| 1. What is the raw food diet? |
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| "Raw" means food that is unprocessed, unrefined, and untreated with heat, food that is in its whole state. The three main raw food groups are fresh fruits, vegetables (particularly green leafy vegetables) and natural fats, such as avocados, nuts, and seeds. Raw food isn't a radical concept; most nutritionists agree that we need to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. The raw food diet simply suggests that these foods should be most of what we eat, and should be prepared in a way that maximizes their nutrient content. |
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| 2. What are some of the health benefits of the raw food diet? |
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| Eating a diet rich in fresh greens, vegetables, and fruits is the easiest way to maintain optimal health and weight, increase energy and slow down the aging process. It helps you avoid the foods that have been linked to degenerative diseases and weight gain, including “bad carbs” (such as white sugar and white flour) and “bad fats” (saturated and trans-fats). Additionally, raw greens, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds have vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, enzymes, and fiber--all essential for good health. |
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| 3. Do you recommend eating a 100% raw diet? |
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| Eating raw foods doesn't need to be all or nothing. A small percentage of people eat 100% raw, but this isn't practical for most of us. Eating even 50-75% raw foods can improve health and vitality. The main point is to increase the percentage of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet. |
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| 4. Where do you get your protein? |
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| Protein can be found in all natural foods. Vegetables and fruits taken together have about 15% of their calories as protein. Nuts, seeds (especially hemp and sesame), nut/seed butters, dark leafy greens and sprouts, and algae (such as spirulina) are rich sources of protein. More protein is assimilated by your body from raw foods than from cooked foods, which means you don't need to eat quite as much protein if it's from raw sources. Even non-vegetarians (who consume more protein), should still also add at least 50% raw foods to their diets. Once they do, non-vegetarians often find that they naturally reduce the amount of animal protein they consume. |
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| 5. What is the importance of enzymes in the raw food diet? |
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| Enzymes are used for just about every function in your body. But for simplicity sake we will focus primarily on how they help "digest" or break down foods. For example, when fruits ripen, their enzymes change starches into simple sugars (which is why unripe fruit isn’t as sweet). Raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds contain the enzymes necessary to complete the digestion process. (The enzymes in nuts and seeds are activated through soaking them.) The importance of food enzymes in the diet is currently a subject of debate among nutritionists. What we do know is that enzymes are the most heat sensitive of all nutrients, destroyed at temperatures above 118 degrees. More and more research suggests that eating high-enzyme foods aids digestion, and that our bodies can recycle many of the enzymes in food, which means less depletion of its own store of enzymes. Eating an enzyme-rich diet is thought to increase vitality and slow the aging process. |
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| 6. With all the avocadoes, nuts and seeds, isn’t there a lot of fat in a raw food diet? |
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| There are good fats and bad fats. The bad fats include trans-fats, saturated animal fat, and refined polyunsaturated fats, such as the fat in refined cooking oils. The "good fats" are all the raw ones: the mono-unsaturated fats, present in avocados, almonds, and olive oil; Omega-3 fatty acids, present in hemp seeds, flax seeds and walnuts; and medium-chain saturated fatty acids, present in coconut and coconut oil. True, you don't want to eat too much fat of any kind, but as long as you are getting enough fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables, and not overeating, you don't have to worry about including the good fats in your diet. |
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| 7. Is it expensive to eat this way? |
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| When you make simple recipes, like the ones thought in our Forget Cooking Class. an Introduction to Raw Food Cuisine. the raw food diet is less expensive than the Standard American Diet. True, organic fruits and vegetables cost more than conventional ones, but they are still cheaper than meat, dairy products, and processed foods. And even if organic fruits and vegetables do cost more money, the benefits to your health will save you money in the long run. |
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| 8. I have a small kitchen. Do I need a lot of appliances and ingredients to make raw foods? |
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| No. All you need to get started is a blender, a food processor, a knife, and a cutting board. And they don't need to be expensive brands either. You do not need a food dehydrator or fancy high-speed blender to make the recipes in our Forget Cooking Class. an Introduction to Raw Food Cuisine. You also don’t need a juicer in the beginning, although you may want one eventually if you choose to have juice for breakfast. As far as ingredients go, nothing exotic is needed. Stocking your kitchen with just a few staples, such as almonds and sunflower seeds, and basic produce, such as kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, and seasonal fruit, will enable you to create healthy raw meals right away. |
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| 9. What do you eat in a typical day? |
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| I eat pretty simply. I start off each day with a large glass of water. Then I'll have a fruit and green smoothie (orange, banana, blueberries, and kale) or green juice (kale, celery, cucumber, apple). Lunch is usually a soup and a dip or paté made from almonds and sunflower seeds rolled up in a collard or lettuce leaf. Dinner is often a large salad. Sometimes I have seasonal fruit or a raw dessert as a snack. |
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| 10. What first steps do you recommend for beginners who are not vegetarian? |
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If you take just three steps, you will automatically be eating about 50% raw foods:
- Start the day with 16 oz of pure water. Then have juice, a smoothie, and/or fruit.
