Keeping cool and eating raw

When the temperature heats up outside, try cooling it down inside by eating raw. There is no need to turn on the oven or swelter over a hot stove this summer with this no-cook, minimal electricity way of eating.

Even celebrities have been known to be “raw foodists” such as: Woody Harrelson, Demi Moore, Alicia Silverstone, Madonna, Jason Mraz, Bif Naked, Sting, Steve Jobs, Edward Norton and the list goes on...

To find out more about what it meant to be a raw foodist I spoke with Therese Van Es, who has experience in teaching raw food classes at the Lotus Center in downtown London.

She explained what eating a raw food diet means.

“Everything you eat, you make yourself from whole foods,” she said. “We don't eat anything processed whatsoever and none of your food is heated above 115° F.”

That being said, you can still eat warm food as long as the temperature does not rise above that limit, so you do not denature your food.

What some may not know is that cooking foods can actually kill some of the digestive enzymes that naturally occur in un-cooked foods, which aid in the process of digestion.

Every time food is cooked, boiled, microwaved or fried, its natural form is changed.

Van Es speculated that we were meant to eat raw.

“As humans, we were put on this earth before we discovered fire and we ate everything raw, so I would think that our bodies are created to eat things raw, not cooked.”

Some cooking staples that Van Es suggested were raw onion crackers, zucchini pasta, hummus and soups — since any soup you can make cooked you can make raw, and some high speed blenders are so fast that they can somewhat heat the food while keeping it below that magic number of 115°F.

She also made it clear that eating raw isn't impossible.

“We certainly don't starve. We just don't eat any animal products and any food we do eat, we make ourselves.”

Another healthy advantage to eating this way is that consuming raw food can affect the body's pH levels due to the alkalizing property that is common in green vegetables. When our body becomes more alkaline, more oxygen is absorbed into the blood stream (to maintain an equilibrium) and thus into surrounding muscle tissues. Our body then reacts to this by feeling more energized, having an improved mental and emotional state and lose weight, which will help you get that summer body back into action!

Try eating raw for a day with this meal plan provided to you from rawon10.com. Check out this site for more delicious raw recipes, all for $10 or less!

Breakfast: Avocado Strawberry Salad Nutritional information: calories: 398 fat: 31g carbs: 35g protein: 3g
- 18 strawberries
- 2 tablespoons agave
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- a pinch of salt
- 2 avocados
- 1 small onion

For the strawberry sauce, in a bullet type blender, purée six strawberries, the agave, balsamic vinegar and olive oil until very smooth.

Lunch: Watermelon Tomato Salad with Mango Dressing
Nutritional information: calories: 359 fat: 9g carbs: 85g protein: 9g
Salad
- 4 oz. lettuce
- 1 cup watermelon, chopped
- 1 tomato, sliced
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 1 small onion, sliced

Dressing
- 1 cup mango
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 4 dates
- 1 orange, peeled
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Red pepper flakes

For the dressing, blend all ingredients in a food processor.

Dinner: Sweet Potato Noodles
Nutritional information: calories: 481 fat: 22g carbs: 28g protein: 5g
- 3 sweet potatoes
- 3 green onions
- 6 tablespoons agave or maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons olive or flax oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup walnuts

Spiralize the sweet potatoes. Whisk together the agave, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss with the sliced green onions and walnuts. If desired, warm the noodles in a dehydrator or a warm pan before serving.