There is a sizeable community of people who practice raw veganism near where I live and these folks are hard core. Needless to say, these folks love the green smoothies diet.
This is easy to understand as those who embark on raw veganism typically feel fantastic for quite some time while eating this way. Raw veggies are extremely detoxifying! For several months or even a year or two, increased energy, clear skin and resistance to infection may be observed.
Is this because raw veganism is the right way to eat long term? Is the vegan Netflix film What The Health really on to something big?
Far from it.
Raw Veganism is for Cleansing the Body, Not Nourishing It!
Raw veganism is really a cleansing diet which helps to detoxify the body. It does not optimally nourish the body long term, however.
The raw, whole foods that vegans consume are certainly a huge leap forward from conventional processed foods and anyone would initially feel better eating raw vegan if he/she had been eating the Standard American Diet previously.
Over time, as the body becomes depleted of minerals, serious health issues start to emerge if raw veganism is continued.
This is because the fat soluble activators A, D, and K2 – only found in animal foods – supercharge mineral absorption and without these critical nutrients in the diet, mineral depletion and ill health is the inevitable result.
The bottom line? You can eat loads of mineral rich foods as a raw vegan and still be mineral starved.
Nutritional Deficiencies Rapidly Occur on a Raw Vegan Diet
Watch this 3 minute video below where Maria, a former fan of raw veganism and the creator of the Green Smoothie Challenge discusses her abrupt conversion to nutrient dense animal foods due to the health and tooth challenges she experienced after two years as a raw vegan. Her vegan catharsis came after reading Rami Nagel’s book Cure Tooth Decay.
You will be shocked how rapidly her health challenges resolved after she began to consume nutrient dense animal foods such as cod liver oil, raw butter, and organ meats.
If you know any folks that practice raw veganism, please forward this video. Folks who follow veganism are in serious denial about how this way of eating is going to eventually destroy their health if it hasn’t already and a testimonial from a former hard core vegan may be just what they need to realize that humans are not designed to subsist purely on plant foods.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
More Information
Angelina Jolie says veganism nearly killed her
12 Year old vegan has bones of an 80 year old
I am noticing a pattern here in the comment section. It seems people with a confirmation bias love to come here to prove to themselves they are already right and you (the author) are wrong. They are looking for evidence to prove what they already know “because I have been taking x supplement or doing y diet and it works great for them” I.E. they are CRACKED OUT on veggie juice or feeling euphoria from excess sugar (raw vegans)! People need to be willing to change their minds before being receptive to new information, especially if, as in the case if this article here, the information is true and fact/evidence based. I wouldn’t expect anyone to be able to change their mind if they are not consuming the proper amount of saturated fats, and animal based omega 3, because they are omitting the building blocks of the brain itself from their diet.
How are you so sure these Lou Coronas of the world aren’t eating meat? Just because they’re on a 5 minute video juicing vegetables doesn’t mean they aren’t eating meat secretly. And let’s see you climb 40 feet up a tree and get a coconut. Let’s see how you would get your mangos and bananas without being able to run to the supermarket to get it. And finally let’s talk about you being a “man” and not eating meat. Marilyn Monroe was more manly than you.
I agree … one famous youtube vegan was recently secretly videoed eating fish … she was outed and her community is outraged. I do think that many of these so called vegans are eating animal foods in private.
The Information in this article is laughable at best. When raw vegans of 20-40 years like Lou Corona, John Rose, and Dan McDonald are thriving obviously you’re gonna get propaganda from the other side. Where’d you get these ideas from? The FDA? The food pyramid? Lol I know you haven’t tried raw vegans i for over 5-10 years, no self -experience means you can’t really speak on it because you’re basically just parroting a bunch of nonsense. You wouldn’t kill an animal yourself and then eat every organ of its entire body like a true omnivore anyway who are you kidding?
You obviously haven’t read many articles on this blog about the realities of traditional diets around the world. Guess what? There are no vegan or raw vegan cultures (and the ones vegans point to are actually vegetarian, not vegan … even the Jains in India do dairy).
Check back with us when the dental issues start and your teeth start falling out (Famous vegan Demi Moore’s two front teeth fell out inexplicably a few years back. Even this didn’t wake her up as she attributed it to “stress”. I have never known an omnivore whose two front teeth randomly fell out due to stress (no decay there by the way).
20-40 year vegans are a RARITY. They can thank their mothers for an awesome omnivore childhood that is carrying them through much of their adulthood. Women vegans don’t fare as well as females need more fat (containing the fat soluble vitamins A/D/K2 which are only found all together synergistically in animal foods) than men and if they have a baby or two as a vegan, hello to nutrient deprivation to the max, chronic fatigue and other deficiency based diseases.
Hi,
I only eat raw plant food since over a decade and before that my weight was around 72 kg (my height is 182 cm). Now my weight is 100 kg + through and I look like a heavyweight boxer, eventhough I excersise very seldom. I am 37 years old and use a weight of 180 up to 200 Kilos for training my neck (free weight). I have never been this strong before and I don’t even need to train seriously for that.
The secret is, that you need to know what foods improve the absorbtion of nutrients and what foods you need for basic weight and power. I eat fruits only as extras and dring one green juice with selfmade coconut milk to every meal. I eat only to times a day, no extra snacks just water inbewteen.
Best wishes,
Gelo
Sorry, not buying it. Anyone who says they eat only raw plants and don’t have to workout much to stay super strong is exaggerating if not totally blowing smoke.