- Begin typical lunches and dinners with a salad, maybe with avocado to make it heartier. Alternatively, have a raw soup as a starter.
- If you snack, eat raw vegetable sticks, fruits, or vegetable juices. Plus pure water between meals
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| 11. What if I don’t like the taste of green leafy vegetables? |
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| The easiest way to eat more greens is to blend them into a delicious fruit smoothie. My favorite breakfast is the following smoothie: 1/2 orange, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup blueberries, 2 leaves kale, and water to thin. Another one I like is 1/2 cup pineapple, 1/2 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup spinach, and water to thin. You won't even notice the greens. |
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| 12. I'm worried my digestive system can't handle too many raw fruits and vegetables. What can I do? |
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| Raw fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, so there may be an adjustment period. Fruits generally aren't the problem--they are easy to digest, as long as you eat them in moderate amounts and on an empty stomach. As far as vegetables go, emphasize the easy-to-digest greens and vegetables at first, such as lettuce, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, summer squash, red bell peppers, and green, leafy sprouts. And make sure you chew really well. Dark greens and cruciferous vegetables, such as kale, collards, cabbage, and broccoli are very nutritious (rich in protein and minerals), but can be harder to digest. Try shredding them fine and massaging them with a little sea salt, olive oil and lemon juice to soften them. Or, take greens as juices and blended soups at first, as you gradually adapt to eating more raw foods. You can also add your greens to blended fruit smoothies (use 60% fruit, 40% greens, and water to thin). Dehydrated green super food powders are convenient supplements, especially while traveling. |
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| 13. How do you create a new recipe? |
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| I often think about a favorite cooked food dish I want to replicate. I use the same seasonings and herbs as in the traditional dish, but substitute raw ingredients for the cooked ones. For example, our Not Tuna Paté recipe in our Forget Cooking Class, an introduction to Raw Food Cuisine has onion, celery, parsley, and lemon juice, just like traditional tuna salad, but almonds and sunflower seeds replace the tuna. Whenever I come up with a new recipe, I also think about how it can be made in less than 30 minutes! |
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| 14. How can I eat raw in cold weather? |
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| Just because you want to eat raw doesn't mean foods should be out-of-the-refrigerator cold. Let them come to room temperature. You can also warm soups and sauces over low heat on the stove for a couple of minutes, or place them in an oven that has been warmed and turned off. Drinking hot teas and getting vigorous exercise will also warm you up in the winter. |
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| 15. Are your recipes gluten free? |
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| Yes, all our recipes are wheat-free and gluten-free. |
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| 16. I love pasta, but I know that all those refined carbs aren't good for me. What do you suggest as a substitute? |
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| There is a raw low-carb substitute for pasta--zucchini! When people say they like pasta, what they usually mean is that they like the taste of the sauce and the "al dente" texture. Zucchini is a bland and softer vegetable, so when you cut it the right way, it actually has an al dente texture, and it absorbs the flavor of any sauce you serve it with., like our Fettuccini Marinara recipe taught in our Forget Cooking Class, an Introduction to Raw Food Cuisine. |
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| 17. How do you make tough but nutritious greens like collards and kale taste good raw? |
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| To make a raw green such as kale more palatable, cut it into really fine ribbons, and then add a dressing of extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt. Don't just toss it gently the way you'd toss a green salad. You want the kale to wilt, so massage the dressing into the greens with your hands. The result will be kale as soft as steamed or stir-fried, but more colorful and flavorful, just like our Mediterranean Kale recipe taught in our Forget Cooking Class, an Introduction to Raw Food Cuisine. |
