The basic raw food diet is not difficult to understand – the principle behind it is simply that raw foods have a higher nutrient content than their cooked counterparts so it makes sense to rely primarily on raw food sources. Nuts, legumes, fruits, vegetables, even eggs and meat, make up the vast array of nutritious food sources available to raw food eaters. However, not all raw food eaters are created equal. What is acceptable and even delicious to some is just plain gag-inducing to others, so it is important to pick the type of raw food diet that works best for you, based on your tastes and individual dietary needs.
The Classic Choice – The Raw Vegan Diet
Most raw diet eaters are vegans and indeed most beginning raw food eaters choose to be raw vegans, mainly because it is theoretically the safest of the four main types of raw food diets.
Raw vegans only eat fruits, vegetables and other plant-based foods including legumes, seeds and nuts. Since it cuts out the possibility of the bacterial contamination that can be found in raw dairy and meat, it’s the best bet for newcomers to the raw food world and for vulnerable populations like the elderly and women who are pregnant.
A Mixed Bag – The Raw Vegetarian Diet
The raw vegetarian diet takes the vegan version one step further by introducing raw dairy and eggs. Eggs are typically drunk straight out of the shell, but raw milk can be taken plain or fermented. This diet has the advantage of keeping calcium levels up, which is especially important for the long-term health of women. It also allows for a higher protein intake leading to increased energy levels.
Not least of all, the addition of dairy and eggs to a raw diet lends greater variety in terms of meal options and preparation. For instance, a marinated Spanish style soup with raw vegetables, kale, zucchini squash noodles and a cracked egg on top is a hearty and delicious lunch, whether you are a raw dieter or not.
Anything Goes – The Raw Omnivore Diet
Among some raw
Sashimi is another excellent option if you’re looking for a lighter alternative and prefer fish to red meat. On the whole, this diet is the perfect choice for anyone who wants to live the raw food lifestyle but cannot bear to live as a vegetarian or vegan.
Paleolithic Pantry – The Raw Carnivore Diet
This is perhaps the most extreme of the raw diets and in many ways, the least balanced. As the name suggests, followers of the raw carnivore diet eat meat almost exclusively. It’s modeled on the more well-known Paleolithic diet which is meant to mimic the meat-heavy diet of our ancient human ancestors. On the raw carnivore diet you can eat any type of fish, meat or poultry provided it is raw. Most raw carnivores do add some plant-based foods to their diet but in very small amounts and there is absolutely no intake of dairy or eggs.
Raw food diets are exceptionally flexible compared to other diet regimes because you can eat pretty much anything you like as long as you eat it raw. The four varieties of raw food diet we discussed here are the most basic types of raw food diets. How you choose to tailor your specific raw food diet is totally up to you and is based entirely on your taste and comfort level.
