What the Heck is Raw Food? -- Plus some resources to get you started!

Photo courtesy of my bud Aimee "The Wellness Woman." You can find the recipe to this gorgeous all Raw Bento Box here. Aimee is an amazing raw food chef and an inspiring life coach. She has also graciously agreed to do a guest post for my blog in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!



So, What the Heck is Raw Food Anyway?


The terms "Raw Food" and to a lesser degree "Living Cuisine" have been making their way into the mainstream public's consciousness recently. This is due in part to a few celebrities who've adopted a raw foods lifestyle (... Anyone  remember the hoopla surrounding Demi Moore's amazing bikini body when she appeared in the Charlie's Angels movie? Well, she achieved her svelte figure by going raw.).


But what exactly is raw food, you may be asking. Simply put, raw food consists of fresh, minimally processed and uncooked ingredients. Raw foodists are almost all exclusively vegan or vegetarian, so in this sense, raw food does not refer to raw meat and seafood. As an additional guideline, if you pick up any raw foods book (see resources list below), you'll read that food is no longer considered "raw" once it has been heated above a certain temperature -- most agree that's somewhere between 105 and 118 degrees.



So what do raw foodists eat?


Well, it's not just salads. There's an unending supply of fabulous raw food recipes out there (one of my favorites is raw, vegan lasagna). Still, leafy green vegetables, including wild greens and sprouts are usually at the top of a raw foodist's menu. Then there's a healthy dose of fruits (both sweet and unsweet), nuts and seeds, and fats/oils (avocados, coconut, olives). Some also include seaweeds and so-called "super foods" such as maca, cacao (raw chocolate) and goji berries. (more about super foods another day).


Some people do eat a 100% raw food diet. However, this is just not realistic for most (especially me), so many who are into the raw foods lifestyle eat "high raw" where they strive to eat anywhere from a 60% to 90% fresh, plant based diet.




Why would people eat only raw food?


There are many reasons why people adopt this way of eating. Many health buffs are turned on by the super high content of vitamins, minerals and micronutrients this diet offers; still, others claim this diet gives them more energy, improves digestion and makes them more conscious of where their food comes from; but the major reason people go raw is because they are facing some sort of health challenge. For instance, there are many people who have reversed their type-II diabetes and have completely come off of insulin after going raw. While training as a raw food chef, I even met one Type-I diabetic who has been able to significantly reduce the number of daily insulin shots by eating a diet high in raw foods.


Though, the biggest impetus behind people going raw seems to be Weight Loss. This is certainly true for me. Do a google search for before and after pics of people on a raw diet. There are some really amazing stories of people who have shed massive amounts of weight on this diet. One woman (Angela Stokes-Monarch),  for example, lost and kept off about 160 pounds eating this way. The reason why people lose so much weight on raw foods is because raw foods are nutritionally dense but still low in calories. Thus you can eat a lot more raw food by volume while still consuming significantly fewer calories than you would by eating cooked food. Raw food also has more dietary fiber than cooked food, which is great for weight loss since foods with fiber make you feel fuller longer.




A Diet for the Masses?


Many people think that a 100% raw food diet is too restrictive. I happen to be one of them, but I think that it is a great Healing Diet, and periods of all raw can be great after days (or weeks) of eating too much junk. (Speaking of healing diets, I will be doing 3 weeks at Optimum Health Institute in June --stay tuned for my video-blogs about my experience!)


So, even though all raw many not be for everyone, most people could stand to add a little more fresh fruits and vegetables into their diets. And if you're feeling stuck in a salad rut and want to find fun new, healthy ways to feed your family, I highly recommend you give some raw food recipes a try.

Some Raw Food Resources

The following is a partial list of some raw food resources I've found helpful over the years. Although I do not agree with every opinion in the raw food movement, I like the overall messages of the people and products below and I think they are a great resource for beginners. Still, with most things in life, I take what is good for me, learn from it, and leave the rest behind. I suggest you do the same.

The Raw Food Detox Diet, by Natalia Rose


Super accessible, with multiple transition plans to help you incorporate more raw foods into your diet...especially for those who do not wish to go 100% raw. I also really liked her "raw before dinner" recommendations.

Everyday Raw, by Matthew Kenney


This is, by far, my favorite raw food recipe book of all time! It has everything: soups, salads, snacks, desserts, main courses and more. The mango wrapper on the cover is what prompted me to buy this book, and it did not disappoint!

The Vita-Mix blender


This blender is used by professional chefs and kitchens (such as on Food Network's Iron Chef Kitchen stadium) and it's usually the go-to-gadget for raw foodists everywhere. I even know people who travel with theirs! See my glowing review of the amazingness that is the Vita-Mix here.



