Any raw vegans here?

[petitemama]

I have been transitioning to an all raw diet. My ds is 2 and still eats cooked food. I totally believe in raw and feel guilty feeding him cooked food. My health on 100% raw is incredible! I want the best for him, but how do I get him to beg for veggies and fruit when he loves rice and cereals and bread?

I am also curious how others feel after going raw and how they cope with social events and dining out with family.

I will eat only 100% raw and then go out with my in-laws and blow it. The next day I feel like I have a hangover even though I don't drink and the only way I can get back on track is with a fast.

I am breastfeeding and am wondering if I am 100% raw and breastfeeding and get pregnant will I be able to eat enough to support both nutritionally. I know people have done it but I still worry. Any thoughts?

[OceanMomma]

I don't eat 100% raw & am probably guilty of eating far too many cooked things myself these days. Due to all sorts of reasons. But my dd will eat sprouts & raw fruits & veges no probs. I never gave her cereals when she was really small. Her first food was avocado. When I gave her apple puree it was actually raw apple puree ( use the bit of the grater for lemon rind ) People are always commenting about a seeing a baby that is eating veges like she's some kind of freak but I'm sure it's coz she's always had food like that so she's quite happy with it.

It may be a texture thing with your ds as well. You could try to make more cooked-like raw foods like living oatmeal or hummus from chickpea sprouts. Nut & seed butters are also good. Is essene bread OK for a raw diet ? I've got a copy of the biogenic diet somewhere which is by Leslie Kenton. She's into raw & has brought up some of her kids on a similar diet. The book has recipes in which are raw & some partially raw & so on. It could be a good place to start transitioning his diet. Summer is also a good time. dd will eat 100g or more of organic blueberries a day when they're in season here & they are chockerful of calcium & zinc, amongst other things. Anyone in their right mind when faced with the choice of cereal or a large bowl of organic berries is gonna go for the berries

I'm not sure about the 100% raw diet & pregnancy & bf. I'd recommend doing some reading on the raw diet, searching the web, emailing people & so on.

[Erin Pavlina]

Here's what I would do if I were going to transition my toddler to raw:

1. Make a list of the raw foods you know he likes. Serve those often.

2. Start experimenting with new raw foods you think he might like. Add the successful ones into his repertoire.

3. Continue to feed him the raw food he loves and the raw foods he likes in addition to a few cooked foods.

4. Get him to the point where he's eating his favorite raw foods 80% of the time. That last 20 percent, work on very slowly so he's comfortable. Forgive the occasional slip, and realize that your child is probably healthier than 99.98% of the rest of the kids on the planet.

As for raw and breastfeeding and pregnancy. I've been told by some people in the know that you need to be careful being raw while bfing and during pregnancy because when you go raw you release a ton of toxins out of your system, which, of course, is very cleansing, but the toxins go into the breastmilk and through the placenta.

So, if I'm not mistaken, it's not a good idea to "go" raw during pregnancy or bfing. HOwever, if you have been raw for at least 6 months, then likely the toxins are gone. But very tricky. Consult a professional on this because the babies get a high dose of toxins when the mom goes raw during bfing and preg.

[AmandasMom]

I'm now 100% raw and my 2 yo daughter is about 80% raw. We both eat fruit, nuts, seeds and some green veggies. She likes vegan sausages and stuff like that so I feed it to her. Stay away from sprouts and espically bean sprouts. My daughter and I both got VERY sick from eating raw chick pea hummus that I made, and I mean VERY sick. I didn't know that beans are toxic until we got sick and I did some research. Sprouts have some good things in them, but nature really didn't intend for us to eat them.

We don't follow any eating "plan". Both of us eat what our bodies tell us to eat. She will ask for what she wants now, this morning I asked her what she wanted for breakfast and she said "avacado and watermelon", so that is what she got. Right now I'm craving papaya's and plums like crazy. Last week all I wanted to eat were avacado's and banana's. We don't eat many greens, only when we get a craving for them, like baby greens. I guess we are both mostly fruitarians.

I also keep a supply of dried, non sulphered fruits on hand. Sometimes both of us just want something to nibble on, dried dates and prunes are great.

