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#4 – How to “Warm” up when Eating Raw

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Do you eat a high-raw diet or are you possibly 100% raw? If so, you might understand what I am about to share. When I first learned about the raw food diet, I went 100% raw overnight while I was living in Alaska and of course, I started my new adventure as Fall was quickly approaching.

As I was educating myself on this journey, everyone around me was convinced that I was part alien. You see Alaskan’s hardly understood what it meant to be vegetarian, let alone vegan or raw. The only support that I had was my husband, but he didn’t join me on my bone-chilling ride. I wasn’t at all prepared with how to handle the chills that can come from eating raw foods in a cold climate nor did it even cross my mind that it might be an issue. I never gave much thought to the ramifications of not ingesting hot foods when it’s 20 degrees below zero (F).

I remember preparing my raw dinner filled with fresh veggies that just came from the fridge, piling on layers of clothing, wrapping up in a blanket (sometimes two), and snuggling down in front of the fireplace with my raw delights. I could feel the heat from the fire work its way through the blanket, penetrating warmth into my backside. I would then rotate making sure to heat all sides of my body. I was a living human rotisserie!

In between bites I could see my breath, my nose was cold, and my blanket kept getting in the way as I tried to bring forkfuls of salad to my lips. After dinner, I would jump into a hot bath and soak the frost away as I was sipping a warm tea.

Aaah, this is life! (right?) I kid you not; I was a permanent oversized goosebump for a solid year!  Shoot even my goosebumps had goosebumps! Forget wearing socks to bed, mukluks and parkas became the new lingerie for me. I share much of that with great humor but in all honesty being cold became a way of life for me. As time went on and I became more and more educated about eating a high-raw food diet, I started to pick up some tricks of the trade.

But before I continue, I must start by adding that after a full year passed, I did begin to incorporate some cooked foods back into my diet. Not because of boredom or lack of willpower, my body wasn’t thriving on 100% raw. It was a hard decision because I LOVED being all raw. I loved every aspect of it, and there was also a part of me that felt that I had failed myself and others by not being able to stick to it.

The truth of it was that I could stick to it, but my body wasn’t gaining optimal health, and I ignored it for quite some time. Not smart, but I learned some valuable lessons about how to listen to my body’s needs. Life is a journey my friends, and I believe that every step within it teaches us and helps us to make better choices further on down the road. Through my 100% raw process, I learned how important it was to eat whole organic foods, how to crowd out processed foods, and how to honor myself. Truly priceless. There, now I feel comfortable in proceeding with some tips on eating raw when embracing goosebumps.

Enjoy Cooked Foods

Does that idea scare or confuse you? Nouveau Raw is a raw recipe site after all. Let me share that there is nothing wrong with the partaking of cooked, whole foods. I recommend it, especially when just starting. Here is my approach…

Warming Tips

Warming Spices

Add warming spices to all your foods!

Warming Foods 

 

6 thoughts on “#4 – How to “Warm” up when Eating Raw

  1. Danielle says:

    Hi!

    So I know that you can slightly warm your food, but I’m having issues finding recipes like chickpea curry or a lentil stew, that’s raw. I don’t know enough how to adjust vegan recipes to raw. Can you help me out??? Please, I’m dying for a slightly warm bowl of chili or curry!!

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Danielle, I don’t have any recipes posted for a chili or curry. I am in the midst of closing down a house and will soon be back home in Oregon. Once there I can resume recipe creating but until then, I don’t have a kitchen. :) Have a great week, amie sue

  2. Erin says:

    Hi, I am wondering if you can clarify something for me. Here you say that warming food above 115 degrees will destroy the enzymes. Yet in another section on your website where you address temperature, you say that food must be warmed above 140 degrees to destroy enzymes. I am wondering if I missed something…Thanks!!

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