Eat Raw, Not Cooked
4/5
()
About this ebook
Can spinach really taste like chocolate ice cream? YES!
Just try Stacy Stowers’s Happy Shake—cupfuls of nourishing greens, plus a dash of raw cacao, a big handful of blueberries, and a few other delicious fixings that you can blend up every morning and enjoy with a spoon!
Stacy travels the country teaching families like yours how to add more whole, raw, unprocessed foods into their diets in the simplest, most satisfying way possible. Her clients soon discover they stop eating out of bags, bottles, cans, and boxes—and start feeling healthier, lighter, and more energetic. Eating raw is easier and tastier than you think. The gift of Stacy’s approach is that it’s not about becoming a “raw foodist” or joining some food religion; it’s about adding foods that will make you thrive.
What are the potential benefits of eating raw? Weight loss and management, more energy, relief from chronic pain and allergies, better moods, and a younger appearance—to name just a few! From Stacy’s comforting and crispy Cheatos and enticing Rainbow Fajitas, to her rich, delectable Chocolate Macaroon Fudge Bars, her more than 70 recipes will give you and your family an irresistible nutritional boost.
Stacy Stowers
In 2007, Stacy Stowers realized a remarkable recovery from the debilitating effects of fibromyalgia and chronic pain after switching to a raw food diet. Now she tours the country living with individual families, and helping them to make the switch to a raw, nutrient-rich diet. When she’s not staying with her clients, she lives in New York with her family.
Related to Eat Raw, Not Cooked
Related ebooks
Raw Awakening: Your Ultimate Guide to the Raw Food Diet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRaw Food: A Complete Guide for Every Meal of the Day Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRaw and Radiant: 130 Quick Recipes and Holistic Tips for a Healthy Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eat Smart Eat Raw Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Journey to Raw: 52 Weekly Changes to add more raw to your diet Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDetox Juicing: 3-Day, 7-Day, and 14-Day Cleanses for Your Health and Well-Being Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Two Moms in the Raw: Simple, Clean, Irresistible Recipes for Your Family's Health Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5TRA Retreat Treats Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Healthy Drinks: 60 Vital Recipes for Green Smoothies, Juice Shots, Broths, Detox Water, Kombucha, and More Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCrave, Eat, Heal: Plant-Based, Whole-Food Recipes to Satisfy Every Craving Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRaw Food and Health Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Everything Vegan Cookbook Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/528-Day Plant-Powered Health Reboot: Reset Your Body, Lose Weight, Gain Energy & Feel Great Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVegan Green Smoothies by Vilms: 35, Easy, Nutritious and Delicious Recipes for Ultimate Health and Vitality Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRaw Snacks Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rawvolution Continues: The Living Foods Movement in 150 Natural and Delicious Recipes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rawesomely Vegan!: The Ultimate Raw Vegan Recipe Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5365 Days Of Raw Food Diet Recipes: A Complete Raw Food Cookbook For Your Vegan Diet Needs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everyday Raw Detox Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Raw Cure: Healing Beyond Medicine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Live Raw: Raw Food Recipes for Good Health and Timeless Beauty Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLive Raw Around the World: International Raw Food Recipes for Good Health and Timeless Beauty Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gorilla Food: Living and Eating Organic, Vegan, and Raw Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Raw Vegan Recipes for Beginners: A Guide for Every Meal of the Day Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5101 Frickin' Rawsome Recipes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Practically Raw: Flexible Raw Recipes Anyone Can Make Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everyday Raw Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Diet & Nutrition For You
Glucose Revolution: The Life-Changing Power of Balancing Your Blood Sugar Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Thinner Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Female Body Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Diet Myth: Why the Secret to Health and Weight Loss is Already in Your Gut Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ (Revised Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Intuitive Eating, 4th Edition: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mediterranean Diet Meal Prep Cookbook: Easy And Healthy Recipes You Can Meal Prep For The Week Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The DIRTY, LAZY, KETO Cookbook: Bend the Rules to Lose the Weight! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Forks Over Knives Plan: How to Transition to the Life-Saving, Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why Calories Don't Count: How We Got the Science of Weight Loss Wrong Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Healthy as F*ck: The Habits You Need to Get Lean, Stay Healthy, and Kick Ass at Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Muscle for Life: Get Lean, Strong, and Healthy at Any Age! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Anti-Anxiety Diet: A Whole Body Program to Stop Racing Thoughts, Banish Worry and Live Panic-Free Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStep by Step Guide to the Whole 30 Diet: A Detailed Beginners Guide to Losing Weight on the Whole 30 Diet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Noom Mindset: Learn the Science, Lose the Weight Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Reviews for Eat Raw, Not Cooked
