We’ve seen it time and time again. Our customers transition to the raw vegan diet without reading the necessary information or our tips and they end up cheating or failing as a result. We want nothing but success and transformation for the Dherbs family, but people sometimes fall prey to common mistakes that are easily avoidable.
This article is not just about people who transition to the raw vegan diet to follow along with one of our cleanses. More and more people continue to transition to both vegan and raw vegan diets because they are fast growing movements, but people also appreciate the health benefits. Whatever your reason for making the switch, we applaud your conviction and want to see you succeed. In order to help you on your journey, avoid the following mistakes that cause people to fail on the raw vegan diet.
#1: Not Eating Enough
You have to eat more than you realize when you switch to a raw vegan diet. It’s all about quantity! You cannot expect to feel full after eating a small salad. That salad needs to be about three or four times the size of a usual salad. The reason for this is because you are reducing your caloric intake by eliminating common foods that are typically heavy. These foods include meats, dairy products, refined carbs, processed foods, and more. Keep in mind that you’ll only be eating raw vegetables, fruits, and raw nuts and seeds. Don’t be afraid to eat until you are full!
#2: Keeping Unhealthy Foods In The House
If unhealthy temptations are in your line of sight, it won’t be long until you are hunched over in a dark corner eating what you shouldn’t be eating. If you have cookies, packaged foods, candies, and other processed junk in your cupboards or fridge, take it out before you start your diet. Even though you know you shouldn’t eat those foods on your diet, it’s very easy to succumb to their powers when you’re hungry and don’t know what else to do. Clear it out of the house if you want to succeed!
#3: Not Understanding What You Can Eat
When some people think about the raw vegan diet, they think they will be crunching on lettuce and chomping on carrots the entire time. They think that both meals and flavors don’t exist, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. You can use spices, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, raw apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos, and more to create unbelievable flavor combinations. You can make a homemade pesto to sauce your raw zucchini noodles, or you can make chia pudding as a delicious snack or breakfast. You can also use nuts and seeds to make raw vegan energy bites to power you through the day. There are many websites, including Dherbs, that are dedicated to showcasing the possibilities of the raw vegan diet. Click here to check out our raw vegan recipes.
#4: Not Diversifying Your Diet
You can’t remain in a familiar lane if you want to succeed on a raw vegan diet. People are more comfortable with fruit, so it’s quite common for people to only eat fruit when they make the dietary transition. This is too much sugar for the body! You have to diversify the foods you eat, including various vegetables, nuts, seeds, homemade nut or seed milks, and spices to make a successful raw vegan transition.
#5: You Don’t Stock Your Fridge
It’s easy to say, “I bought some food, so I’m good for a week.” Wrong, unless you bought the entire produce section at the grocery store. You don’t need to go that far, but you do need to stock up with produce like you’ve never stocked up before. Buy melons, avocados, bananas, different leafy greens, herbs, your favorite fruits, and an assortment of vegetables. Consider shopping in bulk or visit your local grocery store to see what’s in season. If you feel like you can’t finish all the groceries, you can always do smaller grocery runs more often. If you run into a situation where fruit is starting to turn, freeze it first and then you can add it to smoothies.
#6: You Don’t Have Any Kitchen Tools
You don’t have to have all the equipment from a restaurant, but there are some kitchen tools that make the raw vegan diet much easier. The best thing to have is a good high-speed blender. You’ll need a good blender if you want to make smoothies, sauces, dressings, nut meats, or energy bites. It can also benefit you to buy a spiralizer. Sure, many grocery stores sell spiralized vegetables, but it’s more affordable to buy a simple spiralizer. Lastly, a dehydrator isn’t necessary, but it does come in handy if you want to get really creative with your recipes.
