10 Myths About Raw Food

Many people have their own ideas about what a raw food diet consists of. Some of their ideas are personally valid, especially when one does not have a clear understanding of the range of possibilities.

I will speak in terms of personal observation. I will not speak in terms of total truth, as my perception is my reality. This article is written to stimulate some thought regarding available options or other issues to consider. You must decide how the following words sit with you on your journey towards a healthier eating habits.

Based on my own personal observation of people and listening to their concerns and questions, these are 10 of the most common (although not all-encompassing) myths about a diet consisting of mostly raw food:

Myth #1  Raw food is too expensive

Alternative consideration: Eating a higher percentage of fresh fruits and vegetables does not have to be expensive.

It is only more expensive if you believe it to be, without considering other options. There are many ways to save on your fruits and vegetables. For instance you may consider buying in bulk, buying when fruits and vegetables are in season, purchasing local produce, shopping at farmer's markets, joining a food co-op, growing your own garden, or just keeping it simple (buying mainly WHOLE fruits and veggies instead of a lot of prepared raw food or pre-packaged snacks).

When you buy food in season you may save because for one, there is less transport time involved in getting the food to your local market. This is also another way that you can be a little more assured that your food is fresher. When food is imported, markets pass on that cost of shipping and importing on to you--the customer. They sure aren't going to pay for it!

Purchasing local produce usually costs less as well. Local farmers' produce is usually tastier and fresher. Sometimes you may be able to get it straight from the garden, especially if you have and shop at your local farmer's market. I purchase garlic all the time at our local farmer's market. I really enjoy getting garlic bulbs that are still damp. Shopping at the farmer's market also gives you a chance to build relationships with your local growers, get information on how they grow their crops, and maybe even get some gardening tips of your own. There is a sweet little lady here who I will sometimes buy my fresh flowers from. She always remembers my name and gives me great deals on fresh flowers when I stop by her booth. I was able to get a nice sized free aloe plant from another farmer here once and he even let me choose whatever size I wanted. Get to know your local farmers if possible.

Have you considered starting your own small garden? You do not have to start an elaborate garden and get overwhelmed. Starting a garden could be as simple as growing some simple herbs that you use on a regular basis. Herbs like mint, basil, oregano, and chives are pretty easy to grow and you could buy starter plants for $2 or $3. You could also grow some simple vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes (technically fruit), strawberries, and bell peppers. If you have an apartment you can start a container garden right on your patio. Container gardens, when kept neat, look beautiful on a patio or balcony and they add a little flair and personality.

Certain raw food items are considered by some to be luxuries. Things like raw snack bars, trail mix, cookies, and salad bar & deli items are not totally necessary although they do add some variety. Consider keeping it simple most of the time by adjusting the flavor of whole fruits and veggies and cutting back on the consumption of a lot of convenience snacks. You could learn to make your own raw snack bars and trail mixes. Trail mix could be as simple as purchasing some raisins or other dried fruit with some nuts and flavor to taste or eat plain. Sometimes it is cheaper if you purchase them in the bulk bins at your local market. You save this way because you are not paying for the packaging involved with prepared bars and snacks.

Something else to consider, would you rather invest a few extra dollars now on a few more fruits and veggies or invest in 10 or 20 years (or less) some hundreds and thousands of dollars in doctor's bills for some dis-ease or illness that could have been avoided partly with the help of healthier diet? I'm just saying......alternative considerations.

Myth #2 Raw food is boring

 Alternative consideration: Raw food can be as fun as I make it.

I can count on one hand time how many times I have had an average garden salad in the past few months. If I have had one it was because that's just what I had a taste for, not because that was my only option.

For instance, you could take the same ingredients that you would eat in a salad and make a wrap with some fun varieties of dressing and enjoy to your stomach’s content! If you want variety in taste, experiement with various spices, seasonings, and herbs. Think of some of your favorite cooked dishes and convert them to raw food. You could blend tomatoes with herbs and garlic to make a marinara sauce. Then use a vegetable peeler with zucchini and make noodles, toss sauce with noodles and enjoy a fun spaghetti. Another idea is to take raw nuts and soak for a few hours ahead of time or overnight. When you are ready, process them into a pate with some seasonings, a little olive oil, a little lemon juice, and some simple veggies and stuff in a bell pepper, you have Stuffed Bell Peppers. A dish like that outside of PRE soaking may take 10 minutes max, it's all in seasoning and adjustment.

