How Can I Add More Raw to My Vegan Diet?

Written by LaTara Ham-Ying on May 7, 2008 at May 7th, 2008

Before I answer that question, let me share why we need to eat more raw foods.

Because raw foods have enzymes, which help our food to digest, they are important in the digestion process. The enzymes in raw foods break down particles so they can be utilized for energy.

Enzymes are proteins and they have a unique 3-dimensional structure. Once they are heated above 118 degrees, the unique structure begins to breakdown. Once they have been exposed to heat the enzymes no longer contribute to the process of digestion for which they were made.

Therefore eating a wide variety for raw foods is imperative for a thriving life. A daily diet should consist of at least 50% raw foods for a proper functioning body.

Just how does one get a good amount of raw foods in their system?

Here a few simple ways to add more raw foods to your daily diet:

• Eat a simple green salad with lunch and dinner. When you eat a salad before your main meal, it aids in proper digestion.
• Cut up raw vegetables like cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, green onions, and celery to go with your dinner. You would be surprised how delicious a raw tomato is with beans and rice.
• Make a salad with just avocados, tomatoes, green and black olives. A good dressing for this salad is simply a little olive oil, garlic powder, and sea salt.
• Make a bruschetta spread with tomatoes, garlic, and green olives. Dice the vegetables; add olive oil, sea salt, and basil. Chill and eat over toast, crackers, on the side of any Italian dish, or by itself.
• Pop a piece of fruit in your mouth. Yes, they are raw foods too! And they are delicious
• Make a smoothie. All smoothies do not have to made with milk either. Just freeze the fruit, place in blender once it is frozen, add ice, sweetener of choice, some ground flax seeds, and blend.
• Juice it! Oh the benefits of having a juicer. Try a carrot, cucumber, and ginger blend for energy, focus, and clarity. Juicing is very beneficial to your over all health.
• Try sprouts. The most enzyme rich foods are sprouts. They are filled with some of the most potent sources of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and many B vitamins. Just about any vegetable or grain can be consumed from sprouts. Try alfalfa, broccoli, bean, or mung bean sprouts.
• Make a raw granola, trail mix, and raw fruit bars. My favorite homemade raw bar is made with oatmeal, cranberries, pecan, and honey with a little barley malt and flax. Now for those already prepared, try the Lara bars. It comes in a variety of flavors like pecan pie, apple pie, and banana bread and they are all natural with no preservatives.
• Eat raw nuts. No, not the salted ones you get in a can! Find raw nuts in health food stores and crunch away. You can even add them you your salads.

Unfortunately too many people neglect the importance of raw foods and cook everything to death…literally. By over cooking food you are risking serious health problems. Cooked foods are not always the healthiest. The body cannot properly digest foods that have been fried, pasteurized, barbecued, dried or other over-processed and over cooked foods. If you have to cook foods, the best way to do so is to lightly stem, stew, or use a crock pot.

Start out with one raw dish per day plus a few extra pieces of fruit. Your body will scream Thank you and you will feel the difference.