Low Fat Raw Vegan: What Does One Eat?
* What’s New: Busy, Busy, Busy!
* Feature Article: Low Fat Raw Vegan: What Does One Eat?
Busy, Busy, Busy!
As I mentioned in week’s article on grazing, I’ve been pretty busy over the past few weeks. To be honest, my schedule has actually been full since the middle of summer.
If you are subscribed to my mailing list, you may remember a short email that I sent out back in July. I simply wanted to know your biggest problem with going and staying raw. This was for a “new project” I was working on.
That “new project” is what has helped to keep me so very busy. After 3 months of solid hard work, it is now rapidly nearing completion and I’m pretty darn excited! Not to mention a bit relieved. 
Well, that’s all the info I have for you today (I know, not much).
Stay tuned because I’ll be releasing some more details in the next few days! 
Swayze
Low Fat Raw Vegan: What Does One Eat?
“What do you eat?”
Every time I answer this question, my response changes.
That’s because the best quality fruit is that which is grown in season. So, I tend to eat seasonally, meaning my diet changes pretty frequently.
Just last week I was finishing off my last watermelon and now I’m diggin’ on some Valencia oranges! Grapes should be in season soon so I’ll soon be gobbling up those as well.
With that said, I know how helpful seeing a low fat raw vegan diet “in action” can be if you are new to the diet. And even if you’re not, it can help give you some perspective on this lifestyle or even just help to reassure you that you aren’t alone!
Or maybe I’ve got it wrong. Maybe you guys are just a bunch of Curious Kitties and Nosy Nancys who like to get all up in my biz.
It’s cool. It means I get to talk about my favorite subject…food! 
What I Eat
Here’s a rundown of what I’m currently eating:
*Breakfast/Lunch*
The one component of my diet that has been pretty consistent for the past year or so is bananas. The first 1-2 meals of my day generally consist of 12-15 bananas, depending on the size of each fruit.
There are several reasons for this:
- bananas are filling,
- bananas are cheap,
- bananas are readily available, and
- I like bananas!
*Dinner*
My dinner meal relies upon what is in season. As I said above, I’ve been eating (actually juicing) Valencia oranges for the past week or so. It’s hard to give an amount, as the sweet fruit for this meal changes so often. As far as orange juice, it’s about one mason jar full (32 ounces).
In addition to sweet fruit, I also eat non-sweet fruits and/or greens during this meal. Since tomato season isn’t quite over here in Tennessee (despite all the cold, wet weather), I’m making sure to get my fill. I’m guessing it comes out to about 1-2 pounds of tomatoes, give or take.
If I eat cucumbers or greens during this meal, I won’t eat as many tomatoes. I tend to eat tomatoes at almost every dinner meal, even in the off seasons. I love them so much!
*Meal Plan*
So here’s what it all looks like (for now):
- Breakfast: 6-7 bananas
- Lunch: 6-7 bananas
- Dinner: 32 ounces OJ, 1-2 pounds of tomatoes
All Mono?
The majority of my fruit meals are mono-meals. I prefer to eat one fruit on its own until I am full.
This shift to mono-mealing was a gradual, unconscious one for me. I remember eating a bowl of grapes last year and realizing, “Hey, I’ve been eating lots of mono-meals lately.”
I didn’t force it. It just kinda happened.
That’s not to say I don’t enjoy the occasional smoothie. I had one yesterday for lunch, in fact!
I’ve found that smoothies are great for using up barely decent fruit (like a mealy but ripe nectarine) or overripe bananas…which is what happened yesterday!
No Fats?
I do not eat very many fatty foods. I just forget about them, really.
When I do eat fatty foods, it’s usually 1/2 of an avocado during the evening (after I’ve eaten everything else). I probably eat about one avocado every month or so.
As far as nuts go, I haven’t had any in quite some time. I find that it’s much easier to over eat these foods. Plus, I would have to order them online to actually get them raw.
It’s easier for me to just leave them out of my day-to-day diet.
But if you happen to have any extra pistachios lying around the house, feel free to send ‘em my way.
What Does This Mean for You?
Hopefully learning what I eat on a semi day-to-day basis helps to give you some idea of how a low fat raw vegan diet works in the real world.
But please, don’t take this post as a program to follow. The specific fruits, the number of meals, and the amount of food I consume are all due to personal preference and my level of physical activity, among other things.
In other words, it’s idiosyncratic!
