Have you bought the idea that a completely raw food diet is the ultimate, most logical, best diet for all humankind, no matter where they live in the world? (Like eskimos eating watermelon…)
It seems to me that it’s the implied idea transmitted by many raw-foodists, raw food website, books and seminars.
The idea is:
Raw Food is Good, Cooked Food is Evil, and the World Would Be a Better Place If Everyone Ate Only Raw Foods
OK, I may be exaggerating, but often that’s the general tone of many of the raw food gurus’ message.
Is it actually true?
Would it be possible that the resources required to transport those foods would actually make the raw food diet fairly unecological, considering the fact that eating a diet of bananas and mangoes in Northern Canada isn’t the most natural choice?
How much food do you need as a 100% raw food eater?
It’s fairly well-known that anyone deciding to eat only raw foods in a sustainable way (for health) needs to eat a tremendous quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables.
In order to get enough calories from fruits and vegetables, without using too much raw fat (which would be detrimental for health), here’s the average amount of food that’s necessary:
For a 2000 calorie diet: 10 pounds a day (with peels and all)
For a 3000 calorie diet: 15 pounds a day (with peels and all)
I based those numbers on average consumption most 100% raw foodists go through in a typical day (those who are not on a detox program!).
So basically, 70 to over 100 pounds of food per week!
That’s a lot.
Where does your food come from?
If we would want to get a more accurate picture on the ecological impact that eating a large quantity of imported fruits would have versus a smaller quantity of local cooked, animal or grain foods, we would need to analyze a lot of variables. I haven’t been able to get an accurate estimate from the data that’s available.
But just knowing that most imported fruits come from fairly far away, and that large quantities are necessary on a completely raw food diet, I can draw the obvious conclusion that eating this way is not necessarily the most logical, natural and ecological choice.
Consider that:
- Grapes from Chile travel a minimum of 4000 miles to get to you
- Bananas from Costa Rica travel about 2000 miles or more to get to you
- Mangoes from Mexico at least 1000 miles to get to you
- And so on…
All of the fossil fuels used to transport all of these foods leave an impact, which may offset or even counter-balance the possible environmental benefits of choosing a raw vegan diet (which requires less resources when produced locally), versus a local diet that would contain both raw, cooked, plant and possibly even animal foods.
It’s always been obvious to me that a diet of all raw foods in Canada makes less sense on many levels that one that includes some cooked foods, more local foods and fewer imported fruits.
There’s also the fact that these fruits are picked unripe in many cases, the acidity level is too high and the nutrient level too low.
So is the solution for all raw-food enthusiasts to move to the tropics? Certainly not!
My point is:
- There’s no need to demonize cooked food – A diet that includes both raw and cooked food makes a lot of sense on many levels. You don’t have to eat 100% raw. This is really an individual choice based on your health, your location, and your preference.
- A raw food diet can be unnatural – Eating 100% raw foods in the north can be unnatural and unsustainable. And for many more reasons that I can expand on in future articles, it’s certainly not a solution that can be proposed to the entire world!
- If you live in the north, follow the seasons – Many people, as summer approaches, have the desire to include more raw food in their diet. But in the winter, instead of freezing to death, they choose to incorporate more raw, cooked foods. That is perfectly fine, natural and even desirable for most people.
Here’s a list of some additional tips to enable you to eat more ecologically and sustainably, while incorporating more raw fruits and vegetables in your diet, no matter where you live:
1- Freeze Berries and other Fruits in Season – Berries are some of the most nutritious and antioxidant-packed foods you can eat. To avoid the consumption of too much imported foods in the winter, I encourage you to freeze a huge quantity of ripe, local, organically grown (or wild) fresh berries when they are in season. I personally freeze a lot of wild blueberries, which are local. Then, use them throughout the winter in your recipes. You can thaw them in advance to avoid the negative effect of consuming cold foods.
2- Grow Sprouts – Grow some fresh, toxin-free sprouts such as clover and sunflower greens, to get a supply of cheap, fresh, local vegetables in the winter!
3- Avoid out of Season Fruits – Some fruits may be available in your store, but may actually be out of season in your hemisphere of the world. If you live in North America, the season for grapes usually ends in September or October. Grapes during the winter are imported from countries situated in the opposite hemisphere, such as Chile, where the seasons are reversed. Avoid that! Learn the seasons of different fruits and vegetables and choose to avoid foods imported from such far-away places.
