It may seem to be the latest craze at the moment but what exactly is this raw food diet and why is it gaining popularity? On the blog today, we’ve asked Ash Whittle of Raw Munch to provide the low down on what the Raw Food trend is all about and why it may benefit your health to consider eating Raw Foods more regularly.

What is a Raw Food?

We call food raw if it is uncooked – never heated above 48 C/118 F degrees and preferably unprocessed – as fresh (or wild) as possible. This includes fruits, vegetables, sprouts, nuts, seeds, grains and sea vegetables.
In some instances there are special ways to prepare the food (example: most raw and living foodies soak/sprout nuts, seeds and grains before consuming them). You may also hear the term ‘living’ or ‘live’ foods used, this gives us a better idea of the type of food consumed which is plant based.
This raw food retains its nutritional value, its life force, all its vitamins, mineral, oxygen, enzymes (which help us digest food) and much more because it is uncooked, unprocessed and untouched. This is honest food, no hidden ingredients.
By cooking food we destroy the natural occurring enzymes and lose many vital nutrients and it takes our body a lot longer to digest, which uses up a lot of energy. Many times you may feel tired or heavy after eating a cooked meal.

Why eat raw food?

The benefits of a raw food diet are endless but some of the major ones are as follows. You will have more energy, your skin will become clearer, your digestion will improve, you will lose weight, your immune system will improve, you will need less sleep. Your risk of developing heart and cardiovascular diseases will significantly drop.

So HOW do we change to a raw food diet?

Begin to introduce more fruit and vegetables into your diet with each meal. Have veggie sticks, nuts or fruit as a snack. You don’t have to be raw all the time, the idea is that you become conscious of the food you are eating and how it effects your body. Make a diary and take note of the effects each meal has on you physically and emotionally. Maybe transition 60 % raw food and 40% cooked vegan food for example.
The key is being prepared for the next meal. Get some recipe books and make up some recipes. You will be pleasantly surprised by the delicious meals you can prepare with great ease. Find recipes that don’t ask for exotic ingredients that are hard to find. Some great resource blogs are The Rawtarian, Raw Food Recipes, Rawmazing and This Rawsome Vegan Life.

Author – Ash Whittle, Raw Munch

For more information on the raw foods lifestyle, Ash offers a beginners workshop – Introduction into Raw Foods. To find out about upcoming dates and times, call Ash on 0457476119 or email rawmunchinfo@gmail.com. You can follow Ash on Facebook.