Exploring Raw Vegan Diets: Attitudes, Practices, and Beliefs Revealed

This paper looked at the attitudes, beliefs, and eating habits of 17 leaders in the raw foods community in the United States. Raw foods diets are a type of vegan diet where most foods are eaten raw, not cooked.

The leaders had been eating raw for 3-32 years, averaging 13 years. 12 ate at least 85% raw foods. All followed a vegan diet, so no animal products. Their diets were mainly fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and plant oils.

None ate dairy, eggs, meat, or processed sweets in a typical week. Only 1 took a vitamin B12 supplement. 6 took food-based supplements like spirulina or wheatgrass. The others took no supplements.

On average, the leaders met or exceeded recommendations for vegetables, fruits, and fats. But they did not meet recommendations for calcium-rich foods like dairy, protein foods like legumes and grains.

The leaders chose raw diets because they believed raw foods have more energy and nutrients. Cooking destroys these. They also wanted to avoid processed foods and chemicals.

Some leaders said a 100% raw diet is best. Others allowed some cooked foods like oatmeal or baked squash when raw didn't work. Some worried a 100% raw diet was too extreme or hard to stick to.

The leaders felt raw diets improved their health. But they admitted scientific proof is lacking. More research is needed on bigger groups. Safety issues like food handling should also be looked at.

In summary, the leaders modeled vegan diets with a high raw food focus. Counselors should understand why raw foodists choose this diet and the practices involved. More data is still needed on the health effects and safety of long-term raw diets.

Havala Hobbs, S. (2005). "Attitudes, practices, and beliefs of individuals consuming a raw foods diet." Appetite, 45(3), 252-257. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550830705002041?via%3Dihub