100% Raw and supplement free?

[YayaAnanas]

Hi,

I'm new to the forum and was just wondering if there is anyone who is on a 100% or high raw vegan diet and is able to maintain optimum health without taking any supplements? If so, can you please detail what foods you eat in order to get the nutrients you need?

Thank you so much! :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

anything i want! that's what i eat. i also drink lots of yummy green smoothies...

:D welcome!!!

[maui_butterfly]

i take ayurvedic herbs given to me by my ayurvedic practitioner in 30 day batches, and the formula changes based on what she perceives i need help with in terms of keeping my internal systems balanced. but these are not vitamins and minerals kind of thing. i don't take B12, but I am conscious of the warning signs for a B12 deficiency, and if I exhibited any symptoms I wouldn't hesitate to supplement. but multivitamins, etc., I haven't found the need for.

it will put your mind at ease i bet to track your nutritional intake on fitday.com or nutiritondata.com for a bit and see what you are actually getting in relation to the RDA. when i did that i was actually pleasantly surprised, and i found my diet to be meeting most of my needs on that score. for example, i saw for myself that protein was not an issue. i did notice that i got little or no selenium on my diet, so i ordered some raw brazil nuts which are loaded with selenium, and one brazil nut per day gives me way more than my daily requirement. and that feels better to me than popping a multi, which might just be an expensive way of coloring my urine.

[agumble]

I check this website periodically to make sure I'm getting all the nutrients that I need since I tend to eat a lot of the same foods:

http://www.whfoods.com/nutrientstoc.php

I also keep an eye out for any deficiency symptoms, and like maui butterfly, I wouldn't hesitate to take a supplement if I thought that I was deficient in something that I wouldn't be able to get enough of through food.

You'll get a variety of opinions on this subject, even in the medical field. I've had doctors tell me that a multi-vitamin is essential while I had another tell me to stop all supplements completely. I think you just have to find what works for you.

[DavidZaneMason]

I took supplements for the first few years...during and after my transition to 100%. After that, they just made me ill. So: no....no supplements...for many years (about 7)...and I'm the healthiest guy I know. I eat things like apples, avocados, pineapple, cherries, melons, watermelons, papaya, and the occasional mango. I found that way of eating...in recent years...to be very convenient and sustaining. Just my experiences/opinions.

-David Z. Mason

[belleadonna]

anything i want! that's what i eat.

:D welcome!!!

Ditto, dudette!!

[YayaAnanas]

Great! Thanks to everyone for their opinions and advice! :)

[Raw Hope]

Good question
I was thinking about that too

[Snoozy]

i don't take B12, but I am conscious of the warning signs for a B12 deficiency, and if I exhibited any symptoms I wouldn't hesitate to supplement. but multivitamins, etc., I haven't found the need for.

it will put your mind at ease i bet to track your nutritional intake on fitday.com or nutiritondata.com for a bit and see what you are actually getting in relation to the RDA.

When I started eating raw, I stopped my suppliments completely. I didn't think there was a reason for them because I would be getting what I need (in a usable form) from a raw diet.

But I went to the fitday.com website (thank you Maui Butterfly!) and I realized that my diet is short in Vit D, Vit B12, Zink and Calcium. After researching, the one I'm most concerned about is B12. Here's a great article written by a raw foodist (since 1983) and he basically says that while there are some foods you can eat to get B12 while eating a vegan diet, it's still pretty likely that (80% chance I think he said) vegans who do not use a suppliment will develop a B12 deficiency sooner or later.

http://www.rawbc.org/articles/B12.html

Great question YayaAnanas, thanks!!

[Aleesha Sattva]

from the article listed above:


With a B-12 deficiency, one can also have diarrhea, fever, frequent upper respiratory infections, impotence, infertility, sore tongue, enlargement of the mucous membranes of the mouth, vagina, and stomach, macrocytic anemia, low platelets, increased bleeding, low white blood cell count. Some of the causes of B-12 deficiency are low dietary intake of B-12 and/or poor absorption, which usually comes through loss of intrinsic factor and/or a lack of stomach acid

[YayaAnanas]

Thanks everyone!

I did make sure to get a blood test before hopping on board with the raw challenge and so far everything is A-OK. The nutritionist I went to claims I am slightly anemic but I looked at the charts myself and I am definitely within range for a woman. Mind you, this nutritionist also told me (a longtime vegetarian and, more recently, a dedicated Vegan) I won't be healthy unless I add goat cheese and eggs into my diet. But I wouldn't feel healthy eating with a guilty conscience. I think cruelty-free and socially conscious (fair trade/ slavery free) eating is more enjoyable anyway!

I think I will take Maui Butterfly's advice and start tracking my nutrient intake on fitday and then go from there.

Thanks again for the quick replies and support!

[RawSinger]

You can get everything you need from a raw vegan diet. I have a nutrition study guide that I bought at my college book store describing all the essential nutrients. You can get everything from this diet. The main nutrients that people ask about and that I was concerned about are protein, B12, and calcium. You can get protein from a lot of food in this diet, like greens, nuts, and seeds. Alfalfa sprouts are a complete protein. You can get calcium from greens as well, broccoli, and I'm sure there are other sources. B12 you get from sea veggies.

belleadonna or anyone else who knows: where can I find animated avatars?!