4- Make Different Salads and Vegetable Dishes in the Winter – In one of my recipe books, I give different kinds of salads and dressings depending on the season. In the winter, I recommend salads made with cabbage, carrots and other root vegetables. In the summer, I incorporate more lettuce, tomatoes and fresh vegetables. You should do the same.
5- Shun Exotic Fruits – Exotic fruits such as durian, Thai coconuts and litchis can be great to try, but they inevitably come from faraway countries such as Thailand. In addition to leaving a huge ecological impact for being imported from so far, they are also heavily sprayed with toxic chemicals. Durians are particularly notorious for that. Try them for fun, but stick to fruits and vegetables as local as possible – at least from somewhere you could drive to.
Finally, I would like to encourage you to continue making the best choices for your health. Sometimes, that may sometimes mean:
- Eating fresher, locally grown commercial foods instead of less fresh, imported organic foods
- Eating ripe, local commercial food instead of unripe, imported organic foods
- And eating some cooked, warm “local” food instead of just cold imported fruits
Lookt at true consequences of your own choices, and realize that there’s not one size that fits all.
Does Eating Raw Foods Make Sense In The North?
Go Green, The Raw Food Way!
I’ve received a handful of emails lately concerned with the amount of sweetness on a low fat, high fruit raw vegan diet. As expected, several of you aren’t quite used to the sweetness of so much fruit
To solve the problem, many beginner raw foodists substitute savory greens and/or nuts, seeds and avocado for sweet fruit.
Big Mistake
There are 2 problems with this approach:
1. Greens and vegetables have few calories2. Nuts, seeds, and avocado are high-fat foods
In terms of greens, these foods are simply too low in calories. Even a large salad of 8 ounces of romaine, one large cucumber, a whole bell pepper, and two medium tomatoes is under 200 calories! The only way to increase the calories in this meal would be to add in fruit or fat.
Which brings me to the second problem: fatty nuts, seeds, and avocado. Contrary to what people (raw and cooked foodists alike) like to believe, nuts are NOT a high protein food. Take an ounce of walnuts (14 halves), for instance. With only 9% of calories from protein and whopping 83% from fat, it becomes clear that nuts and seeds are really a high FAT food.
Avocados are in the same boat, with 4% protein and 77% fat.
SIDE NOTE: I’m referring to the Hass avocado here. There are avocados with lower percentages of fat, such as some Florida varieties, but these are not as readily available.
While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this fact, it becomes a problem when these foods are substituted for fruit and eaten in mass quantities. While it is perfectibly acceptable to eat a pound (or two) of fruit in one sitting, this is a recipe for disaster in terms of fat.
Too much fat has been linked to obesity, heart disease, atherosclerosis, and even depression.
To learn more about the problems associated with eating a high fat raw food diet, check out this article.
This is why I side with the numerous doctors and health institutes – including Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Douglas Graham, Dr. Dean Ornish, and The Pritikin Longevity Center – in recommending a low fat diet for optimal health. This works out to about 1-2 ounces of nuts or ½ – 1/3 of an avocado per day (depending upon your caloric needs).
This means that if you decide to substitute sweet fruit for fat you will need to keep the quantities low. Say you add 1 tbsp of nuts to the salad example above. This still only gives you about 350 calories!
And that’s assuming that you can actually consume such a mountainous salad in one sitting. I’m pretty proud of my eating prowess when it comes to fruit. But 8 ounces of lettuce and a slew of veggies?
No way, Jose!
With the low amount of calories in this dish, you’ll be back in the kitchen looking for more fuel (probably in the form of simple carbohydrates) within the hour.
What to Do?
The easy way out is just to eat more sweet fruit. But you’re sick of sweet!
It seems we’re back at square one, right?
Not quite.
There is a tasty solution.
Go Green!
Green smoothies, that is!
A green smoothie – renowned amongst gourmet and low fat raw foodists alike – is a fruit smoothie with greens added to it. Sure, you’ve probably heard of them. But have you actually tried one?
Here’s a tasty raw recipe:
Blend everything together. Add water to achieve the texture you desire. I like my smoothies thin so I tend to add a few cups to the mix.
Why It Works
The green smoothie concept works for (you guessed it) 2 reasons:
1. It’s still fruit-based, providing quality fuel and satiation to your body.2. The greens help to cut the sweetness.
Even though green (and contrary to the lovely picture in this post, often times pretty gross looking), green smoothies are very much a fruity meal.
