Ani's Raw Food Kitchen

Concerns About The Raw Food Diet An important part of any diet is variety. Humans need a lot of different foods in their diet in order to provide all the essential nutrients we require. Many doctors and nutritionists have criticized raw food diet as being too restrictive. While a raw diet is high in many nutrients, as well as fiber, and tends to be low in fat, it can be difficult to eat the required amounts of other nutrients. A raw food diet can require a lot of work and research in order for the raw foodist to ensure that they are receiving all the recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals, and not all people are able to do this research. While in the short term, this can be harmless, a diet missing important nutrients can be harmful to health. In a raw food diet, careful attention should be paid to getting enough protein and the right variety of protein, as well as certain vitamins that people normally intake in meat and dairy products. Because vegetables do not have the complete spectrum of the 13 essential amino acids, care should be taken to be certain all essential amino acids (proteins) are included in the diet. Many raw food advocates say that are body will produce the missing amino acids from the proteins that we do have, and while our bodies can produce some amino acids, the reason certain amino acids are called essential is because these are the amino acids that cannot be produced by people. A nutritionist can be consulted and will inform you of what foods to eat to make sure you have all 13 amino acids in sufficient quantities. Another concern is vitamin B12, so you should ask about that, too. Raw Foodists can be very focused on the health benefits of enzymes from raw foods, without realizing that each enzyme has a specific task and a specific reaction that it catalyses, so just having more active enzymes will not actually help. It is also necessary for raw foodists to remember that our digestive system will break down any enzyme into its component parts, and thus active enzymes are not always necessary. Nutritionists’ opinions:

Nutritionists and dieticians have pointed out many benefits and drawbacks
to a raw food diet. The raw food diet can help reduce the risk of heart
disease and some types of cancer, because it is high in nutrients while
having very low levels of saturated fats. The raw diet is also fibre
rich, low in salt and high in potassium.

There are some drawbacks pointed out by nutrition scientists: a raw diet
is very limited in variety and does not include meat, potatoes, and
cooked grains. This can lead to mineral and other nutritional
deficiencies by limiting the amount of nutrients a raw foodist will
intake.
Research also disagrees with one of raw foodist’s basic ideas, that fruit
and vegetables should be eaten raw because cooking destroys nutrients. It
has actually been shown that some nutrients are more easily digested into
the body after the fruit or vegetable has been cooked.

Benefits that the raw food diet shows can also be found in other diets,
as many diets are commonly low in trans fats, high in fiber, and heavily
encourage fruit and vegetable consumption. Other diets, however, allow
meat, potatoes, and cooked grains, which are considered by many to be an
essential part of a diet.
 

We stop off at Moloa’a Organica’s Farms to meet Ned Whitlock to pick some fresh organic fennel in Kilauea, Kauai. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum (treated as the sole species in the genus by most botanists). It is a member of the family Apiaceae (formerly the Umbelliferae). It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is generally considered indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean, but has become widely naturalised elsewhere (particularly, it seems, areas colonized by the Romans) and may now be found growing wild in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea-coast and on river-banks. It is a highly aromatic and flavorful herb with culinary and medicinal uses, and is one of the primary ingredients of absinthe. Florence fennel or finocchio is a selection with a swollen, bulb-like stem base that is used as a vegetable. Fennel is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the Mouse Moth and the Anise Swallowtail. Fennel is widely cultivated, both in its native range and elsewhere, for its edible, strongly-flavoured leaves and fruits, which are often mistermed “seeds”. Its aniseed flavour comes from anethole, an aromatic compound also found in anise and star anise, and its taste and aroma are similar to theirs, though usually not as strong. The bulb, foliage, and seeds of the fennel plant are widely used in many of the culinary traditions …

How to Find Food For The Raw Food Diet

One difficulty with the raw food diet may be in finding the raw foods so
that you can prepare them for yourself. Most food available in grocery
stores has been frozen, cooked, or processed in some way.

It’s easy to find certain raw foods at your local grocery store. Almost
all grocery stores have fresh produce available, as well as bulk or
bagged nuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and other foods for you to try.

Some areas will have organic grocery stores, where you can be sure that
none of your foods have been treated with pesticides. In other areas, it
can be harder to find organic produce, and it may be easier to grow it
yourself in your own garden.

