The Raw Food Diet

[Storm]

http://www.living-foods.com/index.shtml

http://www.thebestofrawfood.com/

http://www.rawfoodlife.com/

Raw foods recipes and forum:

http://goneraw.com/

My favorite raw blogs:

http://earthmother-intheraw.blogspot.com/

http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/2007/06/get-your-chopsticks-out-part-ii.html

http://www.welikeitraw.com/

http://rawleen.blogspot.com/

Raw Strawberry Pie (from Gone Raw)

Crust:
2 cups almonds or pecans
1/2-1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or half of a vanilla bean
4-5 medjool dates, pitted
pinch of sea salt

Filling:
2 cups cashews soaked 1-2 hours
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4-1/2 cup agave (depending on how sweet you want it)
3/4 cup fresh strawberries
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean (I prefer the bean)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Topping:
1-2 cups sliced strawberries
Preparation:

Crust:
Place almonds or pecans in food processor and process with the S blade until crumbled. Add coconut oil, sea salt and vanilla and pulse a couple of times. Add the dates last, one at a time and pulse until the crust holds together when you squeeze it between your fingertips. If the crust does not hold, add more dates (again one at a time). Press into oiled (with coconut oil) tart or pie pan. Chill in Freezer for 30 minutes before adding filling.

Filling:
Blend all ingredients well in a Vitamix blender if you have one. Pour part of the filling into the pie crust (just enought to cover the bottom). Take some of the strawberries you cut up for the topping and scatter them on top of the filling. Pour the rest of the filling on top and place in freezer for 1-2 hours until firm. Decorate with the rest of your cut up strawberries. This pie needs to stay refrigerated to keep its firmness so make sure you keep in cold up until serving!

[Almost_lost]

Re: The Raw Food Diet

That pie looks delicious!
I deffinately see the bennefits to a raw food diet, i just dont think i would be able to stick to it. I also think that certain vegetables (if not all) loose their taste when cooked, the only vegetables(ish) i prefer cooked to raw are broccolli, cauliflower, tomatoes and mushrooms.

[thalassa]

Re: The Raw Food Diet

I was (mostly) vegetarian for eight years--I made it about thru bootcamp, and halfway thru deployment, before I was anemic and my immune system was shot because I didn't have access to the right foods... I decided to give this a shot as a sort of Pagan "lent"/pre-spring cleansing (so there is a non-dietary component here). My goal isn't to go all out, but for 70-80% raw, and no red meat/pork/poultry for the next six weeks (and then we will see how this goes from there)...so I'm sure I will have some (more) questions...but to start with:

How many people that do this go the ceviche/sashimi route?
Also, are there any handy lists of conversions for certain ingredients (I live in a non-grocery adventurous area)?
What do you eat when you go out? Salad? (I happen to like salad...but...)

[Storm]

Re: The Raw Food Diet

Not too many people go the raw meat and cheese route. I think mostly from concerns over bacteria. I was warned by my doctor not to go that route because I have a compromised immune system.

Here is a list of some substitutions:

Raw food substitution list

1 tablespoon agave nectar = 1 tablespoon honey = 1 tablespoon chopped dates
1 tablespoon hemp oil = 1 tablespoon cold pressed olive oil
1 tablespoon coconut oil = 1 tablespoon coconut butter
1 vanilla bean = 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts = 1 cup pecans
1 cup cashews = 1 cup macadamia nuts
1 tablespoon Nama Shoyu = 1 tablespoon Braggs Liquid Aminos = 1 tablespoon soy sauce (not raw)
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds = 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon fresh herbs = 1/2 tablespoon dried herbs

I am not 100% raw. I maintain around 85 - 90%, so I don't worry about using some non-raw ingredients like soy sauce, dijon mustard, black olives, etc. Some of that specialty raw stuff can get pretty expensive and I usually use bottled salad dressing because it's just more convenient.