As you can see from the recipe above, the smoothie is still mostly fruit. The green comes from only a handful or two of romaine.
It is this small amount of “green-ness” that really adds a nice crisp, clean taste to the meal. The drink will still be sweet, but not sickly so.
And you can easily add more fruit or make more than one smoothie to meet your caloric needs.
For instance, whenever I make smoothies (green or not), I have to make two separate batches because I like them so thin.
*sigh* If only they made 64 ounce blenders… 
Long-Term Sweet Sickness?
Almost every beginner raw foodist has a problem eating so much sweet fruit at first.
Even I, the Fruit Queen Goddess that I am, had some troubles. Bananas were especially sickening to me. They were just so thick and sweet. Yuck!
And to think, now I eat multiple bananas EVERYDAY!
If you stick with a high fruit, low fat diet, you will not experience this aversion to sweetness forever. And the transformation generally does not take that long. We’re talkin’ just a few weeks or so, on average.
And eventually, you’ll stop thinking of fruit as sweet altogether. At some point, it just becomes delicious, mouth-watering, satiating food.
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Raw Food Diet
A raw food diet is a diet based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods. Like fresh fruits, vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans etc. It is believed that when the food is heated above the temperature of 116 degrees, the enzymes present in it are destroyed. The enzymes are said to be helpful with the digestion and absorption of the food. It’s also believed that cooking diminishes the nutritional value of the food.
It has lately become a lifestyle called Raw Foodism or Rawism. Raw Foodists typically believe that greater the percentage of raw food in the diet, greater the health benefits. The raw food Diet is followed by both Vegetarians and Non Vegetarians.
The benefits of Raw Food 6. increased energy 7. Improved skin appearance. 8. improved digestion 9. weight loss 10. reduced risk of heart attack and many more.
The raw food diet basically contains less amount of trans fats and saturated fats and also they are low in sodium and high in potassium, foliate and health-promoting plant chemicals which are called phytochemicals.
What to eat? (veg) Fresh fruits and vegetables, Nuts, Seeds, Beans, Legumes, Seaweed, Young Coconut Milk, Freshly juiced fruit and vegetables,Dry Fruits And many more.
What to eat? (Non veg) Unprocessed meats/organ-meats/eggs : Raw dairy, And aged, Raw animal foods such as century eggs, Rotting (fermenting), Meat/fish/shellfish/ kefir It should be ensured that at least 75% of the food consumed should not be heated over 116 F.
How to cook the food?? Many foods in the Raw Food diet are simple to cook like fruits, salads, meat, dairy etc. but some other foods may require considerable amount of time and planning. Like rice and other grains, they require sprouting or overnight soaking to become digestible.
Some cook book authors believe that the preparation of gourmet raw food recipes normally requires a blender, food processor, juicer, and dehydrator. A few raw foodists feel that freezing the food is also acceptable, even though it lowers the enzyme activity. While many raw foodists view freezing as harmful but not as unhealthy as cooking.
Caution: With the raw food diet gaining popularity, some unsafe foods have re entered the human diets. The following items should be consumed with precaution. Buckwheat, Kidney Beans, Alfala Sprouts, Raw Eggs, Raw Seeds, Apricot Kernels Raw Meat, Raw Milk and there are many more in the list. It’s advised that one should consult a professional related to Raw Foodism before switching the diet.
Who should be very cautious about Raw Food? Children, Pregnant or Nursing women, People with Anemia, People at risk for Osteoporosis. And before switching diets people should also be aware that that certain nutritional deficiency can occur on the raw food diet. And that include deficiency of Calcium, Iron, Vitamin B12, Protein, And Calories.
My Raw diet book is the quickest and safes way to loss weight fast. You can get all the top models are eating my diet and how much energy you will have if you eat Raw.
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Raw Food: A Diet for the Lazy Man
Here is a comment that was recently left on a former post about mono-fruit meals.
I am lazy and started doing fruit meals from the beginning! I have never been into cooking recipes. So I got into raw foods and eating mostly fruit instinctively. ~ Annalise
I can certainly relate to this. When I ate a cooked vegan diet, I always HATED spending hours in the kitchen preparing meals. Or making a second trip to the supermarket because I forgot some essential ingredient for a dish the first time around. Or having to plan my “healthy” meals days in advance. Or…the list goes on and on.
