How to Start a Raw Vegan Diet

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The vegan diet recommends avoiding meat, fish, eggs and milk products in the food and eating uncooked plant-based food. When you follow the raw vegan diet, you are not allowed to eat foods that require cooking, grains, and cereals. Instead, you have to eat vegetables that do not require cooking, for instance, cucumber, carrot, cabbage, nuts, fruits, etc. The basic idea behind the raw vegan diet is cooking destroys vital nutrients, thus, you can get all the nutrients available in your food only when you eat raw. The raw vegan diet is considered one of the best options to detox and cleanse your body and lose excess weight.

Want to try a raw vegan diet, consider following these tips:

Consult nutritionist/dietician: Before you get started with the raw vegan diet, consider talking to a nutritionist or dietician. Get expert advice on whether the raw vegan diet is right for you or not. You might even have to go through various tests to check whether your body can accommodate with the raw vegan diet. When you talk to the nutritionists, you also get advice on your food plan.

Start slow: If you were on non-vegetarian diet previously, or vegan diet, it might be hard to begin a raw vegan diet. The raw vegan diet recommends eating raw vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Even though the raw vegan diet provides you all required nutrients,  your body may not be a receptacle to a raw vegan diet. Therefore, if you want to try a raw vegan diet start slow. Starting slow means you don’t start eating all raw food from day one, instead, you start including raw foods in your menu and cooked food and raw food in your eating habit, and then gradually limit yourself from cooked food.

Start with your favorite fruits and vegetables: You may not like the raw food at first if you have never included much raw food in your menu previously. Therefore, begin your diet plan by including your favorite fruits and vegetables. Make a list of fruits and vegetables that can be eaten raw.

Stop eating cooked food gradually: Instead of avoiding cooked food or nonvegan food, on day one, it is recommended that you stop eating cooked and non-vegan food gradually. The best way to do this is to avoid one food at one time. This method will help you adapt to your new food habit.

Foods you have to avoid when on a raw vegan diet

Since the raw vegan diet means plant-based uncooked food, you cannot eat meat products (meat, fish, eggs) and dairy products (milk, cheese, butter). Adapting to raw vegan food means you are eating only plant-based raw food. However, while choosing raw foods, you have to choose plant-based food that can be eaten raw. You cannot eat raw grains, you have to cook before eating grains. Therefore, you have to avoid grains that need cooking. However, you can eat most of the vegetables and fruits raw.

While on a raw vegan diet, you also have to stricely avoid sugar. Instead of refined sugar like corn syrup, dextrose, malt, and rice syrup, you can replenish your body with sweet foods such as raw honey, dates, raisins, maple syrup, coconut sugar, cinnamon, stevia, and vanilla. Do not use use artificial sweetener.

As far as salt is considered, some people season their raw food with salt, where as some people strictly avoid salt in their food. Raw vegetables already have enough salt required for your body. If you have a history of low blood pressure, you might need additional salt in your food. In that case, use sea salts or eat salty foods like celery or seaweed. Do not use salts that contain additives like iodine.

You also have to include herbs and spices like garlic, turmeric, ginger, etc. in your diet. However, avoid using processed herbs and spices. If you have difficulty finding organic herbs and spices, try growing your own herbs, eat fresh or dry them in shade and eat dried herbs and spices. When you buy dried herbs and spices, make sure the herbs  are dried through heating. Some raw vegan dieters avoid spices as they believe you should only eat foods that forms the main ingredients of  your meal.