Raw Food Basics

For some time now I have been thinking of going on a raw diet, I do however just love my cooked veggies! What's a girl to do? I've decided to start out with incorporating more raw into my life and perhaps having a roughly 90% raw diet sometime in the future. I often forget how yummy fruit can be once I get into a habit of eating junky foods over time. They are so sweet and taste just as good as dessert! I ate raw foods for three to four days straight last week and noticed great changes in my body including a five pound weight loss! Once I incorporated other types of foods back into my diet, I also noticed changes, including aches and pains in my body.

Eating a variety of raw foods is great for those that have cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, joint pain, food allergies, celiac disease, and many other ailments of the body.

So what are the major benefits of raw foods? Here are a few key points:

• Weight loss without exercise-don't get me wrong, exercise is key to good health and an active lifestyle will keep your body in shape, but losing a few pounds simply because you changed your eating habits is a big bonus.
• Fad diets be gone-ditch the "diets" and get your eating on track. With a raw diet there is no more counting of calories, tracking your carb intake, or measuring of fat grams.
• Eating more without the guilt-when you are taking in foods that are low in calories and virtually free of fat, you can have more! Don't mistake this for a green light to overindulge, too much of anything just isn't good.
• Increased energy-so many foods, including processed ones can give the body a feeling of being "weighed down". Natural foods provided from the Earth in their purest form provide the energy to keep you going all day.
• Risk of disease is greatly reduced through raw food consumption including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
• Skin clears up and has a natural glow.

So now that you know a list of the basics about raw foods, here are a few recipes to help you get started (even if you aren't going raw, try a few out!):

Broccoli and Tahini Heaven A mix of broccoli, carrots, apples, and raisins combined with tahini (like peanut butter but made with sesame seeds).

Quick and Easy Kale Chips I love to have kale chips as a snack and so does my three year old son! Try out this simple recipe.

Soft Corn Tortillas You can still enjoy tacos, never thought you could did you? Included in this recipe is "spicy beans", tomato sauce, avocado-corn guacamole, tomato-lime salsa, and tart-sour cream!

Raw Smores From one of my favorite raw websites Pure2Raw, run by twin sisters Michelle and Lori. This recipe teaches you how to make everything, down to the graham cracker.

Try out some of these recipes and let me know if you have tried any others you like.

Happy Raw Eating!

References: Raw Food Diet, "The Raw Food Detox Diet" by Natalia Rose

Photo Credit- www.pure2raw.com

Laeticia is an Organic Vegan dedicated to a healthy lifestyle and the mom of a sweet little boy. She is currently studying Sign Language and has interest in pursuing a career in Nutrition and Fitness. To follow Laeticia on Twitter,  and facebook Laeticia's blog