Health Starts Here

So what IS this raw food craze that’s sweeping the nation?

Basically, raw foodists eat only unprocessed vegan foods and do not heat any foods above 115 degrees F in order to not destroy enzymes and lose nutritional value (dehydrators are very popular).

Raw foodists rave about the health benefits of this lifestyle.  My daughter was raw for years:  she started because of a serious health issue and she will swear by the diet.  That said, when she became pregnant, she started craving cooked foods and has continued now for four years as a vegan.

I had been a vegan for about a year while my daughter was raw.   She was so in love with the raw lifestyle that I decided to try it.  I lasted two whole weeks!

It’s not easy to be a raw foodist in Cleveland, Ohio.   My daughter lives in NYC where raw food restaurants are easy to find.  Even though nothing could be easier than grabbing fresh raw fruit and vegetables out of the refrigerator, creating unique dishes (as in non-raw-diets) takes time and if you’re in the mood for “apple pie with ice cream,” not so easy to run out & pick it up.

And speaking of “apple pie and ice cream,” I had it for dessert at Pure Food & Drink in NYC and it was heavenly — the best pie I’ve ever had in my life!  I don’t remember all the ingredients but I recall the pie had chopped nuts in the crust and the “ice cream” was made from coconut.  Amazing.  My son had “scallops” and could not believe they were not actually fish (whoops, I mean mollusk)!

So this is my take on the raw food diet:

• Great idea!  
• Challenging to stick with 
• If you take the plunge, be sure to research raw food eating and make sure you are getting enough healthy fats and  omega 3’s
• No matter what, it’s great to incorporate lots of raw foods into our diets
• And, like anything, flexibility is a good thing.  90% raw is also good.  So is 80%.  Plant-strong, whether raw or cooked, is the way t’go!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ellen