FitSugar

10 Healthy Raw Recipes, No Cooking Needed

Anna Monette Roberts — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 11:20:00 PDT

If you've never uncooked anything other than a salad before, have no fear! These seven raw recipes, from smoothies to full-fledged entrées, are great starting points for those unfamiliar with raw cuisine. Plus, they don't require fancy equipment: just a blender and a vegetable peeler. Click through and chop away!

Keep Cool This Summer: 9 No-Bake Desserts

Michele Foley — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 04:11:56 PDT

The last thing I want to do on a hot Summer day is bake - cranking on the oven when it's already hot out sounds so unappealing. That's where no-bake desserts come in; they easily satisfy a sweet tooth, no oven required. And, because there's no baking involved, they usually take minutes to make and omit the need for overly processed ingredients. Whether you follow a raw, vegan, or gluten-free diet, one of these desserts will surely satisfy. And many of these treats are healthy to boot!

Living and Raw Foods Diet

FitSugar — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 03:30:00 PDT

I've been hearing a lot about people on a Raw Foods Diet. It's also called a Living Foods Diet, and many celebrities such as Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, Bryan Adams, Alicia Silverstone and Robin Williams have reportedly been seen at raw food restaurants and have tried it. Designer Donna Karan and actor Jeremy Piven shed pounds eating raw foods. It was even featured on Oprah.

People following this diet (or you could also say "lifestyle", since there are a lot of folks that eat RAW not to lose weight but for the philosophy) eat only uncooked, unheated, unprocessed, and organic plant based foods. Well...food that has not been heated above a certain temperature. It varies within the different raw food philosophies, but the end range temperature is in between 92ºF to 118ºF (33°C to 48°C). Meals consist mainly of organic and raw fruits, vegetables, sprouted seeds and grains, sea vegetables, nuts, and seeds since they believe cooking destroys precious vitamins and minerals. For instance to eat grains, instead of cooking them, they are soaked. Raw foodies believe their uncooked foods contain essential enzymes, which the body needs to digest foods completely.

They drink only purified water (never tap water), freshly made juices (made with a juicer), and coconut milk. They avoid meat, dairy, sugar, alcohol, coffee (because you make it with boiling water), and all junk food. They only eat foods that are good for you, you know, the ones that are full of vitamins and nutrients.

Why eat just raw and living foods? It is said that you'll have more energy, think more clearly, have improved overall health, and lose excess body weight. Many people have also found relief from migraines, acne, asthma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, heartburn, anxiety, and Type 2 diabetes.

Fit's Tips: If you want to learn more about it, check out Alissa Cohen's website all about The Raw Food Diet. She even includes recipes for burgers, pizza, cannolis, and chocolate cake - all made with raw foods and no animal products.

Want to see a video showing how to make a pasta dish with raw foods? Then

Source

What's the Deal With the Raw Food Diet

FitSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:00:00 PDT

If I were ever to dabble in eating a raw food diet, I would choose to do so in Summer. There is an abundance of produce in season that is especially uncooked – peaches versus butternut squash. But eating "raw" is about more than just eating salads; it is a complex diet.

The raw food movement stands exactly opposite of processed foods. We know that minimally prepared food is more nutritious, but with the raw diet nothing should be heated over 116 degrees F – the temperature at which important food enzymes are destroyed. Raw foodies argue that these enzymes are not killed by the acidic environment of the stomach, merely deactivated then re-activated once they enter the more alkaline environment of the intestines. Once in the intestines, raw foodists believe these enzymes allow you to fully reap the nutritional benefit from your foods – getting more nutrients from less (processed) food. There are certain movements within the raw food movement that believe you only need to eat raw at least 80 percent of the time to benefit from the diet.

To read about the possible nutritional deficiencies of eating raw and the rules of raw, just

This modification of the rules is important since there are some nutrients your body processes better when cooked. The antioxidant lycopene increases when tomatoes are cooked. The raw food diet is low in B12, found in meat and eggs, as well as zinc. Many people adhering to a strict raw food diet don't get enough calcium or vitamin D and put themselves at risk for osteoporosis.

For me the downside of eating raw would be the amount of time it takes to prepare a meal. There is a lot of soaking involved to create foods soft enough to eat without cooking them. To make whole grains, like oatmeal, you need to soak the grain in boiled water for two to three hours, so you definitely need to think ahead.

Here's a thumbnail sketch of what to avoid and what to eat when going raw:

No animal products – no meat, no eggs, no dairy products. Instead switch to nut and seed milks.
No refined sugar or flour. Avoid white rice. Instead you can make your own snack foods with a dehydrator.
Only cook, the 20 percent of the time that you might be cooking, with cold-pressed unheated oils.
Do eat tons of greens and juice them too. Spirulina and wheat grass are great diet additions too. As well as sprouted greens.
Eat fresh plant foods and avoid processed foods like: frozen, boxed, canned and bottled.
Eat 80 percent or more raw foods.

