2 Key Ingredients of a Raw Vegan Diet

A raw vegan diet consists of unprocessed, raw plant foods that have not been heated above 46 °C (115 °F). Followers of this type of diet believe that foods cooked above this temperature lose much of their nutritional value and are less healthy. Some “Raw foodists” go as far as saying foods heated above that temperature may be harmful to the body.

Many foods that could be sold raw, such as milk and almonds, are pasteurized to reduce the risk of Microbial Disease. It sounds crazy to pasteurize almonds whereas fruits, which are much more likely to carry bacteria if not thoroughly washed, are sold raw in grocery stores.

Many raw vegan recipes include foods such as agave nectar, which are processed food products, and it is hard to know exactly what temperatures have been used in the preparation.

A large selection of raw food recipes is now available on the Internet because of the rising popularity of this diet. However, many online recipes may claim to be raw but include ingredients such as Braggs or soy sauce, which are not raw foods. Therefore, a certain amount of caution is required when looking at recipes on the Internet. One of the best sources I have found is  living-foods.com.

You can also buy raw vegan cookbooks at your local bookstore or online. These books often focus on either gourmet raw foods or recipes high in superfoods, which are usually more expensive to prepare, and are not everybody’s idea of the simple raw diet. This typically includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains and legumes.

2 essential raw food kitchen gadgets

Although some commercially dried foods may be dried at temperatures below 115 degrees, many raw food eaters prefer to dry their own. This is best done with a dehydrator that includes a thermostat to control the temperature.

Food is dried on trays that sit inside the dehydrator. Most dehydrators have between 5 and 9 trays. Raw food enthusiasts agree that the best dehydrator for drying living foods is the Excalibur, which is available online.

Having a dehydrator allows you to make raw ‘breads’ such as onion bread which is made from chopped onion, flax seeds and any other ingredients that you choose. Some people like to add finely chopped leeks and carrots.

Another essential piece of equipment for your raw kitchen is a high-speed blender. With this you can make everything from green smoothies to nut pates. Vita-Mix is the most preferred brand. While not the cheapest, Vita-Mix blenders are strong and long lasting. Anything else is a pale imitation.

You will also want a food processor for chopping and grating your vegetables. You may use a juicer, although many people prefer to put whole fruit in the blender with a little water instead of juicing, so that the fiber is not lost.
Cheap juicers especially are very wasteful of fruit and vegetables, so you may be better off skipping the juicer purchase and investing in a better blender to enjoy your raw vegan recipes to the max.

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2. Can We get Enough Protein from a Raw Food Diet?
3. Improve You Health and Spiritual Wellness with Raw Foods
4. Basics of the Raw Food Diet