Why would anyone want to eat raw foods you ask? Well, word in the health industry is, raw foods are the new “It” thing to do. Not only does it significantly help you lose, maintain and improve your weight, but is also profoundly more healthier than eating traditionally cooked, pasteurized and processed foods. Raw foods are also known to help improve your digestive system, energy levels, skin tone, and overall health amongst many other benefits that it provides. Plus, it tastes delicious!
In fact, despite that most people don’t know this, you can actually still enjoy many of your favorite meals, snacks and treats by eating them the raw food way as opposed to eating them pasteurized, heated and processed- in turn, keeping you healthier, ensuring that you receive the full intended nutrients and enzymes from your foods, while improving your lifestyle!
What does it mean to be raw?
According to studies, a raw food diet consists of unprocessed raw vegan foods that have not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius). "Raw foodists" believe that foods cooked above this temperature have lost their enzymes and thus a significant amount of their nutritional value and are harmful to the body, whereas uncooked foods provide living enzymes and proper nutrition.
The Top 10 Benefits of Eating Raw Foods
1. Aids in digestive health, promotes regularity & healthy bowel movements
2. Helps promote weight loss and target weight management goals
3. Absorbs natural enzymes and nutrients found in foods so that your body receives full intended benefits
4. Provides more energy, strength and vitality
5. Helps improve sleep & decrease fatigue/tiredness
6. Helps improve mental clarity & brain function
7. Helps improve skin tone & complexion
8. Less harmful for the planet (less packaging, less landfill use)
9. Promotes anti-aging and youth
10. Allows you to enjoy your delicious meals the healthier, raw way
With all these amazing health benefits what’s not to love about raw foods? And by the way, did you know that many people only incorporate raw foods in a percentage of their diet plans? Meaning that, some individuals may eat raw foods 75 percent of the time, whereas others may just eat raw foods 50 percent of the time. This way, if you’re not ready to completely transition into a full raw food dietary plan, you can at least start by eating raw foods at a percentage that’s both comfortable and ideal for your lifestyle.
Check out these Raw Food Recipes!
Falafels with Mango Pineapple Salsa
Falafels
· 3 C Sprouted Garbanzo Beans (chick peas)
· 1 C Chopped Onion
· 2 Cloves Garlic
· 1 C Sunflower Seeds
· 1/2 C Ground Flax Seeds
· 1/4 C Lemon Juice
· 1/4 C Parsley
· 2 T Olive Oil
· 2 t Coriander
· 3 t Cumin
· 1 T Nama Shoyu
· Alfalfa sprouts (for serving)
1. Sprout Garbanzo Beans. Place 2 C dry beans in a jar, cover with water and let soak for 24 hours. Make sure there is plenty of room in the jar as these will expand quite a bit. Drain off water and rinse 3 times a day until little sprouts appear. Usually 2-3 days.
2. Place sunflower seeds in food processor and grind until fine. Place ground sunflower seeds in large bowl.
3. With food processor running, drop 2 cloves of garlic in. Let run until garlic has been chopped.
4. Place sprouted garbanzo beans in food processor with garlic. Process until a mash is achieved. Remove to bowl with sunflower seeds.
5. Chop onion in food processor, pulsing until a very fine chop in achieved. Place in bowl with garbanzo bean mixture.
6. Chop parsley and add along with remaining ingredients to bean mixture. Combine well.
7. Shape into golf sized balls and dehydrate, beginning at 140 degrees for 1 hour and then reducing heat to 116 for 4 to 6 hours. You will want to check as they dehydrate. They should be crispy on the outside but still a little soft on the inside. Information on dehydrating can be found here: Dehydration for Raw Foods
Mango Pineapple Salsa
· 1 C Chopped Pineapple
· 1 C Chopped Mango
· 1 C Chopped Jicama
· 1/2 C Chopped Onion
· 3 T Finely Chopped Cilantro
· 1 Lime (juice from)
Mix all ingredients together. Let sit to marinate.
