Foods to Eat on a Raw Food Diet

When many people hear the words "raw diet", they picture a lifetime of eating lettuce and carrots, but there are actually many more foods to eat on a raw food diet.

What Is Raw Food

At first glance, it seems simple enough: raw foods haven't been cooked. That would include fruits and raw vegetables. While that is a true assessment, the issue of raw food versus cooked is actually more complex.

To fully understand raw food, you must first understand cooked food. Cooked, by raw foodies' definition, means food items that have been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit. According to raw foodists and some nutritionists, food must be kept below this temperature to retain its healthy nutrients. Under this theory, food heated higher than 115 degrees has been stripped of its nutritional value. Food that has not been heated above 115, on the other hand, is full of living enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. Food that has been processed or pasteurized, such as milk, are not considered raw.

Allowable Cooking Methods

When it comes to eating raw food, many enthusiasts enjoy finding new ways to "cook" their foods. Juicing is one popular method. By juicing fruits and vegetables, you are able to drink pure, living enzymes. Some juicer favorites include:

• Carrots
• Apples
• Lettuce
• Cucumbers

Get creative with your juice. You'll find that fresh juice tastes completely different from the store-bought, pasteurized variety. You'll also be amazed at some of the surprisingly tasty juice combinations. For example, many people find apple and carrot a delicious mix.

Other allowable cooking methods include:

• Dehydrating
• Warm on a warming plate
• Sprouting
• Fermenting
• Soaking

Blenders and food processors are also handy tools for a raw lifestyle.

Foods to Eat on a Raw Food Diet: Fruits and Vegetables

Vegetables are an important cornerstone of a healthy raw food diet. When choosing fruits and vegetables, remember that organic is best. You don't want to counter the benefits of a raw veggie by eating pesticides! This is especially important if the peel will be eaten. If you will be removing the peel from your veggies and fruit, you have a little leeway here. Some popular raw vegetables and fruits include:

• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Bananas
• Watermelons
• Radishes
• Carrots
• Corn (surprisingly sweet when eaten raw)
• Cucumbers
• Peppers
• Onions
• Garlic
• Potatoes

These foods are great eaten alone or in salads, but they also make excellent smoothies and raw soups. Get creative with your blender-- your taste buds will thank you!

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds provide much-needed crunch and fat to a raw food diet. Add them to salads or eat them as snacks. Raw nut butters are also a special treat. You can find raw almond butter and other butters at stores such as Whole Foods. All nuts and seeds may be eaten raw, including:

• Hazelnut
• Walnut
• Pecan
• Brazil nut
• Almonds
• Cashew
• Macadamia
• Peanut
• Coconut
• Pine nut
• Pistachio

Nut milks, butters, and cheeses can also be wonderful additions to a raw diet.

Animal Products

Although many raw foodists are vegan, there are also some who do eat animal products. If you opt to eat raw eggs or meat, you must be very careful to avoid food poisoning. A dehydrator can be a useful tool for cooking meat. If you decide to include animal products in your diet, look for:

• Raw cheese
• Unpasteurized milk
• Raw yogurt

Raw Convenience Foods

With the growing interest in healthy living and the raw lifestyle, more and more companies are beginning to offer raw convenience foods. This foods are especially helpful for people making the move to a raw diet. Whole Foods, health food stores, and some mainstream grocers are now offering:

• Raw ice cream
• Raw crackers
• Sprouted breads, bagels, and tortillas
• Dehydrated vegetables
• Dehydrated fruit chips