Raw Robin by Robin Lane

[Kate✯GO VEGAN+NOBODY GETS HURT Ⓥ]

Raw Robin

by Robin Lane

When I became a vegan, back in 1982, veganism was considered weird and vegan products were few and far between. I remember, in 1983, getting very excited about vegan choc ices and, whilst we now take so many vegan products for granted, back then it was really special. Although there were very few brands of soya milk available, we were able to buy “one cup” size containers, which were very handy, and something we can’t get now. As a new and isolated vegan, it was very much a learning process. For instance, I didn’t realise that caseinate was a dairy product and so I was quite happily using dairy milk “substitutes” for the first few months.

In 1985, I became interested in following a fruitarian diet, having been in touch with the late Wilfred Crone. At that time in my life, I was a none-too-healthy vegan, living on toasted sosmix sandwiches, drinking an excessive amount of alcohol and taking too many drugs. I only managed to follow the fruit diet for a month before I gave it up.

The year 1999 turned out to be a turning point for both myself and Alison who run CALF (Campaign Against Leather and Fur). During the summer of that year, we attended a London Vegans talk given by the long-term rawfoodist, Dr. Douglas Graham. We immediately adopted an 80% raw food diet, gave up alcohol, sugar, coffee and margarine and, over the next few months, increased our raw food intake.

By the beginning of the year 2000, Alison was eating a 95% raw vegan diet and I began to follow a fruitarian diet. One year later, I am 95% raw food fruitarian diet, and I am both very healthy and very happy. We have joined a local vegan/raw food group where we continually sample delicious desserts, our most recent being a raw food, fruitarian trifle with pine nut “cream”!

Yours, for a very fruitful life,

Robin Lane, London, England

(Page 276 of Vegan Stories, published in 2002 by The Vegan Society - www.vegansociety.com )

[robin lane]

Hi Kate,
Thanks for your message. I think that fruitarianism is the most innocent of diets, though only when picking the fruit ourselves, and when only totally organic. It can be very expensive as I found that I was hungry for most of the time. I also lost a lot of weight, which I didn`t need to lose!! However, I was buzzing (all that natural sugar no doubt) and I was FULL of energy, running everywhere. Like you say though, the UK climate isn`t really suitable, and the fruit isn`t very fresh. There is so much delicious vegan food out there, and it doesn`t have to be unhealthy (contrary to what raw food purists say). I think, as long as we avoid drugs, alcohol and junk food, we can be healthy. I liked what you said about the sosmix sandwiches. I lived on them at one time as I was so short of money - I couldn`t eat one now. While not entirely raw, I do eat a lot of raw food. I`ve given up drugs, alcohol, and junk food but I`m rather too into coffee!

[Kate✯GO VEGAN+NOBODY GETS HURT Ⓥ]

Hello Robin. Thanks for commenting here. I agree that fruitarianism must surely be the most innocent of diets. Personally I've never seriously tried it or a raw food diet, I agree with you that it's very healthy and natural. I do have salad with sprouted lentils and/or sprouted chick peas everyday for my lunch, and I usually eat an apple or two picked straight from the tree as I walk with my dogfriends around the orchard of an afternoon.
I've had friends who have found raw and fruitarian diets suited them well and they felt energized by it. Personally I feel that the climate here in the UK is not ideally suited to either a raw or fruitarian diet for more than a few months of the year. This time of year for an evening meal I can't resist having cooked vegetables with gravy and whatever else goes with it.
As a fellow vegan (for 23 years) in the UK, I shared your excitement about the availability of vegan choc ices, and your reference to toasted sosmix sandwiches brought back fond memories for me. Thank you.
I'm really looking forward to your chat. Thank you for being here in ARZone.

[robin lane]

Well, that was back in 2000. I am no longer on a fruitarian diet because I found it too restrictive. However, I do believe that the raw food/fruitarian diet is our natural diet, and a great way to stay healthy. I believe that fruitarianism, in it`s natural state, is the most innocent of diets.