Got questions about raw food?

I know that I had loads of questions about raw food when I started my own ‘living food journey’. I can remember being faced with so many new things: new kitchen equipment, new recipes, new ways of making things – and I had no clue how to proceed!

It all felt a bit overwhelming…but that was probably because I wanted to be perfect immediately (sigh).

I’ve put together some answers to the most frequently asked questions about raw food that I get from people who are embarking upon any kind of ‘raw food adventure’.

I have tried to cover the most common ones, but if I’ve missed out yours, ask me in the comments below and I will do my best to answer:)

Right, here we go:

What can I eat apart from fruit and veg?

You’ll be happy to know that you can eat loads of things! For example:

• Nuts
• Seeds
• Edible flowers (there are loads!)
• Superfoods such as maca, spirulina, bee pollen etc (see my articles here and here)
• Seaweeds
• Natural sweeteners (see my article here)
• Sprouted beans and grains

And you can combine these with your fruit and veg to make the most delectable dishes ever, such as:

• cereals
• crackers
• bread
• soups (yes they can be warm, just not super hot!)
• dips
• cheese (nut cheeses are delicious!)
• pickles
• curries
• chocolates
• cakes
• cookies
• ice creams and sorbets

..the list goes on!

Will I be hungry?

Well if you’ve looked at the list above, I’d say definitely not!

Actually you’ll probably have the opposite problem: eating a bit too much! Living food has much more fibre and more nutrients, so it’s more filling.

My suggestion is to serve yourself half of what you normally would, eat that first, wait a few minutes and if you’re still hungry have a bit more.

Don’t do what I did at the beginning and fill your plate as usual only to discover that you’re stuffed!

Isn’t it expensive to eat raw?

Well no, not really – raw food is more filling, especially if you’re eating a balanced mixture of everything.

And after a while you won’t need as much food because your body will literally be so filled up with nutrients that it won’t require as much ‘input’ – though this tends to apply if you’re eating mostly raw food.

Also you can take advantage of seasonal produce, end-of-market deals (the best time to visit the market is when they’re about to shut and they’re just about giving everything away) and very ripe or not-that-impressive-looking produce.

For example my favorite bananas for smoothies and desserts are the very ripe, almost black ones that no-one else wants to buy. I get huge quantities of them for next to nothing and peel them and freeze them to use as needed. Super easy!

Plus you’re not buying so much processed food which in the long run is more expensive, both for your pocketbook and for your health.

And you’ll be buying less meat, right? Or if you are still eating meat, you’re having a great big helping of raw veggie salad, ‘rice’ or other raw dish (or at least I hope you are!), rather than some ready-made stuff that is more costly to purchase.

What about protein?

I love this question. Thank you, meat and dairy industries for stressing us out about our protein needs (sorry can’t help that one but hey, it’s true!). That’s why I love this question – it gives me a chance to rant a bit! (OK ranting over now)

Have you ever met someone who was diagnosed with ‘insufficient protein intake’? There isn’t a medical name for this, which should tell you something. Starving, yes that happens unfortunately. Lack of protein in your average affluent household? I don’t think so.

We get plenty of protein from vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds and when you mix in all of the other goodies I mention above, well you’ll be among the most well-nourished people on the planet. No joke!

However to reassure those of you who enjoy hard facts, you can check out these great charts here that give you calories, fat, carbs and protein for fruits and veggies. (Sorry guys I know the charts are girly but hey the info is great!)

Doesn’t raw food take ages to prepare?

Aha! This is where I come in!

If you want to make bread, crackers or other things that require dehydration then yes those dishes can take a while, even though you can do other things during that time, eg go out shopping, play with children, jump on a trampoline…whatever you want, as you’re not standing over a hot stove. No-one (to my knowledge) has ever burned down their house with a dehydrator! It’s just a different way of organizing your time. You prepare for 5 minutes and then leave it for a few hours while you do something else, then you eat it…instead of preparing for at least an hour (and not being able to do anything else apart from listen to music perhaps) and then eating it.

Not better mind you, just different.

However if you’re like me and are always in a rush, you will want to go for dishes that only take a few minutes to prepare, and this is where raw food comes into its own.

For example, in 5 minutes I can make:

• a nice warm soup
• a tasty curry
• a gooey dessert (a mousse, a pie, a ‘custard’, ice cream, sorbet…)
• a super fab smoothie or milkshake
• a scrumptious salad

And a lot more!

Want some examples?

Go check out my new program, Raw Foundations!

Any more questions about raw food? Let me know in the comments below!