previous vegetarians or vegans?

[joanofarc]

I have been enjoying reading the threads on this site. I am trying to decide if I should try the raw food way of eating or go vegetarian. Right now I eat everything. It does seem like eating a vegetarian diet would be easier than raw. Are there any previous vegetarians or vegans who have made the change to raw that can tell me if the noticed any changes to their health? Many say that I will notice a big change just going vegetarian.

Thank you for any responses.

[juliebove]

I was vegetarian and found out I was allergic to dairy and eggs. I was already eating a diet high in raw foods so this seemed the way to go for me.

[VeryBerry]

Vegetarian diet would be healthier then the standard american diet. It would be a very good idea to incorporate lots of fruits & veggies into you diet.

Try to avoid junk food & processed food as much as you can. There are still lots of junk foods that are vegetarian and vegan. I would also avoid all soy products, they mess with you hormones & your thyroid.

I was vegetarian for 15 years, vegan for 2 year, then I was high raw vegetarian for 2 year. Now I am 100% raw for 1 month. Eating more raw food really takes your health to a new level. You don't have to be 100% raw to get some of the benefits.

Best of luck.

[VeryBerry]

When I was vegan I ate mostly cooked foods, breads and soy products. I did not feel very healthy, had severe pms, axiety, was angry all the time and generally miserable. When I started eating more raw foods and stopped eating soy the pms get a lot better and shorter, my moods got better too.

I was high raw for 2 year and during this time I noticed that eating raw food always make me feel better then eating cooked foods. When I went 100% raw I noticed that I am almost always in a good mood and have more mental clarity. I feel more happy. When I was vegan & high raw I usually had chocolate cravings and had to have a little bit of chocolate every day, I also was hypoglycemic. Now I don't get anymore cravings.

If you are just starting out I think it would be smarter to transition gradually, rather then just jump into it. Just start buying more fruits and veggies, experiment with some raw recipes.

[codajess]

I've been vegetarian for years, usually stricter than lacto-ovo.

I don't notice much of a health difference with raw. I've never been that healthy of an eater, either.

Nothing will last if you aren't doing it for the "right" reasons. So it all depends on what your goal is. If it's animal welfare/rights (which it seems that it's not) then veg will work for you if you're passionate enough. If it's weight loss, you can do that with any diet that has portion control and exercise. So I say it all depends on what you feel is right for you and what your longterm goal is. If the raw "miracles" have you curious, then try it out. If it's right for you it'll work. If it's not, then ah well. Different strokes.

[VeryBerry]

Nothing will last if you aren't doing it for the "right" reasons. So it all depends on what your goal is. If it's animal welfare/rights (which it seems that it's not) then veg will work for you if you're passionate enough. If it's weight loss, you can do that with any diet that has portion control and exercise. So I say it all depends on what you feel is right for you and what your longterm goal is. If the raw "miracles" have you curious, then try it out. If it's right for you it'll work. If it's not, then ah well. Different strokes.

You are absolutely right!

[Sunshine9]

I was raised vegetarian... and I will say - you can be a strict vegetarian and still eat a less than healthy diet!!! I know that Alissa recommends jumping right into 100% raw. She was a vegetarian prior to that jump though.

Perhaps go vegan, eat lots of raw food for two weeks, and see how you feel. I did this a few times in my food journey and always noticed a massive shift in my well-being. If you feel ready, go for a 30 day challenge. There is lots of support here.
Whatever you are most comfortable with. :)

[luckitri]

I have been vegetarian of various types but mostly not too strict (usually include eggs and cheese). There is a world of difference between vegetarian and raw! Vegetarian was OK. RAW is great! In how you(I mean I) feel physically.

[Helen Of Tennessee]

I have been a vegetarian for 4 1/2 years. It took me 1 1/2 years to totally wean off of meat.

To be honest, I didn't notice any difference in how I felt (but I know it was best for my body). I then started increasing my raw food intake. When I was 50% raw I didn't notice anything (but I know my body was excited about it and I'm sure my body was doing some repair at that time). Then when I hit about 75% raw, that is when everything started to kick in and I felt and saw a huge difference!!!!

I think everyone notices different things at different times. You'll just have to decide how you are going to approach it, like going vegetarian, or starting to increase your percentage of raw, etc. and see how your body reacts. Remember you may not feel or see a difference, but the more live food you eat and the less cooked/process foods you take in, you body will start to repair itself.

[RawTruth]

I have been enjoying reading the threads on this site. I am trying to decide if I should try the raw food way of eating or go vegetarian. Right now I eat everything. It does seem like eating a vegetarian diet would be easier than raw. Are there any previous vegetarians or vegans who have made the change to raw that can tell me if the noticed any changes to their health? Many say that I will notice a big change just going vegetarian.

Thank you for any responses.

I was vegetarian for over 20 years before I went raw 2 years ago. The difference between raw vegan and cooked vegetarian was like the difference between day and night. I have enormous energy, sleep much less, no headaches, no allergies, no colds, no aches, and damaged cartilage in my knees has regenerated (surgery had been scheduled before I went raw). My hair grows faster, my body is lithe and flexible, and I look noticeably younger than my age. These are only the physical changes; there are enormous emotional and spiritual changes that have made at least as much of a difference as the physical ones.

Hope this has answered your question.

[DavidZaneMason]

I was a vegan for about 2 years before transitioning to all raw. As to differences? I experienced a lot of benefits (lower blood pressure, no muscle aches, ameliorated sickness...etc.) when going all raw. But more to the point, I found fresh, raw plant food to be the highest grade of food I could eat. And I stopped settling for second best.

-David Z. Mason

[Goldenrod]

I was vegan for 18 years and I've now been raw for 24 weeks. I lost the few extra pounds and inches I'd been carrying around and I have lots more energy. I've been able to increase the length and intensity of my workouts and I know longer get sore from them. I always felt that I was quite healthy, but I definitely feel better now.

[jaurequi]

Vegetarian and/or vegan does not mean healthier. One can consume an extremely unhealthy vegetarian or vegan diet. There are so many "junk-food vegetarians/vegans."

Dairy is purported to be worse for health than meat; so vegetarians, who consume this, many times in larger amounts than meateaters, are often doing more damage to their health than those who consume moderate amounts of meat.

I would do a whole-foods vegan diet first, IF you must transition slowly; but, I think you should try to jump into raw 100% and get the benefits faster.

Best,

[Sharon in Colorado]

Of course with rules of the board we are not supposed to encourage anyone to eat cooked food, but I will mention this:

It is easier to go raw from a vegetarian diet, and the times you may indulge in cooked food, it will usually be vegetarian cooked instead of animal foods. This is healthier in the long run, as it is much easier on a body, especially for those who tend to go back and forth (raw, cooked, raw, cooked, raw, cooked) :)

Also, as the others say, be mindful of what you eat on a vegetarian diet, and avoid using vegetarian versions of meats or crutches like all the vegetarian and vegan processed soy products and such.

[chilove]

Hi there,

Welcome and congratulations on discovering raw!! :-)

There is huge difference in the health benefits between going vegetarian and going raw. To begin with, you'd really need to go vegan to derive all the benefits of cutting animal products out of your life. You should read "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell to learn about what animal protein does to humans.

I was a junk food vegan for many years and my health suffered greatly. When I went raw I was cured of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, IBS, depression, panic attacks, hormonal imbalances, chronic bladder infections and a few other minor health issues. We are meant to eat a raw, fruit based diet. That is our natural diet.

Going vegetarian for a couple of week, and then vegan for a couple of weeks, and then getting off of all procsessed foods for a couple of weeks would be a great way to transition to raw though.

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com