Buddy Friend can be seen free climbing coconut trees, peeling coconuts, doing handstands, and flexing his biceps on his YouTube channel (1). The 20-year-old from Australia is certainly not lacking in energy – and most people will be surprised to learn that he has never consumed meat or cooked food in his life. Raw vegan since birth, Friend was raised on a sizable property in Cairns where his family grew their own organic fruit. Except for his older sister, his entire family is also raw vegan. Friend claims that he has “never felt more healthy than ever” and has no plans of changing the way he eats.
What Does a Raw Vegan Eat, Anyway?
Friend likes to start his day with a banana smoothie for breakfast. He uses 10 to 20 bananas, plus coconut cream. According to him, “[Fruit] is the best for energy.” (2) By noon, Friend will start craving salad. His go-to recipe includes mung beans, coconut, tomatoes, and lots of greens – a combination that he describes as “completely satisfying.” He’ll usually have salad for dinner as well.
Raw Plant Foods Promote Healing
A raw vegan diet has helped Friend recover quickly from injuries. When he was four, an accident at home led to glass slicing his right arm. The wound healed without any stitches or a tetanus shot. Some years later, Friend snapped his left arm in a motorbike accident. Doctors said the fracture would heal in 12 weeks; his arm was fine by week 8.
Friend, who’s never been vaccinated, claims he never gets sick and is the only one among his friends who doesn’t get colds during wintertime. “Adrenaline in the animal products knocks out your immune system to the point where you’re a lot more prone for infection, sickness of any kind,” he says.
Body by Coconut
Friend’s shredded physique, complete with six-pack abs, will have many thinking that he hits the gym regularly. But Friend says he doesn’t really work out – he gets his exercise from his work. On weekdays, he can be found fixing broken cars, which he then sells for triple to quadruple the amount he bought them for. He also enjoys working on his garden in the afternoon. During weekends, Friend peels between 300 and 400 coconuts, which his family turns into raw vegan salads and serves at Port Douglas Markets.
“Coconut, it’s the incredible protein as it digests like a fruit but it is a complete protein as well,” says Friend. “So one coconut is the same protein as a quarter pound of beef.” And according to coconutsecret.com, coconuts also offer quick energy boosts, and lowers the desire to eat unhealthy sweets. (3)
“You can grow on that. You’re gonna do muscles, bodybuilding, you name it… You eat coconut for protein and you’re not lacking on anything.”
Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher, sharing her passions with others, using the Internet as her medium. She discusses topics in a straight forward way in hopes to help people from all walks of life achieve optimal health and well-being. SUBSCRIBE here to get more from Raw Michelle!
Sources for this article include:
(1) https://www.youtube.com/
(2) https://www.youtube.com/
(3) https://www.coconutsecret.com/
( http://www.rawfoodhealthwatch.com/ )
