Previously we discussed the benefits of eating raw food. Today we will go into more detail on what exactly is a raw food diet. A raw food diet entails eating raw fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. You will be amazed at what great recipes there are available to combine these ingredients for extremely tasty food. I have had chocolate pudding, banana mango pie, brownies, and chocolate ice cream; all made out of fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. Simply amazing. It takes a bit of research and learning but it is a great way to eat.
What can I eat?
Unprocessed, preferably organic, whole foods such as:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Beans
- Grains
- Legumes
- Dried fruit
- Seaweed
- Unprocessed organic or natural foods
- Freshly juiced fruit and vegetables
- Purified water
- Young coconut milk
At least 75% of food consumed should not be heated over 116 degrees F.
2. How is food prepared?
Specific techniques make foods more digestible and add variety to the diet, including:
- Sprouting seeds, grains, and beans
- Juicing fruit and vegetables
- Soaking nuts and dried fruit
- Blending
- Dehydrating food
3. What appliances do I need?
- A dehydrator, a piece of equipment that blows air through food at a temperature of less than 116 degrees F.
- A good-quality juice extractor for juicing fruit and vegetables
- A blender, food processor, or chopper to save time
- Large glass containers to soak and sprout seeds, grains, and beans
- Mason jars for storing sprouts and other food
4. Example of a day eating RAW
- Fresh vegetable juice and hemp seed hearts before exercise
- Green smoothie for breakfast
- Mixed organic raw nuts for snack
- Salad for lunch
- Veggies with sprouted hummus for snack
- Taco salad and chocolate pudding for dinner
How is it best to get started?
Slowly, at first I thought I would have to eat salads for the rest of my life!
- Become a vegetarian
- Buy a juicer and start having two glasses perday
- Google Easy Raw Food Recipes
- Figure out how to use you food processor! (make coleslaw)
- Buy a sprouter and start spouting seeds
- Learn about soaking seeds and nuts and WHY
I am still taking baby steps and changing each week, I just started trying to grow wheatgrass and so far I am not having a lot of success. This can all be overwhelming because you are changing everything you know about what is for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But it is simple if you take one step at a time.
Simple steps
- Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet.
- Eat salads made with different vegetables
- Buy vegetables you haven’t tried before
- Eat a salad before each meal
- Try one new recipe per week
- Gradually purchase the different ingredients for eating raw
- Snack on fresh or dried fruits, raw vegetables, rat nuts and seeds.
- Drink plenty of water
- Introduce super foods (foods dense in nutrients) into your diet to help you get rid of cravings.
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- Raw Cacao
- Goji berries
- Maca
- Hempseed
- Flaxseed
- Spirulina
- Chlorella
Go Slowly; your body needs time to adjust. Eating raw will help your body get rid of toxins.
Enjoy your raw food adventure. You don’t have to get there overnight, make one small change each day and before you know it you will be a raw foodist.
You can find some raw food recipes at www.worldwellnesseducation.org
Be sure to check back soon for other tips on how to get the most nutrition out of your diet.
Jean Sumner, author of “52 Tips to be Healthy” and co-founder of World Wellness Education has been involved with the health and wellness industry since 1996. An avid runner, she is passionate about exercise, eating healthy and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Jean was diagnosed with cancer in May, 2009 this only served to fuel the flames of her passions.
Jean pursued alternative methods of treating cancer and met countless individuals who had great stories to tell regarding how nutrition, spirituality and exercise helped them to overcome their various illnesses. Since these stories were moving, motivating and timely she thought that each of these stories may make a difference in others’ lives. With the knowledge that we learn from stories more quickly than other teaching methods, an organization was born in hopes to make a difference in the well-being of every individual on the planet. That organization is World Wellness Education.
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