Raw Veganism - Low Fat and Gourmet Approaches

Low Fat and Gourmet Approaches

Raw vegans who follow a gourmet approach to raw veganism are generally concerned about the nutritional characteristics of their diet in terms of vitamins and minerals, however not significantly concerned about calorie or fat intake. This approach to raw veganism typically use dehydrators to "cook" food like crackers, and make dishes such as nut cheeses, "pasta" (usually zucchini cut as long curly strips), "soups", or green smoothies. There are many raw vegan cook books in the market and recipes online. An issue with the gourmet approach is the overconsumption of fat, since by avoiding meat and cooked starchy foods such as bread and pasta, and consuming typical amounts of fruit (i.e. a few portions a day), calories are mostly obtained from fat in the form of nuts and seeds, oily salad dressing, nut cheeses, and avocados.

Raw vegans who follow a low fat approach to raw veganism seek a very specific nutritional balance of carbohydrates/protein/fat ratio from their diet, trying to ensure they have a sufficient intake of calories, and placing greater importance in those ratios than in their foods being raw. Most low fat raw vegans (LFRVs) follow a 80/10/10 ratio, and some a more lax 70/10/20 or more strict 90/5/5, trying to achieve between 2000 and 3000 calories per day, averaged per week, and according to exercise levels (some athletes consume an average of 6000 calories per day). Obtaining such high amount of calories from carbohydrates from raw foods requires consuming large quantities of sweet and ripe fruit, such as bananas, dates, generally blended/juiced. Considering that a typical banana provides 100 calories, a LFRV following a typical 3000-calorie regime requiring 80% of the calories coming from carbohydrates must consume 2400 calories of banana daily, i.e. 24 bananas, or 48 dates, or 5.3 litres of orange juice, which provides almost all the required intake of protein and fat to satisfy the ratio. Most LFRV also consume a large low fat salad daily to ensure the required protein, mineral and vitamin daily intake is covered. The low fat raw vegan lifestyle has been tried by several athletes. Several communities of low fat raw vegans exist, one of which by January 2013 had more than 15,000 members, offering nutritional information and peer support.