Sour Cream
· 1/4 C Cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours)
· 1 Young Coconut (flesh from – about 3/4 Cup)
· 2 T Lemon Juice
· pinch sea salt
Combine all ingredients in blender until smooth. Can add water to thin out if needed.
To Serve:
Create a bed of alfalfa sprouts, place falafel on top of the sprouts. Top with “sour cream” and serve with salsa.
*Recipe by Rawmazing
Mini Flax Pizza Bites
Flax Cracker Base
Either use your own flax cracker recipe, flax crackers you already have, or use this recipe.
· 1/2 cup flax seeds
· 1/2 cup flax meal
· 6 medium tomatoes
· 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 2 hours or more
· 1 tablespoon lemon juice
· 1/4 cup fresh basil
· 3 tablespoons dried Italian herb mix
· 3 medium onions
· 1 clove garlic
1. Grind all ingredients in a food processor.
2. Spread evenly and thinly over 2 nonstick dehydrator trays, right to the edges, and then use a knife or spatula to score into individual squares.
3. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 3 hours. Then invert onto another mesh dehydrator tray to finish drying in the dehydrator for a further 10 – 18 hours.
Pine Nut Cheese Spread
· 1/2 cup pine nuts
· 1/2 cup macadamias
· 2 teaspoons lemon juice
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
· 1/4 cup water
4. Grind all ingredients in a food processor.
Tomato Sauce
· 4 medium tomatoes, de-seeded
· 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 2 hours or more
· 1 soft date
· 1 clove garlic
· 2 teaspoons olive oil
· 1 tablespoon fresh basil
· 1 tablespoon dried oregano
· 2 teaspoons lemon juice
5. Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.
Pesto
· 2 cups basil, tightly packed
· 1 tablespoon minced rosemary
· 1/4 cup pine nuts
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 2 teaspoon lemon juice
6. Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until broken down, but leave some texture to the finished pesto.
Assembly
1. Start with the flax cracker as a base, to which you’ll add a layer of the nut cheese spread.
2. Next comes the tomato sauce. Top with some pesto.
3. Garnish with olives, capers and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning.
Variation: This recipe works great using marinated whole mushrooms as a base instead of flax crackers.
1. Marinate 12 mushrooms in 1/4 cup tamari and 1/4 cup olive oil for 2 hours or more.
2. Fill the mushroom caps with the nut cheese, tomato sauce and pesto. Going heavier on the amount of pesto works really nicely with mushrooms.
3. Once the mushrooms are stuffed, place in the dehydrator at 105 degrees F to warm through for 1 – 2 hours.
*Recipe by Russell James- The Raw Chef
Cherry & Mango Ice Cream Cup
For the base
· 3/4 cup cashews
· 1 tablespoon agave
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· Pinch of salt
· 2 teaspoons lemon juice
· 1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
1. Grind all ingredients in a food processor.
2. Press into 2 small individual cups or cake moulds of your choice that have been lined with plastic wrap.
3. Dehydrate for approximately 3 hours until the shells are strong enough to hold together without the case, and then remove from the case to dry for a further 6 hours or overnight.
For the filling
· 1/2 cup cashews
· 3 tablespoons coconut oil
· 2 tablespoons lemon juice
· 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
· Pinch of salt
· 2 tablespoons water
· 1 tablespoon agave
· 1/2 cup cherries*, stones removed
· 1/2 cup mango, flesh only
*You can substitute cherries with any other fruit, such as pineapple or bananas, depending on what you like and what’s available in season.
1. Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender under smooth. It’s nice to have some chunks of mango or cherry stirred in at the end so you get little bursts of flavor.
2. Pour into an ice cream maker or freeze in a tub. If doing the latter, then once frozen pass through a juicer with the homogenizing attachment on.
3. Fill the shells with the ice cream and garnish with slices of mango. Easy!
*Recipe by Russell James- The Raw Chef
Are you going to start incorporating raw foods into your diet plan? I hope so, because one thing’s for sure, raw foods aren’t going anywhere, anytime soon!