Look around your area for a farmer’s market. Buying food directly from
the farmer can give you more confidence in the freshness of the food. You
could also consider going to different produce stands, as a way to get
more variety and new things to try in your raw food journey. If you live
in a city with a Chinatown, for example, many different fruits,
vegetables, seeds and nuts are available.

Raw grains may be harder to find. If you have an alternative food store
in your area which caters to raw foods, or a bulk section in your local
grocery store, you can often find raw grains. If not, you may need to
order them from an online store or hunt farther afield for a grocery
store which carries them. Raw oats may be relatively easier to find, as
they often come in large bags as cereal.

One advantage you may find with a raw food diet is in price. While prices
for organic foods may be higher, you are still saving money by not buying
prepackaged foods or processed foods from the freezer aisles. Any diet
which cuts out meat is less expensive already than a regular diet.

With the growing popularity of raw food, veganism, and vegetarianism,
there is a greater variety of food for you to try, even while on a
restrictive diet.
Another option for a raw foodist to easily obtain raw food is to grow
their own food. Sunflowers, tomatoes, carrots and strawberries can easily
be grown with a minimum of work. Also, many herbs can be grown, and many
flowers are actually edible. Edible flowers can be researched in many
books and on the internet.

A word of warning about plants and seeds.  Many raw foodists eat seeds
and other parts of plants. Be careful while doing this, as it can be
dangerous to become experimental about what you eat. Some parts of plants
(even plants that are edible) are poisonous and will make you sick. For
example, while tomatoes are edible, other parts of the tomato plant may
make people sick. Only eat the parts of plants that you know to be edible.

How to Prepare Food For The Raw Food Diet

There are many easy recipes available, in books and on the internet, for
raw food meals, snacks, and desserts. A raw food diet can be a lot of
work; so fortunately, there are many restaurants that cater to raw food
enthusiasts which will allow you to take a break.
You can combine fruits and vegetables with various sprouted grains in
order to have breads, crackers, and desserts, so you will not feel
deprived. It can be difficult to be eating differently from everyone
around you, so a variety of fun and different foods can make this easier
for you.

When you begin a raw food diet, it may feel time consuming to spend a lot
of time preparing food. It does take a lot of time. One way to make it
more efficient is to prepare as much in advance or on the weekend as
possible. As you get more used to your diet, it will become more
efficient. (Be sure not to juice your juice in advance though – juice
fresh from the juicer tastes much better, and many home made juices and
smoothies will ferment if left to their own devices).

Most raw foods are easy to prepare, although they take time and planning
ahead. You simply cut a fruit or vegetable up and eat it. For some
sprouts and seeds, you need to soak the seeds in water overnight to eat
them in the morning. If you have a juicer, many combinations of fresh
fruits and vegetables can be delicious while still being raw.

On a raw food diet, you can still make breads and crackers using a
dehydrator. You need wheat or rye grains, which you will sprout
overnight, and then you can add ingredients to the grains such as
peppers, dates, carrot juice, or other flavors. You then put the mixture
in the dehydrator and allow your bread or cracker to dehydrate until it
reaches a texture that you like.  Or you can make a fruit crisp without
cooking by slicing up apples and using sprouted oats as a topping. To
this you could add cinnamon for a bit of a familiar flavor. A raw food
diet can be very creative in ways of mixing flavors to provide pleasing
tastes and textures. For more recipe ideas, there are many online message
boards for raw foodists.

You can also make many delicious smoothies by mixing water or juice with
berries and fruit for a breakfast or dessert smoothie, or by mixing
carrot juice with tomatoes and some green vegetables for a healthy lunch.
There are many recipes for this and other foods such as sushi rolls and
various dips available online and in books. It can take a lot longer to
prepare food when done this way, and you may find at the beginning that
most of your time is spent making yourself food, but remember that it is
still important to eat a variety of foods, not just what is easiest.

For a lunch, making your own bread and packing a salad can be an easy way
to take lunch to work, or you can order a simple salad with no dressing
at a restaurant.

How to Start On The Raw Food Diet

When starting a raw food diet, people should begin gradually, with one
meal a day, and slowly building up to about 70 – 90% raw. Some people may
go up to 100% raw, although this can be difficult. Start by having a
typical dinner such as a salad with a cooked vegetable side dish such as
potatoes or yams, and gradually decrease the amount of times per week you
allow yourself cooked vegetables or baked grains (or cooked meats, if you
eat meat). Be sure your diet is simple for you to do, as an extremely
complicated plan is not likely to be followed for very long.

