The raw food diet is something very popular in wellness and health circles.
It has been around since the 1800s but has surged in popularity in recent years.
Its supporters believe that consuming mostly raw foods is ideal for human health and has many benefits, including weight loss and better overall health.
There are three broad types of raw food diet: a raw vegan diet that excludes all animal products, focusing only on plant-based foods, a raw vegetarian diet that includes plant-based foods plus raw eggs and unprocessed dairy products, and a raw omnivorous diet that includes plant-based foods, raw animal products, and raw or dried meat.
What can you eat?
People interpret the raw food diet and what it means in different ways. Some people will eat some cooked food, while others eat none. For some people, it is a way of life, and for others, it is simply a dietary choice.
According to dietitian Taylor Jones, the raw food diet, often called raw foodism, is composed of mostly or completely raw and unprocessed foods. Jones says food is considered raw if it has never been heated over 40–48°C, and that it should also not be refined, pasteurized, treated with pesticides, or otherwise processed in any way. Instead, the diet allows several alternative preparation methods, such as juicing, blending, dehydrating, soaking, and sprouting.
She adds that similar to veganism, the raw food diet is usually plant-based, being made up mostly of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. If you are one of those who are curious about it and would like to try it out, you can try eating raw with these recipes.
Green Juice
Ingredients
Serves: 2 glasses
1 bunch kale
4 apples (or 2 grapefruit for alkaline option)
1 cucumber
½ lemon, peeled
Ginger
Method
Put the ingredients through the juicer.
Divide between glasses and serve immediately, or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Recipe by The Corner Kitchen.
Raw Nori Wraps with Red Cabbage, Cucumber, Carrots, and Zucchini
Ingredients
½ head red cabbage
1 carrot
1 small zucchini
½ cucumber
2 kale leaves
1 avocado
3-4 nori sheets
Spicy dipping sauce
1 tbsp Tahini
Chilli powder, to taste
1 tbsp Miso
2 dates
½ lemon juice
1 small garlic clove
Filtered water
Method
Make your wraps: Shred the veggies thinly on a mandolin, but chop the cucumber by hand.
Tear up the kale leaves and slice the avocado.
Lay your desired fillings on one side of your nori sheet, and on the opposite side spread a little sauce to seal together the ends when you roll it up.
Roll everything up tight and set it aside. If you're using rice paper, dip the paper in hot water until it's pliable, then place everything you want in the middle. Wrap up like a burrito.
Blend all sauce ingredients together until smooth. Serve with wraps and enjoy.
Recipe by This Raw Some-Vegan Life.