4 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Disgustingly lies to the consumer. Please don't call yourself a raw vegan - you never were one. Because someone who goes back to abusing animals can not be vegan and never was.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I became a pescatarian about four years ago, and since then I've been inching forward toward healthier eating. I'm not always that good at it. Sometimes dinner will be some greasy chips, or a pint of ice cream. But other times I'll eat something like an uber-healthy meal of a raw marinara made with tomatoes and red peppers, served over steamed spaghetti squash. My life is a measure of two steps forward-one step back.The book is chock-full of great ideas for eating raw foods. Why eat raw? Well, what could be healthier? When you are eating food raw, you are eating it whole, with its fiber intact and without the nutrients cooked out of it. Not cooking it also means saving calories that may be added when cooking in oil or butter. That's healthier eating all around!The author came to healthy eating at 39 years of age after finding herself plagued with health issues, which started with a valley fever infection at the age of 22. The book stresses eating alkaline, as when our bodies enter an acidic state, we feel lethargic, bloated, dehydrated, and some suffer from chronic pain. The author has since converted her family to her diet by showing them how good the food can be!One thing I was surprised to see was the use of the dehydrator in raw food preparation. It seems it gives it more of a "cooked" feel, when removing some of the water from the vegetables. The pictures of these dishes made in the dehydrator looked and sounded so good, I was inspired to buy a dehydrator (although I haven't had time to try it out yet). Dishes like the Rainbow Fajitas and China Bowl. One drawback is many of the recipes require special tools, like a dehydrator or julienne slicer.My final word: Looking to eat healthier? Cut calories? Eat whole foods? Check out this book and the benefits of eating raw. You won't regret it!benefits of eating raw. You won't regret it!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/53.5 StarsThe recipes are occasionally mixed with the author's raw food transformation and general raw food information/stats. Illustrations of all the recipes are included and the pictures alone will convince most holdouts to give it a try. The book also has quite a few kid-friendly conversions. Lots of chocolate!Net Galley Feedback
Book preview
Eat Raw, Not Cooked - Stacy Stowers
This book is dedicated to all the families who feed my soul. This is for you!
Contents
INTRODUCTION
My Raw Story
Why Eat Raw Food?
Where Do I Get My Protein?
Take Me to a Steakhouse
Nourish Your Kids . . . Without Them Knowing
Stuff for Making Stuff: Your Tools and Staples
1
A SALAD IN DISGUISE . . .
The Happy Shake
The Replenisher
2
DRESS UP YOUR GREENS
Home On The Range Dressing
Chips
& Dip
Better Than Ketchup & Fries
Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing
Not Peanut Sauce
Basic White Sauce . . . The Perfect Cream Cheeze
The Champion Caesar Salad Dressing
Honey’s Dijon Vinaigrette
Susie’s Spicy Curry Sauce
Honey Girl’s Strawberry Vinaigrette
Not-Cho-Cheeze Sauce
Tyrannosaurus Red Sauce
Super Simple Marinade
Not Blue Cheese Dressing
Wicked Cole Slaw Dressing
3
THE BAKERY
The Flagel
Cranberry-Orange Flagels
Chocolate-Frosted Donut
Banana Pancakes
Baby Grahams
Seeds Of Change
Tostadas Or Corn Chips
Cheatos
Cheezy Kale Chips
Sweet Tangy Kale Chips
Spicy Nori Nachos
Onion Rings
Not Fried, Not Clams
4
FAMILY FAVORITES
Broccoli Alfredo
Italian Pasta
Raw Pizzas
Lasagna
Firehouse Tostadas
Stacy’s Guacamole
The Perfect Picnic Burger
Mac & Cheeze
Rainbow Fajitas
China Bowl
Thuy’s Pad Thai
Spring Rolls
5
THINGS GET HEATED
Sunny Slope Farm Soup
Fish & Chips
Silver Tea
6
LET THEM EAT . . . DESSERT!
Coconut Banana Cream Pie
Chunky Monkey Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Kimmie’s Key Lime Pie
Almond Joy
Pie
Blueberry Land Cheesecake
Cinderella Pumpkin Pie
Peace Out Chocolate Cake
Jacob’s Summer Peach Cobbler
Vermont Joe’s Chocolate Moose
Cha-Cha-Chia Pudding
Wicked Caramel Sauce
Chocolate Ganache
Banana Road Kill
Just Almond Milk
Stacy Doodles
Mini Me’s
Sarah Bernhardt Cookie, Gone Raw!
Hard Chocolate Coating
Cioffi Bars
Chocolate Macaroon Fudge Bars
Peanut Butter
Freezer Cookies
Chocolate Donut Holes
Truffles For Sue
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
Jimmy Chews
Epilogue
Contributors
Acknowledgments
About Stacy Stowers
Index
Photograph by Eli Dagostino
I was disabled for 17 years. My suffering ended in ten days when I did two things: I stopped cooking my food and I eliminated processed foods.
