Raw veganism
Raw veganism
Motivations
In addition to the ethics of eating meat, dairy, eggs and honey, a raw vegan may be motivated by:
Health reasons
Raw vegans believe that cooking foods destroys the complex balance of micronutrients. They also believe that, in the cooking process, dangerous chemicals are produced by the heat interaction with fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
Environmental reasons
Some raw vegans are concerned about deforestation and sustainability, believing the use of wood or fossil fuels for cooking is harmful to the environment.
Spiritual and/or philosophical reasons
Most dedicated followers of a raw vegan diet place importance on spiritual gain. Ruthann Russo states, “The raw food movement looks at the way food, living, treatment of the earth, our treatment of each other, and our quest for physical, spiritual, and mental health all fit together.
Other considerations
Like all people, raw vegans must ensure that their intake of vitamin B12 is adequate, since it is produced by bacteria and does not occur reliably in plant foods. Vitamin B12 deficiency can have serious consequences such as anemia and neurodegenerative disease. The Vegan Society and Vegan Outreach, among others, recommend that vegans either consistently eat foods fortified with B12 or take a B12 supplement. Tempeh, seaweed, spirulina, organic produce, soil, and intestinal bacteria have not been shown to be reliable sources of B12 for the dietary needs of vegans. Vitamin B12 can be found in Nutritional Yeast. Nutritional Yeast is a reliable source of B-complex vitamins and Cyanocobalamin (B12). Two tablespoons can provide 133% of a raw vegan’s daily needs of B12.
