A diet consisting mostly of raw vegetables can help you avoid common health conditions caused by the over-consumption of animal fats, such as high cholesterol and heart disease. Vegetables alone will not provide all the nutrients you need, however, so you should strive to eat a balanced diet comprising all the food groups. Eating only raw vegetables, you may find it challenging to consume enough daily calories---you should never eat less than 1,200 calories per day, according to the U.S. government's fitness website---so you may find it worthwhile to consume high-calorie drinks and sauces alongside your vegetables.
Step 1
Choose a wide variety of vegetables for your diet to make sure that you get as many natural vitamins and minerals as possible from them. According to the Centers for Disease Control, vegetables are excellent sources of fiber, folate, potassium, vitamin A, and Vitamin C. To ensure you get all of these these nutrients from your vegetables, your diet should include the following: chickpeas, black-eyed peas, lentils, artichokes, split peas, soybeans, white beans, lima beans, pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, spinach, great northern beans, asparagus, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, white potatoes, white beans, carrots, pumpkin, turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, collard greens, winter squash, red peppers, Chinese cabbage, green peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower.
Step 2
Consume protein to supplement your raw vegetables. According to the Centers for Disease Control, an adult man needs about 56 g of protein per day, and an adult woman needs about 46 g of protein per day. You may find it difficult to meet your protein needs eating raw vegetables alone, so supplement your diet with a good vegetarian source of protein, such as tofu or milled whey. There are several naturally sweetened protein drinks on the market that can provide you with extra calories as well as protein.
Step 3
Take a daily multivitamin and fish oil capsules to ensure you get all the minerals, vitamins and oils you need. The oils in various sauces that you can add to your vegetables provide essential fats and extra calories as well.
Tips and Warnings
- Rinse all raw vegetables before eating them to rid them of potentially harmful pesticides and bacteria.
Things You'll Need
- Multivitamin
- Protein supplement
- Source of oil
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