—Stacy Stowers
Introduction
As a society, we have become disconnected from our food, opting for the convenience of so many boxed, bagged, packaged, and bottled processed foods to accommodate our ever-demanding responsibilities and schedules. Nutrition is a complex field with conflicting theories about food continually up for debate. Yet despite all these theories in question, there are two things about nutrition that I believe absolutely to be true:
1. We must let go of processed foods.
2. Raw food heals.
Eat Raw, Not Cooked is a guide to introduce families to the pleasures of eating clean, rich, real food in its raw state. Since January 1, 2010, I have been traveling the country, living with a new family each week, with the goal of feeding and teaching people of all ages and backgrounds how to add more whole, raw, unprocessed foods to their diets and to do it in the simplest and most satisfying way possible. Through photographs, stories, and recipes, Eat Raw, Not Cooked follows my path across America from home to home, sharing the joy of these delicious healing foods with families of all kinds. Good nutrition has never been so easy or tasted this good!
These raw re-creations are not only flavorsome and satisfying, but also fast and easy—the recipes are simple, made from ingredients available in local markets . . . or at least a mouse click away. Welcome to a whole new way of enjoying your old favorite comfort foods.
■ MY RAW STORY ■
There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it is going to be a butterfly.
—Buckminster Fuller
Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.
—Hippocrates
I came to raw food reluctantly. I was comfortable with the convenience of my boxed, bottled, canned, bagged, frozen dinners. Fat Free,
Sugar Free,
and Low Calorie
were the only labels I read on packages. I was the Microwave Bandit!
I looked good on the outside, but I was dying on the inside, literally. In the spring of 2007 at 39 years old, I found myself in bed, in pain,and on an array of medications, pain pills, sleeping pills, antidepressants, coffee, and alcohol. My personal life was an unmanaged wreck. My teeth eventually began to crack and fall out. It was then that I discovered raw food—albeit reluctantly. My life was about to change drastically—more dramatically than I could ever have imagined.
Before discovering raw foods, I had struggled with chronic pain and fatigue, ever since I was stricken at the age of 22 with valley fever, a fungal infection that attacks the body’s immune system. In 2013, the New York Times described valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) as a disease without a cure.
After just ten days of eating my food raw and unprocessed, I started feeling better! My head was no longer foggy and the pain in my body: gone. I immediately went to work learning everything I could about raw food.
My heart burned to share my story throughout our country. If eating raw foods helped me so dramatically, perhaps it could help others. By January 1, 2010, I had sold everything I owned and took to the road on a one-year mission of sharing my story. My tour was so successful that families began emailing me from all parts of the country to please come teach them how to prepare raw food that tastes good—food the whole family would enjoy.
Now, from my home base in New York City, I continue to travel, providing families with a one-week full-immersion course into the flavors of our earth’s most healing foods. Together, we re-create their favorite dishes. Yes, some family members are often reluctant, but once they taste the food, there’s no denying the deliciousness—the proof is in the chocolate mousse.
■ WHY EAT RAW FOOD? ■
Because raw foods are good for you!
Eating a lot of raw food is key to any healthy diet. Raw fruits and vegetables are nutrient-rich and low in calories, which makes them ideal components of an anticancer diet and a healthy diet in general. High heat destroys the integrity of the nutrients found in raw foods, and toxic compounds (such as acrylamides) form, especially when frying or barbecuing. Eating our food in its original raw state is necessary for digestive efficiency and normal bowel function. Avocados, fruits, and nuts significantly change when you cook them and are at their very best when eaten raw. Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, arugula) are also best eaten raw since they have the most powerful anticancer effects of all foods.
A high raw plant-based diet also tends to be very alkaline. What is alkaline and why is that so important? Our bodies should be 70 percent alkaline and 30 percent acid. The problem is that many of us are eating a highly acidic diet of processed meats, cheeses, breads, energy drinks, sodas, cigarettes, coffee, and alcohol. We are eating an extremely large amount of food with ingredients that have been chemically altered in a lab. Take a look at a food label—those words you can’t pronounce? They’re pronounced: acidic.
Our lives are also very acidic with all the pollution and stress we encounter daily. If we become too acidic, we create an environment in our bodies for illness and disease; we feel pain and we experience weight gain. When we become overly acidic, our bodies go into survival mode. To keep us alive our bodies will do a number of things:
1. Acids will store in our fat. This is one reason why we can cut calories, feed on diet
foods, work out religiously, and still not lose weight. Our bodies are trying to save our lives by holding onto fat. Don’t forget, diet
foods are highly processed with chemicals, which means more acidity.