You can make brownies, fruit salads with fruit drizzle, wraps, tacos, burritos, nut meatloaf, marinated veggies, smoothies, and ice cream (yes without an ice cream maker), just to name a few. Get as creative as you like. You are only limited by limitations you place on yourself.

Myth #3 Raw Food Takes Too Long To Prepare

Alternative Consideration: Raw food can be quick and easy if I make it quick and easy.

If you choose to make more elaborate meals, then yes of course it will take longer than the average meal! Dehydration, fermentation, and soaking and sprouting rank up there with some of the most time consuming projects. There are a few tools for the kitchen that help you cut down on time. With a food processor I make salsa in 2 or 3 minutes as opposed to 10 minutes by hand with a knife. You do not have to be in the kitchen for a long time when preparing food unless you making very complex meals. Smoothies, juices, dips, raw soups, and rolls are a few of the quickest meals you can prepare.

Myth #4 Raw Food has no taste or is not "real food"

Alternative consideration: Raw food can actually be tastier than cooked.

When people say that it's not real food or doesn't have a taste, I usually kind of laugh. Mainly because to me, when I hear someone say it's not "real food" or if I when I would detox and finish people would say "oh so now you can eat 'real food' " it would just be funny. Then again I find humor in things that other people miss sometimes.

Quick question: if you were to plant some cheetos in the ground and then plant a seeded apple slice right next to it, which one do you think will actually grow? Hmmmmm something to think about. Not placing judgment on the cheetos, just throwing out another idea for consideration. The same thing goes for food that we cook, we deplete the nutrients so in the TRUE SENSE of the meaning of REAL FOOD, the cheetos are not really food.

Real food has a totally different taste than a lot of processed food. To be honest processed look-a-like food is really masked with perfumes, dyes, and artificial flavors to get it to taste like food. For instance beef is colored with red dye to make it look fresh, it even contains sodium nicotinate in order to preserve the little color it does have. If someone were to cut off your arm and put it in the refrigerator, do you think it would stay fresh for a week? Ladies, if someone were to pump you with harmful steroids and pump your breasts for milk day in and day out for weeks at a time, do you think you would just excrete milk ONLY? Probably not, probably a little bit of milk along with a little bit of blood and oh don't forget the pus that your body is using to fight off germs/protect itself from the inflammation and pain that you are experiencing in the process, not to mention that cows don't even drink OUR milk. I'm just saying, think about it for a minute. Sort of like when people die, they are pumped with formaldehyde and other chemicals in order to preserve the body for it to be presentable at a funeral. Same thing with dead animal flesh that is deemed safe by other government agencies to be acceptable for human consumption (some alternatives "transitional" meat substitutes in moderation and nut, rice, and seed milks).

Okay, so I digress, but a couple of more things..... The point is that fresh food is always tastier. If you start eating more fruits and veggies you will also notice that your taste buds may start to change and become more receptive to different tastes. Things you used to eat will no longer appeal to your tastebuds, and for good reason! You may notice that potato chips start to taste like cardboard, even if they try to hide the real lack of real flavor with MSG and other chemical excitotoxins and brain killers. Our emotional attachment to our foods makes it kind of hard to fathom actually giving them up, but that's another like 20 articles right there from the previous two sentences. Some people can make a career out of JUST writing on the previous two sentences. I'm telling you the "food" industry is a trip and there is so much about it that is hidden in plain sight, it's ridiculous.

Myth #5: Raw food equals bird food.

Alternative consideration: Raw food can be quite filling in more ways than one.

Okay, so why do you eat? I mean, why do you REAAAALLLLYY eat? For nourishment of your body and for energy (for me personally, my soul as well). Okay so since we eat for our body, we have to start at a cellular level. You can eat heavy or light with raw foods. There are many ways to create some of your more filling dishes with nuts and seeds if you need a heavier type of meal. Sometimes I make my tacos with various nuts sometimes. I may do some other meals with veggies that contain a lot of water or make raw soups with nuts to make a cream base. Another way the food is filling is that it is prepared with all of the nutrients in tact. Anything heated under 105-118 degrees (depending on who you ask) is considered raw, therefore the food is still alive and contains life force energy. Life renders life and death renders death we truly are what we eat, on SO many levels. The body has its own intelligence and will tell you if it needs more or less of something. It's not a matter of how dense or light the food is necessarily. That perceived need is sometimes a matter of emotional attachment to food or just all mental. You may notice that you can eat much less because you are feeding yourself the proper nutrients and your CELLS are satisfied.