I am very fortunate to live in an area where there are vegan and raw food restaurants, but when those things aren't available, yes, I'm pretty much stuck with salad too.

Almost Lost: I have a couple of friends who tried it, but found it too difficult to stick to so they do "raw until dinner"...breakfast, lunch and snacks are all raw foods but then they eat what they want for dinner. It's a way to not have to give up all the things you like to eat. I had a really difficult time when I first went raw and yo-yoed on it for a while. Finally, I got smart and sort of weened myself off most cooked foods.

[Storm]

Re: The Raw Food Diet



Zucchini Chips! And they're so easy and much better for you than potato chips. First you have to find a giant zucchini, because the chips shrink up a lot while drying. Slice it in 1/8 inch rounds, brush both sides with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle on your favorite spice blend. I like to use lemon pepper or cajun spice blend. I dry them on a dehydrator for 24 hours, but I'm told you can stick them in the oven on a non-stick sheet at the lowest setting for a few hours. If you can't find a giant zucchini, eggplant and jicama work too!

[Dez]

Re: The Raw Food Diet

Awesome thread, Storm!

I was raw foods vegan very briefly when I was 18...it's a lot of work to sustain (and impossible as a newly-wed college studen), but wow, I remember the energy!

I'm going to want to try your recipes

[Almost_lost]

Re: The Raw Food Diet

I think i'm gonna try it part time like you suggested storm, breakfast and lunch. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Dez]

Re: The Raw Food Diet

Just thought of a question, hun:

I've been working really hard to eat seasonally, as much as possible...are you able to do that, and still get all your nutritional needs met, or do you hit a point (like the middle of winter), where you're eating a lot of imported food?

[Storm]

Re: The Raw Food Diet

Even down here in the mostly sunny south where we can almost grow year round, I find it difficult to eat seasonally in the winter. Especially when it comes to fruits. Most of the tropicals are coming in from Mexico and South America right now. I'm a big mango, kiwi, and pineapple consumer and our season doesn't start until around July. I do the best I can as a locavore, but it really has been impossible for me to committ 100% to local/seasonal fruits.

I'll be interested to know how you do, Almost!

[Gardenia]

Re: The Raw Food Diet

That pie looks great. I'm a huge fan of almonds and dates, so I might have to play around with that crust and try it out for other pies/desserts.

[Almost_lost]

Re: The Raw Food Diet

I've decided to try it for two weeks to see how i get on, if i manage it then i think i'll keep going. I'm saying two weeks because i'm not a huge fan of seeds, nuts, and pulses and i only really like a handful of fruit, veg and salad stuff. I'm gonna see how i go with fruit for breakfast and veg/salad for lunch.

[DanieMarie]

Re: The Raw Food Diet

I can't do it because I'm deathly allergic to pulses....

Any tips to incorporate aspects of this without going all the way?

[Storm]

Re: The Raw Food Diet

...because i'm not a huge fan of seeds, nuts, and pulses

And those are most of your protein sources so you definitely wouldn't want to go on high raw.

Let me think on that, DM.

[Raphaeline]

Re: The Raw Food Diet

Awesome thread Feel free to post other recipes you like - I've been wanting to eat more raw, but I'm having a hard time switching from my childhood diet of Poptarts and freezer pizzas. Just eating vegetables at all has been difficult. I'm always on the lookout for new recipes that will help me transition to a better diet!

[Almost_lost]

Re: The Raw Food Diet

Day two of raw food detox - i think i had more energy yesterday, i didn't feel the overwhelming need to nap like i usually do. I started with a large green apple and half a satsuma for breakfast (only had half the satsuma because it wasn't that nice) for lunch i had a huge plate of salad, lettuce, cucumber, sweetcorn, red onion, white cabbage and carrots. I found that an hour or so after each i was really hungry. I usually eat bread, bread and more bread so i'm always full. If i liked nuts or seeds then i'd snack on them. I'm gonna try to fill up on water today, and have a snack about 2pm.