My raw vegan experience. 
IdleArtist
12 y
9,888
RN Educational
† Cross †
Starting the raw vegan diet was the best decision I ever made. I thought. All my problems seemed to just go away. I was no longer tired, or irritable, skin issues disappeared. I figured out life at the age of 21!
Well, that lasted about 4 months.
My gums started receding and bleeding. My teeth became sensitive, and felt like sandpaper. I received a lot of advice from a particular forum, some of it good, but 95% of it was terrible. I didn't know any better. So I tried one thing at a time.
I went to the dentist and had a cleaning. That seemed to help.
Another 4 months passed and all my troubles were back again. Full force. I cringed every time I ran my tongue along my teeth. My saliva felt dry and unsupportive. Something major was wrong.
My teeth didn't return to a manageable state until I adopted an omnivorous diet again. It was critical that I abandoned LFRV (low fat raw vegan.) I didn't want to let go, but I didn't want to lose my teeth in my 20's either.
I bring this up because it's a common problem on the diet. Just look at youtube. There are so many videos about raw food and dental care. Because it's an issue. If it wasn't a problem, these videos wouldn't exist. I'm not here to dog on anyone's diet, but to highlight an important consideration. If you're thinking about trying a raw food diet, make sure you research the problems as well as the benefits.
If you're already on a raw food diet and have experienced a decline in dental health, I've made a video sharing some critical information.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNUXkSRYb0I
Best wishes to everyone,
Marcus
- Re: My raw vegan experience. natway
12 y
8,843
- Re: My raw vegan experience. IdleArtist
12 y
8,708
- Re: My raw vegan experience. dane lady
12 y
8,914
This is a reply to # 2,080,061Were you including any protein in your diet as in cottage cheese or protein shakes?
- Re: My raw vegan experience. natway
12 y
8,558
This is a reply to # 2,080,183If he was getting that many calories on average he would have been meeting all his protein needs quite easily. It's when people under-eat does a person not get enough protein. There's a myth that you need high-protein foods to reach your protein needs.
- Re: My raw vegan experience. IdleArtist
12 y
8,686
MoreThis is a reply to # 2,080,195Protein is an interesting subject. I had a similar belief that I could get all my protein from fruits and veg, but towards the end of my raw vegan stretch I noticed that my hair was falling out. That was quickly resolved when I included animal products back into my diet. So there may actually be something to the question "Where do you get your protein?"
- Re: My raw vegan experience. natway
12 y
8,769
This is a reply to # 2,080,238When I first switched to eating more plant-based, I was basically just eating salads for about two months because I really had no idea what I was doing and I started losing a lot of weight and my hair started falling out more than usual. I've since gained all my weight back and my hair stopped falling out more than normal by just doing two things, switching my diet to basing it more on fruits and starches and making sure I'm reaching my caloric needs.
I don't eat legumes and only eat very few nuts & seeds per week, so I really don't eat any high-protein plant foods. I just make sure I'm eating enough by the end of the day of what I'm eating.
Saying your hair was falling out too just makes me think you might not of been getting as many calories on average as you think you were getting. Were you using any calorie-counting app to help you calculate when on that diet?
- Re: My raw vegan experience. natway
12 y
8,769
- Re: My raw vegan experience. IdleArtist
12 y
8,686
- Re: My raw vegan experience. natway
12 y
8,558
- Re: My raw vegan experience. natway
12 y
8,777
This is a reply to # 2,080,061Well that would explain it if on some days you were only getting 3 calories! Kidding aside, it is interesting you were having problems when it looks like you were meeting your caloric needs.
Did you use an app like cronometer to help calculate? I've never been fully raw, but I'm vegan most days of the month and have done a couple of days out of the month totally raw and when I calculate on the days I'm totally vegan, the only nutrient that's kind of hard to meet is choline. Sometimes calcium, selenium, vit E, and zinc are not, or barely met, but then on other days they are well met so it would make up for days not met. I really only find choline the hardest to meet.
Any specific nutrients seemed to be lacking consistently on that diet for you?