Some things you should look out for is that going on a raw food diet can
be compared to a detoxification effect, and as your body adjust to this
new diet and the new things happening in your digestion and the change in
available nutrients and fats, there may be some side effects. You may
experience slight headaches, sensations of nausea, and/or depression in a
mild form. You should consult a doctor or nutritionist if these symptoms
or other side effects continue. If these effects start, you may wish to
slow down you change to the raw food diet, to allow your body more time
to adjust.

To start a raw food diet, an important first step is meal planning. You
will need to carefully plan your meals to include foods which will cover
all your dietary needs. Remember that if you plan all your meals
carefully to meet your body’s needs, you should not have to be concerned
about cravings. Our bodies naturally crave salt and/or sugars, because
they cannot make them themselves. But a variety of foods can provide your
body with everything it needs. If you cannot get enough of a variety, you
may want to consider a supplement. After all, the whole point of going on
any diet is to improve your health, not to cause a nutritional deficiency
or a health risk.

You will need to have a few basic things in your kitchen (it’s no longer
the oven, the stove, and the microwave), such as:

a juicer (also called a juice extractor)
a blender
sharp knives (or just a sharp knife. A butcher’s steel is also useful)
large containers for sprouting sprouts (more than one would be handy)
dehydrator (some raw foodists will not use these, as the high temperature
implies cooking)
You may already own these kitchen tools and appliances, otherwise, you
may want to invest in them. You might find yourself in need of them as
time goes on. A juicer can make it much easier for you to ingest your raw
food, especially at the beginning of your diet. A blender will help you
to create different recipes and flavors, while a dehydrator will allow
you to make simple breads and flavorful treats. While these methods do
not allow you to enjoy food in its completely natural state, it does
allow you to try out different flavors and textures, which can make the
raw food diet easier and faster for a lot of people.

Organic and Raw Food For The Raw Food Diet

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between regular and organic
produce?

Organic foods are foods which have been grown and prepared without using
chemical pesticides or fungicides, but rather eco-friendly alternatives.
Organic foods have been growing in popularity because many shoppers no
longer see chemicals as useful “miracle” cures for people’s problems, but
rather as ways for people to damage the environment and kill animals and
birds as well as the insect pests they target. Organic foods are now in
every section of the grocery store, not just fruits and vegetables, but
consumers now have organic cookies and cakes available to them, as well
as organic dairy products.

Organic foods are available in many sections of your local grocery store,
as well as in new grocery store chains which are opening, featuring all
organic and earth friendly foods. These stores and foods can be more
expensive than “regular” fruits and vegetables. This is because it can be
harder to grow organic fruit which is still appealing to the consumer,
and it can be difficult to protect a large crop against insect pests and
animals. Organically grown crops are therefore usually smaller, which
brings up prices. However, this can be a worthwhile investment in your
family’s health and in the environment. Because of this, organic foods
are rising in popularity, which should allow companies and farms to
invest more in producing an even greater variety of organic foods for
your enjoyment.

One concern many people have with organic food is the inconvenience of
finding organic foods, but there are now companies in many larger cities
which will deliver boxes of organic food to your doorstep once a week.
This can make organic produce even more convenient than regular produce,
as well as encouraging you to eat a variety of organic food.

Organic foods are a natural choice for raw foodists, as raw foodists
often want to avoid unnecessary chemicals in any form, not just chemical
preservatives. Thus, organic foods fit well into a raw food lifestyle,
allowing raw foodists to be sure that at every step of the way, their
food has been free of chemicals and of processing.
Not all raw food you eat must be organic, as it can be difficult to find
organic options in everything, especially grains. Raw foods are not the
same as organic foods, as many people who buy organic foods will eat
cooked, frozen, and processed foods – they are simply avoiding chemical
pesticides and fungicides. However, it can be advantageous for a raw
foodist to eat primarily organic produce.

Regardless of whether the produce you buy is organic or not organic, all
produce should be carefully washed before being consumed. Organic foods
are not the same as raw food, although organic foods arrive at the store
raw and are thus an easy choice for raw foodists.

