You know you want it raw...

LOL! Get your mind out of the gutter ppl. I DID NOT mean it like that. What I mean is you want to eat it raw...ummm...I mean food, you want to try a raw food diet. Whew!

I have heard quite a bit about individuals who only eat raw foods...uncooked, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains. I myself haven't really pursued this lifestyle myself...beyond a salad. However, a few months ago a good friend of mine posted that she was giving raw a try. I meant to speak on this here, but the topic slipped away from me.

I have found that this diet can be very healthful, and I wanted to share some of the facts. Allisa Cohen is a raw foods advocate, and here is some of the information that I found on her website:

-"When food is cooked at over 112 degrees (this temperature can be felt as warm to the touch) we destroy all of its enzymes. This is a problem because we need enzymes for every function in our body. To walk, to talk, to breathe and to move; life itself depends on them. As we age, our bodies natural source of enzymes becomes depleted and we need to replenish this source through the foods we eat. If we do not do this and we continue to eat cooked foods, then we eventually begin to use up our body’s enzyme reserves. Cooking makes it harder for our bodies to break up and digest the foods that we eat. This food then begins to get stored in our bodies as toxins; which can lead to all kinds of diseases and illness."

- "There are numerous benefits to eating a raw and living food diet. Some of these benefits include people healing themselves of diabetes, fibromyalgia, acne, migraines, back pain, neck and joint pain, asthma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hypoglycemia, colitis, diverticulitis, Candida, arthritis, serious allergies, depression, anxiety, mood swings, heartburn, gas, bloating, skin diseases, obesity, chronic fatigue, cancers and many more. Excess weight seems to just melt off your body when you eat a raw and living food diet! The raw and living food diet has helped many people feel better when nothing else has worked."

Sooo...in the spirit of giving things the old college try...I am going to prepare a raw meal. Here is what I have selected. Raw walnut tacos:

The shell will be a fresh leaf of romaine lettuce.

The 'meat' filling is as follows:

• 1½ cups raw walnuts, ground in food processor
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• ¾ teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons Nama Shoyu or Braggs
• pinch cayenne

The cheese topping is as follows:

• 1 cup raw cashews, sunflower seeds or almonds
• ½ large red bell pepper
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1½ teaspoons sea salt
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons onion powder (or a small slice of onion or 1 Tbsp of green onion)

I'm going to top it with a bit of Pico de Gallo:

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quarterd - depending on size
• ½ small yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• ¾ teaspoon ground corriander
• ¾ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon cold pressed olive oil (optional)

I'll let you know how it comes out. For more info on living raw.. try Alissa Cohen's website or Raw Food Talk.