That’s why I was so excited about the raw food diet. “Eating foods in their raw states,” I thought. “What could be more simple than that?”
Little did I know that the world of “gourmet raw” wasn’t any better than cooked vegan! I still spent hours in the kitchen, only now I was just chopping vegetables. I still had to make numerous trips to various health food stores in the hopes of finding “necessary” special ingredients. And I still had to plan everything well in advance, so as not to waste anything or end up without enough food.
And at least my cooked meals actually tasted good! Raw meatloaf and “sun” burgers…no thanks.
A Diet for the Lazy Man
Luckily, I quickly came across a raw food diet that truly satisfies the couch potato inside of me. And as crazy as it sounds, this is the absolute *healthiest* and most *nutritious* diet you can find!
And which diet is this? Why, the low fat raw vegan diet, of course! That means all the sweet fruit you can eat, moderate greens and non-sweet fruits, and limited fats. That’s it!
When I found out that I could literally grab a bunch of bananas and chow down, I couldn’t believe it. And what if I wanted something a little more fancy? No problem! A simple yet satisfying fruit salad, green smoothie, savory salsa or raw pasta could be prepared in just minutes!
This meant no more extra time in the kitchen and no more desperate searches at the supermarket! While I still plan my meals, and recommend that you do the same, it’s extremely simple. Since I know how much food I need in a given day and the ripening times of the various foods that I eat, all that is required is to make sure that I buy enough when I go shopping. That’s all there is to it!
And best of all? I have more energy on this super simple lazy man’s raw diet than on any other program I’ve ever tried! And because I’m not slaving away in front of a hot stove (or tepid dehydrator, for that matter), I can use that new-found energy for things that I truly enjoy.
What’s That, You Say?
A raw diet of mostly fruit is just *too* simple, right? There is just *no way* a person can survive long term on such a diet, huh?
WRONG! Not only are people surviving on a high fruit, low fat raw vegan diet, they are thriving (myself included)! If you don’t believe me, take a gander at 30 Bananas a Day. It’s a forum specifically for low fat raw vegans and boasts over 1000 members!
If you are *still* skeptical, try it out for yourself! You have nothing to lose from giving a healthy raw vegan diet a go. Cooked foods will still be there if you wish to return to them.
So what’s stopping you? Grab some bananas and give the low fat fruity raw way a try! 
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Why It Is Easier Than Ever to Do Raw Right!
It Is Easier Than Ever to Do Raw Food Right
I feel so old…
Did I get your attention?
Actually, I feel great! What I mean to say is that Iâve been involved in the raw food movement for almost two years now. While that may not seem like a very long time, I have seen some amazing changes take place.
Changes that make it easier than ever to do raw right.
Back in *my* dayâ¦
When I went raw back in 2007, there were only a few raw sources promoting a healthy high fruit, low fat raw vegan diet. People like Dr. Douglas Graham, Frederic Patenaude, and Roger Haeske.
At the time, I was dabbling in the high fat raw food diet. However, I really was not comfortable with all the fat I was eating (something like 600-800 calories from fat a day). Plus, I was spending hours in the kitchen making complicated recipes that barely filled me up!
So I started looking for alternative raw methods on Amazon. By some stroke of luck, I quickly came across Frederic Patenaudeâs book The Raw Secrets. I ordered it pretty much right away, even though I had never heard of Frederic or this book before.
Honestly, I just thought the cover was pretty and the title was intriguing!
Needless to say, the book totally blew me away. It completely changed my way of thinking about nutrition and health in general.
So I was immediately inspired to try a high fruit raw food diet. After experiencing awesome benefits in just a few days, I knew I had found the best diet in the world. By some stroke of luck, I had discovered the âHoly Grailâ of diet plans and there was no turning back for me.
And so, here I am.
What has changed
In less than two years, the raw food movement has exploded. It seems that there are new raw sites and forums popping up everyday!
Because of this, it is now so much easier for anyone to discover how to go raw and apply that knowledge in his or her own life. All you need is an internet connection and a few spare minutes!
More importantly, the high fruit raw way has grown substantially. There are many more people promoting this way of eating than ever before.
For instance, there is now a low fat raw vegan specific forum called 30 Bananas a Day. It has over 1000 members and is just as active as many of the mainstream raw sites! It really is a great forum.
Even some of the mainstream raw forums now have sections specifically for low fat raw supporters.
