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Is A Raw Vegan Diet Sufficient For Long Term Health?
Can we get all the micro and macro nutrients that our system needs from a raw vegan diet?
Date: 4/3/2011 3:42:01 PM ( 13 y ) ... viewed 32937 times I want to discuss my opinion on a raw vegan diet. I comprehend the idea that cooking food can eradicate important enzymes and nutrients and the body will need to take from the limited store of enzymes to help in digestion of the food. I can also say that after eating raw foods for any length of time, I feel wonderful!
So then, what's with all the talk about requiring animal products in our diets? A Few well known former raw foodies and other health pioneers are saying that a raw vegan diet may not be suitable as a lifelong diet. The opinions differ somewhat but some of them believe meat in our diets is vital for DHA, an essential fatty acid, presumably not found in a raw vegan eating plan. According to what I've read, DHA is what feeds the brain and I believe it also contributes to eye health.
From my research on this "issue" I found that essential fats are plentiful in some plants, seeds and nuts, but not the essential DHA. But, upon even more study I discovered that there is an available product that has DHA from algae, and algae is vegan.
I also found that, given sufficient EFA's in our diet from vegetable foods (walnuts and flax seeds etc.), the body is able to manufacture usable DHA from them. Granted, it might be more "work" than you want to put your body through, and it might require some additional nutritional compounds that could be helpful in other parts of the body. But, with the profusion of extra digestible nutrients you get from raw foods, that might not be an issue. However, as mentioned previously, a algae product with DHA is now on the market.
I don't intend to discuss the fallacy that protein isn't found in plant foods because I hope by now that notion has been debunked, but another often discussed problem in regards to the raw foods diet is the deficiency of the very important vitamin b12, that is thought to just be available from animal products. A lot of raw foodists will suggest the same thing and then try and promote a plant derived supplement with B12 in which "they use themselves". But, a quick study of the Chlorella Factor at chlorellafactor.com will likely change your beliefs about that. Again, algaes contributing to health.
Finally I'd like to give you my opinion on the raw diet for longevity. To be honest I do not truly know. But, I feel without any doubt that a 100% organic raw foods diet is a very very good tool to detox and also heal from ill health and maybe even disease.
Since I am uncertain about being on a raw diet for a lifetime, I personally stick to a mostly raw, mostly plant derived diet unless I am detoxing. I drink a lot of green smoothies and juices but I also throw in some cooked eggs, bee by-products such as honey and bee pollen and once in awhile some fish.
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