Myth #6 Need to eat all raw food to get the full benefit

 Alternative consideration: Says who? Who defines the "benefit" that your body receives?

If your goal is just to eat healthier, consider just eating more fresh, whole, raw food in general. Maybe a smoothie everyday for breakfast, or instead of snacking on those doritos, opt for raw almonds with a little seasoning or sea salt. Maybe for lunch a few days per week, have lettuce wraps or salad or collard wraps for instance. Maybe even do a raw pudding or banana ice cream instead of those cookies that have probably been on the shelf too long anyway. Who can put requirements or limits on the amount of anything you eat?

Myth #7 Have to eat all cold food

 Alternative consideration: I could eat food that is somewhat warmed at lower temperature if needed.

As I said before, any food processed below 118 degrees is considered raw. The heating of the food is usually done through a dehydrator. If that is something you would like to invest in, it would give you extra options. It doesn't make the food hot as a stove does but it's better than straight from the refrigerator. For instance the corn on the cob that I made last week was done in my dehydrator. Also some BBQ nut meat strips I made were "warmed" in the dehydrator for a few minutes. Maybe look into buying a dehydrator if you would like some of your foods a little warm but still raw.

Myth #8 Raw food is not safe to eat in the winter.

Alternative consideration: certain foods have a warming effect (if being warmed up by food is a real concern of yours).

Some spices that warm and improve circulation are: sesame seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne, curry, garlic, jalapeno, ginger, pepper, and horseradish. Invent or find recipes to prepare that contain some of these foods and seasonings.

Myth #9 A person has to be single to eat raw food, family just gets in the way or won't want to eat it, especially children.

 Alternative consideration: Well yes, if someone served me carrot and celery sticks with bland dressing every day, I probably wouldn't want to eat it either.

Variety is the key in this case. There are plenty of recipes that can be converted for kids that are fun and creative. Nut cheese sauce with marinara and raw veggies on pita bread is a neat pizza option. Raw pudding or frozen bananas blended into an ice cream with nuts, carob or cocoa, or chopped fruit for an ice cream alternative, or maybe smoothies or frozen fruit cubes for a crack sugar stick (a.k.a popsicles) alternative. I've even heard that frozen grapes are fun to eat (never tasted them myself).

Also consider the above on #7 on warming at low temps for a few minutes in the dehydrator if you have one.

Myth #10 Don't get enough protein (grand finale, hey I have to save the best most popular myth for last)

Alternative consideration: maybe protein is different than what it is advertised to be.

Protein is probably one of the easiest things to consume on the raw food diet. It is plentiful in most fruits, veggies and especially nuts and seeds. Another benefit is you eat them straight up without all the cooking and slaving over the stove or grill to get the “protein”. A lot of people are not even aware of what protein actually is. Our body makes 14 amino acids (non-essential) we need the other 8 essential amino acids to have complete protein which consists of 22 amino acids total. Oh yes and they are termed essential amino acids because body cannot make them. Also, too much protein can be harmful for the kidneys but is another article.

Some sources of all 8 essential amino acids:  nuts, pumpkin seeds, leafy green vegetables, and fruits, to name a few. In addition are apricots, avocados, bananas, berries, broccoli (also a good calcium source), cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cherries, coconut, corn, cucumbers, dates, eggplant, grapes, melons, okra, oranges, peaches, pears, and summer squash tomatoes.

So there you have it. Some popular myths, reconsidered. Hopefully as you peruse the website, you will find alternative ideas and decide to try some of these things for yourself. Some of us have been conditioned to think that things have to be a certain way that we only follow what others are doing for fear of change, missing out on a whole new variety and world of possibilities. Food is just one aspect of life, but there are so different options in what we can do with it. Choose to do something different today.

Thank you for reading

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