Using A Backyard Garden For The Raw Food Diet

Many raw foodists also believe in organic foods, as organic foods are
better for the environment and can be better for you. Avoid pesticides
and other chemicals harmful to yourself and to animals by buying organic
fruits and nuts, and you could try growing your own food in a backyard
garden. If you don’t have a backyard, you can try container gardening for
some smaller plants, such as herbs for tea.

In choosing what to plant, you first have to consider what will grow in
your area. Also, and this should be fairly obvious, plant things you will
want to eat and be able to eat raw. Many people plant things because they
are easy to grow – zucchini comes to mind here – and then end up with so
much that they cannot give it all away.

Nice things to grow might include carrots, a zucchini plant, a few tomato
plants, and some berry bushes. Strawberries are easy to grow in a pot and
can be fun for kids. And there is nothing nicer than walking outside and
snapping a few peapods of your pea vines and eating them right of the
vine.

Plant in early spring, after you are sure the final frost has finished.
Before planting, prepare the soil with a layer of compost or manure. Let
it sit for a few days before beginning your garden. Each package of seeds
will have instructions as to when and where to plant the seeds. After the
planting, water the soil with a generous amount of water. Be careful to
leave tags to show where you have planted your rows, so that when the
plants begin sprouting, you do not mistake them for weeds. To keep pests
away in an organic fashion, spray the leaves of your plants with soap and
water if you see aphids. Some insects are your friends, though – ladybugs
will eat aphids, for example.

If you are container gardening, either because you don’t have a backyard
or you just want more garden space, make sure your container has proper
drainage. If water stays in the soil, the roots can rot. If your
container does not have proper drainage, try putting a layer of pebbles
at the bottom, where water can sit. This way the water drains out of the
soil, and can later be reabsorbed by the soil if needed, but your plants’
roots are not sitting in wet dirt all the time. Be careful not to over
water.

In your container, plant plants that do not need a lot of space. Small
herbs are often good choices, as they can then be easily tended. Tomato
plants or cherry tomato plants will work well in an outdoor container,
with some sort of stick, wall, or other support for when they grow taller.

You would be surprised at the number of things you can grow in your own
backyard, plants that are not only edible while raw, but also will look
nice in your garden.

Ching He Huang/Chinese Food Made Easy/ Spicy Sichuan Spicy hotpot www.chinghehuang.com itunes.apple.com www.amazon.co.uk Ching makes a mouth-tingling Sichuan hotpot with a spicy broth in which fresh ingredients are poached. Ingredients For the spicy soup stock base 2 tbsp groundnut oil 3-4 long dried Sichuan chillies or long dried chillies 50g/2oz whole Sichuan peppercorns 1 tbsp chilli bean sauce (available from Asian grocers) 1 tbsp chilli sauce 1.7 litres/3 pints hot vegetable stock 2 whole star anise 6 dried Chinese mushrooms 1 small handful dried tangerine peel (available from Asian grocers, or subtitute with the zest of 1 orange) 1 large spring onion, roughly chopped 250ml/9fl oz chilli oil 2.5cm/1in piece fresh root ginger, peeled 2 red chillies, de-seeded, sliced 250g/9oz ready-made fish balls (available from Asian grocers) (optional) 1 small handful Chinese cabbage, thickly sliced 1 small handful deep-fried tofu 1 small handful fresh tofu, cut into 2.5cm/1in chunks For the vinegar, chilli and soy dipping sauce 3 tbsp Chinkiang black rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar 3 tbsp light soy sauce 1 red chilli, de-seeded, finely chopped For the Taiwanese dipping sauce 1 free-range egg, yolk only 1 tbsp oriental satay or barbecue sauce (available from Asian grocers) 1 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander 1 tbsp finely sliced spring onion To serve lamb fillet, thinly sliced raw prawns, shelled and de-veined firm tofu, cut into chunks enoki mushrooms …

What Foods Do You Eat On The Raw Food Diet?

On the raw food diet, you should eat foods in their uncooked state. Raw
foodists avoid cooking, freezing, and anything involving chemical
preservatives. Some raw foodists refuse to use juicers, blenders, or food
processors, believing that food should be eaten in its natural state.
Most raw foodists will use kitchen appliances such as a juicer that do
not change the chemical makeup of the food. Some raw foodists will not do
anything more than cut their foods, believing they should eat food in its
most natural state. You need to decide for yourself where on the spectrum
you are.

