Why do most vegan recipes call for baking, cooking, frying? What happened to the good ol' raw foods?

Question

Vegan baked cookies..

Vegan baked cake..

Vegan baked chicken..

Vegan soy milk..

Vegan cooked veggies..

Why? How many of you actually eat REAL FOOD? My day begins with green barley grass in the morning, then I have superfood snacks throughout the day... my favorites are spirulina goji berry rolls. Then I have a large raw salad in the afternoon sprinkled with some crushed nuts or seeds, and my day usually ends with some "junk food" such as a fruit salad.

Now I am not attacking any vegan here. I just read through what the average vegan eats and hardly any recipe calls for large leafy salads... !

Answer 1

i might get attacked for this but eating SOLEY raw food sounds rather limiting.  what's wrong with cooking food?  now i jsut gave my self 2 options instead of one- raw spinach or cooked spinach... what's wrong with baking food?  more options... raw tofu in a salad or baked tofu with a salad.... i'm not sure why because something is cooked or baked or wahtever is so bad.... and why that's not "real" food for you...

Answer 2

I eat plenty of raw vegetables.  I sure don't need a recipe for them though.  

I eat Kashi cereal and soy milk for breakfast, pb+j and fruit for lunch, and all sorts of things for dinner like vegan chili and corn cake, spaghetti and meatless meatballs and vegetable and tofu stir fry.

In between meals for snacks I eat fruit (fresh, frozen, and dried), and raw vegetables (raw and cooked), nuts & seeds, vegan candy and other stuff.

Then at night if I am hungry I repeat the Kashi thing.

I pretty much understand your raw food diet, but I am not sure what you are asking.  Regular vegan recipes call for cooking, baking, and frying because we are not raw foodists.  We do those things to make our food taste good.  I sure as heck wouldn't want to eat raw tofu or tempe.

Calling fruit junk food is pretty ridiculous.  That made your whole question like a "my diet is better than your diet" question.

To me it really sounds like you are not getting enough. I bet you don't take in enough calories.  If I ate only the things you listed I would keal over.  I do a lot of work and I need calories.

Answer 3

I eat real food, I'm sure most vegans do too. vitamin and mineral deficiencies cause (amongst other ailments) nerve damage and dementia.  others don't eat like you do because they have common sense and probably want to make sure they are getting the full range of nutrients they need.

Answer 4

Ach, go drive a horse and buggy.  Or better yet, a brontosaurus.

Answer 5

If it's not cooked or prepared in some fashion, then there's little call for a recipe as such.

Answer 6

It is cuz they want to give you more options that just plain old raw veggies. Who can't pick up broccoli or strawberry and eat, no recipe needed. The only recipe needed for raw veggies is a dressing maybe.

Answer 7

Because we like cooked food, that's why.  And there's nothing wrong with liking cookies, cake, analogues, etc.

Answer 8

it goes to show that just because we're vegan doesnt mean that we eat healthy.

Answer 9

"I'm not attacking any vegan here" - Yes you are

Answer 10

Because eating raw food doesn't require instructions. If you need a recipe on how to eat an apple I'm afraid you wouldn't understand it anyways.

Answer 11

hey no worries, check out this nice lady's site "Anne Wigmore" - i had the oppurtunity to live with and work with her in the 70's.  i think you will find what you are looking for, she has been doing the raw food thing longer than most.  there is all kinds of info for raw food vegan types.  was a raw fooder for about 10 yrs - no more asthma, ever!  i always felt great too.  still have wheatgrass juice regularly, mmmmmmmm.  well hope this helps  -  a veggie/vegan Mom  :)

Answer 12

Vegan baked chicken?  WTF?

Answer 13

Lots of vegans (including myself) eat raw fruits, veggies, nuts, beans, but they also have to eat cooked food in order to get all of their essential vitamins and minerals. I mean, yes you can get all your vitamins and minerals from raw food, but most vegans don't have enough time to spend planning out a raw food diet.

Answer 14

You need a recipe for a salad, hon? Tsk tsk.

Enjoy your goji berries.  By the way, I have a bridge to sell you...

Answer 15

Raw foodists are typically vegans, but not all vegans are raw. It's a totally different lifestyle.

While it's true that vegans probably eat somewhat more whole foods than vegetarians and non-veggie folk (due to the relatively low number of convenience foods available), it definitely doesn't mean that they object to cooked foods. Cooked foods can still be perfectly healthy.

I'd say that the majority of people who choose veganism do so for ethical reasons. Just because I don't want to eat beef or chicken doesn't mean that I automatically stop liking barbecue (you can tell me that that's unhealthy; I know about AGEs) or cookies. Eating is and should be a pleasure. While raw offers plenty of opportunities, it is intrinsically limited. There are still enough ways that food changes when it is cooked that most people want to keep that variety.

Answer 16

There is nothing inherently unhealthly about baked cooked or fried foods.  They can all be a part of a healthy diet.

And what is fake about flour, oil, and salt?