Raw Vegan.

No animal products of any kind, this includes; dairy, meat (seafood also) and eggs. No processed foods, no refined sugars, and no heat. Instead it’s yes to sprouts, vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, fermented foods, and seaweed.

Nothing is “heated” above 105 degrees, this temperature varies depending who you speak to I have heard of people saying as high as 118 degrees is okay. Not all raw vegans eat only organic but for the most part there is a while awareness of the nutritional value of organic foods and are seen as the high standard most achieve for.

This lifestyle or “diet” is based on whole foods ❤

These true foods are high in nutritional value (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients) and typically contain a significant quantity of chloryphyll-rich green foods. These green foods have the light that we all need to live well and be well. There is an adequate amount of complete protein from plant sources. Seeing as everyone now-and-days believes they are a nutritionist of the sort I want to make sure I cover all the bases here. 😉

Since almost all of the foods consumed are vegetables and fruits, a large portion of what is eaten is high in water content. This is how it is possible to get full off of a raw vegan soup or massive salad. Lots of raw vegans like to consume freshly pressed juices. This is a fantastic and easy way of getting vitamins, minerals, energy, water, down time for the body to heal/cleanse, and to consume vegetables or fruits that may not be so delicious to you otherwise.

A raw vegan lifestyle is nutritionally optimal for both detoxification and rebuilding, if done right 😉 meaning as long as you aren’t getting fast food/raw vegan gourmet cuisine food all of the time. In a raw vegan lifestyle all essential fatty acids, including Omega-3, are naturally occurring in plant sources.

Oils are cold-pressed, unrefined and pure. This keeps the integrity of the oil high in nutrients, clean, and easier to digest.

Seeds and nuts are washed, soaked, & sprouted.

• By sprouting enzyme inhibitors are released (this is what causes the water to turn brown) thus neutralizing.
• Soaking removes or reduces tannins and phytic acid.
• Phytic acid chelates and makes certain important minor minerals such as zinc and iron, and to a lesser extent, also macro minerals such as calcium and magnesium unabsorbable.
• Sprouting also makes the proteins more readily digestible. Here is a sprouting chart, there are loads on the internet so don’t be shy look around :D!

Fruits and vegetables are cut in ways to give different textures and appearances yet still hold their nutrition value. They have not been destroyed, toxins have not been added to them, they have not been canned, flash pasteurized or anything of the sorts. They can be dehydrated, marinated, shredded, juillenned, diced, and so forth.

Dehydrators (105 degrees) are used to make wraps, desserts, chips, crackers, lasagna, candies, cakes, flax pancakes and etc.

Spiral slicers cut things like beets and zucchini into fun noodles, discs for a towering salad and etc.

Food Processors can shred cabbage for sauerkraut, help make nut crusts for pies, blend your ingredients for a buckwheat groat granola, nut cheese, and etc.

Juicers extract the juice and remove most fiber. This is a great way to keep your water content high, thus cleansing more and staying satiated. I had a landlord who asked me if all raw vegans juice, I can’t say all do but I think almost all juice 🙂

Blenders make dressings, ice creams (some juicers can do this also), soups, smoothies, pastes, fillings, marinades and so on.

Fermenting coconut yogurts, nut cheese, or sauerkraut are used also to replicate cooked foods. The nutritional benefits from eating sauerkraut; flora which is amazing for gut health, it helps our skin and is also a wonderful immune system booster.

Sun-dried fruits and vegetables take out the water content giving the food a new taste, look, texture, and nutritional value.

Spices & dried herbs are used, but these arguably are actually not raw.

Of course one of the most handy things is a great knife to cut your foods into interest shapes so keep your food fun and yummy! The sharpened your knife, the safer it is. One is most likely to have an accident and/or struggle to cut if their knife is flat, has a  Also, working with fresh fruits and vegetables that have loads of light, nutrients, energy and vibrance to share with you.

So WHY eat raw foods?

Everyone is always talking about enzymes,

it must be for the enzymes?

• Nutrients are lost when a food is cooked, the amount lost all depends on how the food is cooked (temperature, time, cooking method, the food being cooked, oils).
• Cooking breaks down the about of vitamins, antioxidants and phytonutrients that could have been available to the body according to YOUR personal bioavailability.
• Cooking causes a denaturation of enzymes and proteins (it becomes kind of like a foreign object in the body). It also decreases the amount of water in the food, while increasing the calorie density.
• Cooking foods also forms toxins
• Plant Foods are typically lower in saturated fats compared to animals fats, yes animal fat not protein because that’s actually what it is.
• Plant Foods contain no cholesterol
• Raw foods help the body have more time to heal, repair & cleanse
• Raw foods help to maintain alkalinity (eases up the liver and other major detox organs)

To help make raw foods easily digested methods such as; blending, cutting, marinating, chewing well and soaking are used.

There is SO MUCH more I would like to say about raw food but I have already written quiet a bit in this post!

For today I am going to leave it here and tomorrow I will speak about some ingredients that may be “new” to those exploring raw foods such as flax seeds. I am using this post as a launching pad for some other topics like clean ways of cooking food, toxins from cooking and vitamins that arguably are difficult to get on ANY diet/lifestyle.

I also had someone ask me a great question the other day about raw vs. living foods that I would like to answer very quickly. Living Foods are typically defined as sprouts. While raw foods are fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, seaweeds that are not cooked. There are some raw foodists who eat raw meat, thus this is why it is important to mention vegan in here also.

I personally am not a huge fan of using the word “raw.” It rubs me the wrong way, instead of thinking of vibrant light filled vegetables I think of dead meat hanging in a deli shop.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to stop by my website! I am so sorry if I lost any of you in this blob of information. I like to change the shapes, spacing and list things at times to mix it up and keep your eyes entertained 😉 Like I mentioned before this is just the start of something mega huge! Much love ❤ and raw power 😉

   xoxo Jess