Meat Free Everyday - Food for Thought

Vegetarianism - How far is too far

I must be honest I haven't met too many people with extreme food preferences. But I would say that raw foodists and fruitarians are on the extreme left of the eating scale. Being in this world has to be hard for them as their style of eating is just not happening in the world. Family and friends probably think they are bonkers. I must be honest I haven't met too many people with extreme food preferences. Family and friends probably think they are bonkers.

We know for sure that raw food retains way more nutrients and that heating destroys vitamins and minerals. However eating out and being with friends or family around food is going to be an almighty challenge. There are a few raw food chefs and restaurants but not many. Food preparation takes up a huge amount of time. I try and have raw food such as fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, salads and seeds. But this style of eating must take massive commitment and I admire people who get it right.

Raw foodies eat a lot of nuts, which although good for you, can lead to weight gain. They make dips and "cheezes" from nuts. Raw foodies also do amazing things with a dehydrator. A machine that extracts moisture from foods. They might grind seeds, grains, nuts or sprouts, mix with water, and spread onto a tray to dry inside a dehydrator. When dry, they become raw wraps or tortillas. The taste will be different to what you might be used to. Raw chefs dream up apple tarts, soups and pizza, all without ever cooking. Good on them.

And if you think raw foodies have it hard, fruitarians have an even tougher time. My understanding is that they take the non-violence concept to the extent that they do not want to harm plants. They will only eat the part of a plant that would naturally be discarded. So although we might think of peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes as vegetables, a fruitarian will eat them. All nuts and seeds are on the menu so nut butters are allowed.

Fruit might be good for you but a diet particularly high in fruit will be obviously high in fruit sugar. Fruit sugar is still sugar and too much is not a good idea. A salad that would be permissible would be avocado, courgettes, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and sunflower or pumpkin seeds. An apple cider vinegar and olive oil dressing would be allowed to go with the salad.

Note. Patrick and I have been experimenting of late with eating more raw food. We splashed out on a dehydrator and have been making raw “biscuits”, chocolate brownies and even raw “Parmesan’ cheese. Our newer recipes have a lot more raw foods.

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