Raw foodism is a philosophy that most or all of the diet should be raw food. Some raw foodists claim that cooking food kills its precious enzymes. Cooking has both positive and negative effects. Cooking, particularly for long periods, can break down some of the vitamin content. Steaming and boiling causes some of the minerals and vitamins to be lost. Carcinogens that can cause cancer are formed when foods are burned or oils are heated above the smoking point. And, deep frying foods leads to the formation of trans fats.


Image courtesy of raw-food-health.net

To maintain a healthy diet and way of living, vegans and raw foodists propose to get involved in the raw food movement. It would not be so difficult to apply this philosophy, but you need to consciously create a healthy eating plan. Get ideas and information on healthy eating with these recipes. Healthy eating starts with cooking healthy recipes. There are a growing number of books available that inspire one to delve into the world of raw foodism. Some recipes can be quite complicated and time consuming, while others become second nature and are as simple to prepare as other foods. Here are some examples of raw recipes for a beginner.

Lettuce   Wraps

Ingredients
  • raw organic corn kernels
  • 1/4 of cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 of diced jalapeno pepper
  • 2 tbsp of  diced yellow onion
  • 2 very ripe avocados
  • 2 tsp of fresh juice of lime
  • 3 diced tomatoes
  • 3 minced cloves fresh garlic
  • 6-8 large leaves of romaine lettuce
Method
In medium bowl, mash avocado. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well blended. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of this mixture on lettuce leaves and roll up.

Raw Veggie “Casserole”

Ingredients
  • Handful of alfalfa sprouts
  • Handful of chopped red cabbage
  • Handful of cauliflower
  • ½ of diced red bell pepper
  • 3 shredded lettuce leaves
  • 1-2 of carrots, shredded in Food Processor
  • 1-2 of zuccini, shredded in Food Processor
Method
Place all the above ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

Add:
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 2 carrots
Mix these four ingredients in a high speed blender. Then add some ground sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds or mashed avocado to create thickness and consistency. Pour the mixture over the salad and mix well.

Raw Sweet Corn Salad

Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup of chopped sweet red onion
  • 1/2 chopped red bell pepper
  • 1 large diced ripe tomato
  • 1 large ear of raw sweet corn
  • 1 diced celery stalk
  • 3 Tbsp. of minced parsley
Method
Wash all vegetables, remove kernels from the cob, dice the tomato, celery, red pepper onion and parsley. Mix in a bowl, cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, add a simple dressing.

Vegetable Kebabs

Ingredients
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne
  • 1/2 cup Braggs
  • 1/2 head of cauliflower
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 medium zucchini
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 medium red bell pepper
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 inch piece fresh ginger
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 4 mushrooms
Method
Wash and cut into chunks the first six vegetables. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over vegetables in bowl. Marinate overnight in refrigerator. Put on wooden skewers and let it dry for 24 hours at 105 degrees in a dehydrator.