*Most* importantly, the sentiment towards low fat raw vegans has changed as well. I no longer find as many people shrugging off eating simply. In fact, I see many people questioning the high fat way and experimenting with a high fruit raw diet!
Itâs pretty cool. 
Why have things changed?
I think these profound changes within the raw food movement have come about simply because people are sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Let me put it this way. Pretend you are told that a raw food diet full of nuts, oils, and superfoods is the absolute best diet and that you will experience utter joy and elation from eating this way. Who can resist?
So you give it a try. Itâs been months and what have been your results? Severe cravings. Tooth decay. Chronic fatigue. On and onâ¦
Enough is Enough!
I think people are finally starting to realize that it isnât about dogmatism. It isnât about appeasing the raw food âgurus.” It isnât about raw food for raw foodâs sake.
Itâs about results. People arenât getting the results they expected from the mainstream raw food movement and so they are looking elsewhere.
Where else is there to go?
Why, the fruity side, of course!
What this means for you
The greatest thing about this change within the raw food movement is that beginning low fat raw foodists (like you, perhaps) now have ample amount of support available to them.
This support comes in the form of forums, like 30 Bananas a Day, Gone Raw and VegSource.
There are free raw forum challenges held almost every month that provide great motivation and encourage community relationships. I actually hosted a 30 day challenge back in May on a raw vegan fitness forum (unfortunately, I did not own the site and the domain registration expired) and it was great to see all the motivation and encouragement from people on the board.
There are numerous low fat raw blogs providing useful, down-to-earth raw experiences and informationâ¦kind of like this one!
More and more long-term raw foodists are offering invaluable one-on-one consultation services.
There are numerous high-quality e-books and recipe books available that target a low fat raw audience.
*Whew* Thatâs a lot!
So if youâve been waiting to go raw the *right* way, now is the time to do it. With all the community support available, you really have no excuse not to!
5 Know How Tips for the Raw Food Beginner
Are you new to the raw food diet and finding it hard to maintain? Do you feel like a raw food newbie, surrounded by thriving veteran raw foodists?
Fear not, dear reader! These 5 know how tips will give any raw food beginner the confidence and the know-how to succeed on a low fat, raw vegan diet. You’ll be a thriving raw foodist in no time.
#1: Know How to Pick Good Quality Fruit
This is #1 on the list for a reason. Knowing how to choose fresh, ripe, and delicious raw produce – as well as knowing how much food you need for the day and what fruits you enjoy – is a huge factor in your raw success.
My original decision to give low fat, high fruit raw vegan a chance was rather impulsive. I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and didn’t know where to turn. I had been on what I thought at the time was the healthiest diet in the world: cooked vegan. The anemia, excess weight, and joint pains that plagued me screamed that the diet wasn’t working and so raw foods seemed like the next logical step.
Unlike most of the decisions in my life, I just kind of went for it! I started by eating about 75% raw and saw results immediately. I had much more energy, experienced immediate weight loss, had more focus, etc. This got me so excited that I felt I had to go 100% raw right away!
Because I was still a new player in the raw food game, I had to go through a lot of trial and error. It became shockingly clear how little I knew about produce and what a newbie I was at choosing anything close to edible. I can’t tell you the number of times I threw away wads of cash on rock hard, never to ripen, out of season, tasteless fruits and turned to cooked foods for sustenance!
My best advice to you is to take it slow. Gradually adding in raw, sweet fruit to your diet will allow you to learn as you go along without worrying about “slipping up” on cooked foods. For more on transitioning, I suggest you check out my free mini-course The Fool Proof Transition to Raw. A new lesson will be sent to your inbox each week and all you have to do is visit www.fitonraw.com and subscribe there.
Did I mention it’s free?
#2: Know How to Make Simple (Yet Tasty) Raw Recipes
Many raw food beginners feel that a low fat raw vegan diet is completely tasteless and way too boring. I understand that eating foods in their whole states can seem a little bland at first. Okay, maybe REALLY bland!
Well, that’s where raw recipes come in!
To get started, I recommend that you experiment with fruit salads, fruit smoothies and green smoothies. A fruit salad is just a few different varieties of fruits mixed together. For instance, I love equal parts of chopped papaya, orange, and pineapple mixed together in a big bowl. So juicy and refreshing!
