Many people are turning to a raw diet in an effort to improve their health. Whenever you start a new diet, there will always be a learning curve as you discover what’s on the menu and what has gone off it.
Raw vs. Vegetarian Raw vs. Vegan Raw
The first thing to determine is which raw diet you want to follow. Raw will offer the most variety and vegan raw the least. If you are going raw for health reasons, any one of these will be fine.
However, vegan raw may not be completely balanced, so you will need to be careful in terms of your intake of protein, amino acids and vitamin B12.
If you are eating raw for ethical and/or environmental reasons, vegetarian raw and vegan raw would be your best choices.
The Best Diet
The best diet is one that you will stick to. Having said that, it is also one that is nutritionally complete. In this case, your best choices are raw and vegetarian raw.
The Key Differences
All forms of raw are based primarily on plants. The main differences between the 3 are how much animal flesh and animal-based products you eat.
Raw
Raw includes, meat, poultry, eggs and raw, that is, unpasteurized dairy. Having said that, these are not generally considered safe to eat unless sourced from small farms because the food industry in the US is notoriously dangerous in terms of processing. E coli, listeria, salmonella, and other food-borne illnesses are a very real risk. Raw fish, such as sashimi quality salmon and tuna is also permitted, and raw shellfish like oysters. No food is cooked, so bread, pizza, pasta and baked goods are off the menu, as are many vegetables that are too starchy to be eaten uncooked.
Vegetarian Raw
Vegetarians eat eggs and milk but no living creatures.
Vegans
Vegans eat no living creatures, nor any products that come from them. This means no milk, eggs, or honey.
Now that you understand the difference, here are some food staples for all raw dieters.
- Leafy greens like kale and spinach
- Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower
- Citrus fruits and kiwis
- Seeds: flax, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower
- Avocados
- Organic Coconut
- Extra virgin coconut oil
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Raw veggies like carrots, celery, peppers, tomatoes
- Pickled veggies like sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles
- Melons
- Berries
- Apples
- Peanut butter
- Raw nuts: almonds, walnuts
- Cacao nibs (a good substitute for chocolate)
Use these foods as is or in smoothies, cold soups, salads and more, and see if eating raw is right for you.
