Raw Vegan Myths Debunked with Ronnie Smith

Raw Vegan Myths Debunked: Interview with Ronnie Smith on Common Misconceptions

I had an insightful conversation with Ronnie Smith, also known as Fruity Ronster, about his book “Raw Vegan Myths DEBUNKED,” which addresses common raw food misconceptions and the most significant misinformation circulating in the community. Ronnie is the creator of UK Fruitfest, which ran for over eight years, and he’s not afraid to tackle controversial subjects head-on. This interview digs into the myths that can actually be dangerous for people trying to thrive on a raw food diet.

In this book, raw vegan author Ronnie Smith covers 10 myths about the raw vegan diet,

some of which we tackle in this interview, such as:

* Is the raw vegan diet nutrient-deficient?

* Can raw vegans avoid medication?

* Is soil depletion worldwide leading to declining food quality?

* Are the practices of dry fasting, urine therapy, and breatharianism valid?

Ronnie wrote “Raw Vegan Myths Debunked” because he’s seen too many people get harmed by misinformation in and around the raw vegan movement. Sometimes people do things incorrectly, or they get ideas that might actually be bad for them. The challenge with spreading this message and helping people is that sometimes folks either do the diet wrong or pick up dangerous practices from the fringes of the community.

As Ronnie explained, he made mistakes himself. For example, there was a period where people were saying you don’t need to brush your teeth because animals don’t do it. That’s one of the raw vegan myths debunked in his experience. If we were living an actual natural lifestyle with no dried fruit, no smoothies, no juices, no dehydrated foods, and maybe chewing lots of leaves, perhaps you could get away with it. But in our modern context, with dates, dried fruit, and weakened genetics from generations of processed-food consumption, neglecting dental hygiene is a recipe for disaster.

Ronnie’s biggest mistake was eating tons of dates without proper dental care. After talking with a dentist, he realized that dried fruit sticking to your teeth is a huge problem. Many people have moved away from the raw vegan diet just because they got cavities when they never had them before in their life.

Raw Vegans Don’t Need Medication: A Dangerous Myth

One of the first chapters in the book addresses the implied belief that raw vegans don’t need medication or can avoid it entirely. Ronnie believes there’s truth to this to an extent, but you have to become intelligent about that extent.

When health issues are caused by a poor diet, which many are, going raw vegan is probably going to really help. If someone’s condition is caused by their previous diet, adopting a new one can be transformative. However, if they’ve got a condition that’s not caused by their diet, it will help to an extent but doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to recover fully. Other interventions may be required.

Sometimes people have bad experiences with the medical system and throw it all out, deciding they’re never going back to doctors again. But as Ronnie points out, we need to think and not be lazy about this. I completely agree. Some people think they’re invincible and that raw food is the answer to everything, but there are genetic things, environmental factors, and accidents that can happen.

I shared my own experience of getting in a motorcycle accident. I probably would have died if I hadn’t given painkillers, put under for surgery, and given antibiotics. There’s a time and place for everything.

The Supplement and Deficiency Myth

Another major topic in “Raw Vegan Myths Debunked” is supplementation. This is one that goes both ways. Some people neglect it completely, others go overboard, and most people lack a solid understanding of how it actually works.

Ronnie views supplementation more from a medical perspective. If someone thinks they have a deficiency, they should speak to someone trained to test them and figure out what’s actually going on, considering their genetics, the state of their body, what they’ve done in the past, and any medications they’re taking.

The raw vegan diet isn’t inherently deficient and doesn’t require more supplements than any other diet. In fact, there’s potentially a lot less chance of deficiency. True deficiencies are actually rare and much less likely to happen than people think. What often happens is people start the raw vegan diet, feel tired after a few weeks or months, and immediately jump to thinking they have a deficiency. That shouldn’t be the first thought.

I shared my own experience eating mostly conventional grocery store food in Saskatchewan, Canada, throughout the winters for my first 10 years raw. Every single biomarker was top notch except B12, which steadily went down from years six through ten. That’s the only thing I supplement.

The funny thing is, people on a standard diet eating complete crap never think they have a deficiency when they get sick. But raw vegans eating the most nutrient dense foods on the planet immediately worry about nutrients. As Doug Graham says, why are we worried about our nutrition? It’s your neighbor eating McDonald’s who should be worried.

