A recent raw lunch, recipe for the pasta to come!
So. I’m seriously into raw foods. (You’ve probably seen some hints of this before…) Several of my monthly goals in recent moons have been to eat more of them and I’ve even purchased a super rad new uncookbook that I’m very addicted to. I love to juice, and I love a good piece of raw fruit and a Lara Bar for snack. Lately, I’ve been doing my rawsearch, and I’m becoming more and more addicted to live, pure foods. I love them, and I love the high-raw vegan diet I’ve been grooving to in recent weeks. I guess you could say I’m giving my diet a bit of a boost and taking it from fabulous food to super food! I’m trying to eat as much raw as I can, and I just can’t get enough of it! (I’m turning into Beans, my fluffy little rabbit, day by day!)
All of that said, I’m kicking off a brand new series and welcome to it! I’ll do this in a series of FAQ’s I get about my diet, so here goes!
Raw snacks can be as easy as a rawnola bar and a piece of fruit. Delicious.
Why raw?
I’m adding more raw foods to my diet because the more raw foods I eat the better I feel! They’re very addictive and so are the results! Eliminating processed and refined foods especially gluten and sugar helps maintain overall health. I’m already vegan and reap the benefits of an animal product free lifestyle, and high raw just helps me clean up my diet even more. If I cut the crap, I just feel better and feel more aware and connected with my body.
What do you hope to gain/achieve?
I hope to gain better body mindfulness, and overall health. I also hope to wrangle in some of the persistent digestive problems that I experience related to certain foods.
What does “raw” mean?
Raw foods are defined as anything that is not heated above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). These foods are uncooked, organic, live, and enzymatic meaning that they’re packed full of readily accessible nutrients that are very easily absorbed and assimilated into the human body.
So basically you’re just going to eat salads?
Even though I love the crunch, taste, look, and texture of a good old fashioned salad, they’re not the only things raw foodists eat! Raw foods have made tremendous strides in recent years, and many raw foodies are skilled at everything from noodles to desserts! As with cooked foods, it’s important to get a variety of foods in a variety of forms in your diet for maximum energy and nutrients.
What are you going to eat?
Lots of things! Raw foods can be anything from fruits and veggies to nuts, grains, seeds, and naturally dried foods like dates, sun dried tomatoes, and dehydrated foods like kale chips! I’ll be chronicling a lot of my raw food adventures right here on Veganland. Here a few raw foods I’ve uncooked so far. I’m hoping to make lots and lots more, with the help of a couple of raw cook books and the interwebs.
So, ready to go raw with me? Cool, let’s go! Now, here are some goals (and stipulations) for my rawesomeness:
~ I’m eating lots of raw, but not all the way raw. I love all sorts of foods both cooked and uncooked and for me I think variety is the key element to a healthy lifestyle. An all raw diet can be both time consuming and expensive, two areas I’m limited on right now. I’m seeking to expand my raw repertoire as much as possible within my means, which is an important thing to remember to do if you’re like me and get extra vivacious and excited about food!
~ Over the next month, I’d like to reduce the processed sugars in my diet in a step to fully eradicate them.
~ I’d like to try my hand at uncooking some new raw foods dishes, including:
Pad Thai Kelp noodles Kale salad Refried Beans Cake Burritos
~ I’d like to do some rawsearch to understand how and why raw foods work so beautifully with the human system.
So here we go, folks. Welcome to Rachel’s adventures in Rawganland!
What questions do you have about RAW?
Bisous!
Rachel
