The Ins and Outs of Raw Food – Recipes, Tips & Resources You Should Know About!

Raw food anyone?

When you hear people say that they eat raw food do you think that limits you to only carrot sticks and celery? Thankfully that is not the case.

The other day I was chatting with a mom about how to get her little ones to eat more raw food.

Here is some of the information I shared with her.    But just in case you don’t know what raw food is, here is a quick explanation courtesy of Raw Food Life:

“Science proves that cooking not only destroys nutrition and enzymes but chemically changes foods from the substances needed for health into free-radicals and poisons that destroy our health!

When you eat more cooked food you are consuming acidic toxins faster than your body can eliminate them so they back up, disrupting your body’s delicate acid/alkaline balance, a major cause of excess weight and disease. Heating food above 118 degrees F. causes the chemical changes that create acidic toxins, including the carcinogens, mutagens, and free-radicals associated with diseases like diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, and cancer. Cooking also destroys the live enzymes that aid in digestion and health.”

At home, we love to make raw organic pancakes, raw organic vegan chocolate mousse, raw protein cocoa balls, raw linguine and of course raw soups, salads, smoothies and anything else the kids want to eat.  We are not a 100% raw family but we incorporate raw foods into 50% or more of our diet.   Eating raw makes you feel better, gives you more energy, less digestive issues and also gets your body all of the living enzymes, probiotics and nutritional content that is destroyed or significantly reduced by cooking.

Now I can’t say we eat raw without admitting that from time to time (as the budget permits) we also consume raw milk, raw cheese, raw butter, raw nuts, and raw kefir.  It’s amazing but true that my oldest cannot tolerate regular organic milk or cheese, its makes him gassy and messes with his digestion.  But when he consumes raw dairy he is fine.  No gas, no diarrhea, no bloating no issues.  This is because the dairy contains all of the digestive enzymes, amino acids, and probiotics that aid the body in digestion.  When you consume regular milk you are not getting any of these valuable properties because they are destroyed in the process of making it ready for the shelf in your local grocery store.

I must say that you have to be VERY careful when purchasing raw milk.  Not all farmers take the necessary precautions so it is very important that you seek a qualified farm that is using appropriate health and sanitation practices while caring for the milk produced on their farm.  For a full article and resources on where to get raw milk near you, click here. 

Here are some more awesome rawsome resources for your journey to Raw and Beyond!