What is the difference?
There are so many different eating styles right now I stopped counting. BUT I think it's important to know the differences especially if you are thinking or telling someone else about it. RAW veganism, WHOLE-FOOD plant-based diet, and VEGANISM. These do have DIFFERENT MEANINGS.
Raw Vegan--Typically people cal this way of eating a bit extreme although it does reap ALOT of HEALTH BENEFITS especially for those trying to lose weight or reverse some sort of disease (diabetes, cancers). So what do they eat? Fruits, veggies, nuts and NO PROCESSED FOODS (vegan meats, oils, chips, etc) in their NATURAL STATE, meaning that they are NOT COOKED or cooked below STRICT TEMPERATURES. Instead people BLEND, JUICE, or SOAK their foods.
Is this healthy? Yes! although some, well for me, ALOT of plants taste better cooked. Eating raw is one of the best ways to obtain the and absorb the NUTRIENTS in our human bodies. Unlike in an animal products, plants can be eaten raw without causing food poisoning and other food borne illness--except if contaminated--like when you hear about romaine lettuce and spinach RECALLS.
The only warning I would give you for eating this way is to be prepared and planned--DO YOUR RESEARCH, many processed foods in the US are really good at providing vitamins and minerals OUR BODY NEEDS. Because raw veganism will remove processed foods, you want to make sure you are eating a balance of the foods you need to get ALL the NUTRIENTS your body NEEDS. I personally love ALOT of my vegan meats and other snacks so I'm not ready to jump on this one yet---but I can definitely see myself doing a 1 or 2 week CHALLENGE to see how I feel! I'll let you guys know!
Whole-Food Plant-Based Diet-- Eats EVERYTHING plant-based, BUT also eats small amounts of animal products (eggs, poultry, etc). This type of eating also tends to eat more LOCALLY SOURCED, ORGANIC and less processed foods. So even though they may add sugar to their tea, it will probably be brown sugar, since white sugar is heavily processed and bleached. Choosing brown rice over white rice and not using processed and refined oils like many olive and canola.
This too has health benefits since the fruits, veggies and grains are healthier (organic), but I personally do not support the idea of eating animal products because even if you choose the "grass fed" red meats--I can assure you that this is not the case and they are still being mistreated.
Anyone here eating like this? What is it like? Leave a comment below!