Have you heard the news? Raw foods, menus and restaurants are rising to the mainstream. Once relegated to hippie cafés or fringe diets, raw food nutrition is now more widely recognized and respect for this type of healthy diet is gaining ground. Consequently, curiosity about going raw is on the rise too.
According to raw-food proponents, foods such as veggies, nuts and fruits contain a full life force of enzymes and vitamins that might otherwise be compromised by the cooking, heating and roasting process. Eating naturally produced foods in their raw state preserves these micronutrients for the digestive system to readily access. Raw foodists often profess that their energy increases, their skin glows and they feel more radiant for adopting raw food principles.
Here's a primer on eating, enjoying and cooking raw, from home kitchens to new-age haunts, local cafes and five-star restaurants.
Raw foodists are generally vegan- or vegetarian-based, meaning they eat primarily fruit and vegetables, nuts and sprouted grains. Many raw foodists rely on nuts to provide much needed protein. To aid in digestion raw nuts are often soaked and sprouted for added nutrition.
In order to be considered raw, foods must not be heated above 46C or 115F (approximately). The primary reason not to cook foods to a higher temperature, according to the raw-food creed, is that heat changes the molecular structure of food and potentially destroys the active and valuable enzymes that support your bodys needs and energy requirements. In particular, these enzymes aid in digestion and absorption of vital nutrients. Instead of cooking, raw food recipes often include dehydrating at low temperatures for crispness and texture.
If youd like to taste-test a raw-food diet, you dont have to convert completely. There are lots of tasty ways to experiment. At home, you can check out raw-food cookbooks such as Living Raw Food by Sarma Melngailis;The Complete Book of Raw Food, edited by Julie Rodwell & June Eding; Raw Food Cookbook: Easy and Yummy Plant-Based Meals, Superfood Snacks, Green Smoothies and Energy Juicesby Jon Symons (full disclosure: Jon is my big brother!); and Loving the Body Youre In, by Sunshine Coast wellness practitioner, Jan Jensen which features many of her fantastic raw food recipes along with others featuring healthy whole foods.
In Vancouver, drop by one of the great raw-food venues such as Gorilla Food (gorillafood.com) at 436 Richards Street, an organic, vegan, raw-food café and takeaway source for delectable menu items, smoothies and sweet treats. Try their burgers, wraps, salads and pizzas and pastas (made from zucchini newdles).
Locally, raw foodies can enjoy fresh-pressed juices, raw and sprouted grain salads and raw snacks and treats at Sunshine Coast cafes and grocers. And obviously, raw fruits and veggies are easy to prepare and readily available.
When dining out at conventional or high-end restaurants, watch for new raw foods popping up on menus. Raw foods, along with other heart healthy, vegan, macrobiotic and gluten-free selections are on the rise as demand for these nutritionally dense foods grows.
