Who said you have to cook?

Imagine giving up cooked food! I know, that sounds bizarre. After all, humans have been cooking since fire was discovered, and we have continued to do so ever since without questioning it.

Admittedly, there are good reasons behind it — like killing harmful bacteria in meat, for example. However, at the extreme end of the spectrum, cancer-causing toxins are produced from charred red meat or burnt toast, and so these should be avoided.

The ethos of eating raw is to consume unprocessed, living foods, which are usually produced organically, and thus absorb maximum nutritional content of these foods — all the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, good bacteria, etc — and, in turn, gain maximum health benefits.

The raw food movement, however, is not to be embarked on as some would a fad diet to lose those extra nagging kilos or the ‘muffin top’ and ‘love handles’ that may confront you in the mirror, but as a lifestyle choice with the aim of promoting your well being and boosting energy levels.

Losing weight is a consequence of consuming less calories than you expend in your day-to-day activities, and so will be a likely result of going raw, which avoids fried, fatty foods.

In addition to vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts, carbohydrate sources such as oats may be heated up to the magic temperature of 40 degrees centigrade, to make flapjacks, for example.

This temperature is thought to be the threshold after which nutrients are destroyed, and most people who eat raw will own a dehydrator, which is essentially an oven that has a thermostat that carefully controls the temperature to ensure that food doesn’t get cooked.

It is not uncommon that people who eat raw are vegetarians or vegans (no dairy products), however, if one is not a vegetarian, raw fish and meats in the form of sashimi (specially prepared raw fish from the Japanese tradition) or beef carpaccio (thinly sliced raw beef) and steak tartar (a French delicacy that consists of raw minced meat with raw egg), would technically get raw food approval.

Transitioning to a raw food lifestyle is a step-by-step process as it can be a shock for the body, causing symptoms such as headaches, nausea, etc.

Most people would not know where to start in terms of raw food preparation, and would probably assume that they are signing up to miserable dinners of carrot sticks with hummus. To this end, a number of raw food chefs host sensitisation events, during which familiar sounding dishes are ingeniously prepared from vegetables.

Spaghetti and bolognaise, for example, may be prepared from strips of courgettes that are served with a flavoursome tomato salsa. The key objective is to make dishes that are bursting with flavour, with the additional benefit of bursting with nutrients.

In tune with the African and Caribbean palate, the blog ‘Raw Soul Food’ lists a range of tips to make tasty raw food using local spices and condiments, resources to support people who embark on this lifestyle and, crucially, a personal account of the raw food journey.

As I understand it, eating raw is not solely about nutrition for the body, but also for the soul. A word of caution, though: do not prepare these at home if you do not have the specialist training to do so.

Raw fish and meat can cause food poisoning. If you want to go raw, ensure that your meats are sourced from specialist butcheries and fishmongers that can guarantee strict storage conditions at specified low temperatures, and that these conditions are adhered to along the supply chain, right from source.