It is hard living with someone whose from the dairy state and doesn’t eat many veggies. He shall remain nameless, but when he plans the meal, it is meat-centric. (I’m not complaining because he’s a great cook and makes the best grilled chicken, hamburgers, and grilled plank salmon.) But I am slowly making progress with the family by substituting some raw food recipes for those handed-down family recipe side dishes smothered in cheese, butter, cream and/or bacon.

I’ve always preferred eating raw veggies and my own mother still calls me the rabbit. Eating a raw food diet basically consists of eating unprocessed and uncooked foods as a large percentage of your diet. Depending on your lifestyle and the results you want, the foods include vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, eggs (cooked), fish (like shashimi or sushi*), meat (like carpaccio) and non-pasteurized dairy. *Shashimi is raw fish and Sushi is raw fish served with rice.

I personally don’t consume dairy anymore, and I eat cooked whole grains such as organic brown rice and oatmeal. If I choose to eat meat, my preference is that it is cooked. Adding a lot of fresh herbs to my food makes a huge difference and the use of extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon is a staple.

Sounds boring, right? Well I’ve actually never felt better and have so much more energy. This has been my lifestyle for over a year. But I am lazy on occasion and have been known to eat french fries or a brownie or two. 🙂

Here’s an easy basic guacamole recipe my family likes:

Ingredients
* 4 ripe avocados – peeled, pitted, and mashed
* 2 tomatoes, diced
* 2 tablespoons minced onion
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions: Thoroughly mix together the avocado, tomato, onion, and lemon juice in a bowl. Serve immediately. Store unused portions in refrigerator. I like to dip carrots or celery sticks with it, and my family likes to dip with pita chips.

Do you have a raw food recipe you want to share?