processing
> it?

just picking up food and eating it is likely best
but if you feel a need or desire to blend or juice, then go for it.

>
> 4. Are there any non-smoothie alternatives to
> drinking water? I like water and I drink 64 oz a
> day, it just gets a little boring if I'm thirsty.

there's not much need for water when you are on a raw fresh diet.


> 5. any non-caffeine related ideas for keeping my
> energy up? I'm kind of trying to stray away from
> nuts as they have fat and I do need to lose weight
> and haven't lost much during veganism due to
> medication I take that makes me have a large
> appetite and apt to gain weight

a good raw diet will keep your energy up.
food doesn't give you energy.
food is fuel.
energy comes from a recharging of the nervous system
after rest.


> and finally 6. I spend all day and part of the
> evening rushing from classes to work to the gym to
> errands around town, etc. and don't have time to
> sit down and prepare something at home. is there
> anything I can just shove in my backpack and
> access easily while walking to class or before
> work? I know nuts, but is there anything else that
> doesn't need to be refrigerated?

many fruits will work fine for that.



>
> Sorry for all the questions, I just don't know
> much about how to adapt raw veganism to my
> lifestyle just yet.

you can check these out if you want.


[www.foodnsport.com]

[www.foodnsport.com]


i would not recommend pickles, but if you're gonna die without them, then definitely eat them.

Quote

there's not much need for water when you are on a raw fresh diet.

interesting. I noticed that too. Before, when I downed half a box of pasta, I needed nearly two big full glasses of water. with my current diet, I am shocked if I have to sip any water and actually found myself trying to force myself to drink more. In fact, I thought something was wrong.

But, I'll say this much though it may repulse some of you: I have three dogs and one of them is on a RAW meat diet. I know I know. I felt I did not have the right to make it vegetarian and the only other choice (dog food) is worse than the processed foods humans eat. Anyway, they are carnivours . . .we are not. But I mention this because this dog drinks nearly no water if ANY!!

i think what fresh is saying besides just answering the questions you provided is that you decide your pace. you decide how fast or how slow you will transition into this lifestyle. this boards sages will not say thou shalt not blah blah blah they will give you great knowledge and help you through transitioning to raw food lifestyle but they respect your individuality more than giving you a bunch of rules. easily stated each/drink fruits and vegees as they are...no altering meaning cooking, microwaving and pasteurizing is cooking so......fresh.... just think fresh off the vine or off the ground and you`ll be good. but again...if you need certain foods during transition time ....then go for it. as you move deeper into this lifestyle your body won`t want them and it will not be an issue.
patty

Well said, Fresh and Dewey. Beautifully stated posts, the both of you.

Howellbe,

On supplements: the only supplement anyone needs on a diet of plants are Vitamin B12 (unless you don't mind eating insects, which is how our vegan-raw ancestors probably got it). This can be in drop form so it has no other ingredients (like yummy cherry flavoring) other than B12 and water.

If you get no sun because you spend all your time indoors or live in a dark, cloudy place like Seattle in the winter (which is the only reason to spend all your time indoors), you're also going to need Vitamin D. This can either be in the form of a pill, or more recommended, a vacation to a sunny destination.

It's a pill-free life, and I love it that way!

Betty

"Don't believe everything you think."

--Bumper Sticker

i believe mushrooms were a source of vitamin D???

Id seriously get off the speed/caffeine type stuff if you dont want to seriuosly screw up your bodys natural rythms and worse your adrenal/hormone system.

I took stuff to stay awake longer and sleepign pills to crash when i finally had 2-3 hours to sleep , i was working 3 jobs and after a few yeras of this pace i ended up witha nervous breakdown and all the work and school was pretty much useless to me as i couldnt function barely enough to get out of bed

you my friend are on a dangerous ride

id suggest taking a good hard look at what your doing and see what you can do to possibly reduce your hectic schedual before you implode on yourself, as there is nothing noble or admirable about a *superperson* doing it all so much their like a bird both wings on fire heading towards the sun

a great healthy diet for sure is gonna help you in the long run, that said lol to answer your questions



1. yes all the above are not raw (or healthy with exception of the pasteurized juice if anything at all) .. getting a juicer and making your own is far better then any of the above


2. If it makes you feel better to take some supplements while you transition then take them

3. yep yep you can alot witha blender alone

4. smoothies are great, juice is great , you can mix up hemp protein powder in either for your gym routine, otherwise water is great , eat more juicey fruits and veggies you will probably need less water unless you are working out, add lemon to water is great.