Whether you hate oranges or love pineapple totally does not matter. It’s the basic “formula” that counts.
And by formula I mean:
Lots of Sweet Fruit + Some Greens + Limited Fats = Dietary Success!
So What Are You Eating?
Now it’s my turn to play the busy body!
Let me guess. Bananas? Figs? Apples? Cherries? Oranges? Grapes? Pineapple? Canteloupe? Blueberries?
I wanna know!
Go raw, be fit, and enjoy your fruit!
Swayze
24 comments
[...] Low Fat Raw Vegan: What Does One Eat? [...]
Have you told us yet what got you into eating this way, how long did it take for you to transition, how long have you been eating 811rv? Do you have children? What is the weather like where you live?
Swayze Reply:
October 4th, 2009 at 11:55 am
I haven’t gone into much detail about my transition, but I will if there is an interest.
As far as the other questions: I’ve been lfrv since November 2007 (100% since December 08), I do not have any children (although I’m sure my eldest cat would beg to differ) and I live in a sub-tropical climate (hot and humid summers and mild winters…although I find them quite cold and miserable).
I eat pretty much the same way you do, Swayze, though not the mono-meals thing. I eat fruit all day (several small meals including green smoothies), with a salad or blended salad and some lightly steamed veg for supper. My “cheats” are Larabars which I carry with me at all times just in case I’m out and about running errands and don’t have any fruit with me. I wish I were 100% raw, but a cooked meal still beckons me occasionally, like get-togethers with friends, etc.
Hi Swayze, I love bananas too! I’ve been eating a lot of smoothies lately for breakfast and lunch and then usually some sort of salad for dinner. I’ll have some fat about two or three times a week and If I get hungry inbetween I’ll snack on some fruit. My favorite breakfast is melon though and I’m going to miss them during the winter!
Laurie, I eat a lot like you. I find it hard to call steamed veggies bad – I think they are very useful, for warming you up, keeping away cravings, keeping your calories low when you like to over-eat. I did a “raw” pregnancy which for the 2nd and 3rd trimesters was greatly limited to fruits and veggies, and steamed veggies. I did not eat overt fats because I would get a yeast infection. I was in excellent health, LOTS of energy for being pregnant, and my delivery was quick and easy! My baby was over 7 lbs even though I limited my calories like that. I think a “fresh produce” pregnancy is the healthiest way to grow a baby
I have 32 pounds to lose, would this way of eating work for me? I hear so many different truths about diets and nutrition, how can you live on fruit and some greens alone? what about coconut oil for your brain,thyroid,skin?
Swayze Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
You can certainly live on fruits and veggies. There is no vitamin, mineral, etc. in meat, dairy, grains, etc. that is not available in produce. And we all know that fruits and veggies contain vital nutrients that are NOT available in many other commonly consumed foods (i.e. vitamin C, vitamin A, etc.).
Why would you need coconut oil? Oil of any kind is a highly refined food. In fact, it is nothing but pure 100% fat. And because the fiber has been removed and it has been exposed to oxygen, it is now rancid fat.
You can get all the essential fatty acids you need, both ALA (omega-3) and LA (omega-6) and in the right ratios (1:1-4:1), from a raw vegan diet. As Laurie mentioned, it’s all about calories. As long as you are eating sufficient calories from sweet fruit and limiting your fat intake, your skin, brain, and thyroid will be just fine.
To make a long story short, this diet can work you. Give it a try for 30 days. What have you got to lose?
Eveline, it sounds like Swayze does just fine on this diet, but she always says she has to get enough calories in – that’s the trick to not craving the bad stuff. I don’t think I have any brain or thyroid problems, and my skin looks better than it ever has. I eat avocado most days, though – I just love it. And the water in all the produce I consume, plus the sunshine and Vitamin D from my daily walks, has made a huge difference as well. A year ago my skin looked really, really, bad, but after losing 105 lbs. I’m a whole different woman.
Annalise, you are my hero! I think you are wonderful for going raw while preggers. I’ll bet your baby is the picture of health!
I have to force myself to eat bananas! I like juicy sweet and crunchy fruit. For breatkfast I eat peaches, nectarines and melons. I prefer green salads for lunch and dinner. Snacks consist of cucumbers, zucchini and apples.
Swayze Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
To tell you the truth, I used to HATE bananas when I first went raw! The only way I would eat them was in a smoothie with other fruits. I much preferred juicy fruits, like oranges.
