firespeed45
New member
This is inspired by a recent post from a person who is eating a mostly raw, high-carb, low-fat, low-protein diet. It was deleted by the mods, but it got a good amount of attention.
This is a subreddit for vegan fitness enthusiasts, and we should be basing our actions on the best available evidence. Some of OP's statements in that post were simply not supported by the evidence.
A very good source of evidence-based nutrition advice is veganhealth.org, created by group of highly credentialed vegan nutrition experts.
It can be easy to get enough protein if you're eating legumes and whole grains with every meal. But it would be difficult to do so if most of your diet is fruits and raw vegetables. I recommend using MyFitnessPal or Cronometer to track your food intake for a few days to make sure you are getting enough protein and other nutrients.
Omega-3 fatty acids are a requirement for all humans. Most fruits and vegetables contain almost no fat, so there's no way to get adequate omega-3 fatty acids from them. Avocados and coconuts are high in fat, but these fats are very high in omega-6 and low in omega-3. Our bodies use omega-6 more efficiently than omega-3, so all people (not just vegans) should include some food that are very high in omega-3 every day. Most nuts and seeds are not high in these fats. Only things like flax, hemp, chia, canola oil, and soy products have enough to really make a difference.
It's also essential that ALL vegans supplement their diets with vitamin B-12. There are no reliable vegan sources of B-12. But it's easy to get it when eating fortified foods like cereal, soy milk, etc. If you're not eating fortified foods, it's very important to take a B-12 supplement at least a few times a week.
There are several other nutrients that can be limited on a typical vegan diet, and especially one that is based on raw fruits and vegetables.
Most people on this sub seem to be aware of these issues, but I wanted to post a reminder for those who might be considering going down the raw food, high-carb path. A vegan diet is not some magical thing that is automatically healthier than the typical omnivore diet. We need to plan and work hard to make sure we're staying healthy. I've seen too many vegans give up because they were eating a highly restrictive diet without enough attention paid to the nutrition content of their food.
This is a subreddit for vegan fitness enthusiasts, and we should be basing our actions on the best available evidence. Some of OP's statements in that post were simply not supported by the evidence.
A very good source of evidence-based nutrition advice is veganhealth.org, created by group of highly credentialed vegan nutrition experts.
It can be easy to get enough protein if you're eating legumes and whole grains with every meal. But it would be difficult to do so if most of your diet is fruits and raw vegetables. I recommend using MyFitnessPal or Cronometer to track your food intake for a few days to make sure you are getting enough protein and other nutrients.
Omega-3 fatty acids are a requirement for all humans. Most fruits and vegetables contain almost no fat, so there's no way to get adequate omega-3 fatty acids from them. Avocados and coconuts are high in fat, but these fats are very high in omega-6 and low in omega-3. Our bodies use omega-6 more efficiently than omega-3, so all people (not just vegans) should include some food that are very high in omega-3 every day. Most nuts and seeds are not high in these fats. Only things like flax, hemp, chia, canola oil, and soy products have enough to really make a difference.
It's also essential that ALL vegans supplement their diets with vitamin B-12. There are no reliable vegan sources of B-12. But it's easy to get it when eating fortified foods like cereal, soy milk, etc. If you're not eating fortified foods, it's very important to take a B-12 supplement at least a few times a week.
There are several other nutrients that can be limited on a typical vegan diet, and especially one that is based on raw fruits and vegetables.
Most people on this sub seem to be aware of these issues, but I wanted to post a reminder for those who might be considering going down the raw food, high-carb path. A vegan diet is not some magical thing that is automatically healthier than the typical omnivore diet. We need to plan and work hard to make sure we're staying healthy. I've seen too many vegans give up because they were eating a highly restrictive diet without enough attention paid to the nutrition content of their food.
