Mary Rydman - The Complete Book of Raw Food: Quick & Easy, Over 100 Healthy Recipes

Todays Americans are fortunate to live longer than any generation before us. Advances in science, medicine, and quality of life have led to a dynamic increase in lifespan. With more years ahead of us we can look forward to leading productive, adventurous and exciting lives through our sixties, seventies, and even into our eighties and nineties. Having this new frontier before us, its clear that the health of our minds and bodies is paramount. However, many of us are coming to realize that we cant rely solely on conventional healthcare in order keep us in optimum mental and physical health. Rather, we are choosing new, broader approaches to healthcare that cultivate a total health, body/mind connection, such as yoga, qigong, and meditation.

Furthermore, many of us are going one step further and thinking more deeply about what we put in our bodies. How can we get the most benefit from our fruits and vegetables? As we age, making good choices about what we eat becomes more and more important. One way to guard your health and your future is to choose raw foods. Eating raw doesnt have to mean never eating meat again, or refusing to cook anything, ever. Instead, you can incorporate raw foods into your regular diet as a means to boost your intake of key vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Eating raw has numerous benefits and can result in miraculous improvements in your overall health.

Once you start to eat more raw foods, youll notice an increase in energy and vitalitysimply put, youll begin to feel ten, twenty or even thirty years younger! The movement towards raw food is not only a trend in awareness of what creates health for the body (and the earth), but a realization that these foods can actually taste good! My goal with this book is to provide fairly simple, easy to reproduce recipes that taste great. I do not like to spend hours and hours in the kitchenand the majority of these recipes have been written for those who feel the same way. These recipes are guaranteed to surprise anyone who never imagined they could create tasty, filling, uncooked meals. Some of these meals do take some planning, but with practice you will remember to soak your nuts and seeds ahead of time just as you would plan ahead for any other meal. Eating raw is just a different type of planning and before you know, it will become second nature.

One of the things that I find important and appreciate in daily food preparation is simplicity.

Often my dinner is a large salad with one of the dressings in this booktruly a meal in itself. Given that there are other books with gourmet live food preparation ideas, I have tried to present some recipes that are relatively simple, but still very delicious and filling. The more live food you include in your diet, the more simple flavors are appreciated, so there is less need for a lot of time-consuming preparations. There are times when you will need a chunk of time to prepare something such as crackers. Taking a couple hours to prepare some dehydrated crackers is well worth it as you then have an instant meal or wonderful travel food for many days. Top them with tomatoes, sliced avocado and some sprouts and you may be surprised to hear yourself say, Who needs cooked food?

I have seen many raw-foodists become so fanatic and rigid about eating only raw foods that it can actually take away from their health, both physically and emotionally.

It has recently been shown that a diet of mostly raw foods with a lesser amount of cooked food is best for most people (there are always exceptions). What that ratio is varies for everyone and you will have to decide for yourself what feels right for you and your lifestyle. A bit of experimenting may be necessary to see what works best for you, and that will probably change with the seasons, your moods, and your own internal growth and change. I have found that my diet has evolved and changed, as I have evolved and changed in my life. I believe it is also helpful to include some raw animal products from time to time, such as raw goat cheese or raw egg yolk (no egg white as it blocks the absorption of Biotin, a B vitamin).

It is natural, especially in colder climates, to crave more warm cooked foods in winter months. It is natural, especially in colder climates, to crave more warm cooked foods in winter months.

So it seems natural to me to eat more warm cooked foods during the winter. Baked yams, steamed vegetables, and warm soups are very nourishing on a cold winter day. There are wonderful recipes in this book for raw sauces you can use on steamed veggies or baked potatoes (be sure to let them cool a bit so you dont cook the sauce). In the summer, when it is too hot to cook and there are so many luscious, fresh fruits and vegetables available, you may want only raw foods for some monthsit all balances out. If you want to eat more raw foods in the winter, but need something as warming as possible, try slightly warmed raw soups. The Sesame Squash Soup is particularly good for colder winter days.

You can also always add ginger to most recipes for a warming effect. The dehydrated burgers and loaves here are also very warming served right out of the dehydrator. Foods such as these can also be re-warmed (if they have gotten cold) in the dehydrator (110 degrees) just before serving.

In these recipes, organic ingredients are assumed. Buying and eating organic supports not only your bodys health but the health of the planet. My biggest piece of advice for live food preparation is to let your creative juices flow and dont be afraid to experiment.

If you dont have a particular ingredient, substitute something else that you like. You may find you have a whole new creation you will want to write down and keep to be re-created another time. Dont be afraid of failureit will happen from time to time, especially with big variations. At least then you know what not to do, which is just as important as knowing what to do! Use whatever is in season to achieve the best flavors. Add whatever herbs and spices you like besteverybody has their own favorites. I dont like spicy ingredients so I tend not to use hot peppers, but if you love that flavor, go for it! Nuts and seeds are interchangeable in many recipes.

Each has a slightly different flavor and texture, so experiment to find the combination you like best. In some recipes calling for water, the milk from a young coconut can be used instead. It will add a sweet flavor and extra nutrition. Young coconuts are the ones that come encased in their outer white shell. The meat is tender and a wonderful addition to many recipes.