Raw Veganism... unhealthy?

[CEDeoudes59]

Hey guys, two of my housemates are raw vegans 'for health reasons' they are always getting sick it seems... are the health reasons for this way of life actually legit? (ie, more energy because the body is not wasting energy digesting food or no processed food).

What I see are trace amounts of incomplete proteins, tons of missing vitamins and minerals, and susceptibility to germs. hardly any solid food.

any one have experience or opinions?

we are talking 'raw' veganism in this case, the most hardcore of all, i guess that means nothing cooked, nothing processed, nothing dairy, nothing etc.

one of the guys says that over time he would become so used to 'clean' food that he'd get violently ill if he ate a burger or taco bell. well he ate taco bell, (for 2 weeks) and was completely fine. so much for more or less immunity... "this is how our ancestors lived"... right and they died at age 32.

what am i missing... ?

 

[Psychabinol]

i wouldnt eat any meat completly raw, just dont overcook your foods. Especially red meat, cook your red meat when its still nice pink, bloody and juicy inside.

Vegetables and fruit are good to eat raw, however something like tomatoes are healthier when cooked, because after cooking they contain more lycopene, also brocoli is better when cooked.

 

[bioman]

Just another example of taking things too far. Yes, raw veggies are great but the human diet is based on omnivory..fruits, nuts, eggs, occassional meat. The way foods are processed these days, you'd be kinda foolish to eat raw meats IMO.

On the other side of the coin, the anti-vegetarians are also way off base. They like to argue that we evolved eating mammoths etc. Yes, but that era of human evolution was fairly short lived compared to the classic hunting/gathering/foraging survival strategy that encompassed a much broader range of food types. We probably at as many bugs, grubs, frogs etc back in the day as we did meat, lol.

 

[wastedwhiteboy2]

They need protein to survive. Not a good idea.

 

[Psychabinol]

steak, i found to be the best protein source for my body. It is foolish to eat it raw, however, put your oven on broil, and cook it until its not raw, but rare, medium rare, at least pink. I have had no problem with eating meat this way, however, i always buy top quality meat. I have done cutting diets without meat, just chicken eggs, and had more success when trying to lose weight, when i have about 10oz of red meat a day. Actually i havent had success in dieting until doing this. It seems opposite to common logic, but it works very well. Red meat is very anabolic, all the proteins are easily aborbed in the muscle. Think about it, your eating pure muscle.

 

[dsade]

Just another example of taking things too far. Yes, raw veggies are great but the human diet is based on omnivory..fruits, nuts, eggs, occassional meat. The way foods are processed these days, you'd be kinda foolish to eat raw meats IMO.

On the other side of the coin, the anti-vegetarians are also way off base. They like to argue that we evolved eating mammoths etc. Yes, but that era of human evolution was fairly short lived compared to the classic hunting/gathering/foraging survival strategy that encompassed a much broader range of food types. We probably at as many bugs, grubs, frogs etc back in the day as we did meat, lol.

These would qualify as meat.

 

[orangerain]

They need protein to survive. Not a good idea.

I agree. We're supposed to eat a balanced diet, right?

 

[BoyFromAus]

We humans cook our food so it's consumable. We're different to other species who may have much stronger concentrations of Hcl (dogs are a great example) and can therefore digest all raw foods. Instead we have a brain which allows us to make food adapt to our stomach rather than our stomach adapting to food.

 

[planetfuzz]

That is insane. Do these guys have testicles? Humans are omnivores. We are opportunistic eaters.

You could probably argue that cooking vegetables makes them easier to digest because it weakens the cell structure. Now...cook, not destroy. It is no secret that seriously overcooking veggies isn't good.

 

[DavidCopafeel]

Vegans don't seem to understand that the food pyramid includes servings of meat and eggs. If it was so bad, it wouldn't be on the food pyramid. I don't know anything about healthy eating, but I'm fairly certain that the food pyramid is pretty accurate, otherwise they would change it.

 

[planetfuzz]

Vegans don't seem to understand that the food pyramid includes servings of meat and eggs. If it was so bad, it wouldn't be on the food pyramid. I don't know anything about healthy eating, but I'm fairly certain that the food pyramid is pretty accurate, otherwise they would change it.

Haha. Whoa dude. Of course, because there is nothing the government cares about more than our health. We are one of the unhealthiest nations in the world. The food pyramid is crap. 6-10 servings of bread? Fats at the top? Total garbage.

The ideal food pyramid would have vegetables at the bottom, not bread.

Vegetarians are unhealthy for other reasons. Too many reasons to name in this post.

 

[DavidCopafeel]

Yeah, I suppose you are right. Maybe the food pyramid is total crap. Again, I never thought about it very much, I just eat whatever I feel like, and I stay away from fast food.

 

[suncloud]

i hate to state the obvious, but if your raw vegan friends keep getting sick, it must be unhealthy - at least their diet is unhealthy....

 

[DerickVonD]

The whole vegan thing is so dumb. Even vegetarians have sense enough to eat dairy and eggs.

 

[DerickVonD]

Since they are "hardcore vegan" and eat only unprocessed foods, this wouldn't apply to them, but with the normal vegan, have you seen the processed crap they eat? All those damn "scene kids" I tell ya

 

[bioman]

These would qualify as meat.

Not quite.

 

[planetfuzz]

Since they are "hardcore vegan" and eat only unprocessed foods, this wouldn't apply to them, but with the normal vegan, have you seen the processed crap they eat? All those damn "scene kids" I tell ya

That is true. 90% of the soy comes from Monsanto and is genetically modified. Something like tofu or soy burgers are actually more processed than you'd think.

 

[pcproffy]

Nothing better than anecdotal evidence to prove a theory. Where would the bodybuilding community be without it?

There is no problem getting enough protein with a meatless diet. However, there are some nutrients that are almost completely animal based. Notably B12 which leads to anemia when deficient.

There is nothing wrong with eating raw fruits and veggies but cooking does have benefits as already noted. Cooking aids digestion and absorption. Homemade soup must be about the healthiest meal you can prepare. All of the nutrients that leach into the broth will be easily absorbed like a liquid vitamin.

The key to life is BALANCE.

 

[DerickVonD]

We should be thankful for vegans though. They are the weak people that makes people like us feel even stronger and better about themselves, plus more meat for us.

 

[planetfuzz]

Nothing better than anecdotal evidence to prove a theory. Where would the bodybuilding community be without it?

There is no problem getting enough protein with a meatless diet. However, there are some nutrients that are almost completely animal based. Notably B12 which leads to anemia when deficient.

There is nothing wrong with eating raw fruits and veggies but cooking does have benefits as already noted. Cooking aids digestion and absorption. Homemade soup must be about the healthiest meal you can prepare. All of the nutrients that leach into the broth will be easily absorbed like a liquid vitamin.

The key to life is BALANCE.

Well said sir. Speaking of broth, buying a whole chicken and then making a homemade chicken broth from the bones...now THAT is healthy.

 

[BoyFromAus]

We should be thankful for vegans though. They are the weak people that makes people like us feel even stronger and better about themselves, plus more meat for us.

I don't know about that. those pot smoking "save planet earth" hippies might be weak but i've seen some pretty elite lifters who're vegan. But obviously the greatest lifters eat meat as a staple.