If you're like countless thousands of raw foodists who don't have the wonderful advantage of living in consistently warm climates year-round, you may find it to be an obstacle to maintain your dietary needs in the wake of winter. Many are met with the same problems - the abundance of fresh fruit slowly shrivels up past fall, prices rice on fruits taken for granted during the warmer seasons, like berries and melons, and the quality of other items begins to become as unappealing as the prices. Although many see this as an opportunity to become lenient in their habits and turn to occasional or frequent cooked food lapses, others know a few tricks to stay high raw in a challenging 6-8 month time frame, depending on their location.
1. Be prepared. Before the cold wave of winter hits, practice your skills in raw preservation and gather fruits and vegetables to freeze and dehydrate for future use. Invest in a relatively inexpensive dehydrator if you have not already done so and dehydrate simple trays of fresh whole or sliced fruits to chew on when they become unavailable at your local supermarket or in your own garden. These snacks can be used as salad toppers, ingredients for raw zucchini pasta dishes, and if produced with a decent enough quality, light meals.
The health food store that I worked for employs the use of refrigeration in addition to relying on the dehydration of fruits to preserve them - there are rows and rows of raw Medjool dates and Black Mission figs in the refrigerator, always tasting as fresh as dehydrated produce possibly can. Seal all dehydrated fruits and vegetables in airtight plastic containers or packages to ensure life length during the winter. Although the expected expiration for dried fruits and vegetables vary, it can usually be determined by the growth of mold or complete abscence of moisture in them.
2. Greens. While summer is upon us, we tend to forget about the familiar standbys that are offered to us and instead, thrive on juicy and fresh fruits alone. Dark, leafy greens are some of the most delicious, affordable, and nourishing items that grow almost anywhere. Although many may be tempted to steam these and other vegetables, we must be reminded that compromising life force for taste depletes these plants of their rich vitamin stores. Spinach, for example, contains vitamins K, A, and C, as well as manganese, folate, magnesium, and iron - all important nutrients when other fresh produce may not be around. Greens like kale, romaine, spinach, and swiss chard can all be easily blended into smoothies, used as the base for salads, or eaten alone. You can even sprout or grow your own greens from an indoor garden.
3. Raw fats. Although disputable by many on lower-fat raw diets, raw fats may become more of a staple in your diet during winter than they are in the spring and summer. The most important and widely available raw fats are avocados, young coconuts, durians, and nuts and seeds. Avocados are the most popular raw form of fat for a reason - they are lower in fat than most other sources, while being directly and continually restocked at stores, ensuring their freshness. As for coconuts, a mature variety (the hairy, large types you typically see) contains an average of 1400 calories and 133 grams of fat, while its counterpart, the young Thai variety, has 140 and 3 grams of fat, plus more nutritious liquid, making it a far better choice. Durians are relatively good sources of B-Vitamins and thiamin, and carry 357 calories per cup, with 13 grams of fat. They can be found in Asian markets or flash frozen and dried online at raw food sites, although the latter is not highly recommended for reasons of freshness. Nuts and seeds are best purchased online, as the integrity of their state of rawness is controversial in regards to store shelves, and make sure that you sprout them whenever possible to achieve optimum results.
The popular belief that one endures less physical activity in the winter doesn't have to be true - you can easily perform yoga indoors, attend a local gym or YMCA, or take walks, bundled up, when the sunlight is still out - so it should not be a reason to forgo upping your fat intake within reasonable measures (for example, if you had been eating 0-10% fats in the spring, summer, and fall, winter could call for a continuous slightly increased percentage, or days in which you eat higher fats and then resume your normal patterns).
4. Mono eating. On days when you've felt that your increased consumption of less-than-fresh is getting to you, or whether you fall prey to cooked foods on occasion, you can take comfort in knowing that mono eating can provide beautiful results on your digestion and a slight cleanse for your body without depriving yourself. You may select one type of fruit or even a combination (i.e. well-combined green smoothies containing 1 green and 1 fruit) and eat only that food for 1-7 days, with the length varying at your own discretion. This can be used with fruits that are more inexpensive, such as apples, pears, citrus varieties, and bananas (preferably organic.
5. Simple raw recipes. One of my favorite raw recipes requires barely any preparation and less than 5 ingredients. Either use a Spirooli if you have one, or a vegetable peeler to create strips of zucchini fruit noodles (yes, zucchini is a fruit) and cover with a mix (using a food processor ) of red pepper, tomato, and fresh herbs such as basil or parsley. I don't advise using cold-pressed, or any oil for that matter, unlike many versions of the raw pasta recipe. Oils are too concentrated as a source of fat for most people, and have questionable freshness. In addition to the raw pasta and all its possibilities of add-in vegetables, greens, etc., you can make simple blended raw smoothies, soups, wraps, and salads. Eating raw doesn't have to consist of eating complicated, bad-for-you recipes that are dependent on nuts, oils, and non-raw ingredients like nutritional yeast or condiments.
Enjoy!
