On May 5, 2016, I decided to go raw vegan. I was unaware at the time of the drastic changes that would occur in my life. My reason for going raw vegan was mostly for spiritual reasons. However, I was at the time pre-diabetic and had high cholesterol. Moreover, I was experiencing migraine headaches everyday as well as dizzy spells. I felt sluggish and weighed a total of 155 pounds. I knew I had to do something. To add, my mother died of cancer when I was nineteen years old, and I was her caretaker. It was difficult to watch her go through so much pain. Being so young, I did not know what meals to cook for her, nor did I know that food either feeds disease or fights it. So, I’d make her chicken, veggies, mac and cheese (Oh God! ). My mother is one of the main reasons why I’m on here: to show people that they don’t need to feel pain, and to show that diet is the direct cause of our ailments. You’re either feeding disease or fighting it with what you eat.
So what is Raw Vegan?
According to Wikipedia: Raw veganism is a diet that combines the concepts of veganism and raw foodism. It excludes all food and products of animal origin, as well as food cooked at a temperature above 48 °C (118 °F). A raw vegan diet includes raw vegetables and fruits, nuts and nut pastes, grain and legume sprouts, seeds, plant oils, sea vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, and fresh juices. There are many different versions of the diet, including fruitarianism, juicearianism, and sproutarianism.
And according to my friend, Ivo Bove, a raw vegan diet is “a varied plant based diet that consists of fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds where the food isn’t heated above 118 °F and that still have their enzymes intact.”
This diet may sound extreme to those on a standard American diet (SAD), but it really isn’t. I eat enough and feel full. My life has changed completely. The maladies I once had were actually not maladies at all. My body was trying to tell me something. Is your body trying to tell you something? Stop and listen. What do you feel? Do you have a headache? Does your tummy hurt? Do you feel pressure anywhere? Pain in your joints? All these little aches and pains are not normal. I know I still have a long way to go. Thirty years of eating cooked food as well as meat, have left my body on a long road to recovery. With a loving heart, I would like to share my journey with you. If you’re open to new ideas like I was when I was first introduced to this diet, you may find yourself in a wonderful and peaceful place.
Why go raw vegan?
When you cook food it destroys the life-giving enzymes that come with raw foods. These Enzymes are responsible for thousands of different biochemical actions in your body. These enzymes are destroyed at temperatures above 118 degrees F (48 degrees C).
Here is a picture of me before going raw vegan and a picture I took today. Please comment below. I want to know what your thoughts are.
Before: 155 pounds
After: 120 pounds
Height: 5'4
Wow @rawveganita
Awesome body improvements ...you doing great dear. I know such diets are amazing to health... Thanks for sharing this... Keep it up!
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@kenhudoy Thank you! I'm trying my best!
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I can't agree more @rawveganita you doing great...😘 🌹 keep it up and find time to check my blog posts for some vital tips...
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You truly are a great writer. Thank you for sharing your story, and congrats on doing so much for your health!! :) @jerrybanfield check this out! @laurabanfield
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Ive been semi vegan now for about 3 months and it has really changed me in ways I could not imagine. Dairy is crap and we just shouldn't eat any of it, it's not meant for humans. Meat I feel is ok in small amounts once in a while but the problem is that people just eat way too much!!
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@cyberblock I feel so much better now that I'm not eating animal products. :) I don't even miss them! Let me know if you have any questions :) I can tell you what I did. :)
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I eat a ton of spinach, bell peppers, rice, chick peas and beans
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Do you eat fruit?
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Those 2 pictures side by side are so intense!
I've been vegan for more than 2 years now and I get most of my calories from fruit now yet I'm not totally raw. I did fully raw for 6 months a couple of year back. I'm looking to get back on a raw diet.
I've been vegetarian for more than 5 years prior to being vegan.
Those pictures!!!
You look so much healthier!
I'll follow you from now!
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Congratulations! Let me know if you have any questions! I have a lot of raw recipe ideas. :) Thank you for the positive comments! I will follow you, too. :)
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Did you remove the tag #vegan? That's where I found this post. I browse the vegan tag everyday. You should put back the vegan tag if it's possible.
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@teamsteem Oh thanks :) I will add it back to the post.
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Congrats on the dietary program , environment friendly food with healthy lifestyle.
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Thank you! :)
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Wow talk about great before and after congrats!
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Thank you! :)
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Awesome, congratulations! This is great! Being vegetarian is easy, I do not know if I could do 100% vegan. There are so many benefits though.
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There are lots of benefits! Let me know if you have any questions. :)
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@tomj you can totally do it! :) dairy really is quite a blow on health...I know about half a dozen vegetarians (and a few I knew many years ago) who noticed a drastic increase in their vitality and mental clarity...only by taking their vegetarianism a step further (no dairy) into vegan! :D you deserve better health, my friend!
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Being vegan really helps for spiritual upliftments.l cqn even see the days that l go vegetarian my life is different with the days that l eat meat especially the way my mind works
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I agree. I have a lot more mental clarity. :)
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Fully raw is so hard for me.
I can't live without starches haha
Great job!
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Thank you!
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Amazing transformation! I need to try something like this! Thanks for sharing.
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cool :)
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Excellent! Thank you for sharing, it really difficult sometimes to explain veganism to people yet alone raw veganism. As a contributing admin on Vegan SA, I will be sharing your post on our FB page later.
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You're welcome! Thanks for commenting! Thanks for the share!
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Good on ya. I can never give up my meat though.
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That's what I used to say :)
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WooooW You look so magnificent :)
nice improvements I like ur body
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Thank you!
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Great journey. Food is our medicine! I'm not raw vegan... just 99% vegan and loving it. Steem on!
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Food is our medicine! Congrats!
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well done ;) great!
I am also raw vegan and enjoy every day in Thailand with high quality fruit ;)
already following you and upvoted...please do the same ;)
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Thank you!
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Awesome transformation, respect for sharing .. I'm leaning towards raw more and more these days.. It's like vegan is step 1 on this journey! We are what we ate!
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Thank you! We are what eat! Agreed! We are what we eat!
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The transformation is amazing! You look great. Did you start out raw?
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wow, what a transformation! kudos!!
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That is great! Go you, and go raw veganism!
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