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Why Eat Raw Foods? The Benefits Of a Raw Diet

9/16/2023

Raw, Plant-Based Cinnamon-Spice Donut at Erin's UnBakery

Nature constantly seeks a balance. We see this everywhere throughout the natural world, and it is a known principle that helps us to feel calm and at ease when we are outdoors.

Just as we can find harmony in the natural world around us, our bodies find harmony as we live our lives as much in step with the natural world as we can.

One way of doing this is through our food choices. Natural, whole food comes in the form closest to what nature provides. On the raw food diet, these foods include anything that grows from a plant - fruit, vegetables, sproutable grains and
legumes, nuts, seeds, and raw fats (such as coconut oil and cold-pressed sesame oil), and sweeteners (such as coconut sugar).

This doesn’t mean that it undergoes no processing. “Processed” food is not bad - what we are looking for in a raw food diet is “minimally processed” foods. It’s okay to grind, dehydrate, soak, or ferment foods. What we want to avoid is too much heat, chemical treatment, and additives beyond flavorings. We stay away from ingredients such as emulsifiers and common preservatives.

The benefit of the raw food diet is that it is simple, and fresh. The body loves fats that have not been heated, loves high-fiber foods, and foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Raw, vegan foods provide these beneficial properties.

The raw food diet is not about perfection, and there are benfits to cooked foods. If you buy some bananas that aren’t organic, do not worry too much. The idea is to create new trends in your life - to create new habits, to lean toward eating more fruit and vegetables and more foods in their raw form.

Raw desserts are one way to incorporate whole, raw, and living foods into your life. Raw desserts allow us to have fun and enjoy something tasty while knowing that the foods will help our bodies find balance and improve the overall function of the body. They also make you happy. It's easy to love a beautiful dessert that is kind to the body, mind and planet!

Additional Reading:
Raw Food - Impact on the Body - Foreo.com
5 Reasons To Choose The Raw Food Diet - LiveFood.eu

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Mixing The Rainbow Into Granola

1/19/2023

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Granola is about texture, sweetness, and crunch. I like to also add a bit of rainbow color.

Vanilla Maple Buckwheat Granola

My Vanilla Maple Buckwheat Granola (left) contains plenty of crunch, with the soaked and dehydrated nuts and seeds - pecans, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. Although not all seeds we can buy at the grocery store will sprout, soaking them does trigger the seeds to prepare for sprouting, which means they will release their anti-nutrients, such as phytic acid and oxalate. Once they have been dehydrated again, they will develop a more pleasant, buttery, less bitter flavor and a nice crispiness.

Which is perfect for granola!

Add some maple syrup and vanilla...and it turns out as a perfect healthy snack which goes great with vegan yogurt, or poured into a cereal bowl with your preferred type of milk.

Buckwheat, which is in fact another kind of seed, is a lighter ingredient which, when soaked and dehydrated creates "buckwheat crisps." Buckwheat also offers a variety of antioxidants and polyphenols, which make it highly anti-inflammatory. And lastly what you see in the photo, is shredded coconut, followed by the flower petals.

The edible flowers transform the granola into reminder to take delight in the little gifts in life, and provides a reminder to love yourself and give yourself opportunities to appreciate these gifts! I don't know about you, but the little girl in me loves the idea of mixing flowers into my food! They don't alter the texture or flavor, and provide a pop of color.

Yogurt Blueberry Parfait with Vanilla Maple Buckwheat Granola

I like to make my own fresh yogurt from young Thai coconut meat. I purchase it in a 10 lb bag and freeze it, and then thaw it for use. You can also purchase the coconuts whole, in the produce section of most grocery stores. They are fun to crack open.

Making coconut yogurt is surprisingly easy. You just blend the defrosted coconut meat (only from young Thai coconuts, though!) until it's a creamy consistency, then put a couple capsules of acidophilus in, and let it sit, covered, for 24-48 hours. I've done as long as 3 days. The longer you let it sit, the more of a tang the yogurt will have, and you will see more bubbles form.

Pictured left is a parfait made from coconut yogurt, mashed berries, and the crispy Vanilla Buckwheat Granola. It makes a decadent breakfast, full of vitamins and minerals, healthy fats, probiotics, fruit and a burst of color.

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A Tart For The Sun

8/19/2022

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A Lemon Panna Cotta Tart - my first raw tart. Round, yellow, and bright - just waiting for some decor.

This Summer Solstice tart also became my first ever treat made for an event. The creamy, bright, citrus filling fit the occasion.

Creating panna cotta as a raw dessert involved using soaked cashews blended into a cream, with some lemon flavor added and some light-colored honey.

Cashews are a magical food - their mild flavor and soft texture make them highly versatile. It can be blended into a butter, whipped into a cream, and ground into a flour. Cashews lower blood pressure and decrease bad cholesterol. Your body will love you for eating them.

The turmeric used to color this tart has had the flavor compounds removed, leaving only the rich yellow color to enjoy, as well as the curcumin, which reduces inflammation. Add the fiber and antioxidants from the strawberries...and you have a dessert your heart will thank you for, both for it's health benefits and beautiful, happy colors.

This tart is a part of Crystal Dawn Culinary's Raw Desserts course.

Lemon Panna Cotta with candied lemon, strawberries, cashew cream and mint.

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Why Eat Raw Foods? The Benefits Of a Raw Diet

Mixing The Rainbow Into Granola

A Tart For The Sun

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