Living of only vegetables, greens and nuts!? And no heating?! - My Raw vegan journey
Vegan and vegetarian
I have been vegetarian and vegan for quite some time now. More precise: fully vegetarian since the summer 2017 and vegan since january 2018.
I am born in 1994 which means I was 22 when I figured vegan was the way to go. I have been wanting to be vegetarian most of my young years as I loved animals and swore it’d be difficult for me to live on my own and had to cook meat…And I HATED cooking class in high school.. But things turned out different and I LOVE being in the kitchen today!
Raw vegan
In the summer 2018 I took things to the next level. I went Raw. Raw vegan that is.
What is that you ask?
It’s simple; you only eat what is found in nature for us to eat with no heat. So mostly fruit, few nuts and a little bit of leafy greens. I follow the 80/10/10 princip developed by Dr. Douglas Graham.
The diet is based on the idea that the optimal diet should provide at least 80% of calories from carbs, with no more than 10% of calories from protein and 10% from fats. AND with this lifestyle I get to eat as much fruit as I want to.
Some people count calories, but I just feel what my body needs.
Some days I eat a ton and others not so much.
How did I get into this lifestyle?
A facebook friend tagged me in a post on facebook where they started a 2 week challenge. Being a part of a group makes it a lot easier with a lot of support and help. During this transition there is also a detox-period because the body is cleansing out all of the bad stuff you’ve had in your body since..well.. always. Almost.
And what have I eaten..? Isn’t it boring always eating fruits and that stuff?
No. Well it can be.. I use the blender and the food processor often so there is tons of different ways to be creative. Smoothies, nicecream, salads, different fruit, zoodles w. sauce/dressing.
Living in Denmark we definitely have less variety of the greens/fruit during the winter which is coming now. So this should get interesting.
Here is a glimpse of some of my Raw food.
You can follow my food of choice on my instagram: @hejfie or/and the hashtag #rawbyfie
What did I get out of it?
It has simply been the one of best food choices I’ve made. As I did this over the summer I also had more TIME to take this challenge and adjust regarding that I had vacation.
I had a fantastic summer. I have had a weight loss goal since before/after christmas in 2017.
And with that I took up more exercise: running and yoga mostly. And yes I did lose weight. But over the summer going raw things added up a lot faster.
Since going Raw I quickly felt a rise in my energy level. I had more energy and the actual wanting to do exercise - also more enjoyment doing it. That being yoga, walking/running in the forest or biking on my indoor bike. And yes - Denmark had a very hot summer so it was nice with a run at night and to cool down with a cold shower afterwards. In general I feel ‘lighter’ and a lot happier.
Other than that: I have tons of extra time. Most of fruit and vegetables Nature is already cut out in hand sized pieces.. And as I love being creative in the kitchen I did get a challenge and I got this with Raw. I kinda hit a wall with my regular vegan food. Not that it was boring, but I sort of ended with the same recipes again and again. I needed a refreshing challenge.
Don’t you ever have cravings and cheat days?!
Oh yes. But the challenge I was in helped a lot and it’s a help to try to figure out what kind of thing you are craving and why. One time I really wanted pizza. I located the cravings to me being very sad that one day. Emotions can have a great impact on how we eat. And often sadness is linked with fatty foods. Other things could be the salty taste or the sweet things we need.
Often all in all; it’s just because we are hungry.
Cheat days?
Yes. I do have them. Nobody is perfect. Though I have heard of people who have been fully raw for 2 years. Personally I see it as a transition. I don’t try to be perfect in all of this. As I started with being a vegetarian I was vegetarian at home and all-eating outside because it made life easier for me. With this it’s the same. But I have gotten to the next step: I don’t want to compromise with my health to please others.
I strive to try as hard as I can to maintain the lifestyle though it is not always easy. But if I should eat something off the lifestyle I won’t hate myself or keep nagging myself with it. Remember to forgive yourself <3
My goal is to get closer to the lifestyle not necessarily 100% but just cut down on the bad stuff as a first.
I try to ask myself if it’s something I want in my body. My soul lives in my body and I don’t want to hurt it.
My soul lives in my body and I don’t want to hurt it.
One of my most precious mottos I live by.
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Oh you are not alone @fiesoerensen! And well done on making such a radical lifestyle change at your young age. You are an inspiration! While I am no longer raw vegan I thrived when I was. I also had a raw vegan health restaurant which was able to feed and educate many others. Why don't you join the #fruitsandveggiesmonday fun? You'll meet some amazing people there. The lovely lady behind the challenge is @lenasveganliving. But there are also a number of raw foodies you'll "meet". I'm delighted to have found you through the special feature by @pennsif
Thank you!
Sounds exciting. I'll be sure to check it out :)
May I ask: What led you to be Raw in the first place and why did you let the lifestyle go? Considering you say you thrived on it. :)
How I began was inevitable as I'm already what my family (affectionately I hope) call a health nut. I use only natural remedies and cut out refined flour, sugar etc around the time I finished high school. Raw was simply the next step. Why I let it go was a bit more complicated. When I married my husband was willing to eat a major part raw but not altogether. Our parents live with us (in their own homes on the smallholding) and we often make large meals for big family time. I refuse to eat any meat that we do not raise naturally and with love here on the homestead (meat industry is cruel, unhealthy and disgusting) My autistic stepson is on a strict diet plus very sensory orientated. I am already making different dishes for him, different for father-in-law so it's easy making various big salads but doing the whole shebang is too much for them all to swallow (pun intended ;)