Raw Food Diet - "Light to Heavy" Approach

A "Light to Heavy" raw food meal plan focuses on "lighter", more quickly burning foods such as fruits in the morning and ends with fats and possibly some cooked foods at night.

On her website, author and raw food specialist Natalia Rose says: "Try as much as possible to incorporate the “light to heavy” concept in your daily routine. This means that you eat your lightest food first (green juice, fruits, raw veggies, etc.), culminating in heavier fare such as cooked foods, flesh, and grains later in the day. You should also apply this concept to individual meals: for example, salad first, followed by cooked food or denser raw food." (Link)

How would a "Light to Heavy" day look? 

Breakfast

Fresh fruit is one of my favorite breakfasts (not canned or jarred fruit - which are pasteurized and soaked in sugary syrup). There are endless varieties of fruit - bananas, blueberries, strawberries, mangoes, apples, oranges, pineapples, pears, dates, etc. Try blending your favorite combination with some raw protein powder for a fruit smoothie. Or add in a handful of fresh greens for a "green smoothie".

Lunch

Fresh salad - The focus on lunch should be freshly chopped vegetables. Heavy foods like avocados, nuts and heavy oils should be used sparingly. 

Dinner

The focus for dinner can be on heavier foods such as avocados, nuts, seeds, cooked soups, cooked rice and cooked beans. The dinner meal is when people who are not vegans might want to incorporate some animal products such as raw milk, raw milk cheese, wild caught fish  and free range eggs (raw egg yolks or cooked whole eggs). Combining one or more of the above foods with some fresh green or carrot juice makes dinner the largest and must filling meal of the day.

Raw Muesli Recipe

Bob's Red Mill Muesli is one of the most popular store-bought brands of Muesli available. While it is a healthy, whole foods product, it is not a raw food. All almonds that are grown and harvested in the U.S.A. now have to be pasteurized - this includes the almonds in Bob's Red Mill muesli. Also, most store-bought rolled oats are steamed at about 220 degrees Fahrenheit to preserve flavor, so they are not truly raw.  The same can likely be said for the whole grain wheat, rye, triticale and barley in this muesli. That being said, the date crumbles, raisins, sunflower seeds and walnuts in Bob's Red Mill muesli are likely raw.

Raw Muesli Recipe

Source: page 161 of "the Raw Food Detox Diet" by Natalia Rose.

1 cup raw pecans or walnuts
1 cup chopped dried apples
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup chopped raw almonds
Pinch of ground cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg

To serve, toss the ingredients well and serve in place of nuts, or enjoy in a bowl with almond milk and maple syrup. Or serve atop your favorite bowl of raw oatmeal!