5 Tips to Living a Raw Lifestyle
By Linda Devers, MS |
You’ve heard the buzz—raw foodies report boundless energy, immediate weight loss, the clearest eyes, and invincible immune systems! Raw food includes cooked food that hasn’t been heated above 115 degrees F. Cooking above this temperature destroys important enzymes that activate digestive processes in the body. Enzymes are present in all raw foods. So you want to join in?
Here are 5 tips to living a raw lifestyle; see the online article for more details on each tip.
Tip #1: Start Where You Are: Equipment
Start with a sharp knife and a cutting board, an old-fashioned box grater, a vegetable peeler, and a blender.
Tip #2: Get the White Out
• Replace sugar with agave nectar
• Remove white flour
• Eliminate table salt and use either Himalayan or Celtic salt
• Eliminate white rice and substitute quinoa
• Remove dairy and substitute nut milks and nut cheeses
Tip #3: Less is More
Begin by preparing smaller amounts; raw food is bulkier, so less is more. The following are great choices.
• Green Vegetables: spinach, kale, chard, broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, and collard greens
• Other Color Vegetables: add a rainbow of colors such as carrots, beets, tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers, and squash.
• Fruit: Eat lower glycemic fruits like strawberries, cherries, lemons, limes, and cranberries. Consume moderate amounts of
apples and pears.
• Sea Vegetables & Algae: Start with nori and sea palm fronds. Add algae such as spirulina, chlorella and blue-green algae
through supplements.
• Fermented Foods: Use apple cider vinegar and eat raw sauerkraut.
• Nuts and Seeds: Use raw, organic hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, and almonds. See Tip #4.
• Oils: Use cold-pressed olive oil, flax seed oil, and coconut oil.
Tip #4: Soak It Up!
Most nuts and seeds have enzyme inhibitors that prevent digestion. Soaking (for 8-12 hours) in water is essential, it starts the
sprouting process and removes the enzyme inhibitors. Brazil nuts and hazel nuts can be eaten without soaking because they don’t have any enzyme inhibitors.
Tip #5: Ask Your Body
Many raw foodies report shifts in their food needs. Honor your body, ask it what it needs, and most of all have fun!
References:
1. Cousens, Gabriel MD, Conscious Eating. North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, 2000.
2. Cousens, Gabriel, MD. Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine. North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, 2003.
3. National Institute of Health, DASH Diet Information, www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/introduction.html
4. Phyo, Ani, Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen. Marlowe & Company, New York, 2007.
5. Pitchford, Paul. Healing with Whole Foods, 3rd Edition. North Atlantic Books, Berkeley 2002.
For more info, contact Linda Devers at Linda@RawIsSimple.com or 510-333-5252.
For complete and detailed info on how to start eating raw, go to www.HBMag.com
