October 13th, 2010 
What is the Raw Food Trend? Does that mean that you eat a lot of sushi? Steak tartar? Salads only?
Only if you want to. Most raw foodies eat creative combination of nuts, seeds, olives, fruits, vegetables, raw cacao (that’s one of the parts I LOVE), healthy unprocessed oils, beneficial salts, and so on. And, there are some really creative ways to incorporate this healthy and beneficial eating style into your nutritional style.
The Raw Food way of eating is based on increasing your ‘living foods’ and therefore increasing your ingestion of live enzymes, so your body does not have to utilize it’s own. Technically, Raw Food is not heated above 115 degrees. Your digestion benefits, most Raw Foodists claim, along with high energy, strong immunity, and “glowing skin”. You also increase your intake of antioxidants and disease fighting nutrients; and for many, the overall result is weight loss.
The down side? This lifestyle can be difficult to maintain when eating out and dining at others homes. Preparation for this creative way of eating can also be time consuming; not everyone is up for dehydrating crackers for days on end. And although it can be fun in the Summer/Fall months when we have lots of local produce, and the heat index is sky high, come winter, many find it difficult to resist hot soups and warm food.
Fortunately, it does not have to be all or nothing. You can benefit from adding in a “raw” meal here and there, and having a few easy meals that you enjoy helps.
This is a raw dip that I make and have brought to homes of many a friend. I don’t advertise that it’s “raw,” and people love it. I like to keep some on hand to add to my salad for lunch or dinner, and it’s a hit for book club.
Pink “Salmon” Pate
2 cups raw walnuts
1 and half red bell peppers
2 spring onions -cut off dark green ends
2 stalks celery
high grade sea salt to taste ( about a tsp)
Combine ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth. The texture should be very creamy.
This can be served on a salad, or on crackers or with crudite. This will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.