 Online Raw Food Shopping 

 

Most things I need I can get at a regular grocery store, at my local health food store or Whole Foods. However, when I need a specialty item or just feel like treating myself to a tasty treat, The Raw Food World is where I go. It's my online stop for raw goodies and natural/health items for my home.


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The Lowdown on Juices & Smoothies

Smoothies have been all the rage the past few years, with most towns having at least one smoothie joint around. Juices, and the illustrious juice bar, however, have failed to break into the mainstream. Both of these wonder beverages have their benefits, though, so I figured I’d talk a little about smoothies, a lot about juices, and a bit about what makes them different.


Juices


First, let me make it clear that when I talk about juices, I’m talking about freshly extracted fruit and vegetable juices – not the kind you get in bottles at the market. Most juices in the supermarket are laden with sugar and usually have some type of preservative so that they will stay shelf-stable for months on end. A few of these have vegetables, but the star of most of these juice beverages is the sugariest of fruits, or worse – corn syrup (Don’t let those “it’s just a vegetable” corn syrup commercials fool you – that stuff’s no good!).


The process of juicing (see juicer review here) removes the fibers of the fruit/veg. When the fibers are gone, this reduces the amount of time and energy the body has to spend digesting, thus enabling you to quickly assimilate all of the nutrients you're trying to get. There is even evidence to suggest that juicing is especially beneficial if you are trying to heal from disease. There are a lot of juicing books on the market; if you're seriously interested in juicing, you should definitely check some out. One of the first such books I ever owned is "Juicing For Life," by Calbom & Keane. It's great because they detail specific nutrients said to aid in the healing of scores of ailments (from Allergies to Water Retention); and they also provide a list of the foods and some juice recipes which contain the target, healing nutrients.


Why is fresh better than bottled? First, fresh juice tastes so much better. Second, the moment you extract juice from a plant’s fibers, they begin to oxidize; oxidation causes many of the vital nutrients to be lost. That’s why it’s best to drink fruit and vegetable juices right away – and if you can’t, it’s best to store your juice in an air-tight glass container in the fridge (mason jars are awesome for prolonging the life of your juice).


Why do I drink Juice? Like many people out there, I don't really care for taking vitamins (or most pills for that matter). What's more, when I do need to take some sort of pill - I usually forget. So, juicing makes me feel A-OK about not taking my multi-vites, because Fruit and Vegetable Juices contain concentrated amounts of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes - and are basically like taking a power-house of a liquid supplement.


Smoothies


Unlike juices, smoothies contain the fibers of the plant matter; and as we all have heard, fiber makes you feel full, which is why many people successfully use smoothies as a meal replacement! Since the fiber is present, the body has to spend more time and energy digesting. This makes smoothies a good go-to beverage when you require more and longer-lasting energy. Plus, if you are someone who likes a lot of fruit in your smoothies, the fiber helps slow the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream, fending off sugar crashes later.


What about smoothie-chain smoothies? I must admit, I have had my fair share of these drinks in the past. Most of them, however, are not very healthy and are basically dessert in a cup – high in fat, too much dairy, and a sinful amount of sugar. While I’m not 100% opposed to these (we have to live a little, right?), there are so many more healthful smoothies to be had. Most of us are used to really creamy smoothies with some type of dairy, but there are some really amazing-tasting smoothies made with just fruit, vegetables and water. Though, if you must have a milky, dessert-type smoothie, there are lots of ways to make them a little better for you. For instance, you can add greens (such as in a chocolate and spinach smoothie– sounds odd, but tastes delicious); you can add flax, hemp, or coconut oils, for healthy omega fats; you can add Superfoods, such as spirulina, bee pollen, or maca; and you can try replacing mucus-forming cow’s milk with rice milk, soy milk, almond milk or oat milk.


The Long and Short of my Juices vs. Smoothies rant. When possible, I like to have one juice and one smoothie everyday. I like juice because I can cram in more vegetable matter (and thus vitamins!) than I can possibly eat on a plate or blend in a smoothie. My juices generally have very little sweetness to them because I do not want to jar my system with a jolt of liquid, fiber-less sugar. On the other hand, I generally like to have my smoothies somewhat sweet because they have fiber, are filling, and they usually satisfy my need to have cake (mmm, cake) or other bad-for-me desserts.


So, if you’re looking for something sweet and filling, smoothies are a great choice. However, if you are looking to acquire high concentrations of nutrients from a particular plant, then juices are the way to go.


If you decide to keep buying your juices and smoothies over-the-counter style, I hope you will at least consider making a few of the healthier versions at home. If you need inspiration, stay tuned, I’ll be offering up a new smoothie or juice recipe every week on the Diary of a Smart Black Woman!