Don’t you think that Matt Monarch, raw foodist, looks unhealthy?
I am not 100% raw, but I definitely believe in the power of raw fruits and vegetables (I am around 80% raw, vegan, and I take b12, iron, calcium, vitamin D supplements).
The long term strict raw vegans out there look so unhealthy.
Matt Monarch, I love you, but don’t you agree that he looks sickly?
I have yet to see a truly healthy looking LONG-TERM strict raw vegan.
If you know any, please tell me.
Tagged with: calcium • fruits and vegetables • monarch • raw fruits • raw vegan • supplements • vegans • vitamin d
Filed under: Raw Food Diet
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Virtually all vegan raw-foodists are a joke. Of course eating many fresh, raw fruits, vegetables and nuts every day can be extremely healthy for you. But vegan raw-foodists take this to an "unhealthy" extreme. Monarch doesn’t look healthy to me.
Eating exclusively raw makes no sense. Even eating mostly raw doesn’t make a whole lot of sense either, unless you are doing it short-term. Just about all the vegan raw-foodists I’ve met or have seen in photos look extremely skinny and sickly to me. Without taking a lot of supplements, these vegan raw-foodists run the risk of getting multiple nutritional deficiencies in the long-term. If they are eating mostly fruits and vegetables without eating enough nuts or legumes, they may actually become deficient in protein, which is very rare in the developed world.
It is true that certain cooking methods destroy a lot of the nutrients in foods(in particular most of the vitamins), especially boiling, broiling, roasting, frying and baking at very high temperatures.These methods should be avoided. However, blanching, and light steaming are better cooking methods since they don’t destroy a whole lot of nutrients. Dehydrating foods is also an under-appreciated method of food storage and preparation. Instead of aiming for eating mostly raw, the real goal should be to find the best cooking and/or food preparation techniques that preserve as many nutrients as possible.
A well-planned vegan diet with proper supplementation or a vegetarian diet that excludes or minimizes dairy is healthiest. A healthy vegan diet can include 25% to 50% raw foods and most of this could consist of raw vegetables, vegetable juices, fruits, nuts, seeds and sprouts. Unpasteurized fermented foods(sauerkraut, miso) do amazing things for your digestion and health, and most of these, unless cooked, can be part of the portion of raw foods in your vegan/vegetarian diet. A Mediterranean diet(which tends to minimize meat, instead of excluding it) is healthier than a vegan 100% raw-food diet. Macrobiotics is also a little too restrictive(and based on superstitious nonsense) like a raw-food diet, but is healthier.
A healthy diet doesn’t have to be so complicated. If you want to go vegan, make sure you are getting enough iron by getting your blood tested either with your doctor or while donating blood to make sure.
You may actually be an exception to most vegan raw-foodists I’ve met since you are 80% raw and take many supplements. You are wise. For some reason, due to the fanaticism of many vegan raw-foodists, some will not take any supplements. Also, some raw legumes are toxic if eaten raw, along with some other foods. I just hope you’re healthy; if you ate 50% raw to maybe 60% raw you would be extremely healthy(just some lightly cooked brown rice, or pasta, or oats, or sweet potatoes, or soaked lentils instead of 80% raw) . So many raw vegetable foods don’t even digest properly and just pass through. I may not fully agree with your approach but I admire your dedication. We all have our own unique bodies so maybe you are doing what is ideal for you, but if you can’t stick with 80% raw, don’t be afraid of going back to 50% or less, and don’t feel one ounce of guilt about it either. Always question things, and study the science behind nutrition to see which advice makes the most sense. Best of luck to you.