Keen to add some more raw foods to your diet but then picture yourself spending every free moment of your time blending and juicing? Have no fear, you won’t be stuck in the kitchen all day. Gradually incorporating raw foods, other than just fruit and veg, into your diet is a lot easier these days with more suitable products becoming available. Take it step by step, starting with the goodies we have here.

Raw food is food that hasn’t been processed, refined, treated with pesticides, pasteurised or heated over 40 – 48 degrees Celsius. It is usually eaten as is or juiced, soaked, sprouted, dehydrated or blended. A raw food diet consists of mostly fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts and seeds, but can also contain products made up of raw ingredients.

You may want to follow a raw food diet or incorporate more raw foods and products as a taste preference, as a way to experience more vitality, as a means to have a lighter environmental impact, or to preserve the natural enzymes found in foods. A raw diet often results in less calories eaten and so is also used as a way to lose weight.

1. Legumes are generally also included in a raw food diet but then have to be soaked or sprouted before eaten
2. Home-made nut milks can be included in a raw food diet, as well as raw eggs and raw meat
3. Cooking foods is a way to destroy any harmful bacteria or other compounds, so be sure to clean your raw foods where possible and eat them within the best-before dates
4. Bear in mind that a calorie intake that is right for you to live a healthy life at a weight that is right for you may not always be possible on a completely raw food diet for various reasons. It’s always best to discuss a big dietary change with your healthcare provider if you are concerned about getting the nutrients you need.