Raw—and Wonderful!

Uncooked foods are often a large part of our diets without us even thinking about it—take fresh fruit or salad, for instance. Raw foodism, a diet consisting of fully uncooked and unprocessed food, goes far beyond bananas and romaine lettuce. Techniques such as fermenting, spiralizing, dehydrating, and blending transform raw ingredients into nutrient-dense masterpieces. There are a few types of raw food cooking and eating, most of which are based on an abundance of delicate, easy-to-digest plants. It’s a different way of “cooking” too. Because there is little to no heat applied in the raw food kitchen, foods are kept “living,” which preserves the integrity of many nutrients. And some raw “cooking” techniques, such as sprouting and fermenting, unlock valuable nutrients, rendering an ingredient more digestible. With a heavy emphasis on plant-based ingredients, raw food diners should take care to source local and organic ingredients when possible. However, if an entirely organic diet isn’t affordable, stick to conventionally grown foods from the Environmental Working Group’s Clean Fifteen and choose organic produce from the Dirty Dozen. Try one meal, one snack, or an entire day of raw food eating this season, and reset your body, mind, and palate with a wholesome, heat-free feast.