Raw foods

No Need for Vegans to Give Up Fat, Gluten, Soy or Cooked Foods

When I order a vegan meal on a plane, it invariably comes with fat-free salad dressing. This annoys me more than I can say. It’s not just because I think fat-free salad dressing is basically inedible (which it is IMHO), but because somehow, vegan diets have become synonymous with low-fat eating. That’s not good for vegans or for the animals we want to help.

Given the fact that vegan eating is well outside the mainstream and very different from the way most Americans eat, it’s not surprising that many people view it as difficult and restrictive. (Most people view any dietary […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-11-05T10:25:00-05:00November 5th, 2009|Tags: Fat, Nutrition, Raw foods|24 Comments

Help Animals With Healthful and Practical Vegan Diets

I take some flak for my stance on raw foods and low-fat-vegan diets. But that’s okay; I stand by my opinion that neither is a good idea. I’m bothered as a dietitian because I don’t think these diets are the most healthful way to eat. But it bugs me way more as an activist since I don’t think either approach helps animals. In fact, I think it hurts them.

If our goal is to put an end to the inhumane treatment on factory farms, we need to encourage as many people as possible to embrace vegan diets. […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-05-20T14:25:00-04:00May 20th, 2009|Tags: Fat, Raw foods, Vegan activism|6 Comments

Raw Or Cooked Foods: Which is the Best Diet for Vegans?

An acquaintance mentioned to me the other day that she first went vegan for ethical reasons and then a raw foods diet just seemed the “next logical step.” I can’t imagine why. To me, there is nothing especially logical or beneficial about eating only raw foods.

True, raw foods are packed with all kinds of things that are good for you—tons of fiber and all of the nutrients and phytochemicals that are found in plants. Although nuts and dried fruits are calorie-dense, a raw foods diet is usually much lower in calories than many other ways of eating […]

By Ginny Messina|2008-01-08T12:02:00-05:00January 8th, 2008|Tags: Nutrition, Raw foods|1 Comment