One of the more interesting ideas about living a healthy lifestyle is the idea of eating raw foods to live a vibrant life. Many people have different reasons for eating only or mainly raw foods:
1. They believe that raw fruits and vegetables are essential to maintain a general wellbeing.
2. They think that eating living plants ensures that the plant's life force will flow into their bodies.
3. They think fruits and veggies are yummy and it is mostly what they want to eat.
I'm not sure I agree with the second one (it is a philosophical question that should be pondered at some time in the near future), but no one on the planet will tell you that eating fruits and veggies is bad for you. Actually, doctors would probably be really happy if people ate more fruits and veggies and didn't get sick as much.
There are different viewpoints out there in cyberspace about the LFRV diet. Most people push fruits as comprising the largest segment of food for the basis of the diet. Others push vegetables. I think it is easier to follow this lifestyle with fruits as the main caloric intake, just because fruits are more calorie dense than leafy greens.
Both of these YouTube gurus base their lifestyles off of the idea that if you eat a majority of your calories from fruit carbs, you will be healthy. This idea comes from a book called 80/10/10.
A quick summary of the ideas:
1. Fruit is good for you and you should eat as much as you want everyday, all day.
2. Veggies are good for you too. Eat a salad!
3. Eating too much fat will be detrimental to your health, so don't overdo it on the raw nuts and avocados.
4. Eating grains can be detrimental to your health. Same with cooked foods. The cooking process leaches out nutritional value.
5. Eating animal products will clog your arteries and you will die.
6. Water is good for you. Drink it!
7. 80% carbs 10% fat 10% protein everyday.
8. Exercise is super important! Do it!
This is a fantastic book and I recommend that you read it if you are interested in living a Low Fat Raw Vegan lifestyle. Unlike some books on vegan lifestyles (Skinny Bitch Diet books come to mind), it is very positive and encouraging.
If you want to see the book 80/10/10 by Dr. Graham, you can find it Here.
I do not personally live this lifestyle, but I try to incorporate as many fruits and vegetables into my diet as possible. Is it possible to live solely on fruit? I think so. If people can subsist on Top Ramen and Diet Coke I think people can thrive on fruits. Also I don't know anyone who ever complained about feeling bad from eating too many fruits and veggies. (Pizza, beer, cheese balls, hot dogs- yes. Apples- no. Unless you are allergic to apples, then that is a different story).
Many people get really emotional when talking about eating raw because it is a very different way of living compared to the typical steak and potatoes lifestyle that America has embraced. It is really hard to go to a restaurant and find raw foods. This is one of the main reasons (in my humble opinion) people have problems with this lifestyle. We socialize around food. We eat out a lot! It is hard to explain to people that a salad the size of a plate will leave you hungry in about an hour when all you are eating are fruits and veggies. You have to eat A LOT of food on this diet. About twice as much food as you normally would on a Standard American Diet (SAD). If you don't eat enough you will get the most horrible cravings (see above videos for tips on how to avoid this!) and you will end up at your neighborhood fast food joint at 2:00 am ordering cheeseburgers with extra orders of fries because you are RAVENOUS. (This is from experience... not what you want to be doing).
So the pros and cons of LFRV versus Cooked Vegan Diet
Pros-
You get to eat as much as you want.
You get to eat lots of water rich foods so you won't be thirsty at all.
The health benefits are amazing.
Very little time is spent preparing food.
Harder to get sick from ill-prepared food.
Discovering new fruits is exciting and strange.
More energy and restful sleep.
Cons-
You have to eat huge amounts of food.
You spend a lot of time eating.
You don't get to cook (some people would consider this a positive, but I love stirring red beans for hours over a hot stove)
You don't get to eat foods like beans and rice (two of my favorite foods)
Hard to eat out at restaurants.
You have to explain to everyone why you won't eat the (insert random food here) that they made for you.
If you are looking to incorporate some of these ideas into your already vegan diet, try this:
Instead of a sandwich for lunch, have a really big salad.
Drink some carrot juice when you first wake up and it will jumpstart your day (I love carrot juice btw!)
Instead of pasta for dinner, julienne some zucchini and squash to make your carbs veggie carbs instead of grain carbs.
Eat fruit for snacks instead of chips (they may be vegan, but they are not healthy)
Don't drink coffee or caffeinated tea. Drink juice instead, or herbal teas.
Don't be heavy handed with the oils, nuts, coconut butters, avocados, and seeds. Add more carrots, celery, tomatoes, and cabbage to salads and wraps to get that satisfying crunch.
Make frozen banana smoothies. BEST DESERT EVER!
I hope this has peaked your interest. Here are some other resources on the LFRV lifestyle:
Durianrider's YouTube
Megan Elizabeth's YouTube
FullyRawKristina's RawfullyOrganic YouTube
RawFoodFreedom's YouTube
TheFrutarian's YouTube
RealRawResults' YouTube
40BelowFruity's YouTube
http://www.30bananasaday.com/
What are your thoughts on LFRV? Please leave your comments below!
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