Becoming a Raw-Foodist

All yesterday and today, I've eaten only raw fruits and vegetables. I've got to say, I do feel "cleaner" and more energetic. I hope to transition from being a vegetarian to a raw-foodist, but my family doesn't approve of it. I told my mom this morning, but she responded by saying I'm already "malnourished" (even though I eat way more fruits & veggies than my whole family).

So my question is, how can I convince my family to allow me to be a raw-foodist?

Also, would organic canned vegetables be considered raw-foods? We have a lot of canned beans and corn and the only other ingredients are water and sea salt...

There's more to nutrition than just eating lots of food and veggies.  Are you making sure to get enough fat and protein in your diet?  You need to make sure your diet includes enough beans, lentils, whole grains, etc. that you're getting enough protein - and enough oils, nuts, etc. that you're getting enough fats.  If you can demonstrate to your family that you're taking care of the whole spectrum of nutrition, they may be more supportive of your desire to eat in a vegetarian/raw-food way.

Of course, I'll be making sure I get enough protein. A raw-foodist website put some info on the % of protein, and it seems no problem:

Sprouts 55%, Green leafy vegetables 35-50%, Nuts & Seeds 12-20%. Plus I love beans & lentils, so that's good fats & protein...except I need to know if canned beans are acceptable in the raw-foods diet.

I don't believe anything canned would be allowed.  Canned foods are processed and exposed to high heat, not raw at all!

nope, no canned food allowed!

to be a healthy raw foodist you really need the right equipment: a blender, a food processor and a dehydrator. you can't live on fruits and veggies alone!

Beans and lentils have to be boiled to be cooked, so if you're going raw, they're off-limits. I'd stick with raw nuts and seeds for protein. You'll probobly have to eat quite a few of them to make sure you're getting enough.

Honestly, if I were you, I'd just stick to going vegan or being partially raw. Besides, cooking is fun, and if you are already eating a well-balanced, healthful diet based on whole foods, going raw is not actually that much more benificial. Raw foodists often get a lot less protein (muscle builder and metabolism booster, by the way!) and an awful lot of fats (since nuts are your only protein choice for the most part...) which can actually make body building and fat-loss more difficult.

Does your mum have a point...?   Are you malnourished or underweight?  And is your body fully grown and mature (are you over 20?) because if it isn't a very limited diet would be inadvisable.  Mums usually have their children's best interests at heart, even if you don't like it when their take on the situation doesn't chime with your own.  Sometimes people with disordered eating problems will adopt very restrictive diets as a way of legitimising their unhealthy behaviour.  On another thread I see you're thinking of a five day juice fast 'for spiritual reasons'.    

So listen to Mum....  I think she's looking after you.   Good luck

Do you get enough B12 in your diet?  From the sound of it, you probably don't.  It is very important as a raw-foodist that you are conscientious of how much B12 you consume.  B12 is a vitamin that is important for the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for the formation of blood.  Lack of it can lead to anemia and other health problems. 

There has been some confusion in this area amongst vegitarians/vegans/raw-foodists in the last few years.  Many people, mistakenly, believe that our evolutionary diet and that of our ape relatives did not include an external source of B12 and conclude that modern humans do not need one either.  However, there are two sources of B12 that apes (past and present) ingest and early humans likely did as well.  The first source is insects; all apes and early humans ingested insects incidentally along with their normal diet.  The second source is feces.  While this may seem a bit shocking at first, many different kinds of feces (human and animal) contain B12.  Fecal contamination (incidental or through fertilization using feces) of fruits, vegetables and plant matter has been shown to be a significant source of B12 in many countries where hygiene standards are lower than in the United States.  It is thought that this may be responsible for the lack of anemia due to B12 deficiency in vegan communities in developing countries.

While B12 can be stored in the body for years, it is only stored when there is a dietary surplus.  So, unless you were a voracious meat eater before this, it is important you find a dietary source of B12.

Many foods are fortified with B12 such as Kashi, however, most of these foods are not likely to fit into a raw-foodist diet.  The best source of B12 for you would probably be fortified nutritional yeast or a B12 supplement (sublingual supplements are the most effective).  Other sources that contain some B12 (though, admittedly, varying abilities to be absorbed) are: unwashed or wild plants, nori, spirulina, and some fermented foods.

The point: find creative ways to start eating nutritional yeast (such as in smoothies) or use nori to make some homemade veggie sushi (minus the rice).

If you are still a growing teenager, you should NOT be restricting your diet any further than you already have... being a raw foodist isn't simply eating fruits and vegetables all day - it's a LOT more complicated than that.

The raw diet is a difficult one to follow. And only people straight really ready to make the change should do it.

You can't eat anything canned. Nothing. You cannot cook your veggies, you cannot top your salad with dressing. Nothing that has been heated can be eaten (except on low tempatures). All your soups are eaten cold. Crackers, breads, soda, EVERYTHING is gone. You eat only "raw foods"

You can only eat RAW peanuts. If they have been roasted, you're not allowed them. No peanut butter, unless you get it from the health food store, made for you with raw peanuts or almonds. You can only eat fresh veggies. You CAN eat dried beans, but you can only soak them in cold water over night to soften them. They are pretty good and full of flavor. But I say this again and again, everything in a RAW diet, is raw. And you're also suggested to eat organic products. No meats, but beans do provide a great source of nutrition.

It's not an easy diet. I think you should just eat more veggies, and stick to your normal life, until you have a set plan in action. Your body reacts to a raw diet quiet interestingly. You are having more fiber in your diet normally, and it's just.. well.. it cleans you out.

I know all this, because sometimes I do a "raw fast" or "raw feast" as we like to call it. But I'd never dream of making a life out of it. Especially in the winter when all the fruit tastes like dirt anyway :)