A fruit smoothie is a few different fruits blended together. In most cases, the base is a denser fruit like bananas, mangoes, or papayas. Smaller portions of other fruits are then added to the base. My favorite smoothie is 3 bananas, 2 oranges, and 1 cup of wild blueberries. How much water you add to your drink will depend on how thick you like it. I usually start with 1 cup.
A green smoothie is just a fruit smoothie with greens added to it. These are great to help cut the sweetness in your meal and help you get in your greens for the day. An always popular green smoothie is 5 bananas, 1 cup of blueberries, and 2 handfuls of romaine. When adding greens, start with small handfuls. Trust me, a grassy smoothie is not very appetizing.
I also recommend that you have at least one savory recipe that you really, really enjoy. Salsas with lots of tomatoes and celery are great and you can use them as a dressing over greens to give a heartier feel to the dish. You can also make lots of delicious raw soups or blended salads using saltier veggies as your base.
#3: Know How to Eat Enough
Yes, I know I harp on calorie consumption A LOT. That’s because it’s important! The best quality fruit and the tastiest raw recipes will do NOTHING for your success if you don’t eat enough. It becomes all to easy to slip back into cooked food eating habits when you’re running on empty.
So how do you make sure you are consuming the right amount of food? First, multiply your ideal weight by 10. This is your basal metabolic rate (BMR), or the calories you would need if you remained in bed all day. Second, add any calories that you burn during the day to your BMR. This is dependent upon your lifestyle. For instance, someone who works in construction will use many more calories than someone working a desk job. Lastly, add any calories you burn from exercise. Voila! Now you have a rough estimate of how much food you need per day.
It’s important to remember that this is just an estimate. If you don’t feel satisfied eating this amount, just gradually increase how much sweet fruit you eat during a meal. The general rule is that satiation should last between 3-5 hours after you have eaten.
#4: Know How to Move Your Body
Exercise can be a lifesaver if you are new to raw foods and struggling with cooked food cravings. As I stated in my How to Earn Your Raw Food article, breaking a sweat can create true hunger and actually have you craving simple raw foods. I’ve never enjoyed my simple fruit meals as much as I do after an intense workout!
If you’re new to exercise, don’t sweat it (pun intended)! A simple jog around the neighborhood or a game of badminton or a dip in the pool can do wonders for your eating efforts. A little exercise goes a long way!
#5: Know How to Have Fun
Just this past month, I had a lot of fun produce shopping. Not only did I visit my favorite farmers market, but I also learned about a Hispanic market a few minutes from my house. I had actually known about this place for quite some time, but was hesitant to go there because it was in a not-so-nice part of town.
Anyway, I headed over there with my Dad and was amazed by the variety and quality of produce available. There were at least 10 different types of greens that I had never heard of!
But the really spectacular part was the produce. Not only did the store have sapodilla, mamey, guava, and my favorite mangoes, they carried JACKFRUIT! I could not believe it.
It really is so much fun to come across foods that you have never seen in person or never even heard of. I am constantly surprised and amused by all the different varieties of produce out there.
And even “normal” produce is exciting! Just look at some of the foods you will be dining on: bananas, oranges, grapes, apples, peaches, strawberries, cantaloupe, pears, kiwi, papaya, pineapple, tangerines, mangoes, nectarines, apricots, blueberries, watermelon, romaine, boston lettuce, bok choy, celery, tomatoes, bell pepper…all of which can be found at your local grocery store!
And don’t forget all the fun you can have making (and eating) simple raw recipes with these ingredients. The combinations and taste sensations are endless.
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Is a Raw Food Diet Boring?
I have to be honest. This is one question that REALLY gets my goat. Whenever I hear someone attacking the raw diet because it’s too “boring,” I go crazy!
Really, I hulk out!
I’ve been following a low-fat raw vegan diet for almost 2 years now. I can honestly say, without any reservations, that there is absolutely NOTHING boring about a raw food diet!
*Deep Breath* Okay, I’m calm now.
Let me explain why a raw food diet is totally NOT boring.
Variety
The variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that exist is astounding. You have apples, grapes, oranges, bananas, peaches, pears, cantaloupe, romaine, celery, cucumber, avocado…and I’m just alluding to what is available in your local grocery store!
In fact, I can almost guarantee you that raw foodists eat *more* variety than ANYONE on a standard American diet…or any other diet for that matter.
This is because most people tend to eat just a handful of dishes that become their staples. And these dishes are usually very similar.