If you eat raw tell us all about it in the comment sections below.
Source

Save Money, Help the Planet With These DIY Healthy Snacks

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:28:48 PDT

Eating healthy isn't always cheap, but it's a must if you want to improve your overall health. If you choose to buy organic or exotic options like dried blueberries - $13 for a small bag! - snacks can quickly eat up your food budget. Find out how to nosh on healthy nibbles and still have money left in your wallet.

Cheese sticks: Instead of buying individually wrapped cheese sticks, save money and avoid plastic packaging by making your own. Buy a block of your favorite cheese for a few bucks- mozzarella and monterey jack work well - and cut the block into long wedges for a grab-and-go snack.
Nut butter: Nut butters are great on toast, crackers, or sliced fruit, but if you buy organic jars, you can spend almost $8. Try this instead: buy huge bags of unsalted raw nuts, pour a cup in the food processor, and make your own. You can even make mixed nut butter with a few of your fave nuts and seeds. Spoon the creamy mixture into a glass container to store in the fridge.

Keep reading for more money-saving snack tips.

A Reader Recipe: Chunky Monkey Super Omega-3 Energy Bars

Fit Community — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:07:38 PDT

FitSugar reader For the Love of Fiber offers vegan, gluten-free, and kid-friendly energy bars inspired by the Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream flavor. She shared it with us in our Healthy Recipe group in the Fit Community.

Chunky Monkey Super Omega-3 Energy Bars
Makes 12 bars

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana
12 medjool dates, pitted
1 cup raw walnuts
1 cup quinoa flakes
½ cup chia seeds
¼ cup milled flaxseed
¼ cup cacao nibs or dark chocolate chunks
1 tbsp. virgin coconut oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

See the full recipe after the break!

How to Prepare Onions the Scott Conant Way

Susannah Chen — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:44:11 PST

When I met Scott Conant of Food Network's Chopped and 24 Hour Restaurant Battle, the first question out of my mouth had to be about the onions. The chef and restaurateur's notorious criticism of raw, red onions is so well-documented that even Facebook runs rampant with pages like, "Shut up, Scott Conant, we don't care if you have an aversion to raw onions!" But Conant wants to set the record straight: he's not raising any stink over red onions.

"I don't hate red onions . . . I have a lot of them on my menu," he explained. "There are big things that get edited out of these [TV] shows. When I explain my thought process on red onions, all too often, what happens is, is that it's not interesting - what's interesting is the reaction."

You heard it from Scott Conant himself: he doesn't dislike onions. A few ways chef Scott likes to prepare onions, when you read more.

A Reader Recipe: Raw Mini Coconut-Lime Cream Cakes

Fit Community — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:19:23 PDT

FitSugar reader pure2raw shared this coconut-lime dessert recipe in our Healthy Recipe group.

Looking for a simple, refreshing dessert?

Love mini things?

You will love our raw, vegan coconut-lime cream cakes. Check out the easy recipe over on our blog.

Promise it is that good! Have a wonderful day.

- the pure2raw twins

Share your own recipe in our Healthy Recipe group, and we may feature it on our homepage!

Let's Dish: What's the Most Controversial Food Out There?

Susannah Chen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 05:24:27 PDT

Last week, we got into a heated discussion in our office pod at Sugar headquarters about the world's most polarizing foods. Kristy hates coconut, Kelly hates celery, and Camilla despises mayonnaise.

While I'm sure each one of us has a grave hatred of some ingredient or another, it occurred to me that these three condemned foods all have something in common. They're famously controversial, all of 'em: you either like mayonnaise/coconut/celery or you don't! On top of those, I'd add raw onions, Bloody Marys, and of course, cilantro. What foods would you add to the list?

Source: Flickr User peterme

A Reader Recipe: No-Bake Banana Chocolate Almond Squares

Fit Community — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 01:28:51 PDT

In the mood for something sweet? Take a cue from FitSugar reader LaurenMurphy, who posted this recipe for a sweet yet nutrition-packed no-bake dessert in our Healthy Recipe group.

I always crave something sweet and delicious at the end of the day (and in the middle of the day . . . and at the beginning of the day . . . OK, pretty much all the time!). However, the majority of sweet delicious things pack major calories and limited nutritional value! So this recipe is my solution; these squares can be used as a dessert or snack, are incredibly easy, and take about 10 minutes to make (not including chilling time).

All of the ingredients used are raw, meaning that you're ingesting all of their live vibrant enzymes. This recipe is not "technically" vegan, as I use raw honey (which has incredible anti-inflammatory properties!), but feel free to experiment with vegan sweeteners like maple syrup or agave.

Check out the recipe after the break!