10 Things we can learn from a Raw Vegan Diet → BILTON ATHLETICS

Raw vegan diet has become more and more popular in the last years. There is definitely some strong pros & cons when learning about this way of eating. The good thing is that we can learn a lot from the raw-foodies – even though we may not alway agree on everything.

ripe pineapple fruits on shelf — Pineapples – Photo by Fiona Smallwood

First of all, raw veganism is a plant-based diet that involves no cooking. No food is heated above 40 degrees Celsius. During cooking some nutrients from food items are degraded. The reason is mostly about “live” foods versus “dead” foods.

Eating raw vegan foods is associated with increasing longevity, which means we need to always remember to have fresh uncooked ingredients with our meals. These uncooked foods will help anyone with preventing different chronic diseases. Raw vegans has lower values of BMI and percentage of body fat. They also have lower levels of bad cholesterol. The western world is fighting an epidemic of over-weight and high cholesterol. Diets with lots of plants and uncooked food would help to solve these western problems.

There is some cons of the raw vegan diet. It my not be suitable for everyone. Weight loss could have negative effects on very active people, which will need to make great efforts to procure the calories they need. Studies has shown that, following a strict raw food diet has the risk of undersupply of energy and certain macro- and micronutrients – and also vitamin b-12. This is an important finding. It’s very important for human health to get enough calories. Non raw vegans can get their vitamin b12 from fortified vegan products, energy drinks and some breakfast cereals. These products are avoided on a raw vegan diet. Plant-based doctors recommend b-12 supplements for everyone – also people on regular western diets.

Last, we also need to remember that cooking helps the release of some nutrients by breaking apart fibers and cellular walls. There are cooking methods which improve nutritional and physicochemical qualities of food.

More Flavonoids better Athletic Results

The Way we are Designed to Eat

What we can learn from Raw Vegans

green leaf vegetable — Greens – Photo by Heather Barnes

Carbohydrate-based diet. The thriving raw vegans are feeling up on carbohydrates. They get it from fruits. Carbohydrates are the preferred fuel source of the human body. Looking way back, human beings are biological frugivores. We digest fruit and carbs quicker and with more ease than any other food.
Eat a lots of fruit with lots of calories. We delight in the sight and smell of beautiful fruits and they symbolise health and abundance to us. They are calories dense, consistently delicious, available all year and relatively cheap. We need a perfect amount of calories to survive well.
Eat as much vegetables as you care for. You literally can not raw vegetables. Focus on tender leafy greens, like spinach, kale. But also have some crucifrous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower. Raw vegan diet includes a complex of ingredients, which are rich in nutrients and insoluble fiber. Raw vegan foods contains water-soluble vitamins (B, C), minerals (K, Fe, Mg), antioxidants such as carotenoids (lycopene and beta-carotene), vital enzymes, phytic acid, vegetable proteins such as lectins are low in calories
Make some great dressings for your food. Stop eating boring. We all know the boring salad we used to get from our grandma where you just think “how do I get through this”. Many dressings can be made from raw vegan ingredients. If you have a blender you can make a dressing. Use different and fun ingredients, like fruit, nuts, seeds, spices, tamari, vinegar, avocado and other vegestables.
Eat seeds, avocado and nuts – but don’t overeat on these items. It is very easy to overeat on seed spreads, nut butters and oils and these will not lead to the health that you seek. Use nut & seed butters moderately. Use them for dressings. We need to eat some seed and nuts to get omega 3 fatty acids. Oils are a processed, refined food and are the most dense form of calories in the human diet. They are not healthy and should be avoided completely.
Fresh and organic tastes best. Raw vegans are really good at buying fresh and ripe ingredients. It’s also very smart to buy more organic ingredients. The best way to reduce your exposure to pesticides in food is to buy organic.
Smoothies & fresh juices. Once more fuel on calorie dense foods. Smoothies will help to eat a lot of calories. Its hard to eat 6-8 banans in a row – but blending them and drinking it as a smoothie/milkshake makes it very easy. It’s also fun to do fresh juices of a bunch of different fruits and leafy greens. Juices helps to get good with calories, but they do lack the fiber. Therefore smoothies are best on a daily basis and juices are sometimes.
Healthy snacks. Every body loves snacks – but most snacks in the western world are unhealthy. This has made snacking a bad thing, but snacking can also be a healthy thing to do. Raw vegans are very good at snacking healthy foods. Try to snack on raw vegan food items. Fruits, veggie-sticks with dip, dates, raisins & seeds/nuts, smoothies – or even try to google raw vegan snacks.
Have a raw meal once a while. It’s fun to try new ways of cooking. A lot of fruit can also be a meal. You don’t need all vitamins, proteins and minerals at every meal. It even feels good in the body to load up on only fresh fruit and vegestables. You will feel clear minded, light and with energy.
Drink a lot of water. Raw vegans are good at drinking water – also they get a lot of fluids with their fruits and veggies. Getting enough water every day is important for your health. You need water to replenish the lost fluid from sweat. You also need enough water in your system to have healthy stool. Your kidneys are also important for filtering out waste through urination. Essential minerals are found in drinking water, like calcium, magnesium and copper.