It isn't too hard to keep this way when visiting. I really dont think anyone knows that I"m raw. They know my daughter and I are vegan, so they really don't see anything odd when my daughter and I eat fruits and veggies.

The best site and message board on being raw can be found at www.living-foods.com . Tons of support there, and questions just like yours

[petitemama]

Thank You!

Thanks everyone for your advice. I will try your suggestions and let you know how things go!

Amanda's Mom, I think you are sooo right about not telling people you are raw. I think it makes life much easier. When I first went vegan my mother-in -law told everyone(PROUD?). Anyway, when eating together someone always seemed to complain about my diet and it would be the topic of dinner conversation.
I found it much more pleasant to eat out with people who were unaware of my veganism. They barely noticed what I ate and if they did there comments on my dinner choice were usually positive. I have learned and have not told my mother-in-law about my raw food diet. Now my dh has been doing it. I have asked him not to say anything and yet we will be at dinner and he'll blurt out, "oh no she can't eat that it isn't RAW!" You have reminded me and I will have to discuss it with him again! Thanks again!


I HAVE ALSO BEEN CRAVING PAPAYAS CONSTANTLY!!!!!
I have gone to the store just for them and nothing satiates me more than a beautiful, juicy, sweet papaya! I am going to eat one right now!

[XM]

Forgive my ignorance...

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[Erin Pavlina]

Raw is sort of the next step after being vegan. I'm not an expert on what they eat so I'll wait for someone else to answer that question. But I wanted to clarify what I was saying about toxins.

People who eat meat and dairy and cooked foods create a host of toxins in their body. Sure, we can all live with it, getting sick all the time, having allergies, aches and pains, etc. But when you start to eliminate toxic food, the body finally has time to get it out of your system. Sometimes it's an uncomfortable process, as is any detox. But once you're past the detox phase, your body works well and feels wonderful!! You get sick less often because your body doesn't have to remove so many toxins.

I was reading in a book Sick and Tired by Dr. Robert Young, that vegans ingest about 3 million harmful bacteria each day. But people who eat meat ingest 750 million harmful bacteria each day. Raw foodists get much much less than vegans, can't remember the numbers. But it's amazing how much of the bad stuff meat eaters get.

[XM]

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[Erin Pavlina]

There is a difference in health between a "raw vegan" and vegans who eat cooked foods.

Raw foods retain their nutrients. Cooked foods lose it pretty fast, depending on how they are cooked. I've read that the microwave just strips the life right out of food. Baking at high temps does too. Steaming a food is not too bad. Boiling is bad. Sauteeing is not too bad.

The more raw the food is when you eat it, the better.

Incorporating a lot of raw fruits and veggies and eating nuts that have not been roasted or salted, is GREAT! Lots of health benfits there.

A lot of vegans I know eat junk food, cakes, cookies, candies, ice creams, refined stuff. Not healthy. Whole foods is the way to go, and raw is even better, though I am not a raw foodist by any stretch of the imagination.

[velveeta]

XM,

I am not all raw either -- not even close, but I do recognize its many benefits (we juice veg and fruits 2 or 3 times a day). IMO, the biggest benefit to raw is that your body gets to take advantage of all the plant enzymes to facilitate various bodily processes. By utilizing enzymes from an outside source, your own body's supply of enzymes isn't as taxed as it otherwise might be.

And most enzymes (delicate creatures!) are destroyed in cooking.

As a side note, do you ladies think drinking plenty of carrot juice every day will help me on the strech mark front? I am 5 weeks pregnant with our first.

Jean

[XM]

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[petitemama]

I feel so good when I stick with an all raw diet. Everything seems so clear and I feel high! So why can't I stick with it? I do good for so long and then get thrown off. Soon I start feeling yucky and then I realize that I want to eat raw and as soon as I do I feel great! I have read of people going 100% raw over night but for me it has been a process.

[veganmamma]

I think raw is great, but tomatoes actually have extra health benefits from being cooked. I would look into it. I think cooking can release some of the nutrients. Don't jump all over me. It may not be worth the trouble to have a few veggies that you cook once in awhile. I know I have way too much fun in the kitchen to ever go raw, but since I've been pregnant, I have found ways to eat fresher, less cooked foods. I feel bad for my partner, he'd never had crunchy veggies in his life aside from those found in party trays.

Lauren