Non-vegan raw foods

[Developer]

I've found these raw food posts very interesting. I wonder if anyone has ever tried eating a non-vegan raw food diet? I know it's possible to eat fish raw (sushi, yum), steak almost raw, and milk and cheese raw. (Although I've found it very hard to find raw milk in recent years, thanks to the dead hand of Brussels.)

[AnimalAdvocate]

Sure. If you want to consume salmonella and e.coli and God knows what else.

[Rose of Cairo]

Originally Posted by Developer

I wonder if anyone has ever tried eating a non-vegan raw food diet?

If I remember well, some people do that. They eat raw meat, raw eggs, and so on. I wouldn't do it since being vegan is very important to me, independently from raw or not raw. Besides, when I smell raw meat, I feel like vomiting... but try it and tell us

[Developer]

Thanks, that's very interesting. I don't think I'll be trying anything so radical though. I'd prefer to improve my diet with incremental changes.

The raw food series has reinforced my view that the best way to eat well is to try to eat things that are as fresh and natural as possible. I believe this is much healthier than chasing the latest fad. (I think that's omega oils now, or has everyone moved on to the next big thing?)

This is one of the best articles I've read on that subject:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/ma....html?ei=5090&

[WanderingOak]

I would probably avoid raw milk and meats, unless I knew exactly where it came from. I would probably need to personally know the farmer who raised and milked or slaughtered the animals, and obtain it direct from the source myself. The mass production of food in mega dairies, feedlots, and chicken batteries is just asking for trouble, IMHO.

[jt0802]

I agree that eating foods as raw and natural as possible is healthy. I like sushi, sashimi, carpaccio and steak tartare--in their organic and high quality form. From what I know about raw diets, they mostly advocate a vegan-type diet, but aren't explicitly against non-vegan raw foods or even meat. It's just that it would be impossible to eat most meats or poultry raw for obvious reasons, hence mostly a vegetable and fruit diet.

As for dairy, I don't know where one could find truly raw products such as unpasteurized milk (I only had the pleasure of drinking it when I visited my grandapents' relatives farm where a cow was milked every morning), so I am not sure how you would incorporate that into a raw diet unless pasteurized is considered undercooked enough to qualify as raw. Ditto with cheese. Some cheese I buy at Whole Foods has a sticker on it that says "Raw Milk". I am not sure if they mean it as a warning or a product quality enhancement feature, but it qualifies as raw to me.

I recommend a book that came out recently by Michael Pollan called In Defense of Food, where he takes a hard look at all that's wrong with Western diet. His advice on the cover is, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Insightful read.

Hope this was helpful.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Developer

I know it's possible to eat fish raw (sushi, yum), steak almost raw, and milk and cheese raw.

I'm not sure cheese can be raw, considered that cheese is a manufactuered product and not something that happens naturally in nature.

[WanderingOak]

Originally Posted by seeker5

I'm not sure cheese can be raw, considered that cheese is a manufactuered product and not something that happens naturally in nature.

Neither is yoghurt, or keiffer, although both can be made with raw milk.

[SunnKali]

I had a nutritioninst who ate an all raw food diet. At one visit, he showed me what he was having for lunch that day, and it was raw chicken (including skin), some raw celery, a big container of raw cream, and a banana. He got the chicken and cream from an organic farm. (He's a protein type following the Metabolic Typing Diet) He was a shining beacon of health.

I try to buy organic raw milk cheese when I can find it. I don't feel like going through hoops to get raw cream even though I'm sure it's delicious. I just can't do meat raw. Even rare is too much for me.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by SunnKali

I had a nutritioninst who ate an all raw food diet. At one visit, he showed me what he was having for lunch that day, and it was raw chicken (including skin), some raw celery, a big container of raw cream, and a banana. He got the chicken and cream from an organic farm. (He's a protein type following the Metabolic Typing Diet) He was a shining beacon of health.

I have a feeling, an undocumented, non proven feeling that those who eat a well balanced raw diets including raw animal products like your nutritionist are healthier then vegans who eat a lot of processed food and "fake meat" foods.

Having said that, there's no way I could eat uncooked chicken! I'd rather go vegan and completely eliminate chicken then to eat uncooked chicken - it just sounds so gross.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by seeker5

I'm not sure cheese can be raw, considered that cheese is a manufactuered product and not something that happens naturally in nature.

Yes, cheese can be raw. You just have to make it from raw milk. No heating is required for the cheesification process.

[Fullcrum]

I've had raw beef before - steak tar tar in a restaurant. It tasted great and I was filled afterwards. I do NOT know how healthy it is, just know that you can eat raw meat and you won't die from salmonella.

Go organic if you eat raw meet, always. The risk is too great otherwise, cause factory farm animals suck. They really do.

I love sushi, and sashimi, which is pure raw fish, is just as awesome. So try it and have fun. Report back your results if you decide to try this stuff.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Keith

Yes, cheese can be raw. You just have to make it from raw milk. No heating is required for the cheesification process.

Are you speaking as someone who eats a Raw Diet or someone who simply knows that the above fact? I'm curious because I would think that the process of cheesification would by itself be a non-raw item even if it was never cooked. That is, my understanding of a Raw Diet (from the outside looking in) is that you're only supposed to eat things that happen naturally in nature. For example, wine would not be a Raw thing because it doesn't occur naturally, even thought it's never been heated.

[jaydeschizo]

I am no nutritional expert, not at all, so do not take what I say at face value, but I can recall, this topic being discussed on a weightlifting forum, that salmonella in raw eggs and raw meats is very rare (the amount needed to get you sick anyway), and that it will not easily make you sick if you slowly transition to eating those things raw, as your immune system will adapt to them.

They also talked about being able to eat more eggs raw, then cooked due to allergic reactions from too many cooked eggs.
They also strongly advised for organic animal products, just to be safe.

Though the thought of downing a raw egg seems a bit too... slimy... for me.