Benefits of a Raw Vegan Diet

It happened almost as an accident. Before 2010, I ate meat at least twice a day. When it suddenly started tasting less satisfying to me, I didn't really know why. Meat would taste fine for the first few bites, and then it would start to feel repulsive in my mouth. So a day went by that I didn't eat meat. Then a second day, a third and fourth, without me realizing it. On the fifth day, I decided that I might I might as well run with it and become a raw vegan! (Def: a diet solely based on unheated plant foods, no animal products) I've now been vegan (70% raw) for a month and a half. The changes have been astounding! For those who doubt the effectiveness of this diet, here is a list of the improvements I've noticed so far:

A Decrease in Acne
I've been a sufferer of chronic moderate acne ever since my early teens. Before my change in diet, the only time my skin would be clear was when I was taking birth control pills. Now I hardly ever wear makeup!

No More Bloating
I used to think that I was just one of those women who carries around a "pooch" that never goes away regardless of whether or not I exercise. After becoming a raw vegan, it was gone in two weeks. It must have been the accumulation of nasty toxic material in my body that is now being cleaned out. I'm enjoying this flat belly!

Reduced PMS Symptoms
Acne and bloating don't bother me much anymore, even during PMS. In addition, I no longer feel the accompanying fatigue and irritability. Ladies, my time of the month was also much shorter than it normally is.

Improved Overall Mood
I'm a lot happier these days than I normally am. This isn't to say that I'm all happy-happy-joy-joy all the time, but my temper has less of a tendency to flare up these days, and I'm much less likely to wallow in self-pity when things don't go my way.

Improved Athletic Performance
I will say that shortly after my transition to raw veganism, there was a period of energy fluctuation during which I felt weak during physical activity. Athletes never fear - my body adjusted after about a week. Now, the feeling of lightness in my body allows me to perform at a level that I haven't seen since my teens. My yoga practice is blossoming and my energy level remains high, even after an intense Vinyasa class.

Relief of Moral Guilt
This may not apply to everyone, but I know that I felt guilty about eating meat. It's a dead animal that has been tortured and killed for my taste buds, after all. No one, after watching a documentary or two about the meat-packing industry, can look at meat the same way after. Not to say that I'm a model of morality now, but I do feel a greater sense of peace knowing that I'm not eating fellow animals and contributing to the damage that the meat industry inflicts on the environment.

Higher Consciousness
I call it an awakening, a "oneness" with the universe. Many raw vegans have experienced this. If your life is lacking in spirituality, perhaps the problem begins in your body. It cannot function at its highest levels while being fed junk food, which acts like smoke blocking the rays of the sun.

So, perhaps I became a vegan on accident, but obviously my body knew what it was doing. I am in the middle of a much-needed detox! And it was my body that prompted the change. Before you write me off as another raw foodist junkie, let me make it clear that I haven't written myself off as one. I haven't signed a contract for lifelong veganism. I'm going to stay a mostly raw vegan for as long as my body tells me that I should. And when the time comes, I won't be anymore. Despite what I said about the meat industry, there's a lot of good that can be said about responsible animal husbandry and grass-fed dairy and eggs. Listen to your bodies, people! And that means put down the greasy hamburger.