If you eat meat, your meals will generally center around a protein, with some starchy vegetable and maybe greens along side. If you’re from the Southern States, your greens are cooked to death in butter and everything gets a nice heapin’ helping of beef gravy smothered on top.
If you are vegetarian or vegan, the focus is usually on whole grains or legumes with vegetables. And of course, everyone has his or her favorite dessert.
But when you live on a fruit-based diet, you have to adapt what you are eating to what you can find in your area. Just because you have a few favorite fruits does not mean that they will always be available.
I would gladly eat nothing but mangoes for the rest of my life, but I can’t because they are not always in season!
Where’s the Proof?
Still skeptical that a raw diet is really that varied? Here’s a list of several of the different varieties of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that I eat in a given year:
o Apples o Apricots o Avocado o Bananas o Basil o Bell Pepper o Blackberries o Blueberries o Boston Lettuce o Cantaloupe o Celery o Cherries o Cilantro o Clementines o Cucumber o Currants o Dates o Dill o Grapefruit o Grapes o Honeydew o Iceberg Lettuce o Kiwi o Lemon o Lime o Mangoes o Mint o Nectarines o Oranges o Papaya o Peaches o Pears o Pineapple o Pistachios o Raspberries o Romaine Lettuce o Star Fruit o Strawberries o Sunflower Seeds o Tangerines o Tomatoes o Watermelon o Zucchini
AND I didn’t even include the different varieties of fruit within each species. For instance, there are Navel and Valencia oranges, red and green grapes, the Fuji apples and the Gala apples, Red Haven and White Nectar peaches, etc.
All of this is found conventionally at my local supermarkets in Tennessee. Of course, if you live somewhere tropical or have access to exotic markets, you have a whole different spectrum of fruits to choose from:
o Chocolate Sapote o Custard Apple o Durian o Jackfruit o Litchi o Longan o Mamey Sapote o Mangosteen o Rambutan o Sapodilla o Soursop
There’s even a peanut butter fruit that has the taste AND texture of peanut butter!
How can a diet that’s full of so many different smells, tastes, and textures be boring?
Quite simply, it cannot.
Raw Recipes
If you *still* aren’t convinced that a raw diet isn’t boring, you probably haven’t considered all the different raw vegan recipes that you can make.
And I’m not talking about fatty dehydrated conglomerations that are made to mimic the flavor and textures of cooked dishes. I’m referring to simple, delicious, healthy meals that contain few ingredients and take literally minutes to put together.
There are fruit smoothies, green smoothies, fruit soups, vegetable soups, fruit salads, savory salads, fruit puddings, dips, salsas, and even fruit ice creams!
You could literally take just a few different healthy raw ingredients and have a completely different dish for every meal for a whole week!
Now how in the world can a diet like *this* be boring?
Quite simply, it cannot.
Don’t Take My Word For It!
If you are still debating going raw, there is no better time than now to get out there and go for it. See for yourself just how varied this diet can be. Buy all the fruits you can and go crazy in the kitchen!
Just be sure to send me the recipes to all of your awesome raw creations.
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Try Out Raw Food Classes For Delicious Raw Food Recipes
Raw food classes and guide books are becoming fairly common these days as more and more people try to learn how to eat and live a healthy life. Most of the raw food classes are online and exist in the form of forums and web boards. The other way to learn good vegan food recipes is by buying raw food cookbooks and trying out the recipes in them. Most vegan food enthusiasts support this “way of life” tooth and nail and will never go back to living the way they use to for anything. Also many raw food classes online will discourage eating any cooked food at all as they believe that cooked food can destroy the nutritional contents of the food; there is plenty of scientific evidence pointing to this fact. For some people eating raw food can be a very new and thus unfamiliar experience. It is in this case that raw food classes and diet books can help you conquer your inhibitions and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Try out a forum such as vegweb.com and you will get the idea. It is also recommended that when trying out the vegan food for the first time you should go slow and allow your body to acclimatize to the new diet. You can start by eating 50 % raw and 50 % cooked food and then take it up from there. The fact that eating raw vegan food is good for your health is old news. You can feel the difference almost immediately when you go the vegan way. Most people are so dependent on the three meals a day routine that they dare not try anything different. This is also a mistake and is known by vegan food enthusiasts. It is this reason why “vegan” is a lifestyle and not just a diet. Try a new diet of vegan food to see the changes it makes in you.
