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 one’s diet, though a consumption of closer to 80 percent raw foods, often referred to as “high raw,” is often more common. If you think about it, the concept of eating primarily 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, I have witnessed 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 very positive. And yet, while these alternative milks, meats, cheeses, condiments, snack foods, treats and other items are very useful replacements for animal products, many are highly processed, and contain unhealthy additives. I chose to opt out from most of them as a result, but was still figuring out the next evolution.
I then decided to embark on a “raw cleanse,” 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 cooked foods and I’ve since deleted them almost entirely. It’s important to realize how our tastes and preferences change when eating this way. Once I allowed my palate to adjust and deepened my appreciation for raw foods, paired with feeling so tremendous, not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well, I knew I had found my way to truly enlightened cuisine.
I now mistrust most industrially processed foods and seek out fresh, clean whole plant food instinctively. Among many other benefits, eating this way has greatly improved the health of my digestive system, strengthened my immune resilience, helps me to look and feel much younger than my years, and enables me to stay trim with less 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, many of which are included in my forthcoming book. So, how about you, what is your raw story?