Do you ever wonder why anyone would choose to adopt a lifestyle that would make them an outcast in nearly every social situation? Why would any person intentionally live in a way that would generate constant inquiry and criticism from everyone around them? Unfortunately, that’s the reality most people face when choosing the raw vegan path. Friends, relatives, coworkers, and most everyone else begins to look at you like you have two heads and speak a foreign language.

However, once you get past the initial ridicule from friends and family, you may find that you begin to experience an improved psychological state and a clearer mind. It is not uncommon for people on a whole food, raw-centered, vegan diet to report a more profound sense of calm and more peace in their emotional lives.

A variety of factors can influence this, but I have listed my top five reasons for it based on my personal experience:

1. You’re No Longer At War With Yourself

When we consume animal products and processed foods, I believe that the subconscious mind interprets that we are choosing to harm the body. These foods cause inflammation and endocrine disruption, which puts the body in a stressed state. In a sense, we are continually at war with our own bodies when we consume these substances day after day.

In such a condition, it is much more challenging to have a clear and peaceful mind, and consequently, many people deal with issues related to anger, sadness, depression, and anxiety. Of course, these emotions can have a variety of underlying contributors, but I have found that eating a raw vegan diet has had a significant impact on eliminating or significantly reducing these types of issues.

Once we stop consuming substances that harm us and introduce more fresh fruits and vegetables into our diet, our subconscious mind recognizes that we are now making more loving decisions towards ourselves and simultaneously calms the inflammation and improves hormonal balance - creating a healthier emotional state.

When we are no longer at war with ourselves, we can reach a deeper level of self-love and acceptance.

2. You Recognize The Amount of Control You Have 

Most people have been conditioned to believe that we are a victim of our circumstances. From how much money we can make to how long and healthy we can live, there is a belief that these things are largely out of our control. What I have learned after eating a raw vegan diet is just how much control I truly have over my health and other areas of my life.

I no longer suffer from the childhood conditions that I once had, such as asthma, eczema, and allergies. I was led to believe that the best I could do was to manage these conditions - but it turned out that the diet and lifestyle choices I was making were the problem - and once I made the necessary adjustments, I saw that I had the power to create the health I desired.

Knowing that we are not just a leaf blowing in the wind but in fact, the creator of our destiny through the choices we make - psychologically puts you in a place of power and can give you more self-confidence. 

3. You Embody Your Innate Altruism 

I believe deep down, every one of us has an innate desire to help others and to make the world a better place. The healthier we become on the inside, the more in tune with intuition we become - which leads us towards a more loving, compassionate nature.

A whole food, raw (or high raw) vegan diet not only changes our internal disposition, but it also causes the least amount of harm to animals and the environment compared to virtually all other practical styles of eating.

There is typically less plastic packaging on the food we buy, fewer chemicals needed in their production, less fuel used in the preparation of the food, less waste going to landfills, etc. So we maximize the level of care that we offer the world - which from an emotional and spiritual standpoint, we benefit greatly.

4. Not Consuming Metaphysical Fear and Pain

From a metaphysical perspective, I believe everything that we come in contact with holds a certain level of frequency and energy. The most intimate connection with the energy and frequency around us is through our food.

Think about it, the food we eat literally becomes us and creates the cells that make up our body. Multiple times a day, each of us consumes the energy and frequency of the foods we choose. The animals that people eat - fight and struggle for their life before they are killed. Before that, they most likely lived lives full of pain, misery, and fear - and I believe that energy is transferred from their flesh and secretions into the energy fields of the person who eats them. Even if someone believes they eat the flesh of animals that lived good lives and were killed “humanely” - that animal did not want to die and the energy that comes attached to that type of circumstance will always be toxic.

On the other hand, fruits and vegetables are always going to come attached to the loving energy and frequency of the Earth. It’s best to eat foods as fresh as possible so that they have the strongest charge from the Earth still within them. If you want to be sweet, full of life, and vibrant - you must eat foods that contain those energies and frequencies - fresh fruits and vegetables. 

5. Put Yourself into a Parasympathetic State 

The environment that most people find themselves in is one of fear and anxiety. The news, politics, inflation, financial uncertainty, food insecurity, health issues, government corruption, world events, and everything else keeps many people’s sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system perpetually activated.

All of this in addition to an inflammatory diet only exacerbates people’s stress levels and impedes their ability to handle the stress in their life. Switching to a raw vegan diet, which is an anti-inflammatory diet, can help reduce much of the inflammation in a person’s body, which can help to activate their parasympathetic (rest, digest, and heal) nervous system and allow them to more effectively handle the stress they experience. Lower inflammation means less pain in the body, and less pain allows a person to reach a healthier emotional state 

There are certainly social and emotional challenges that one may encounter when living this way, but the reasons listed above are what have made any potential challenge worth overcoming to live in a way that aligns with the truth I feel in my soul.

If you would like to hear more on this topic, check out this recent episode on The Raw Misfits Show, where we discuss this topic further.