A raw food diet consists primarily of fresh, whole foods that have not been heated to more than 118 degrees F. The diet is typically vegan, but some adherents include raw milk, raw milk cheese or sushi. People who follow this diet believe raw foods are more nutritious and easier to digest than cooked foods. This is because raw foods are rich in heat-sensitive enzymes, which play a key role in digestion. Adherents claim the diet increases energy levels, boosts immunity and slows down aging.
Steps
Step 1
Make changes slowly. This will help you find time to explore raw food options without making a sudden, drastic change that leaves you feeling like there's nothing you can eat. Keep in mind that a raw diet, unlike other diets, is probably fundamentally different from the way you are currently eating.
Step 2
Research raw food preparation by reading raw food recipe books and websites. There is much you can do to add variety and complexity to a raw food diet, but you will likely need to prepare foods in ways you never considered. Nuts, for example, can be turned into dishes such as refried beans, mashed potatoes, veggie burgers, cheese sauce, sour cream or ice cream.
Step 3
Invest in the kitchen equipment necessary for raw food preparation: food processor, spiral slicer, juicer, dehydrator, blender, mandolin slicer and sprouting jars. Of these, the food processor and sprouting jars will be the most useful for most people starting out on a raw diet.
Step 4
Start sprouting. Sprouting is an easy, inexpensive and nutritious way to include more raw foods in your diet. Good beans to sprout include lentils, mung beans, adzuki beans and chickpeas. Sprouted beans make great snacks, salads and bean dips.
Step 5
Find creative ways to replace cooked grains such as bread, pasta and rice. Tuck raw sandwich fillings inside kale, radicchio, napa cabbage, collard greens or Romaine lettuce leaves. Stuff tomatoes or mushrooms with raw nut or vegetable pâté. Make raw rice or couscous by pulsing cauliflower in a food processor until it reaches desired consistency. Use a spiral slicer to convert zucchini or cucumber into noodles.
Step 6
Replace dairy milk with fresh, homemade nut milks. Good nuts to use include almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, hemp seeds and sesame seeds. Many varieties of nut milk are available at health food and grocery stores, but most of them are pasteurized and, therefore, not raw.
Step 7
Compile a menu of your favorite recipes. This will help you develop a new mindset regarding food, which may be the most challenging aspect of converting to a raw diet. Expect to spend more time planning and deciding what to eat as you develop new eating habits and patterns.
Tips and Warnings
- You don't need to go 100 percent raw to gain benefits from this diet. Some raw food enthusiasts, such as model Carol Alt, strive for a diet that is 95 percent raw. Others, such as cookbook author Jennifer Cornbleet, claim great benefits from a diet that is 50 percent raw. Including more raw food recipes will likely increase your intake of fruits, vegetables and heart-healthy nuts--the foods nutritionists and government agencies recommend for daily consumption.
- Some foods labeled raw are not raw according to the standards of the typical raw food diet. Most brands of raw almond butter, for example, are heated above 160 degrees F during processing. Products heated below 118 degrees F will usually say so on the label. If you are uncertain about a product, email or call the company.
Things You'll Need
- Food processor
- Juicer
- Sprouting jars
- Spiral slicer
- Food dehydrator
References
- Rawfoodlife.com: Why Raw Food?
- Raw Food Made Easy; Jennifer Cornbleet; 2005
- Natural Health: Carol Alt, Model of Health
- Raw Foods for Busy People; Jordan Maerin; 2004
- Ani's Raw Food Kitchen: Ani Phyo; 2007
Member Comments