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As a certified raw food chef, I eat lots of raw foods each and every day. In fact, I would say around 50 to 60% of my diet is made up of raw foods.
Does that sound like a lot?
You’d be surprised how easy it is to eat lots of delicious raw foods. Yes, even in winter when you’re craving warm and cozy. You can have your warm and cozy and your raw foods too!
Why am I encouraging you to eat more raw foods? There are many good reasons to eat raw, plant-based foods every day. But before I get to those, I’ll tell you 2 big reasons why I keep eating raw…
Raw foods can be delicious! And the more raw I eat, the better I feel!
I just feel better when I’m eating this way. Period. If that’s not enough to sell you on adding more raw foods into what you are already eating, here are 5 science-backed reasons to eat more raw foods.
- 1.Cooking food depletes naturally occurring enzymes, which are proteins that your body can’t function without. So if you cook anything above 118 degrees Fahrenheit, you will diminish the vital enzymes in the food that make it easy for your body to digest and assimilate what you’re eating.
- 2.Our ancient ancestors ate mostly raw plant foods.Meat was scarce for the most part, and cooking wasn’t a regular habit. Because they thrived on this raw food diet, your body will too.
- 3.Cooking destroys bio-photons, light energy in plants (think chlorophyll), which are really nutritious for humans to consume.
- 4.Raw foods are unprocessed foods.If you’re eating lots of raw foods, it’s impossible to fill your diet with processed junk. Eating raw requires eating whole foods.
- 5.Raw foods have more nutrients.This is perhaps the most important reason to eat more raw foods. This is why I often do a “flash steam” or “flash sauté,” which you might have seen in my recipes, where you cook the food for less than 4 minutes. It’s enough to give food that cooked feeling, but NOT enough to kill off the enzymes and nutrients in the food.
It’s worth noting that you’ll absorb lots of nutrients when you eat cooked plant foods as well – in some cases you can actually absorb nutrients better in cooked foods. But remember, variety really is the spice of life. You want some raw, some cooked, some steamed, some juiced… A little bit of everything and a mix of different foods is always the best way to go.
So how do you eat more raw foods, since they are so good for you?
You know what I say – it’s all about moderation! Simply add one raw food to what you’re eating every day. Then add one more. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to go raw.
6 Ways to Eat More Raw Foods Deliciously
Raw Smoothies
Starting your day with a smoothie is a delicious way to get more raw foods into your diet right from the start. Here are a few you might not have tried.
Raw Salads
A salad a day is a great way to eat more raw foods. Here are a few yummy options.
Chopped Salad with Lemon Pepper Dressing
Raw Entrees
Smoothies and salads aren’t the only ways to go raw. These tasty dishes make satisfying lunches or dinners.
Dr. D’s Raw Marinara Sauce – serve with raw or flash sautéed zucchini noodles
Raw Soups
Gazpacho isn’t the only raw soup you can enjoy! In fact, here are 3 tasty alternatives to gazpacho that you’re sure to love.
Chilled Cucumber & Arugula Soup
Radiant, Raw Red Pepper Bisque
Raw Snacks
You probably eat raw snacks all the time. Veggies and hummus, apples and almond butter, alkaline trail mix – the options are nearly endless. Here are a few irresistible snacks to add to your rotation.
Avocado Hummus with veggies
Raw Green Juices
Juicing is a fantastic way to get more raw nutrients into your body quickly and easily – and deliciously too!
Raw Desserts
There are more raw, alkaline dessert recipes than you might think. In fact, we’ve got more recipes on our blog than you could probably try in a whole month!
The Original Vanilla Coconut Chia Pudding – or any of our chia pudding recipes!
One more way to supplement your raw vegetable intake that’s quick and easy is to drink a nutritious, dehydrated green powder supplement like Alkamind Daily Greens in water or a smoothie.
One scoop of greens gives you 5 servings of raw, fresh, organic greens. Think about all those veggies you would have to eat and how long it would take to get the equivalent of what you can do in one scoop!
GET OFF YOUR ACID!
Dr. Daryl
