The days are long and everyone seems to be trying to pack as much as they can into each one. Summer is a very busy time of year and taking advantage of all the flourishing fruits and vegetables can sometimes seem overwhelming. Eating raw can be quick and simple! You don’t even need to turn the stove on so the kitchen stays nice and cool on these hot days. A food is considered raw if it is uncooked or “prepared” below 116°F, anything higher in temperature, food begins to lose its essential nutrients and enzymes.
Raw foods are also extremely high in nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, and fiber. When you increase raw foods in your diet you are lowering your cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the body, which can help reduce your risk of heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure.
One of our favorite raw food recipes is Dr. Rau’s Shredded Beet and Carrot Salad from “The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health”. We discovered this recipe years ago when we began our annual detox and liver cleanse. This recipe focuses on beets and carrots which have natural sugars that tightly bound in their fibers, which get released slowly into your bloodstream. This in turn helps keep your sugar at an even level for hours, giving you extra energy long after a meal! It also staves off hunger pangs with the slow effective release of sugars into your system. So when you are hungry in the late afternoon, instead of going for that cookie or cup of coffee—whip this recipe up and you’ll feel great! Also remember if your poo is a bit pink or reddish from this meal, don’t be frightened – it’s just the beets!
Shredded Beet and Carrot Salad
4-6 servings
2 small-medium beets
2 large carrots
1 cup of raisins *
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sunflower (or sesame or olive oil)*
1) Peel the raw beets and carrots. Using large holes of a hand grater or a food processor to shred vegetables.
2) Mix all ingredients together and serve right away or store in refrigerator for up to 4 days.
* these are our additions and not to be substituted if you are doing the liver cleanse or detox in Dr. Rau’s book
** Remember in our opinion it is best to have organic or vegetables grown chemical free, like we do at Round the Bend Farm, to optimize your health.
