You will probably find yourself eating much less animal protein than you did before choosing the raw food diet. If you find that you enjoy that aspect of a raw food diet, but are concerned about getting proper nutrition, there is good news. There are plenty of plant sources that will take care of most or all of your nutritional needs.
First, it’s important to distingu ish between vegetarians and vegans since there is often confusion about their differences. Vegetarians don’t eat meat from birds and animals like chicken, beef or pork, but many of them do eat fish, eggs and dairy products like butter, cheese and milk.
Vegans typically don’t eat meat, fish, dairy or anything that comes from those sources. For example, many choose not to wear leather in any form, since it comes from the hide of animals. So they use cloth belts and handbags, and cloth or plastic shoes.
From a dietary standpoint, it’s a challenge to include enough B12 in vegan diets because meat is usually the main source of that nutrient. However, since a raw food diet includes such a broad variety of foods, vegans can find B vitamins hemp seeds and Spirulina (a type of algae). Still, many people advise vegans to take a B12 supplement to insure their intake is a healthy levels. Since B vitamins are water soluble and excrete through the urine, they need to be replenished frequently.
Although fish oil is a rich and convenient source of essential Omega-3 fatty acids, Vegans will not consume oil that is harvested from a living creature. But they can get similar nutritional benefits from Spirulina.
Protein sources are another concern for vegans. Although beans and legumes are a good source, they’re not quite nutritionally complete. Spirulina is an excellent plant source of protein that vegans can rely on. It is good replacement for meat protein since it is 60% to 70% protein, and a good source of iron as well. So as you can see, Vegans can easily thrive on a raw food diet and maintain true to their beliefs.