5. learn about food combining some .. eating things in the wrong combos can give you decreased energy from digesting too much

6. i find theres nothing easier then a backpack full of whole fruits and veggies some tupperwear with some sauces or dips or dressings (tons of receipies out there) and a decent knife to cut things up with . very little prep and time . you can make sealable mugs/jars of smoothies to take in your pack as well

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

i think it's lame when i hear all the time that since i'm a vegan (even moreso a raw vegan!) that i need to take supplements. i look/feel healthier than all my non-vegan friends and i don't take anything! except spirulina powder, which is a blue-green algea. i'm ok with it because it's a natural source of B-12! no pills for me!

i think it's ok to process your own foods in the respects of juicing, blending, dehydrating sometimes, whatever makes it more appetizing/more fun for you! because you don't kill the food. as long as you don't cook it! and if you get a dehydrator there are many things you can make that won't require refridgeration and you can take with you on the go.

you could start by just adding adding adding more fruits &vegges to your diet as much as you can, and yeah, just move at your own pace!

applebaby Wrote:
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i don't take
> anything! except spirulina powder, which is a
> blue-green algea. i'm ok with it because it's a
> natural source of B-12! no pills for me!

can you explain this to me and why I might need it?? It might be a contraversial thought, but I theorize that if the diet is healthy than the body can manufacture (by its own internal chemistry) the things is isn't getting directly. There are some VERY popular things told to vegans about what they are missing and since I take no supplements I have to assume that I am getting everything I need and if I am NOT getting it (say B-12 for example) then maybe my body doesn't need it or IS getting it somehow. I tend to play the "how did they do it back then" argument and when before man used tools and had no physical strengths to capture anything other than bugs and vegetables, does it follow necessarily that they ate bugs?? I think that animals can tell whether or not (as a general rule) if things are good for them based on how they taste. And while I feel that there is a primal pull towards vegetables (and not meat because many parents have trouble getting their kids to eat it at first) I do not feel the same about bugs . . . in fact, are we not repulsed by them? I have seen the show "Man vs. Wild" and have seen him eat bugs and comment on how they taste. But I am still on the fence as to seeing them as sources of something I cannot get from vegetables or any non-meat source.

Every hear of the man that lived by just drinking water and staring at the sun??

Have you ever seen the guy that had no "grey matter" and yet lived a normal life and in fact was a freak of nature when it came to math?

Just curious. thanks.

thank you very much for all your help.

look I'm sorry about the vitamin thing, it wasn't an attack on anyone else. really I just phrased it wrong as I in particular need to take supplements.
I have a big hole in my heart, and if I do not get the correct nutrients it screws with my "levels" as my cardiologist tells me and makes me more susceptible to getting sick. My doctor and I have discussed the raw diet and he supports me in it. He really wants me to lose weight from it too.

I know you can get your nutrients without supplements and there are plenty of you guys who do it well without supplements and that's great, but I merely meant I needed mine, and was just wondering about supplements I could take since I won't be drinking much orange juice or eating soy products anymore.

sorry again for the confusion,
and thanks again for everyones help.

^^^ if that comment was for me it was totally unecessary. I am glad to find such kindred spirits after such a long search. It may very well be that supplements can be used fully in the future, but in my mind the knowledge to do that is beyond what we currentlt know.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/2007 12:39AM by knownalien.

howellbe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> look I'm sorry about the vitamin thing, it wasn't
> an attack on anyone else. really I just phrased it
> wrong as I in particular need to take
> supplements.


i picked up on nothing of you being out of line in any way regarding vitamins. i take a supplement for my own piece of mind to "fill in the gaps" so to speak. i don`t feel "wrong" in doing so. some peeps do and some peeps don`t. maybe it`s not necessary, maybe it is i`ll take them to hedge my bet in my opinion you have no need to apologize.
patty

howellbe,

what supplements do you supposedly need to take?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/2007 01:45AM by fresh.

Until more studies are done on raw vegans and B12, I'm personally going to keep taking supps. here and there for peace of mind.

Even if I wasn't vegan, I'd probably still take B12 supps. Anyone can be affected by B12 defiency- it's not a 'vegan only' problem. There are suggestions that normal vegans are less prone to B12 defiency than raw vegans because their cereal, margarine etc is fortified. But surely if fortifying food works, then certan supplements should work too?

There is so much information about B12, but IMHO, we need a few more in-depth studies on the raw community before we should snub supplements altogether.

howellbe- if you want to read more about b12 supps and want to find a particular brand/etc, try the vegan forum- [veganforum.com]