Raw food? Most people think of eating a raw food diet as a trendy way of eating just salads. But I assure you there is much more.
Raw food can be really really tasty and range from a simple apple to a gourmet meal. A raw food diet can consist of entree’s, desserts, soups, appetizers, snacks, smoothies, juicing, fermented foods, dehydrated foods, and yes, salads.
There are people who subscribe to following 100%, 80% or 50% raw in their daily intake. In my humble opinion, it does not matter your percentage intake, it is about adding in raw foods every day as an essential to getting the necessary nutrients and enzymes that these foods contain. Cooked foods can destroy a lot of the essential enzymes and nutrients which we can become deficient in these vital nutrients. So make a point of having some raw each day and you will get some of the benefits that these super foods contain.
Eating raw food can give you more energy, lose weight and give your body the nutrients it needs. Studies show that a lot of our prevalent diseases such as diabetes and cardiac illness can be avoided with a more nutrient dense diet.
I don’t believe you have to go 100% raw to gain from the benefits of eating raw food. Simply start by adding more raw foods to your diet, and watch the benefits for yourself. It takes just a little shift in the kitchen to plan more raw foods into your daily life. For me, I try to start my day with a green smoothie made with a couple of cups of greens (kale, spinach or rainbow chard), banana, apple, a piece of tumeric, a TBSP of flax seed, a half cup of frozen berries and blend until smooth. This keeps me full until lunchtime where I might have a veggie wrap or some quoina and veggies. I try to have a salad everyday, tho some days it might not happen, I feel good that I started my day with the green smoothie. I make raw or cooked soups, burritos, wraps, nut cheeses, oatmeal with lots of fruit and desserts such as chia puddings, raw bliss balls, raw cacao smoothies. The variety of foods that I create in my kitchen is focused on fresh foods and as nutrient dense as I can make.
You can pop over to my rawfood site for some of my favorite raw dishes and ideas on how to add more raw foods to your diet. You can also check out my new book “Guide to Super Raw Foods” for tips and recipes to help you too.
Rhonda