In 2014 I was eating the typical SAD. I began suffering from SEVERE daily stomach aches, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and bloating. I changed to a fully raw vegan diet after watching Food Matters. Less than 1 week later ALL those things I had been suffering from for 3 years were completely gone. 5 months passed and I had lost the 55 lbs I had gained from emotional eating. Fast forward 3 years later and my horrifically dry skin is now soft and supple, my dry hair is incredibly soft and shiny (it was so dry before I feared the sun would catch it on fire), and I have the energy of a toddler at almost 40. I can’t speak for anyone else, but raw veganism GAVE me life, it didn’t steal from it.
You are still in the vegan “honeymoon” phase which can be detoxifying and helpful for some especially when coming off the Standard American junk food/high sugar diet. Does this mean veganism is smart or a good diet long term? Absolutely not. Best to reintroduce pastured eggs, raw dairy (if available in your area) and pastured meats before you start getting terrible dental issues or mess up your hormones. This typically starts around year 3-5, but earlier for others.
There is misinformation in this article. Vitamin A comes from many plant sources. Vegans and probably omnivores should supplement with D3, K2 and B12. Not only vegans can become deficient in these. I know many people who thrive on a raw vegan fruit-based diet. Harley and Freelee are not raw vegan anymore so they should not be used as examples of this way of life. They site financial reasons for eating raw till 4 now (last time I checked).
Attention all vegans: there is NO true Vitamin A in plant foods. You have been led astray by slack FDA labeling guidelines. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/beta-carotene-vitamin-a-myth/
Want proof that those that eat vegetables and legumes compared to those that eat meat? Walk around a discount super market, the people are as wide as the carriages. Now walk around Whole Foods, the people are as thin as the celery. Pretty easy to figure out. I went vegan 1 year ago and have lost 45 lbs, was previously a professional athlete and would go back and eat vegan simply for the body fat % advantage it would give me (american football, mind you). 🙂
People who shop Whole Foods are more health conscious, whereas the average shopper is not. Remember that omnivores also shop Whole Foods. The problem with most meat eaters is that they eat few or no vegetables. It’s shocking to me how many people I’ve met who hate vegetables. They eat meat and starches. If they’re not already fat, they will be.
Im not vegan and I never buy food at discount supermarkets either. I buy honey from a beekeeper, eggs from a farmer with pastured chickens, fish that is wild (not farm-raised), milk from a cow Ive met personally, etc. I make my own bone broths (collagen and more for bone, skin, nails, overall strength) and then use locally grown and clean whole veggies to make soups with it. I don’t eat grains or GMO foods. I avoid most processed food altogether. There’s more to healthy living than a black and white view. I make kefir from my raw milk which nourishes my gut flora. I get complete nutrition from raw whole foods of all kinds. Everyone is different and knowledge is power. Some nutrients are only bioavailable through animal products. If you are an exception, and can live many years as a vegan ~ then go for it. I need nutrition to be strong and live long.
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The opinions expressed in this article are exactly the opposite to what I have experienced.
I have been a raw vegan for 5 years and 9 months. Within 8 weeks of starting eating a 100% plant based diet, I was fully cured of Crohn’s disease and had no more gastric reflux which was an ongoing problem that had plagued me for years.
Prior to the raw vegan diet I had followed a strict organic Paleo regimen for around a year and while that brought some benefits such as weight loss, it did not cure me of my reflux problems.
It was when I cut out all animal fat and protein that my health improved then fold.
In fact, the more organic high water content plant based food I eat, the better I feel. My energy and health has been improving rather than declining. I have had zero dental problems, in fact my dentist always comments how clean my teeth are when I go in for my 6-monthly checkup. I now have more energy in my forties than in my twenties. Strangely, my eye sight has dramatically improved too.
Many people do not correctly follow the raw vegan 100% because of the cost, lack of available high quality fruit/vegies, or simply lack of discipline.
The raw vegan lifestyle is one I can afford to follow, and I would highly recommend this to anyone. The trick to the raw vegan diet is to make sure you eat enough calories per day. It does required discipline initially but the rewards are so worth it!!
Interesting story, thanks.
How long did it take you to enjoy the vegan raw diet in the beginning? Did you like most fruit and vegetables already before? Coz I don’t 🙁 But I want to try vegan whole food raw diet, and hope that there is a time when the body starts to “understand” what I’m doing and start craving the good stuff.
Thanks!
Thanks.I simply don’t see how you can say, “I would highly recommend this to anyone” when you just before that said that most people cannot afford it which, is true.
Dietetics student here! I had a similar experience to yours! I’m a 22 year old type 1 diabetic with hypothyroid issues and I was paleo for a long time. It leveled out my blood sugars, but made my body feel terrible most of the time. After switching to veganism and then to raw, my skin and hair look amazing, my health has really improved, I’ve lost weight, and feel the best I’ve had in YEARS. It’s mind-blowing. I sometimes wonder if maybe raw doesn’t work for some people because their bodies are different or maybe they’re not doing it right. Supplements are important. Fruits and vegetables sometimes sometimes lack important nutrients depending on where they were grown and what kind of soil (nutrient dense or not) they were in, so it’s important to get a supplement in to cover all bases.
Bodies are different. I do not do well on any form of vegan. I have IBS-D, and with my IBS, I get A LOT of pain, bloat, and diarrhea with many vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, etc. Offending vegetables are even worse in their raw form. I do better on paleo…still with lots of veggies, but I’m careful with which ones are safe, which ones can be eaten in moderation, and the ones that are hard on my gut are always cooked.
have you ever read up on parasite issues, as they can cause these symptoms? numerous other reaosn of course too but its one thing that can be overlooked i may ahhve this issue i am going to do one more attempt with food by going raw vegan and see how that goes if it continues for me i wil lthen look at a cleanse for this 🙂
Hi Steve,
Could you write what do you eat exactly and how many calories?