The raw food movement is really cooking at the moment, so join the bandwagon by making juicing, nut milks, salads, fruits, nuts and seeds an integral part of your diet
Published: Thu 10 Mar 2016, 11:00 PM
Last updated: Fri 18 Mar 2016, 10:02 AM
One of the things about being a food columnist is that I am privy to the knowledge of food trends as they are budding, at their peak, and sometimes even predict the ones that will rise. One that is currently trending worldwide ?and gaining new traction in the UAE is the raw food movement.
Raw power
Dr Joel Fuhrman, author of Eat To Live, says that uncooked cruciferous vegetables have the most powerful anti-cancer effects. He also says that most of the phytonutrients function as antioxidants in the body, meaning they neutralise free radicals, rendering them harmless and reducing cancer risk
|
Raw food may seem to be a grand new and profound concept, but the fact is that we have been eating some amount of raw foods in our diets since time immemorial. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds have been consumed in all cultures across the world. The reasons are simple. they are easily accessible and edible in their natural state and require less work because there is little or no need to "process" them to make them edible or tasty.
Even fish, beef, and other meat have been eaten raw in selective cultures (chicken is one of the only meats that is dangerous to eat without cooking). The Japanese have made eating raw fish a delicacy that has overtaken the world, but it made sense traditionally, as they had access to plenty of fine fresh fish in the waters surrounding their island-chain country. Plus, they also developed the culture and expertise handed down carefully over the generations to prepare and serve these raw foods in their optimal conditions, to prevent food poisoning.
Whether or not you are from a predominantly raw food-eating culture or have the stomach to eat raw fish and meat, no one can deny the massive health benefits of adding more raw fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds to your diet. Uncooked food contains lots of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and phytonutrients,
Here are some fun, quick and easy ways to amp up the raw factor in your life.
1 Get a slow juicer
Juicing your vegetables is a great and easy way to dramatically increase the amount of vegetables you can consume daily. If you hate eating your salad, juice it. Grab all those green leafy vegetables, throw in some celery and carrot, and get with it. Not all juicers are created equal so look for a slow juicer. They are pretty pricey, so you can go with a cheaper centrifugal juicer, to begin with.
2 Get a great blender
The Vitamix is an industrial type blender and you can get very many years of usage out of it. It's an ultimate dream of a blending machine, a mega powerhouse of a blender, and does the job superbly, efficiently and quickly. It is an expensive investment, but totally worth it. Make all sorts of smoothies for breakfast, lunch or dinner, if you are using this as a detox.
3 Make nut milks
This is where a great blender truly shines. Yes, you can buy them in boxes in the supermarket, but most contain thickening chemicals and have gone through heat treatments that no longer make them raw. Your best bet is to make your own in quantities you can consume before it spoils - homemade nut milks have a much shorter life, as they have not been processed to lengthen their shelf life.
4 Have smoothies for breakfast
Replace your regular breakfast with a smoothie ?of raw oats, nuts and even half a banana to sweet-?en it - or, of course, whatever other recipe or combination you prefer.
5 Eat a raw salad for dinner
If you switch to having a salad for dinner, your ?body will truly thank you for it. Just remember to consume protein sources as well or incorporate them into your salad.
6 Add a tiny side raw salad to lunch
This could be a little of your salad from dinner the night before. Just don't dress it until you are ready to have your lunch. or you will have tasteless limpy vegetables.
7 Drink fresh coconut water
Aside from drinking large amounts of water, you can add coconut water to your beverages to replace a coffee or tea drink for the day, but remember that only fresh coconut out of a coconut husk qualifies. Everything else available on supermarket shelves is not fit to be called coconut water.
8 Replace sweets with fruit
If you feel like having something sweet for dessert, simply have some raw fruit or make a raw fruit salad and drizzle on some raw honey.
9 Snack on raw nuts and seeds
Replace salty snacks with raw nuts and seeds for a healthy alternative. You could also add them to your salads for a little crunch.
iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