Extreme Practices: Fasting, Urine Therapy, and Dry Fasting

Some of the most important raw vegan myths debunked in Ronnie’s book involve extreme practices like long water fasts, dry fasting, and urine therapy. These aren’t necessarily taught heavily in the raw vegan community, but they’re always kind of surrounding it, on the edges.

People are attracted to extremes because they want the quickest fix possible. They don’t accept where they are and want something abrupt that will get them to their goals fast. But the reality is it takes a long time to get to ill health, and in most cases it takes quite a while to get out of it completely. Slow and steady isn’t as attractive as “boom, do this powerful thing and you’re cured.”

Ronnie experienced major issues from people promoting dry fasting. To both of us, dry fasting intuitively doesn’t make sense. The body requires a certain level of hydration for efficient detoxification. By dehydrating ourselves, we’re stressing our organs and hindering detoxification. The heat and physical sensations it creates can make you feel high or deeply connected, but that’s just because you’re stressing your body out.

As for urine therapy, Ronnie thinks it’s pointless and doesn’t do anything. I tried it for about a week years ago after reading the books. It tasted like green tea until I did a short fast, then it became so horrible I would gag. Intuitively, it’s repulsive, and it’s going out of your body for a reason. The people I know who do it long term don’t have special powers or float, so it’s not something I’m interested in.

Water fasting can have a time and place, especially for severe chronic conditions with proper supervision, but it’s vastly over promoted. Most people don’t need it if they’re doing the lifestyle properly. The key indicator for being a candidate for a fast is if it becomes body initiated, like when you literally have no interest in food.

The Tropical Paradise Myth

One of the classic myths is that you need to live in the tropics to do this diet successfully. Ronnie feels pretty comfortable doing this diet wherever he is. He’s so used to doing it in Scotland, Canada, and the US that going to the tropics actually requires learning new systems.

I completely agree. The grass is always greener on the other side. No matter where you are, there you are with your stuff. I don’t think it’s any easier in the tropics. When I first got into raw food, I thought I had to live in the tropics and be in the trees. Now I feel like I’m in the Garden of Eden, wherever I am, as long as there are decent-quality grocery stores. I’d rather travel to the tropics for vacations and live in a temperate or subtropical climate.

I’ve lived in minus-40-degree Canadian weather in medium-sized cities and done great. I know people who went to the tropics already established as raw vegans and started eating cooked food there. Bananas taste like bananas everywhere. Some fruit is better, some is the same. When I’m in Costa Rica for three months, I start missing dates and getting excited for cherry season back home.

The tropics are also full of cooked food, oil, barbecues, and street food everywhere. And honestly, people starting off don’t know how to pick good fruit yet. We instinctively know what to avoid, but beginners pick up rock-hard mangoes that will never ripen properly and conclude that you can’t do this diet where they live.

Building Confidence in the Diet

After about six or seven years raw, something clicked for me. I really didn’t have to worry about food or specifically try to eat for nutrients. I just had to focus on food I love, get variety, and eat my face off. As soon as I set that worry aside, even though it was slight and only in the back of my mind, my health and contentment went up an extra notch.

That confidence is really important. Ronnie wants more people to have that level of confidence rather than constantly worrying about whether they’re getting enough of this or that. We should all seek to get as close as possible to truth and reality, moving past our own biases and egos.

Final Thoughts on Raw Vegan Myths Debunked

The conversation with Ronnie Smith about raw vegan myths debunked reminded me how important it is to think critically about everything in this lifestyle. Just because something is “natural” doesn’t mean it’s beneficial or necessary. Just because someone promotes an extreme practice doesn’t mean you need to do it.

The goal is to figure out what you can do long term, what you’re prepared to do for the rest of your life. That’s what you should work on, not whether you can do a 30-day juice fast or a 40-day water fast or some extreme thing.

Check out Ronnie’s work at @RonnieSmithHealth on Instagram and definitely read “Raw Vegan Myths Debunked” for a comprehensive look at the misconceptions that can derail your success on this lifestyle. To learn more, check out Ronnie’s books

Check Out and Subscribe to Ronnie on his UK Fruit Fest Youtube Page 

Check out the Love Fruit Podcast Here

Be sure to give @fruityronster a follow on IG

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