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Raw food, as in the "raw food diet", or "living foods diet", is composed of mostly plant foods, and includes a massive abundance of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, that can safely be eaten raw, or never exposed to temperatures above 42 C / 115-118 F, so as to maintain the nutritional integrity, enzymatic quality and life-force energy of the plant as much as possible.

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Raw and living plant foods are amazing because they contain important phytonutrients, oxygen, enzymes, water and a higher amount of vitamins and minerals than cooked foods.

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Most of your favourite cooked foods can be prepared in some way using raw, whole plant foods; such as pizza, desserts like cheesecakes and ice-cream, chocolate, breads, cakes, wraps, milk-shakes, chips and dips, crisps, amazing salads, curries, soups,  juices, smoothies and lots more.  Some have different textures to what you'd be used to, but still taste amazing!

 

Although this way of eating is typically thought of as a vegan lifestyle, there are actually some raw foodies who also choose to include meat, fish and dairy in their diet too, and sometimes these are also raw in some form or other, such as raw fish or dairy products (unpasteurised).  

 

The raw food diet is in fact a non-diet, and I like to view it as inclusive - literally almost everyone can benefit and enjoy eating more raw foods!

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Technically there is a difference between raw food and living foods.  Raw foods are whole plant foods in their uncooked state.  That's most whole produce that you buy in a supermarket, eg. apples, pears, kale etc. 

 

Living foods, on the other hand, are plants that are still in their growing state when eaten, eg sprouted seeds such as alfalfa, red clover and broccoli sprouts, and sprouted legumes like mung beans and lentils.  Living foods contain the most nutrients and enzymes because they haven't been picked for a while before eating like raw produce usually has, so form an important part of a raw food diet.

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POWERFUL LIFE-FORCE ENERGY

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It's the life-force energy in raw, and particularly living, foods that are transferred to use when we eat them. 

 

If you think about a seed that is planted in soil and watered, it's enzymes are activated and it bursts into life, taking on the energy of the sun and growing into a plant.  If we bake, boil or fry that plant, what do you think happens to that energy?  It cannot survive heat, and so dies.

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When we consume clean, whole foods that still contain enzymes in them, we use less of our own enzymes to digest them, and also take on the energy of the plant. 

 

Take a look at this image of an apple taken using Kirlian photography.  It shows the beautiful lifeforce energy (aura) of the fruit. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Now take a look at these images of a tomato.  The left one demonstrates the energetic field of raw tomato, and the right image shows the diminished energy field of a slightly cooked tomato.  If you think about it, how can something "dead" have an energy field?

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This is believed to be why people experience a big difference in their energy levels when they start to consume more foods with life-force energy. 

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As mentioned, raw and living foods contain more enzymes and "life-force" energy than cooked foods, because once a fresh fruit or vegetable is exposed to temperatures over approximately 42 degrees, most of those precious living enzymes and nutrients die, leaving the food nutritionally devalued. 

 

Now, that said, some veggies actually generate some pretty great qualities from being cooked. 

 

Take that tomato for instance.  When cooked a tomatoes' lycopene content increases quite dramatically, a phytochemical with great antioxidant properties.  However, their vitamin C content will decrease when exposed to heat.   So I guess it's worth having a think about what you want to get out of your tomatoes!

 

Personally, like most of my veggies, I like to include some cooked ones in my diet too because I love cooked food, and I like to experience different varieties of flavours and textures.  I also love to create "raw fusion" recipes that contain both cooked and raw elements.

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THE BENEFITS

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The benefits of including lots of raw and living plant foods in your diet are many, and may include some of the more commonly reported ones listed below, although this list is far from exhaustive. 

 

Also, do check out the Reviews page to read about the great benefits people who worked with me, attended my classes or who did my smoothie challenges experienced!