This is fun to read all your guys’ posts. I am in some raw groups but not like this. I went to a raw potluck here, and when I said I don’t eat fats, they looked at me like I was crazy. It was weird to be looked down on by other raw fooders! The same way a typical person would react to someone eating high-fat raw, they reacted to me eating low-fat raw. So we should form a yahoogroup or something. It’s awesome to hear what you guys eat and we could exchange other ideas, like how to store or ripen certain fruits, etc. And I also wonder how the rest of you do in winter time. I have such a hard time eating fruit if I am already cold, it seems to make me colder. Maybe my hormones are imbalanced, or would I just have to stick with it longer in order to “cure” that? If not, what I am going to do is either have steamed veggies for breakfast, tea, or broth, OR just skip breakfast (and in that case, eat a later dinner).
Also, anybody know of a good online place to order bulk produce? What other ways can I get discounted fruit?
Mary Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Lightly steamed veggies are still enzyme-rich inside, so if you have to have hot food, which I, too, occassionally desire, then heat it quickly. I have gone raw long enough nor had the funds to do it consistently enough, to know if these desires leave over time. i did not desire hot food all Summer, though.
Swayze Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
I’ve heard mixed results from low fat raw vegans on cold weather. Some, like Dr. Douglas Graham and Roger Haeske, say that they can now handle the cold much better than when they ate cooked. Others say that they still get cold easily and have to use other techniques to adapt.
Unfortunately, I’m a member of the second camp. I get cold pretty easily, but it’s an easy fix. If I’m really cold, I’ll just get up and do a few jumping jacks or burpees or stair runs to get my blood pumping. I’ve found this to be the fastest way to warm up. Another trick is to ALWAYS end your hot showers with cold water, as cold as you can stand. That way when you turn the water off, your surrounding environment will actually be warmer than you are.
Nuts Online is great for raw nuts and seeds. Other than that, I’ve only purchased organic produce online, which tends to be rather expensive.
I also love the bananas for breakfast and sometimes lunch. I crave them when I run out. I usually have wild or cultivated greens at dinnertime. I don’t miss having nuts as often as I used to eat them–something I never expected. Sometimes I eat greens a half-hour after I eat bananas at lunch time, too, with some fresh carrots and green peppers–sometimes tossed in virgin olive oil if I want that. Then I can eat more lightly at suppertime. Eating carrots keeps me from missing milk products of all kinds.
I still seem to need an iodine supplement sometimes.
I eat the same way you do. =)
except im not attracted to greens very often… I eat mostly fruit. =)
Oh, and im a pistachio fan as well. ha.
Annalise, have you been to http://www.30bananasaday.com? its a great low fat raw vegan community. Also http://nakedfoodcafe.ning.com/ is a low fat community as well. CHECK ‘EM OUT!!!
I love bananas and any sweet fruit ever created and have tried the high fruit diet, but always ended up with yeast infections from the high sugar content. (I made the connection between the yeast and sugar after several attempts). What do you say to those of us who have candida issues?
It’s the combination of sugar and fat that promotes microform overgrowth. When there is too much fat in your bloodstream, the sugar cannot feed your cells and instead feed the yeast. If you try the 80/10/10 diet (fat making up no more than 10% of calories) you will see – your yeast will go away. I have A LOT Of personal experience on this! It’s the main reason I do low-fat.
Mary Reply:
October 18th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Me, too, Annalise
Hi! My question for Swayze is regarding variety. When I became vegan, I found it was easy because I could still eat “normal” foods, like “burgers & chicken”, etc. I am very interested in the lowfat raw diet but Im wondering how I can stick to it, lol. How do you not get bored with just bananas (fruits & veggies) and shakes? How does one prepare a meal for guests and family to enjoy with them?
Swayze Reply:
February 24th, 2010 at 11:43 am
I actually wrote a post on this a while back:
http://www.fitonraw.com/2009/08/is-a-raw-food-diet-boring/
There are a bunch of savory recipes to make for loved ones. Everyone loves salsa, guacamole, gazpacho, and salads and raw pastas and soups are great as well. Plus, you can always add less optimal ingredients like salt, pepper, garlic, etc. for those who are not accustomed to simple flavors.
Siegren Reply:
February 24th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
I’ll check it out! Thanks!!
Siegren Reply:
February 24th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Oh cr*p, didnt mean to get your goat! lol Good suggestions, thanks again!
Swayze Reply:
February 24th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
No problem!