Typical Meal On A Raw Food Diet

A raw food diet is a type of vegan diet comprising of uncooked or very slightly heated plant-based foods. It excludes all meat, poultry, fish and dairy, as well as cooked, canned and processed foods. Raw food, often referred to as living food, must be in its natural state or not heated past 115 degrees Fahrenheit to meet the diet’s standards. According to raw foodists, the live enzymes found in plant-based foods are destroyed or denatured when cooked at higher temperatures. While fresh fruits and vegetables feature prominently, there’s more to the diet than salads and smoothies.

The Raw Kitchen

The typical raw kitchen includes fresh, frozen and dried fruits and vegetables, sprouts, fresh and dried herbs and spices, cold-pressed oils, raw grains such as quinoa and oat groats, various types of dried seaweed, raw legumes such as lentils and chickpeas, and raw nuts and seeds. Many raw foodists also incorporate store-bought green powder, a concentrated form of vitamins and minerals, to boost nutrition in some recipes. Basic tools of a raw kitchen include a blender, juicer, food dehydrator and a good set of knives for slicing, chopping, mincing and otherwise preparing produce. Growing sprouts, or “sprouting” is common among raw foodists, as is soaking raw legumes and grains to make them edible.

Breakfast Foods

Smoothies and juices feature prominently in a raw food breakfast. Made in a blender, smoothies can include fresh or frozen fruit, juices and presoaked dried fruit. Bananas, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, dates and orange juice are common smoothie ingredients. Juices, which are extracted from fruits and vegetables with a juicer, can be sweet or savory. Common ingredients include ginger root, parsley, celery, lemon, carrots, apples, oranges, limes, beets and cucumbers. Other breakfast options include raw granola, muesli and oatmeal. All grains and nuts are soaked, usually overnight. Granola might include raw almonds, sunflower seeds, dates, raisins and honey. You can top cold cereals, such as oat groats, with fresh fruit and coconut flakes.

Lunches and Dinners

Lunch and dinner options include salads, soups, sandwiches, wraps, pasta, pizza, stuffed peppers or tomatoes, burgers, tacos and burritos — all of which are made from raw, vegan ingredients and served cold. Salads can be any mix of raw greens and vegetables, with dried fruit and cold-pressed olive oil for added flavor. The crust of a “living” pizza might include sprouted kamut berries, sprouted chickpeas and raw garlic and onion. The sauce might contain water, dried tomatoes, pureed dates and onion and garlic powders, topped off with almond cheese. “Burgers” are made by mixing several ingredients together in a food processor, such as mushrooms, peppers, carrots, soaked almonds and herbs and spices.

Raw Snack Foods

Although it’s easy enough for raw foodists to snack on a fruit salad, a piece of fresh fruit or a handful of raw trail mix, raw chefs have come up with a number of recipes to help satisfy a wide range of palettes at snack time. By soaking, mixing and then dehydrating most main ingredients, you can make raw breads and crackers, including zucchini bread, sun-dried tomato nut loaf, almond flax crackers and corn chips. Prepared spreads include nut pate, sweet mango chutney and honey butter. Other snack ideas are celery with raw almond butter and raisins, and spicy almonds — made by coating raw soaked almonds in tamari, cayenne pepper, apple juice, sea salt and pressed fresh garlic.