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PHYSICAL

Increased energy

Clearer, firmer, glowing skin

Regenerated skin

Age reversal

Weight loss, or weight regulation

Clearer vision

Stronger nails

A more toned body

Stronger immune system

General better health

Smoother working intestines and bowel movements

Reduction of pain and inflammation 

Aids the healing of chronic health issues

Regeneration of cells and organs

Reduced or banished period pain

Hormones more in balance

Better sleep pattern

Waking up feeling refreshed and switched on

Less dark circles and wrinkles around the eyes

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MENTAL 

A greater sense of well-being and calmness

Clarity of mind

Better focus and concentration

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EMOTIONAL

A greater sense of balance 

Inner strength

The ability understand your feelings better

A connection to knowing what you want

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SPIRITUAL

A stronger connection to your inner guidance

Better meditation practice

Heightened intuition

Accelerated spiritual growth

A deeper connection to all sentient beings

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And lots more....

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HOW MUCH RAW FOOD SHOULD I EAT?

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Because the "raw food diet" isn't actually a diet as such, it can form a big part of anybody's diet.  You don't have take an all-or-nothing approach and only eat 100% raw food.  In fact, very few people do.  If you can aim for at least 50% of your diet to be raw and living foods you should notice a big difference in how you feel.  That said, everyone is different and it does depend on your state of health, age and previous diet and lifestyle as to how quickly you will notice changes.  

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50% raw isn't difficult to achieve - simply make half of you plate raw!

 

Some people get put off when they don't experience rapid change, or they have unpleasant detox symptoms.  This is just your body adjusting and going through its natural healing process and could just take a little time.  If you've been eating a highly processed or fast food diet for years, then your body isn't going to change overnight!  It's a great sign that your body is starting to heal from the inside, at a cellular level, as you clean up your diet and your body starts to push the old gunk out.  Something to celebrate!  

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WHAT CAN I EAT?

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You can eat any unprocessed, or minimally processed, whole fruit, vegetable, nut or seed that is safe to eat raw.    This could include produce from an abundance of food groups, including:

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Fresh fruits

Dried fruits

Vegetables

Salad vegetables

Leafy greens, eg kale, spinach, romaine

Sea vegetables, eg kelp, wakame

Herbs

Nuts & sprouted nuts

Sprouted grains, eg wheat berries, spelt,

Seeds & sprouted seeds, eg sunflower, chia, hemp, linseeds, quinoa

Nut butters & nut milks

Microgreens, eg pea shoots, sunflower greens, aflalfa

Medicinal mushrooms, eg reishi, chaga

Herbal teas and infusions

Green smoothies

Vegetable and fruit juices

Superfood powders like cacao, maca, spirulina, hemp

Cold pressed oils, eg coconut, olive, walnut

Coconut products, eg oil, butter, cream, milk

Sweeteners, eg maple syrup, agave, date syrup, coconut sugar, xylitol 

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Start to collect some basic pantry staples to help you make delicious meals, snacks and desserts.  You don't have to go out and get everything in one go.  Start with a few simple ingredients and watch your collection grow over time!  

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HOW ARE RAW PLANT FOODS PREPARED?

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There's not much you can't make in the raw food diet that's not already a cooked food favourite.  From beautiful breakfasts to gourmet dinners and desserts, pretty much anything can be replicated.  And in a much healthier and more colourful and vibrant way!

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You can make everything from an energising green smoothie or vegetable juice, to an incredible super salad, pizza, ice-cream, cheesecake, pasta noodles, sauces, dips, soups, wraps, sushi, savoury and sweet treats, chocolate, crisps, sparkling beverages, mylk-shakes, nut cheese, nut milk, cream, custard, whipped cream, roasted veggies, quiche... sprouted greens, healing wheatgrass shots... the list is endless.  And more and more amazing recipes and techniques are being pioneered everyday.

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It's just about opening up your mind to experiencing the exciting world of raw food... and learning how to do it!

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I Suggest you learn a few basic techniques and principles and follow a few simple recipes to begin with.

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