Practical tips for raw diet beginners

Time flies and we are back with our monthly miniseries about the beginnings on raw diet. In the second episode, we try to disprove some myths that every vegan living in the world of omnivores certainly faces. We offer some proven advice about how to deal with these false assumptions and to answer with smile and grace. We also include a couple of tips on what to eat and  how to create an inspirational diet for yourselves.

“It must be so expensive.”

The question of alternative diet and increased expenses has been answered so many times, but yet it remains a big topic people keep on talking about so much that we decided to dedicate a whole new episode to it. For now, we´d just like to mention briefly that every diet is exactly as expensive as we let it be.

Every omnivore, vegan or person on raw diet might spend on food many hundreds of euros per months. But any of them can also search for ways to cleverly economize but still not survive just on bread and water. There´s no need to buy overpriced plant milk in supermarkets. We wrote the whole article about how unhealthy it really is and how cheap and easy it is to make plant milk at home.

“I´m about to go out with my friends but I´m not likely to get food I want anywhere.”

This worry is more than justifiable. Czech restaurants and snack bars still doesn´t offer many vegetarian or even raw meals, therefore it is necessary to be always prepared for such an eventuality.

Most restaurants post their menu online. So if you know where you´re planning to go, you can check it beforehand. In case you don´t find any meal that would be convenient for you, you can make a list of ingredients you eat and you assume they could have them in the kitchen. Then try to agree with the cook on an easy meal they could make. You must be prepared for a possible negative response of course. But you can´t win if you don´t try.

Wherever you go, you can always take something small and nutritious, just in case. Slip a raw bar, nutritious mulberries or cocoa beans in your pocket.

“Eating so many carbs, it´s impossible not to gain weight”

When you´re on raw diet you naturally eat more carbohydrates than usual. Someone could be dismayed by the amount of it, but keep calm, it is not reasonable to be afraid. When you get carbohydrates from raw food it´s mainly glucose and fructose from fruit and vegetables. These sugars are all natural and the easiest to digest of all nutrients. It means that our body can process and use them immediately.

But “everything in moderation” is a golden rule that works in this case as well. Eat fruit every day but be careful not to consume to much. Fructose gets stored in liver and therefore people living only on fruit juices may suffer from liver fattening. The excess of fructose may also cause some intestinal problems. You should always eat more vegetables than fruit.

“Are you serious about not eating meat? You must suffer from lack of proteins!”

Every person on vegan or raw diet has definitely heard this from their close ones. If you are confident that what you eat is right for you, don´t let them disconcert you. But if you´re still wondering what the truth about proteins is, we can assure you that people on raw diet are not very likely to die of shortage of proteins.

Not only meat contains proteins although many people still believe it. There are also many plant sources, such as broccoli, all green leafy vegetables, acai, olives, sprouted cereals or any seeds and nuts. You can also include chlorella, spirulina or green barley in your diet. If this humble listing doesn´t prevent you from doubts, you can also buy raw protein powder from peas or sprouted brown rice. It should dissolve your worries about possible lack of proteins.

Natural proteins are easier to digest and our body can use it efficiently. And they´re not depreciated by hormones that meat from animals in meat industry contain. Frequent consuming of such meat (but also milk and milk products) brings these hormones in our body where they make no good. They can even boost the growth of cancer cells in case there is already any rudiment present in the body.

These were the most frequently discussed topics you can hardly avoid being on vegan or raw diet. If you had to face any other claim that questioned your decision to eat in a different, unconventional way, share it in comments below and we can discuss it together.

Let´s move on to the dietary tips we´ve promised you:

Breakfast: pap from sprouted buckwheat with fruit

Soak buckwheat for 6 hours and then leave it sprout for 2 days. While soaking the buckwheat, the enzymes activate. Sprouting increases the enzymic activity even more and the life wakes up.

Snack: grated apples with carrot and poppy seed

This simple snack provides you with sugars, fats and proteins.

Lunch: creamy soup from beetroot, carrot and sweet potatoes with sprouts and seed crackers

Season the soup with ginger, turmeric and pepper, it will help warm up your inner organs. If you don´t want to eat it cold, warm it carefully so it doesn´t start to boil.

Snack: chia puding

Chia seeds are a potent antioxidant and an amazing source of fatty acids, proteins and sugars. Sweeten the pudding with your favourite fruit.

Supper: Salad with red grapefruit

There is a lot of space for creativity in making salads. But if you´re searching for something time-proven, try our recipe.

Let´s discuss one small piece of knowledge at the end. If you´re considering a switch to a raw vegan diet, but you still doubt if it´s the right environment, season etc., here´s our opinion. Don´t follow any strict rules. There´s not the one and only right to eat. There´s no “raw or nothing”. If it´s suitable for you to eat the raw food for the most of time, but sometimes you´ll need to add something cooked, just do it.

Eating is more about listening to your body than about rules.