The reasons for avoiding meat in your diet are quite straightforward... most have to do with better health, easy weight maintenance, lower occurance of disease, better nutrition, more energy and feeling better. Some of the lesser know reasons are even more surprising... and interesting, especially the amount of resources necessary to feed and care for animals. More reasons to consider a vegan diet.

Source: Urban75 and Viva

• Antioxidants protect against more than 60 diseases. Found mostly in fruit and vegetables. They destroy 'free radicals'.
• A vegetarian diet can reduce cholesterol levels. (Cholesterol is linked to heart disease – fruit and vegetables contain none.) BMA
• Vegetarians and vegans have higher intakes of folic acid than omnivores. BMA
• A vegetarian diet meets all the nutritional needs of infants and adolescents. ADA/BMA
• Vegetarians are no more likely to suffer anaemia than meat eaters. ADA/BMA
• On irrigated land, 1lb of vegetables uses 25 gallons. 1lb of beef uses 5,214 gallons. University of California
• More than 90 per cent of all agricultural land in Britain is used to feed animals
• If Britain went vegetarian, less than half the farm land would be needed – vegan, less than a quarter! Reading University
• Vegetarians often live longer and suffer less from several chronic diseases. ADA
• Vegetarians have a much lower incidence of caesarean section. PCRM
• Vegetarians are less likely to suffer strokes caused by coronary artery disease. BMA
• Vegetarian diets have been successful in arresting and reversing severe coronary artery disease. ADA
• Vegetarians have lower rates of obesity, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, large bowel disorders, cancers and gallstones. BMA
• Vegetarian diets offer disease protection because of lower saturated fat, cholesterol and animal protein and higher folates, antioxidant vitamins and plant nutrients. ADA
• 95 per cent of all food poisoning comes from meat and animal products.
• Cancer rates among vegetarians are 25-50 per cent less than non-vegetarians. PCRM
• Vegetarians have half to three-quarters the risk of dying of heart disease compared to non-vegetarians. PCRM
• Nearly all 650 million UK chickens are fed antibiotics daily. 72 million die from disease.
• The world's 17 major fisheries are on the point of environmental collapse because of over-fishing.
• It takes about 10kg of good quality plant protein – such as wheat and soya – to produce 1kg of meat protein.
• 35 per cent of the world’s people can be fed on a meat-based diet. A plant diet could feed everyone – then plus some. Sir Crispin Tickell

The medical sources quoted are from some of the most prestigious in the world: BMA (British Medical Association); ADA (American Dietetic Association); WHO (World Health Organisation); PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine).

The raw vegan diet was recently featured on E! Entertainment television interviewing raw food chefs and speakers including David Wolfe, Juliano and Gabrielle Brick among others. This video gives a good explanation of the different versions of the raw lifestyle,
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Here are some pictures of living a raw lifestyle... enjoy!

Mark
www.RawFoodHowTo.com

As one transitions to the raw/vegan lifestyle, the tendency to overeat fats, mostly in the form of nuts is quite common.

It's understandable to eat large amounts of nuts when transitioning... they are more "filling" than fruits and vegetables and satisfy the hunger as your body adjusts.

In the long term, this can lead to many problems. In his book, The Raw Secrets, Frederic Patenaude describes this in detail and offers alternatives to avoid the difficulties and make the necessary adjustments. A full review of his book is coming up.

Many leading raw food proponents recommend a 80/10/10 ratio... 80% carbs, 10% protein and 10% fats.

In my experience, the urge to eat larger amounts of fat diminishes over time. Eating an adequate amount of fruits and vegetables along with seeds makes up most of your daily intake, satisfies you and lets you happily keep your intake of nuts to a minimum.

Keep it healthy and raw!

Mark
The Vegan / Raw Diet

Just returned from my second raw roadtrip driving almost 2000 miles from Chicago back home to Arizona. This time I decided to start my journey at Cousin's Incredible Vitality one of the premier raw and vegan eateries in Chicago. After a nice visit with Chef Mehmet, I selected several burritos wrapped in collard greens along with a vanilla cheesecake to go.
All the dishes were delicious and the vanilla cheesecake was better than any cheesecake I've ever tasted! Chef Mehmet was welcoming and has made available some unique services to the health community in Chicago. He offers a wide range of classes and certifications including detox sessions, raw food how-to prep classes, associate raw chef certifications as well as yoga. You can regularly find an interesting event hosted there including authors, health practicioners, and for holiday gatherings. Cousin's also has an amazing raw food bar that's 'all you can eat' in addition to its abundant selection of menu items. Stop by to say hello to Chef Mehmet for an experience you'll remember and want to return to regularly.

These to-go meals were great for late afternoon dinners over the next few days while fruit and water kept me satiated in the mornings and evenings.

I found eating raw much easier than stopping and waiting for a S.A.D. meal (as I did many years ago) when I would then normally feel tired from the excess burden of processed foods on my digestive system. Now, I enjoyed abundant energy for the 12-14 hours a day driving and was grateful for the fresh and organic fruits I found at Whole Foods on my way out of town.

Next I stopped in St. Louis to meet a new friend for lunch at 'Eternity Vegetarian Deli'. The food and company were great and learned much. The deli is transitioning into mostly raw and living foods and now has a good mix of vegetarian, vegan and raw dishes. If you're in the area, stop by for a nice treat.

Going through Missouri you'll notice, just before the south end of the state, several factory outlet stores. Of particular interest to me were the wooden bowls... they're perfect to serve dishes at potlucks and get togethers and are great looking as well. I stopped at the Shepard Hills outlet shop and found some nice 'factory second' bowls at about half the retail price.

Just over two days after I started I was happy to be back in Arizona on my way home. Another great roadtrip with fun and healthy experiences!

To your best health,

Mark

When you read about raw food, it's often referred to as the 'raw food diet'. But is it really?

No, it's not a diet. Diets are something you normally do for a short period to lose weight, and often have a set of steps or rules to follow during that time. In most every case, the diet doesn't work and the weight or condition you were trying to get rid of returns.
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