How does the Raw Food Diet work?

How does the Raw Food Diet work?

There are numerous variations of the raw food diet, and you have the power to shape your own. Typically, though, about 75 to 80 percent of what you eat each day will be plant-based foods never heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit. (Very few people follow a 100 percent raw diet.) Most followers are vegan, but some choose to consume raw animal products, like raw (unpasteurized) milk, cheese made from raw milk, sashimi, raw fish, and certain kinds of raw meat. You’ll eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, and nuts, including cashews, sunflower seeds, and raw almond butter; some foods are marked as raw and sold at grocery stores, while others require home-prep. Grains are also OK, as are dried organic legumes (think lentils, chickpeas, adzuki beans, and mung beans) eaten raw. Other common choices include cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil; raw virgin coconut oil; and raw coconut butter. Freshly-squeezed vegetable juice and herbal tea are also staples.

What’s off-limits? Anything pasteurized, all processed foods, refined sugars and flours, table salt, and caffeine. Say goodbye to pasta, baked goods, junk food, and most store-bought juices, drinks, and milks. (Homemade juices using fresh fruits and veggies are OK.)

You’ll need to learn how to properly prepare your food. Raw foodies become expert at juicing, blending, dehydrating, sprouting, germinating, cutting, chopping, and rehydrating. A dehydrator, for example, uses low temperatures and a fan to dry out food. Dehydrate peeled and sliced sweet potatoes for five hours, and you’ll have crunchy sweet potato chips. To make chocolate chip cookies, grind raw cashews and oats in a food processor or blender to create dough; then mix coconut oil, carob and cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla to make chocolate chips; and then combine the two and place them in the freezer for 30 minutes.