Delicious Raw Foods

Are you thinking about making some healthy changes to your eating plan this spring? Perhaps you might want to consider a raw food diet. It’s a great detoxifier and a welcome means to jump-start a cleansing process.

But how raw is a raw food diet? We’re not simply talking about eating uncooked fruits and vegetables. It’s much more in depth than that. Like any change or transition to a new eating plan, there’s always a bit of a learning curve required. It’s important to get your facts straight and eat everything required for optimal health. This is particularly true for raw food enthusiasts who are vegetarian or vegan, and therefore need to be sure they are getting all the daily nutrients required.

Raw food is an extremely healthy eating plan and is more effectively known as a lifestyle choice, not a weight loss program. Consisting of uncooked, unprocessed plant foods, those who follow this dietary regimen religiously profess to increased energy, clearer skin, and a leaner body weight.

Authentic raw foodists use food dehydrators and sprout many ingredients, including grains, seeds, and nuts; dried beans; legumes; and fruit leathers. This approach to dehydrating foods at temperatures between 115 F and 118 F (46 C and 48 C) suggests that sprouting raw foods increases their nutritional value, thus providing valuable nutrients to a raw eating plan.

We’ve compiled a few delicious raw recipes here for your pleasure to get you started. Eating raw doesn’t have to be complicated—you just have to be smart about how you go about it.

Recipes

• Creamy Thai Avocado Soup
• Zucchini Pasta Ribbons with Chunky Tomato Sauce and Pine Nuts
• Macadamia Nut Curried Mayo with Cabbage Slaw
• Asian Bibb Lettuce Salad with Quinoa and Diced Butternut Squash
• Chocolate Walnut Pâté