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| 18. How can I make a salad dressing that is creamy yet low in fat? |
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| You can make dressings out of cucumbers, red bell peppers, or tomatoes, to create a low-fat creamy dressing. The lemon dressing in Forget Cooking Class, an Introduction to Raw Food Cuisine has the following ingredients, blended until smooth: red bell pepper, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, garlic, cayenne, fresh dill or basil, and red onion. |
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| 19. Any suggestions for a portable lunch for work, besides salad? |
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| Try making a raw soup, which is like a smoothie, but with vegetables instead of fruits. Start with a lot of greens and veggies, because when you blend them down, they condense in volume. You can transport raw soup in a jar or thermos and drink it or eat it with a spoon. Also try a dip or paté, such as Not Tuna Paté, in our Forget Cooking Class, an Introduction to Raw Food Cuisine with cut up veggie sticks. You can eat this like finger food--much easier than eating a salad when you're on the go. |
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| 20. How do you stay raw while traveling? |
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| When traveling, I eat lots of fresh fruits, since they don't require preparation. I also bring a small blender with me, which takes care of a breakfast smoothie (usually orange, banana, and a tablespoon of one of the “green” powders on the market). Snacks are easy with all the delicious raw food bars that are available. Apples and almonds also make a good snack. For lunch try some cut up veggies and raw flaxseed crackers (also widely available in natural food stores these days), with store-bought guacamole and salsa, or simply with some avocado or almond butter. At a restaurant for dinner, I'm more flexible. I try to keep my choices as healthy as possible, avoiding red meat, fried foods, white bread, and white sugar. If I do indulge, I simply eat very lightly the next day to compensate. With this flexible approach, I haven't found it difficult to stick to a mostly raw diet. You may also consider taking our Travel in the Raw Class |
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| 21. I have a really busy schedule, are there any raw recipes I can make in advance? |
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| Almond milk, salad dressings, patés (dips made from soaked nuts and seeds) and desserts all keep for five days in the refrigerator. |
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| 22. How can I have variety in weekday lunches and dinners without making a lot of different recipes each day? |
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| One of the central concepts of Forget Cooking Class, an Introduction to Raw Food Cuisine is to make one recipe at the beginning of the week, and then transform it into many different meals. The nut/seed patés are particularly versatile this way. The Not Tuna Paté recipe can be used in the following ways: Add a scoop of it on top of or mixed into a salad, use it as a dip/spread with crudités (cut up veggies) and crackers, stuff it into a hollowed-out tomato, red bell pepper half, Romaine leaf, or mushroom, roll the paté and other veggies into nori seaweed to make California rolls, layer it between two tomato slices and top with pesto, sprouts, and thinly sliced olives to make Tomato Stacks. That's 8 meals! |
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| 23. How can I get my kids to eat more fruits and vegetables? |
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| Kids need fruits and vegetables more than anyone--to be energetic and happy, to perform well in school, and to develop healthy eating habits for life. You can encourage both fruit and vegetable eating by enlisting your children's help in preparing easy recipes, especially brightly-colored dishes and finger foods. Some of Jenya’s kid-friendly favorites include: Green Smoothies, Ant on a Log, Veggie Chips with Ranch Dressing, Zucchini Noodles with Marinara Sauce, Tomato Stacks, Chocolate Chip Cookies with Almond Milk, Mango Sorbet, and Chocolate Mousse. |
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