Ok, so you might be wondering what exactly falls into the category of raw food. The Raw vegan diet consists of fruits, vegetable, nuts and seeds. Nothing is heated above 118 degrees, (the exact temperature currently under debate). Raw foodists believe that once food is cooked, it loses many of the beneficial enzymes and nutritional value that is essential to the human body. That covers the basics in a nutshell.

Now if your worried that all you’ll be eating is a big plate of carrot and celery sticks, nothing could be further from the truth. How do pizza, lasagna, and chocolate mousse sound? Too good to be true? Not so. You do not have to give up all of your favorite foods; you just have to get creative. Take chocolate mousse for example. The secret ingredient is avocado. Who would have thunk it?? Avocado takes the place of butter and cream. By adding a sweetener and cocoa (which technically is not raw) or carob, you have chocolate mousse! Better than the real thing. Think you can’t have milk or cheese? Think again. The oh so versatile nut can be made into milk and also fermented to make cheese. And you thought if you changed your eating lifestyle you would have to give up your favorite foods? Where’s the fun in that!

Want to lose weight? Well forget about Atkins. Try eating an 80- 100% raw diet and watch the unhealthy baggage melt away. Countless people have felt the benefits of eating raw, and they have enjoyed doing it. This is not a diet plan, this is a way of life that comes with many great health benefits. Think about it. No one has ever told you to lower your intake of fruit and vegetables have they? This is the food that we were meant to eat. When humans appeared on earth we didn’t have prepackaged processed foods available to us, nor did we have stoves. People had to forage for wild fruits and berries, nuts and seeds. I could go on and on but my primary intention is not to endorse any health claims, but to introduce you to the wonderful and exotic flavors of the raw foods cuisine.