Why Aren’t You Eating Your Food in the Raw?

The last book I wrote about, The Everything Mediterranean Diet Book, was one of two books I recently received to review on Get Cooking. The other is a book that has completely fascinated me, The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book (Everything Series). What’s more, it has opened up a whole new way of looking at food – something I wouldn’t have thought possible after this many years in the kitchen.

I would say how many years in the kitchen but who wants to get depressed on a Wednesday? We’ll save that for a Monday.

Increased energy. Clear, glowing skin. Decreased risk of cancer.  Reads like a self help guru’s dream come true. These are only a few of the benefits of a raw foods diet; some studies have even shown that this diet can actually slow down the aging process! Whether you’re looking to go completely raw or just incorporate some raw aspects into your diet, this book is your one-stop guide to a health lifestyle.

In The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book (Everything Series), you’ll find the information you’ll need to begin your love affair with raw foods. If you’re like me, you probably think of a raw food diet as consisting of apples, corn on the cob, and cauliflower – all piled on a plate that someone stands proudly behind and says, “Look! I made this just for you!”

A diet consisting of raw foods includes more foods, food combinations, and recipes than I ever imagined. Lots more than a plate with an apple, corn on the cob, and cauliflower not that there’s anything wrong with any of the three!).

In addition to detailed explanations of why this diet is so extraordinarily healthy, you’ll find the tools of the trade you’ll need if you’re really serious about taking up this type of eating (even if only incorporating raw foods into the food you regularly eat), and 300 recipes.

The recipes include:

• Cherry Pomegranate Smoothie
• Curry and Pumpkin Seed Crackers
• Banana Vanilla Ice Cream with Blueberry Sauce
• Raw Vegetable Lasagna
• Pad Thai with Almond Sauce
• Spicy Coleslaw with Cashew Mayonnaise
• Fresh Vegetable Soup
• Marinated Zucchini Strips
• Cool Cucumber Salad Dressing
• Peach Cream Crepes
• Cinnamon Oatmeal
• Tortillas
• Zucchini Hummus
• Garbanzo Bean Hummus
• New Orleans Beans and Rice
• Spinach Pie

• And many, many more

I admit, although I’m intrigued with the recipes, the concept, and the healthy side effects of eating a raw food diet – I couldn’t even consider devoting myself to eating this way exclusively.  The great thing is, the authors completely understand that!  This book doesn’t try to convince you to take up a certain way of eating or try to convince you to leave behind your favorite foods.  It simply presents a colorful, fresh, and flavorful new option.  After all variety is the spice of life and, when it comes to such a healthy option – it isn’t just the spice of life, it’s the enhancement of life!

From Page 5: Reduced Risk of Cancer and Heart Disease

The following research bears out the benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables:

• Researchers at Harvard Medical School tracked the health of more than 22,000 physicians.  The study found those who ate at least 2-1/2 servings of vegetables a day lowered their risk of heart disease by almost 25 percent.
• At the University of California, Berkeley, researchers found that a high intake of fruits and vegetables also reduces the risk of cancer on average by 50 percent.
• A recent study on diabetes at the University of North Carolina reported that a vegan diet rich in vegetables reduces diabetes indicators.
• In Stockholm at a Swedish university hospital, researchers found that a vegan diet also increases immune protection against arthritis.

The following is one of the great smoothie recipes in the book.

Vanilla Almond Milk Smoothie Recipe (page 22)

2 cups Almond Milk
2 cups pear, chopped with peel on
1 cup banana, sliced
1/2 cup cherries, pitted and chopped
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 vanilla bean, or 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Add the almond milk, pears,banana, cherries, and nutmeg to the blender.  Blend until smooth.
• Cut the vanilla bean open.  Scoop out the inside pulp from the bean and add to blender.  Discard the vanilla bean pod.  Blend again to incorporate vanilla for another 20 seconds.

Learn more about The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book (Everything Series) by clicking the link or check your local bookstore.  Fascinating.  Positively fascinating.