Some examples of foods you might eat include: fruits, vegetables, nuts,
sprouts, seeds, and different types of seaweed. These foods contain a
wide variety of vitamins and minerals, and with care, it is possible to
get all of the essential amino acids (amino acids are what make up
proteins). It may be necessary to take a nutritional supplement in order
to be sure to get all the essential nutrients.

You need to make sure you get at least 2000 calories a day from your food
and drinks, just for basic energy needs. If you eat less than 900
calories in a day, your body will go into starvation mode, which is not
an efficient way to lose weight. Your body will want to hold onto its
energy stores, as well as protect your brain (which is mostly made up of
fat), by breaking down muscle tissues instead of fat tissues. These
numbers vary from person to person depending on weight, but it is
important to aim for about 2000 calories per day.

What people drink on a raw food diet:

On a raw food diet, drinks should also be raw. Raw foodists will drink
purified water, freshly made juices straight from the juicer, and coconut
milk. Coconut milk comes from young coconuts, which you can often buy
during the right season at a produce stand. Soda, juice, and other drinks
purchased in stores have often been processed in some way, and thus are
not raw.

Juice made from the juicer can be made from a variety of fruits or
vegetables, such as apples, carrots, lemons, and mangos. You can
experiment with your own combination, or pick up a book on juicing. Be
sure to clean the juicer very well in between, or it will quickly become
an unpleasant mess.

Tea leaves from stores have often been dried at high temperatures, and so
are not considered raw. Tea leaves can be made at home by growing your
own herbs and laying them in the sun to dry. The tea made with these
leaves is often called Sun Tea. Do not immediately follow this by putting
your new tea leaves in boiling water, as that would not be considered raw
by some. Use warm water that is below 100 degrees, and you should be
fine. Mint leaves can make nice teas if you are thinking about growing
your own, or experiment with different herbs. Some honey can be an easy
addition if you like your drinks to be sweet, or add a lemon for extra
flavor.

What Is the Raw Food Diet?

Are you wondering about the new raw food diet?

Raw food is the next step in the trend toward vegetarianism and veganism,
as well as organic concerns. This diet has been embraced by several
celebrities, and there are restaurants catering to raw foodists. There
are also many raw food recipe books available, as well as support groups
and message boards galore for raw foodists, people who eat a raw food
based diet.

Many find the raw food diet compelling due to dramatic weight loss
stories, as well as a belief in a healthier lifestyle and body, but this
is not just your average diet. It is a lifestyle change. Raw foodists
point out that this is not necessarily a new diet, but that many cultures
a long time ago ate most of their food raw, including paleolithic man,
and eskimos. (No longer called eskimos, eskimo means eater of raw food).

The raw food diet is a diet consisting mostly of raw vegan food, which
includes raw fruits, raw vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Many raw
foodists think that the more their diet is made up of raw food, the
healthier their diet is, and the healthier they will become. This can
also be true for your pets – cats and dogs have been found to benefit
from raw food diets, although cats and dogs have very different digestive
systems than people, so obviously their diets should be very different
from a diet meant for human consumption.

The raw food movement is in itself divided up into groups of people. Some
will eat cooked food for a small percentage of their diet. Many of these
people are combinations of the following groups:

Living foodists: these people follow a diet in which their food is made
up of plant food in which the plant’s enzymes are still active, such as
sprouted seeds and nuts.

Juicarians: all of their food is in the form of home made juice

Some raw foodists will eat unpasteurized milk and some raw meats, but
this can be a concern as cooking is often necessary to kill any unwanted
bacteria. Temperatures need to be very high or very low to kill these
bacteria, and eating food raw is an infection risk. Pasteurizing is a
method of preserving milk, and unpasteurized milk needs to be very fresh
to be safe.

A small group of raw foodists will not eat food that has been processed
by a machine at all, including juicers, dehydrators, blenders, and/or
food processors. They believe in eating food in the most natural state
possible.

What are living foods?

By some definitions, raw foodist are also life foodists, but a more
specific definition implies that in living foods, the enzymes are active,
and are therefore considered living. It is the difference between
sprouted and unsprouted seeds or nuts (sprouted seeds or nuts are
living). Some people will only or mostly eat living foods, believing in
the health benefits of greater enzyme activity.