Eating a raw food diet sounds like you are eating ‘rabbit food’ all day long, but that is actually a misconception. Raw foodism, as it is sometimes called or Rawism, is the consumption of only raw foods that have not been heated above 40 degrees Celsius, in one’s diet, yes, but you actually do not need to be a vegetarian or vegan in order to partake in this lifestyle.

You can eat raw meats and animal products that are not cooked or processed, and a great example of this at work is sashimi, which you can find in most sushi retail locations. It is literally just high grade raw fish, and there are many other things you are able to eat on this diet, this is just an example.

There are many diet plans to follow with a raw diet, and they all circle around the idea of having a healthy diet plan. For example, there are an estimated 20 thousand followers of something called the Primal Diet. This diet is comprised of mostly fatty and organ meats, coconut cream, honey, dairy, and a minimal amount of fruit and veggie juices.

There is even a diet similar to a raw Atkins diet, which cuts out raw legumes, grains, and dairy products and focuses on raw meats, eggs, and fish, and this diet is commonly referred to as the Raw Meat or Raw Paleolithic Diet.

Of course, there are raw vegan and vegetarian raw food diet options, and many people who follow raw food diet plans believe that after the food has been heated above a certain temperature, it looses most of its original nutritional value. In these raw food diets there are usually sprouted grains and legumes included, as well as nuts, fruits, vegetables, and seeds.

There are also subgroups among vegan rawists, such as jucearians, sproutarians, and fruitarians. In each of these, there are certain more specific guidelines followed for consumption. Jucearians turn their raw fruits and vegetables into juice, which is where they mainly consume their nutrients, while fruitarians eat exclusively berries, fruits, nuts, and seeds, and sproutarians have a diet that consists mainly of sprouted seeds.

Raw vegetarian diets allow for products that come from animals, so in addition to a vegan raw food diet, they are also able to consume dairy products and eggs. However, they do not consume any meat, fish, or animal by products such as gelatin.

So you see? Even though it seems like a raw food diet can be very limiting, they are actually very versatile, and there are many that claim it is healthier than a non raw food diet.