2. Acids will try to draw on our alkaline reserves by going to our teeth and bones for alkaline.
3. Acids will dehydrate you and make you thirsty. When I was at my most acidic, I experienced an unquenchable thirst. I drank a gallon of water during the day, and would keep a 32-ounce water bottle by my bedside at night. My body was trying to save my life by washing out the acids.
4. Many people in chronic pain are highly acidic. The excess acid aggravates pain. The only way to reduce the pain is to reduce the acid.
ACID FOODS
It’s too bad that often the foods we like most make us most acidic. What are these foods?
Processed foods (foods with ingredients you can’t pronounce)
Processed sugar, processed honey, and artificial sweeteners
Grains: (white) wheat, rice, pasta, flour, bread, etc.
Canned fruits and processed fruit juices
Bad fats: hydrogenated oils, corn oil, sunflower oil, margarine, and lard
Energy drinks, sodas, beer, wine, liquor, black tea, cigarettes
Peanuts
All animal products¹: meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, butter, all dairy
A WORD ON MODERATION
An exclusively raw diet is not for everyone—in fact, there are a few instances in which it is actually beneficial to incorporate cooked foods. Since many vitamins are water soluble, they are lost when cooking—except when steaming vegetables or making soups and stews where only a small portion of the nutrients are lost and many more nutrients are better able to be absorbed when moisturized. Also, in the case of soups and stews, we consume the liquid portion as well, where the nutrients remain. Unlike many raw foodists, I am not a purist. Ninety percent of my diet is raw, but occasionally, I incorporate soups, stews, and even salmon into my repertoire when I listen to my body’s cravings. (See Chapter 5: Things Get Heated.)
ALKALINE FOODS
The majority of the foods we eat are highly acidic and can make us sick and tired. By eating raw alkaline foods and drinks, you can help your body maintain the ideal alkaline-acid balance. What are these foods?
All vegetables, especially raw green leafy vegetables
Fresh herbs and spices: parsley, basil, cilantro, cayenne, ginger
Sprouts
Sea vegetables and algaes
All fruits², especially watermelon, avocado, cucumber, young coconuts
Grains: farro, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, and millet
Good fats: cold-pressed olive oil and unrefined coconut oil
Raw unprocessed sugars like raw honey and dates
■ WHERE DO I GET MY PROTEIN? ■
When we eat animal protein, our bodies have to use great reserves of energy to break down these proteins into amino acids. So I took the viewpoint that instead of eating animals, which my body would have to work hard to digest, I would skip the middle man
and just eat the amino acids to give my body much-needed time to rest and cleanse.
Amino acids are found in all fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouts before you cook them.
After three years following a raw vegan diet and enjoying my time of cleansing,
I started to feel my health decline. My body was craving something. What? With just a little investigating I found exactly what fit the bill. I began to add a raw egg to my Happy Shake each morning. I immediately felt improvement. A few months later I added some seared fish to my diet a couple of times a week and really felt satiated. Some people who follow strictly raw vegan diets for extended periods of time can start to feel deficiencies. For me, the problem seemed to be a lack of vitamin B12—and eggs and fish are great sources of B12.
I never adopted this diet with the intention of becoming a vegan. So my decision to add eggs and fish to my diet was an easy one. My goal has always been to eat in a way that gives me a feeling of vibrancy, health, and happiness. I also prefer getting my vitamin B12 from a food source rather than a supplement. This does not mean you can’t be a successful vegan. You just have to be vigilant with regards to testing your blood and supplementing your diet to ensure optimal nutrition.
CAN I STOP OBSESSING ABOUT CALORIES?
Yes! This is my first gift to you: Instead of obsessing about calories and restriction, our goal is to let go of processed foods. Our bodies thrive on raw unprocessed foods. This more alkaline diet of real food will slowly allow us to shed those extra pounds, or at least maintain a healthy weight for our bodies.
If you choose to eat from an animal source, make sure the animals have been treated humanely and with respect. Look for animals that are not given steroids, hormones, or antibiotics. Find eggs that are organic and cage free. We may not always have access to the freshest ingredients or the healthiest food in every situation, but being mindful of our nutritional intake and making the best possible choices from the options we have is an attainable goal—one that I share with each of the families I cook with, and that is my hope for you in making the change to a mostly raw food diet.
■ TAKE ME TO A STEAKHOUSE ■
How do you eat out?
This is a question I hear quite often and that is a very easy question to answer. First and foremost is attitude. When I join friends for an evening out, I go with the purpose of enjoying their company, not with eating the perfect raw meal. As I always say, people first and then food.
Keep in mind that Eat Raw, Not Cooked is not about a 100 percent raw or vegan philosophy. There is no food religion to join or titles to adopt. My purpose is to introduce you to the tastiest ways of adding more wholesome