- Re: My raw vegan experience. IdleArtist
12 y
8,869
This is a reply to # 2,080,197Yeah, actually cronometer was what I was using. Sodium was consistently low, vitamin E was a tough one to get, zinc and selenium gave me some troubles too. I found, though, that I was constantly referencing cronometer and forcing myself to eat more in an attempt to meet my requirements. I was eating for the app! Not for hunger or pleasure. But, I'm certain nutrient deficiencies did arise. And that's why I ultimately adjusted my lifestyle. I'm now in a much more stable place, and though my health is still far from perfect, I'm in a much more stable place.
I've since come to value fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K2. Crucial for dental health.
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- Re: My raw vegan experience. natway
12 y
8,854
This is a reply to # 2,080,333Yeah I know how it is first going low-fat and trying to eat enough! So much more in volume you have to try to fit in your stomach.
Yours is an interesting case because you seem to be the first person I came across who ran into trouble even though you seemed to be eating enough.
Have you tested for low B12? Something like that would explain eating enough, but still having problems because if you're not metabolism correctly, it doesn't matter how much you eat.
Have you tracked on cronometer your current diet for comparison? The only other thing I can think of besides low B12 and raw just not working for you is maybe accidentally over-estimating on cronometer. There's a couple items where I'm not sure of the actual proportion sizes to sellect to make sure accurate. A gram scale would be the most accurate.
Ever try Raw Till 4 diet? That's what I'm doing. I only eat animal products couple times a month now, mainly eggs, little fish like sushi, or if small amount of dairy is mixed in a meal when I eat out.
With your current diet, I would just recommend don't go too crazy on the animal products like going low-carb. That's what ruined my health. Think of animal products as just supplements.
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- Re: My raw vegan experience. cappy84
12 y
8,734
This is a reply to # 2,080,333sometimes im a little low on calcium, selenium, and zinc. vitamin e is easy for me to hit, trying eating mangoes for vit e. my biggest concern though is my calcium : phosphorous ratio. im always way too high in phosphorous. most vegetables and fruits have a much higher phosphorous content and you need to be eating 1:1 balance. eating a ton of greens would help but i cant afford to.
i want to go 100% raw but for the amount of calories i need its hard. today ive eaten 4000 calories all from fruit and a big salad but i still want to eat. i usually eat cooked carb starches like winter squash, sweet potatoes but sometimes i will eat beans, lentils, split peas, and rice. i dont feel optimal eating those foods the way i do when i eat fruit.
i had issues with bleeding gums before i went vegan, so i dont think its the diet change that caused it for you.
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- Re: My raw vegan experience. IdleArtist
12 y
8,709
This is a reply to # 2,083,308Of course not. ;)
Are you measuring the calcium/phosphorus ratio in the blood or on Cronometer? I'm pretty sure Melvin Page's findings were based on blood levels. I may be wrong, but I think it's unlikely that just eating them in the ideal ratio will equate to proper blood ratios. Just a thought. I'm sure it's quite complex.
Something to think about.
- Re: My raw vegan experience. IdleArtist
12 y
8,709
- Re: My raw vegan experience. natway
12 y
8,854
- Re: My raw vegan experience. IdleArtist
12 y
8,869
- Re: My raw vegan experience. dane lady
12 y
8,914
- Re: My raw vegan experience. IdleArtist
12 y
8,708
- Re: My raw vegan experience. snarf
12 y
9,235
RN Educational
This is a reply to # 2,079,994A lot of people don't realize that they have lost the enzymes to break down raw foods. Or they may have leaky gut which requires a lot of cooked , easily digestible foods to heal BEFORE moving on to raw foods. Raw foods can be extreme on the spleen meridian. Cooked foods are easier to digest ( if healthy) From a TCM perspective there are certain body types that would be healthier eating mostly cooked foods. Especially if they are blood and chi deficient.
Everyone is unique. Dogma is detrimental to health. People that flourish on a raw food diet don't need to be assuming everyone else will.
Some people should not fast. And some people should not exercise vigorously no matter what Bikram says.
The human race would benefit from accepting other's differences instead of trying to make everyone else like them.- Re: My raw vegan experience. IdleArtist
12 y
8,587
- Re: My raw vegan experience. #155151
12 y
8,581
- Re: My raw vegan experience. IdleArtist
12 y
8,587
- Re: My raw vegan experience. panoslydios
12 y
8,330
This is a reply to # 2,079,994Oil pulling is amazing for dental health.
Sesame oil with drop of essential oil of oregano.
- Re: My raw vegan experience. natway
12 y
8,843
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