Great Holiday Raw Food Dessert Ideas

Christmas is a time when we think of family get togethers, opening gifts and eating in abundance. It is a special time for most of us, enjoying friends,  and good comfort, traditional Holiday foods. But with the Holidays, also comes weight gain, bloating, and even health problems from too many sweets and food.

Today white sugar, white flour, dairy products, trans and saturated fats, refined carbs and excess calories are on the “no-no” list … and with the holiday times it seems that cakes, cookies, candies and hearty fatty meals are our only options. If we even try to cut them out we begin to feel deprived and panic stricken. After all, it is a long-time tradition.

One answer to this problem  is to make some raw food desserts  and healthier but similar meals, and take them to get togethers and family visits. Try creating some healthy puddings, gluten free cakes and use nuts, dried fruits, oats, dried fruits or even avocados. They have a lot of flavor and are good for you.  There are some really great recipes at  The Raw Dessert which showcase some delicious cookies, cakes, and treats. Ani Phyo has some amazing raw food recipes as well along with some fun videos. Many of these recipes I can guarantee you won’t even notice a difference and many times taste even better than their processed sugar laden counterparts.

One of my favorite recipes is for a “Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce” which calls for 1 ½ cups raw walnuts, dash of salt, 6-8 pitted medjool dates, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa or carob powder, ½ tsp vanilla extract, and 2 tsp water. For the raspberry sauce you use 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (thaw and drain if frozen) with ¼ cup pitted medjooy dates, soaked for 30 minutes and drained. Place the walnuts and salt in a food processor with the S blade and process until finely ground. Add dates, cocoa powder, and vanilla … process until mixture becomes sticky. Add water and process briefly. Transfer to a serving plate and form a 5 inch round cake. Place the raspberries and dates in a blender and mix until smooth, pouring over the cake just before serving.

You do not have to give up all your comfort foods, just find a healthier recipe for it. Should you choose to nibble on a few old foods, do so in moderation, do not go overboard, and remember to wait and let your stomach digest properly before the next meal. And always drink lots of water throughout the day.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

What is the Raw Food Diet?

The Raw Food Diet is gaining popularity and buzz, not just as a diet to lose weight, but a diet for a long and healthy life. We eat so much in the way of processed food that we don’t even stop to think about what we’re putting into our bodies, and how far we’ve come nutritionally from our ancestral farming roots.

A raw food diet means consuming food in its natural, unprocessed form. There are several common-sense rationales for why this is a good idea. Processing and cooking food can take so much of the basic nutritional value away. Think of some of the conventional wisdom you’ve heard about for years, such as: If you cook pasta just to the al dente (or medium) stage, it will have more calories, yes, but it will have more the nutritional value in it than if you cooked it to a well-done stage. Or you probably remember hearing not to peel carrots or potatoes too deeply, because most of the nutrients and values are just under the surface.

The raw food diet means eating unprocessed, uncooked, organic, whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, dried fruits, seaweeds, etc. It means a diet that is at least 75% uncooked! Cooking takes out flavor and nutrition from vegetables and fruits. A raw food diet means eating more the way our ancient ancestors did. Our healthier, more fit ancestors. They cooked very little, and certainly didn’t cook or process fruits and vegetables. They ate them RAW. Their water wasn’t from a tap; it was natural, spring water. Maybe they drank some coconut milk on occasion.

Doesn’t it just make sense that this is how our bodies were meant to eat? It’s a way of eating that’s in harmony with the planet and in harmony with our own metabolisms. Our bodies were meant to work, and need to work to be efficient. That means exercise, certainly, but it also means eating natural, raw foods that require more energy to digest them.