RB wrote:

<<Yes, but how do you *really* do this? Coming from a meat/dairy
inclusive diet, it seems quite difficult to switch to a vegan mode and
"get everything you need" in a day.>>

When I went vegetarian, it was a relief to dump all flesh food,
but at first I overdid it with cheese. It took me a decade to
drop cheese and other dairy foods, which I still miss, sometimes.

Eliminating flesh was easy, because it always made me a little
sick to think about where it came from and I didn't like the
taste, either.

Cutting back on whole grains was not as easy, but I did it gradually
for various reasons, mainly because I wanted more vitamins, minerals,
protective phytochemicals, and soluble fibers in my diet and
I had read a number of studies showing greater protection from
fruit/vegetable based-diets than from grain-based diets. I do not
think it is necessary to eliminate grains completely, but I do think
that the food pyramid should have fruits and vegetables at the
base (most calories) and grains (less calories) above it.

Cutting back on cooked vegetables was probably the most difficult
thing for me.

It's not hard to meet all your needs (except for B12, D, and
possibly long-chain omega3s) with a vegan diet, but it takes some
knowledge. It's easier when you include *some* legumes, but if you
want to be all raw, there aren't many raw legumes you can eat freely,
if any.

It's harder when your vegan diet is heavily grain-based because
grains tend not to be as nutrient-rich as fruits, vegetables, and
legumes on a per calorie basis and their phytic acid content
may hinder absorption of some minerals.

Some raw food plan comparisons are he
http://members.atlantic.net/~dec/raw.html

A vegan grain-based vs fruit/vegetable (cooked) comparison is he
http://members.atlantic.net/~dec/diet.html

An omnivorous Cretan Mediterranean vs mostly raw + 60 g fish is he
http://members.atlantic.net/~dec/med.html

Here are some pictures that might help you decide which fruits and vegetables
to incorporate from day to day:
http://members.atlantic.net/~dec/nutrient_profiles.html

And here is a nutrient density ranking for common fruits and vegetables. It
does not consider phytochemicals or antinutrients.
http://members.atlantic.net/~dec/nutrient_density.html

My typical day is usually 2 large (8 cup) green-based salads
per day and 2 small (4 cup) fruit salads per day with some
cooked legumes, raw mung bean sprouts, walnuts, ground flax,
one brazil nut, and very modest quantities of extra virgin
olive oil. Sometimes I have some lightly steamed vegetables,
or cooked sprouted grains, or light beer or red wine, or
even the occasional junk food like popcorn or potato chips.

I have usually 3 kg (about 6.6 lbs) of fruits, vegetables,
and legumes per day including 60-70 g protein and meet or
exceed men's daily values for everything except B12 and D
with low kcals (1400-1500) and very high fiber (60-80 g/day).