Embracing Raw Food Recipes For Beginners

Rita Baily said “Start wherever you are and start small.”

I think it may be a key to something. Regardless of what you want to achieve there are always going to be obstacles in your way. There is never going to be the optimal time to begin something new. And that is true of any lifestyle change or addition, including raw foods. So we are going to start here, with raw food recipes for beginners, and we are going to start small.

The Basics:

What are Raw Foods:

-Raw foods are any food, (i.e. vegetable, fruit, nut, grain, seed, plant) that has not been heated above 116 degrees.

Why Do We Worry About The Temperature:

-The temperature at which you heat your food is essential to distinguishing between “raw” and “non-raw” food. Why do we make such a big deal about this? Because when you heat foods above a certain temperature (116 degrees) you lose a high percentage of that food’s nutrient content, as well as denature some essential digestive enzymes and waste many vitamins and minerals. For example, when you heat food above 116 degrees over 50% of the protein content is lost, and many digestive enzymes are denatured making them worthless in helping your body digest the food it has just consumed.

Why Do I Hear About All These Benefits:

-Because raw food is rich in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are lost in many other foods, it makes them incredibly healing and rejuvenating for the body. Digestive enzymes intact in raw food help the body break down food and can help heal and prevent the digestive tract from becoming inflamed. In addition, this efficient digestive process helps the body rid itself of chemicals and toxins that they body has stored over time. This elimination gives the body more freedom to continue healing itself and using the nutrients you give it more effectively. This is why many people experience increased energy, decreased “fuzziness” in the brain or a greater clarity of mind, weight loss (and extreme weight loss for some!) as well as better circulation, clearer skin, and some cases have even shown raw foods to help reverse diseases such as Diabetes.

How Do I Get Started?

-Transitioning to a raw food diet can be simple. It doesn’t not have to include a complete kitchen overhaul, or a “cold turkey” approach to experience the benefits. I believe in balance. Everyone’s body is different and requires a different, specific, balance of nutrients to function at its optimal level. Transitioning to the raw food diet is as simple as incorporating two raw foods to every meal, or replacing two meals a day with two raw food meals. You can always go all in and begin eating only raw food 100% of the time but I find that this method often results in frustration and ultimately failure. I recommend easing yourself into raw foods. Discover what you like, and have fun experimenting with new foods. That is what I have done, and what I will be doing to dive back into my raw food lifestyle.

What About All the Fancy Kitchen Equipment?

-  While I am blessed to have some great kitchen equipment, it is not all necessary to create great raw food recipes for beginners. Courtesy of my parents and grandparents over a period of several Christmas, I have acquired my food processor, juicer, and Excalibur dehydrator, all of which I feel like I could never live without.

But I know this is not true because when I first began experimenting with raw food I had a Magic Bullet blender, and that was it. And honestly, that is the only thing I would really recommend for beginners when they are transitioning to a raw food diet. Having a high speed blender is a great asset for making smoothies, creams, dips, sauces, pates, and juices. While the other equipment mentioned is great, and does enable you to do some really cool things with your raw food recipes for beginners, they are NOT necessary and you can create delicious recipes without them. Start with what you have, you will build from there.

What About the Weird Ingredients:

-It is true that Raw food often incorporates some exotic ingredients that are not often seen in local grocery stores. It is a shame because many of these ingredients like Dulse or Spirulina are some of the most nutrient powerful foods known to man. But my secret grocer is Amazon. Amazon is a great resource for finding ingredients that may not be available to you locally. I use Amazon to buy my coconut butters, oils, as well as Cacao powder, Almond oils, and more. They are almost always delivered within the week and are of great quality.

This all Sounds a Little Extreme, I Don’t Think I Can Fit This Into My Lifestyle:

-I have heard all excuses. Most of the time it is because they are coming out of my own mouth! Believe me when I say I understand how schedules get busy, families need to be fed, and worrying about preparing and prepping for raw food recipes for beginners can seem overwhelming and unrealistic. But as I said above, we are starting here, and starting small. Begin by adding some raw foods in as your snacks, or adding a raw food salad to your lunch and dinner. Or you could begin by making your breakfast raw. Beginning with small changes will make a transition easier and less overwhelming for both your mind and your body.

We are starting small here, and I am starting with raw food recipes for beginners. Some of the best recipes I have made cooking raw have also been some of the simplest. Starting small and starting easy are the two best paths to success.

I’ll be back with some of the raw food recipes for beginners I have been using to dive back into my new raw food journey soon, so check back in. And I know this list is not exhaustive by any means so PLEASE leave your questions in the comments below and I will do my best to answer them.

We are all in this together,

Ashley

{ 0 comments }