Raw Diet

There is one important step you can take before cooking or eating your food raw, and that step is sprouting. Nuts, just like grains, seeds, and legumes, all start out with natural enzyme inhibitors that prevent them from premature sprouting. These handy little guards may extend the shelf life of your dry goods, but they also prolong the digestion process. By sprouting them yourself, you can control when you want to enjoy these foods and better absorb the nutrients from their tough exterior. Read on to find out how you can start sprouting by dinnertime.

Sprouting 101
Seeds can thoroughly sprout after a few days in a warm, moist climate. Most sprouting devotees lock their dry food of choice in a clean container filled with water to allow sprouting to occur overnight, literally.

Foods that can be sprouted include but are not limited to:

• Grains: Farro, barley, wheat, quinoa, and rice.
• Legumes: Lentils, peas, and garbanzo, pinto, and kidney beans.
• Seeds: Sunflower, radish, and broccoli.
• Nuts: Cashews, almonds, peanuts, and walnuts.

More information after the break.

You've heard about all the amazing health benefits when it comes to going raw — including increased energy, improved digestion, and reduced risk of heart disease — but if you're new to the idea, then it can seem pretty intimidating. The raw-food diet focuses on eating unprocessed, vegan foods that have not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Heating foods above this temperature is believed to destroy live enzymes, making them less nutritious.

How do you know what you're allowed to eat, and how do you make sure you're getting all the necessary nutrients? I've taken all the guesswork out by creating this simple daily eating plan. Get ready to eat tons of colorful fruits and veggies, nuts, seeds, and soaked legumes and whole grains. Getting creative with fresh herbs and veggie slicers will have your taste buds so psyched that you won't have time to miss cooked foods. If you're worried about getting enough protein, then be comforted by the fact that the variety of nuts, seeds, and fresh veggies you're eating will offer your body all the essential amino acids that it needs.

Breakfast
Smoothie made with one banana, one cup fresh blueberries, one cup fresh strawberries, one tablespoon raw peanut butter, and one cup homemade raw cashew milk.

Morning Snack
Fruit salad made with a variety of seasonal produce, including melons, peaches, berries, bananas, kiwi, and mango. Sprinkle with sliced raw almonds and raisins.

Keep reading for the rest of the meal plan.

Beyond being a professional triathlon competitor, Brendan Brazier has covered his nutritional bases. Brendan's the creator of the "Thrive Diet," a nutritional plan to improve performance and recovery and has developed Vega shakes, a line of nutrient rich vegan protein shakes. He regularly tours the US to give speeches about how to have optimal health. The author of two books, Brendan will release Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Health on Sept. 6. While on the road, Brendan talked to us about his favorite foods, how he stays young, and how to have abundant energy.

FitSugar: What is one food that you crave for every meal?
Brendan Brazier: I like greens – anything high in minerals and chlorophyll, like kale, spinach, broccoli, algae, and spirulina. Greens are highly alkaline-forming, which helps reduce inflammation. For an athlete, that's huge. Green are high in protein too, but a lot of people don't know that dark greens are 45 percent protein. Some algae is up to 65 percent protein.

FS: Do you have any guilty pleasures when it comes to food?
BB: I really don't. I've eaten this way for so long that my palate really does crave greens and good stuff. Once in a while I'll have some brown rice, which is not bad at all, but when you compare the nutrient density to other things like greens, it is less nutrient dense.

Read more about Brendan's healthy lifestyle and how it may help slow down aging.

Raw foodies argue that heating your food past 115 degrees F destroys the important enzymes found in fruits and vegetables, and by killing these enzymes we're decreasing the nutritional value of our food. These fragile enzymes help us properly and thoroughly digest our foods so we can absorb the vitamins and minerals in our tasty vittles. While I don't think I have the discipline, or the burning desire really, to go raw, I do like taking advantage of the abundance of amazing produce available in the Summer to cook less. And well, go a little raw.

We all know that eating salads and snacking on fresh fruit are great ways to incorporate raw foods into our everyday diets, but let's think outside the box. There is more you can do with lettuce than eat it doused in dressing. Here are five ways to get more raw veggies into your diet.

1. We all know about snacking on carrots and celery, but try snacking on cherry or grape tomatoes. I know that technically tomatoes are a fruit, but we think of them as savory. Eat them raw in the Summer and chances are high you will begin to think of them as nature's candy. My favorite variety is Sun Gold; they're a vibrant orange and bursting with flavor.
2. I am a fan of adding roasted beets to my salads, but raw beets are great on greens too. Try shredding raw beets on your salad for extra color, fiber, and nutrients. I also enjoy a raw shredded carrot and beet salad with a ginger dressing. The beet juice stains the carrots a lovely hot pink — it's a vibrant dish.

Keep reading for three more ideas.

It's World Vegetarian Month and many people are going meat-free for their health, but others are taking their diets to a whole new level — going raw. A raw food diet consists of consuming unprocessed, preferably organic, whole, plant-based foods, at least 75 percent of which should be uncooked.

A raw-food eater might enjoy uncooked veggies, fresh and dried fruits, nuts, seeds, seaweed, soaked dried beans, young coconut milk, and sprouted seeds and breads. The other 25 percent of a raw foodie's diet includes foods that are lightly cooked in a dehydrator, but foods can't be heated above 116° F, because it's believed to destroy valuable enzymes that help our bodies digest and absorb our food. If the good stuff is destroyed, what's the point of eating healthy foods?

Here are some reasons I've heard people give for deciding to go raw:

• It's a simple, natural diet, devoid of artificial and processed foods.
• For increased energy.
• To improve appearance of the skin.
• To improve digestion, and prevent constipation.
• For weight loss.
• To reduce the risk of heart disease.
• To eat in a humane way.

Going completely raw may not fit your lifestyle, but it can't hurt to add some raw meals and snacks into your diet. For some raw-food recipes, read more