What Does It Mean To Be Raw Vegan?

So why is it rising in popularity again today? Like veganism, many followers of this diet do so for ethical or environmental reasons, however that vast majority are in it for the reported health perks. Raw foodists believe that the bulk of a food's nutrients gets lost when it’s cooked.Think about the difference between lightly steamed and over boiled broccoli… By avoiding this, there should be vitamins, minerals and fibre galore.

What does eating raw mean? 

It means that in a raw vegan’s kitchen, you’ll only find:

• Raw foods: uncooked, dehydrated or not heated above 45°C.
• Vegan foods: purely plant-based and nothing animal derived.

Whether you’re already plant-based, or not, and thinking about going raw, it can be a big detox adjustment for the digestive system to make. Common advice from raw foodies is to take several weeks to fully turn your diet raw.

What it means to be a raw vegan

Raw veganism is combining two dietary practices; veganism, which is our jam, and raw foodism, which is a little trickier, but is certainly interesting.

What you can eat if you're raw and vegan?

Just like most diets, variety is key. With lots of fun juicing, blitzing and dehydrating! There’s lots of equipment involved. You’ll find an abundance of:

• Fruit
• Vegetables 
• Sprouts
• Sprouted or soaked grains and legumes
• Nuts (including butters and milks) and seeds
• Seaweed 
• Fermented, pickled or marinated foods (eg. kimchi)

Check out our ultimate nut and seed butter recipe here. And for more info on kimchi and other fermented foods, look at our guide to plant-based probiotics here.

Believed health benefits 

• Deeper and more restorative sleep
• Improvements to skin clarity 
• Gained energy
• Heart health improvements
• Aided digestion

Raw veganism info

Like making anything a new habit, going raw vegan is hard to start with. allplant’s very own Shanil says,

Start with fruit for breakfast, because it’s super easy for your body to digest and get the most nutrients out of. Then think about adding intermittent fasting into the mix, slowly going to two meals a day. The two diets really compliment each other.

For more beginners information, here is the Flourishing Kitchen’s guide on how to get going with raw food.

If you’ve got anything to add to the discussion, let us know in the comments.