Clarke - Low Sugar Raw Vegan Recipes

1. Low sugar cupboard ingredients

• Walnuts

Walnuts have a lot of health benefits (in small amounts) and contain Omega 3 fatty acids, minerals, proteins and lecithin. Compared to other nuts walnuts, as far as I know, they have no cholesterol and contain hardly any sodium, which might be helpful if you seek to reduce sodium in your diet, which is, of course, your preference. I like using walnuts either over my evening salads blended in a dressing or crushed or in deserts. I also like pine, brazil and cashew nuts and use them in my recipes. Cashew nuts make a tasty raw cheese.

• Almond butter

Almond butter, as well as other nut butters can be used in recipes (sweet & savoury) and also spread on some raw crackers, as a snack or a meal. I use almond butter in one of my recipes in this book.

• Chia seeds

I do like this superfood for Omega 3. These small black seeds have a huge nutritional profile (calcium, protein with no cholesterol, manganese , Omega 3 fatty acids, etc.) and I do feel good when I have chia either in my smoothies, sauces or puddings. Those black & white seeds thicken when put in liquid and are great as a thickening agent in recipes .

• Mixed greens powder

The one I have is Chlorella, which I prefer for its subtler taste. I use it in my green smoothies in the morning when I have no fresh greens available, a sort of emergency green food. It can also be handy when travelling. It is, however, never a substitute for fresh produce though.

• Hemp seeds

High in protein and contain all nine essential acids, high in fibre, Vitamin E and trace minerals. It is easily digestible.

• Flaxseeds

High in protein, contain Omega 3, antioxidant.

• Carob powder

This is a chocolaty tasting powder, which is lovely in ice-creams, smoothies, choc sauces and deserts. I do recommend it in place of chocolate powder, as Carob contains no caffeine. It is also good for your digestion.

• Dulse

This is seaweed, which is lovely in some sauces and gives dishes that sea taste. It is good for thyroid, digestion, contains B Vitamins, iron and calcium.

Other ingredients:

Spirulina a strong tasting green powder, which is a power house of nutrition.

Barley grass powder

Udo Oil contains all Omegas for a good balance, nice on salads

Cold pressed quality olive oil (if you are a fan)

Nuts and Seeds

So, should you have these items added to your raw foods collection? Well, my moto is always 'The simpler, the better' and I am not a huge fan of mixing a lot of ingredients together, but I am not against individual experimentation especially when you are just starting out and might enjoy being curious about trying new things. No denying that these foods have a lot of valuable stuff in them. If you would like to experiment with different tastes, textures and colours and just observe very closely the benefits (or not) these foods offer your body, then go ahead and try some. Just see how you feel using them intuitively and sparingly. It is all about educating yourself and enjoying a wide variety of interesting ingredients you can use in your food preparation should you choose to. I do recommend you do your own research on multiple benefits of these foods and also any possible side-effects, adverse reactions. Don't take my word for it, do your homework. There is a lot of literature available on the subject. Whatever you do, enjoy your journey.