Debunk: The Vegan Diet vs. The Raw Food Diet

I noticed that in the spectrum of vegetarianism, there have been some clashes between the vegans and the raw foodist. I personally do not have a problem with the raw food diet, or raw vegan diet or those who practice it. However, I do have a criticism when raw foodists do not specify if they are raw vegans or just raw foodists. Some raw foodists do eat animal flesh. It may be raw fish, raw milk, or even raw meat. Some claim that the raw food diet is better than the vegan diet. I'll go as far to say that they can be condenscending about it or perceived to be, just as vegans are perceived to be condenscending toward those who are not vegan. I plan on trying a raw food diet on the weekdays and eating the standard, but healthy vegan diet on the weekends or on vacations. With my current situation, a raw diet on the weekdays seems like the best idea considering that everything has chemicals in it, packaged in a can or frozen tray or has something that I'm not supposed to eat in it.

I read a blog that criticised the way PETA interprets the vegan diet. I do not know if I should link the blog here, she has a fanbase and I do not, so I think it's best that I debunk the blog post using my five year expertise on veganism.  I'm going to logically debunk this person without using too much appeal to emotion or authority.

"I get this question asked often by meat eaters:



If eating a plant based diet is so healthy then why are so many vegans still overweight?


It’s a GREAT question and it’s something I’ve noticed as well.


The reason why this happens is because most vegans substitute the VEGAN versions of the junk foods they used to eat on the Standard Diet."

First, I would like to agree with her that there are some vegans who are over weight and/or unhealthy. However, the pounds that they pack from the unhealthy vegan diet are miniscule compared to the Standard American Diet which consists of MEAT, DAIRY, CARBS and SUGARS. My mom's dietician told me about a three hundred pound vegan that walked into her office, which will lead to my second point. Some people who are starting out on the vegan diet are misinformed about what is really vegan and what is not. Even with the well-informed vegans out there, some of them do not want to miss out on what the mainstream American culture has to offer when it comes to food and social activities. A good example would be Superbowl Sunday. Every year, every dorm I stay in either has a party celebrating the championship or they have a gathering at a restaurant. I am most likely the only vegan in the hall I am staying in now. I ask them all the time last year if they can have a vegan option, and they only followed up twice. People who do not consume meat or anything are still human. There are companies that know that vegans still want to live a normal life. That's why they make foods such as veggie burgers, breads with no milk and eggs, meat substitutes, organic pastas and so forth. So for the big game, most likely I'm going to celebrate with my understanding friends or just make some tempeh and mushroom vegan sloppy joe's. We already get criticised from the meat eaters and vegetarians about our diet. There is no reason why a raw foodist should the same to vegans.

"If you guessed fresh fruits and vegetables, you’re ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.  Now in PETA’s defense they probably figured that a person becoming a vegan would already KNOW that fresh fruits and vegetables ARE vegan so I suppose I can’t fault them for that!"

The purpose of being vegan is to abstain from all forms of animal exploitation, mutilation and degradation. A true vegan is supposed to give up all animal products, which is difficult, but it can happen. Most people who are vegan do not want to participate in the industry's exploitation of animals. This is perhaps why PETA's list consists of "junkfood". They are activists, not dieticians. I know people who ask me about being vegan because they want to lose weight and I'm like "why the hell you are asking me?" I have to tell them nicely that it's a lifestyle. They do not necessarily have to adapt to the vegan lifestyle such as giving up impossible things, but giving up foods with animal products is a good step. Fruits and vegetarbles are obviously vegan. There is no need to be redundant.

"Something that vegans need to understand is that they CAN’T live primarily on vegan JUNK FOOD and expect to be healthy.



Unfortunately being VEGAN isn’t enough to get healthy. In order to experience OPTIMAL HEALTH it’s important to eat a primarily RAW diet (as close to 100% as possible)."

That is a myth about people who are vegan and vegetarians that people tend to make. It's insulting to someone who is working really hard to maintain a regular vegan diet to assume that they think they can live off of vegan junkfood. I'll admit that sometimes I do eat foods that are questionable sometimes, but I don't eat them as my everyday meal. The most that I've done too many times is make vegan pancakes everyday of the week for a week and I didn't gain a single pound. Most people who are vegan participate in a healthy vegan diet. Some of us are not perfect. Occassionally we do end up eating food that we find out later that is vegetarian and we just not patronize that particular business anymore. Most of the time we read every ingredient and we ask every waiter about the dish of choice.

A vegan diet can be enough for an individual, it is a matter of research and modification. A raw food diet is not always the optimal choice of diet because of its abiguity. If I am going to be a raw foodist, what kind am I going to be? Am I going to be a raw vegan? A raw vegetarian who drinks unpasteurized milk? Or am I going to be a raw omnivore who eats raw fish and raw red meats? I have been noticing that the rawfoodists, not all but some of them try to sale their diet as though it is the most superior. I tell people about my diet and they say that they can't do it and I just leave them alone.

I think before the woman who posted about the vegan diet on her blog needs not to judge vegans. She still uses honey, which is not a vegan product, so she cannot judge people for their way of eating a non-meat diet. A responder to her posted stated that she was turned off by the vegan diet because the people she knew who were vegan are overweight. I've been vegan for pretty much five years with the exception of eating fish once a month in the summer in 08 (which I regret). All the vegans I know are thin, lean and some cases underweight. I have never seen a vegan who was fat. To me that's like seeing a unicorn.

The best thing to do is decide for yourself which diet is the most appropriate. I plan on trying a raw diet, mainly because I do not want to live off of a microwave all the time. I think it helps to have a rice cooker. I would not have to eat out of a microwave. I want to try a half regular vegan and half raw vegan diet to eat more fruits and vegetables and to cut out raw sugar and sweets. Sometime, I'll make a menu with the vegan foods that I'll be eating on campus.