While eating raw in summer is effortless, as the days become shorter, darker and colder, it can be a struggle to maintain eating high ratios of raw foods.  My experiences lead me to believe that you need to follow your intuition and allow yourself to follow what your body needs. 

Now during winter I eat raw 80% to 90% of the time and this works really well for me.

Here are some tips that I find help me stay raw throughout the winter time……

1 Spice up the heat – Warming spices like ginger, cayenne, cumin and curry will definitely help and cinnamon, cloves and allspice are more subtle but are great festive warming spices to add to raw food recipes.  I also add some extra warming  ginger to my juices.

2.Choose seasonal fruits & vegetables – Winter produce is very important such as squashes, cabbage, broccoli and kale have more hearty flavors and apples, oranges and bananas are satisfying and resonate with what your body needs during winter.

3.Add a little cooked food to a meal – This can be comforting and warming and can be just enough to keep you satisfied.  This could be a  little cooked quinoa,millet or teff or steamed veggies to your already raw meal.

4.Warm up your plate – Prior to serving your meal, place your plate in the oven to keep nice and warm.

5.Heat with the Dehydrator – Winter is when my Excalibur dehydrator is always “at work” www.rawfooddietforlife.com  I make yummy raw crackers and the best feature of all is that I place my raw meals in it to warm.  Keeping raw foods at under 105 degrees F ensures that the enzymes are still fully in tact and raw, but makes all the difference to the temperature of the food.

6.Avoid alcohol – Although it seems as if alcohol has the effect of warming you up, it actually dilates the blood vessels, allowing the heat to leave your body and makes you colder.

7.Raw Soups – Winter seasonal soups are great heated in my dehydrator.

CHRISTMAS SEASON RECIPIE

RAW SNOW BALL TRUFFLES

Serves: 10 balls

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup finely chopped raw cacao butter

• 1/4 cup raw tahini

• 2 tablespoons coconut nectar

• 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

• 1 pinch of Himalayan salt

• Optional 1/4 cup finely chopped pecan nuts to

add a little crunch

• 1 cup desiccated coconut for rolling

PUMPKIN PIE SPICE

• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons ground ginger

• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

• 1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice

• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt the cacao butter using a small bowl or cup sitting it inside a saucepan of hot water over a small

flame (double boil method). This should take about 5 minutes, stay with the butter, stirring occasionally

while it melts, do not let it burn or over boil. Once it is melted, set aside to cool slightly while you

measure the other ingredients.

2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add the cacao butter.

3. Place mixture in the fridge for 20 minutes to allow it to become firm and then you can scoop out an

approximate tablespoon of mixture with a spoon or small ice cream scoop and roll the balls with your hands and finish them off by rolling in desiccated coconut.

Beverley Pugh

Hippocrates Health Educator,Raw Food Chef & Coach

Vegan & Raw Organics to go and delivery

www.veganandraw.es