Raw food classes and guide books are becoming fairly common these days as more and more people try to learn how to eat and live a healthy life. Most of the raw food classes are online and exist in the form of forums and web boards. The other way to learn good vegan food recipes is by buying raw food cookbooks and trying out the recipes in them.
Most vegan food enthusiasts support this “way of life” tooth and nail and will never go back to living the way they use to for anything. Also many raw food classes online will discourage eating any cooked food at all as they believe that cooked food can destroy the nutritional contents of the food; there is plenty of scientific evidence pointing to this fact.
For some people eating raw food can be a very new and thus unfamiliar experience. It is in this case that raw food classes and diet books can help you conquer your inhibitions and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Try out a forum such as vegweb.com and you will get the idea. It is also recommended that when trying out the vegan food for the first time you should go slow and allow your body to acclimatize to the new diet. You can start by eating 50 % raw and 50 % cooked food and then take it up from there.
The fact that eating raw vegan food is good for your health is old news. You can feel the difference almost immediately when you go the vegan way. Most people are so dependent on the three meals a day routine that they dare not try anything different. This is also a mistake and is known by vegan food enthusiasts. It is this reason why “vegan” is a lifestyle and not just a diet. Try a new diet of vegan food to see the changes it makes in you.
Read more on Raw Food Cookbook here.
The Benefits of Switching to Raw Food Recipes
Consuming raw foods is natural. Our bodies respond very well to all that is fresh and vital and thrive when consuming these types of food. By increasing the amount of raw food that you eat you are actually opting for a feeling of increased well being. When you switch to a raw food diet, the raw food recipes are based on uncooked or unprocessed plant foods, preferably organic. These plant foods include a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, dried fruit, fresh juices and purified water.
The reason why you should switch to raw food recipes is because it is basically a vegetarian diet that promotes eating and drinking living foods. By consuming living foods and juices, you benefit from the maximum amount of fiber that can be found in a raw product. This fiber can be lost when the food is either processed or cooked. Raw foods are metabolized easier and are not as high in calories as the products consumed when following an average diet. The basic principle of a raw food diet is heating the foods up to 1160 F or about 460 C. The reason why you should not heat them at higher temperatures is found in the enzymes that are destroyed when subjected to such temperatures. The enzymes help food digestion and food absorption and they also give the nutritional value of foods. Therefore it is in our best interests to keep them intact. In the opposite situation, we actually force our bodies to an increased amount of work and we also contribute to the diminishing of the nutritional value of our food.
Subsequently, the benefits of raw food recipes are numerous. If you have a diet consistent of at least 75% raw foods you will receive health benefits such as increased energy, improved skin appearance, better digestion, weight loss or weight gain (depending on what your body needs). Other benefits include reducing the risks of serious illnesses like heart diseases, cancer, diabetes and more.
Raw food recipes are based on components that contain little or no saturated fats. Also, they are low in sodium, but high on magnesium, potassium and fiber. You can also use raw food recipes as detoxification solutions. If you appeal to different combinations of raw, living foods and juices you may find that they are useful for colon cleansing, liver cleansing, kidney cleansing and skin cleansing.
The reasons why you should appeal to a raw food diet may vary. Depending on these reasons, you can choose what to consume in order to improve that aspect of your health you are particularly interested in. For instance, sprouted brown rice helps slow glucose absorption and improve the metabolism; cabbage supports cellular function while radish leaves act as an anti-oxidant; carrots, a great source of vitamin A, are well-known to encourage healthy eyesight, but they also support a reliable cardio-vascular system.
Some people enjoy eating cakes and sweets. If you switch to a raw food diet, you shouldn’t think that you have to stop eating desserts. In a raw food diet you can use raw honey as a sweetener. Raw honey contains traces of propolis, a substance used by bees to seal the hive and protect it from harmful microorganisms. Other substances found in raw honey, called phytonutrients, help prevent colon cancer and can also help heal internal ulcers.
If you consume honey regularly, it is known to be beneficial for the general well-being and it also helps digestion. Amazing as it sounds, raw honey has been shown to improve athletic performance, a secret that was discovered by ancient Olympians. This happens because it helps maintain balanced levels of blood sugar, which in turn helps at keeping energy levels consistent. In addition, it helps muscle recovery. Other amazing properties of raw honey include the support it gives to the immune system in warding off colds and flu. It is a healthy substitute for sugar that can even help reduce the cholesterol levels. Include it in your raw food recipes and you will get the best for your body and mind.
