If you’ve been interested in plant-based eating for long, you may be familiar with the raw foods’ movement. Though it sounds revolutionary, it’s really an age-old concept. The phrase “going raw” typically means embracing a diet based primarily on fresh plant foods. Raw or “living” foods may make up to 100 percent of your menu with this approach, though a consumption of closer to 80 percent raw foods, often referred to as “high raw,” tends to be more common, and for many people, more sustainable over time.

The concept of based meals on raw plant foods is really just an expansion on what we are told every day by mainstream health advocates, which is to eat more fruits and vegetables for optimal health and disease prevention.
In recent decades, there has been a veritable explosion of foods and beverages in the natural products industry that cater to vegans and others who are cultivating a plant-based diet, which is of course very positive. And yet, while these alternative milks, meats, cheeses, snack foods, treats, etc. can be useful replacements for animal products, many are highly processed and contain unhealthy additives.

So, while they serve an important function, I became interested in moving away from processed “vegan” fare in a very assertive way. I decided to embark on a “raw cleanse” of sorts, consuming only fresh fruit and veggies, raw juices, salads, and sprouted nuts and seeds. I intended to try it for a month, but as the weeks passed, I felt so much better that I lost all interest in processed and heavy/cooked foods, and I went on to phase most of them out.

This would ideally be a gradual process, as this allows your tastes and preferences to transition as well. Once I allowed my palate to adjust and deepened my appreciation for raw foods, it became easier and more enjoyable. In short order, I began to feel healthier, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. I knew I had found my way to truly enlightened cuisine.

I now avoid all industrially processed foods and seek out fresh, clean whole plant food instinctively, organically grown whenever possible. Among many other benefits, eating this way has greatly improved the functionality of my digestive system, strengthened my immune resilience, enabled me to look and feel much younger than my years, and makes it easier to stay trim with little effort.

I have since read numerous books on raw vegan cuisine and invested considerable time into mastering new food preparation techniques, from blending, to dehydrating, to spiraling, and more. As a result, I have learned to produce a wide variety of creative, deliciously satisfying foods, drinks and snacks. I’m now a decade in, with the option of leaning more towards “high raw” in winter and more fully raw in the warmer months and look and feel better than I had hoped for my age. So, how about you, what is your raw story?