Raw Food Revolution Part 2

Hie all , welcome back to continue our discussion about Raw Food Revolution. Yesterday, I already talk about Raw food philosophy and Raw food redefined. Today I would like to talk about The raw kitchen and Baby steps.

The Raw Kitchen

If you are keen to start incorporating elements of the diet into your lifestyle, you’ll be glad to know that going raw has never been easier. According to Loo, most raw food can be found in the fresh produce aisles in supermartkets, and you can easily purchase fresh fruit from the food courts or order salads from cafes and restaurants.

Back home, all you really need to prepare raw food dishes is a set of knives. Phyo recommends going for ceramic knives as they oxidize vegetables slower than metal ones, and they don’t require sharpening. Both Loo and Phyo also suggest investing in a quality high-speed blender to make sauces, soups and smoothies. You can also consider purchasing a dehydrator, which stimulates drying in the sun. it is ideal for making crackers, bread and dried fruit, and for experimenting, creating and imparting new textures to your dishes.

As fresh and unprocessed food tend to go bad faster, be prepared to buy smaller quantities and to go grocery shopping more often. However, there are also less perishable items such as dried herbs and spices, nuts and oils that you can keep stocked in your pantry. Phyo shares that she keeps on hand at least five types of nuts, a variety of sea vegetables including nori, and condiments such as olive oil, apple cider vinegar and unpasteurised miso.

Baby Steps

According to nutritionist Pooja Vig, those who commit to a raw food diet end up eating a lot more healthy food such as fruit and vegetables, while cutting out unhealthy processed foods. However, she stresses that studies have been inconclusive about the diet’s long-term health benefits.

While heat inevitably reduces the vitamins in some food, other micronutrients, such as lycopene in tomatoes, are more widely found in cooked rather than raw food. It’s a limited idealogy to say that cooking is toxic. Some methods such as deep-frying may be harmful, but light cooking methods are not, and they kill harmful microbes, too. Some such as those with poor digestive power, may also find a raw food diet unsuitable.

The jury may be out on the virtues of a 100% raw food diet, but the good news is that you don’t have to eat only raw food to experience its benefits. Any major impact to the body usually does it more harm than good. Safely integrating raw foods into your diet will reduce the chances of unpleasant detox symptoms.

Instead of going cold turkey, begin by adding more smoothies, shakes, salads and soups into your diet. If you normally have eggs and bacons for breakfast, first blend and drink up a glass of your favourite fruit smoothie or protein shake, and then enjoy your eggs and bacon. What typically happens is that you’ll only be able to eat half the amount you usually do.

For most of us, the point is not to aim for a total transition to raw foodism but to gradually up our intake of fresh, unprocessed food. After all, cutting back on frivolous calories and nourishing out bodies with the right, nutritious good is the sure and indisputable route to better health.