Eating Raw in the Cold

A little while back I received a question about eating raw in cooler climates.

Tamara P. asked:

I know that Traditional Chinese Medicine uses foods to heat or cool the body. What Raw foods would be appropriate in warming or drying the body that could help one eat raw in cool climates?

Not all of us are lucky enough to live in a sunny, tropical paradise.  For those of us who live somewhere that gets cold in the winter, hot foods and drinks may be part of the daily routine.  If so, you may be wondering how you can replace your usual coffees and soups with raw alternatives.

I'm going to answer this question a little differently than you might expect.  In fact, I'll flip it on it's head.

Finding raw replacements for hot cooked foods might seem important at first, but with a little reflection we can see it’s actually backwards reasoning.  We’re proposing a bandage solution for the problem  rather than preventing it in the first place. 

Humans are warm-blooded animals, which means we generate our own heat internally.  Unlike cold-blooded animals, we don’t rely on the incoming warmth from our environment such as sunning ourselves on rocks (or eating hot, cooked food). 

All we need to do is provide our body with the right conditions to allow it to do its job and produce body heat.  Eating a raw-vegan diet is one great way to do this because it frees up a lot of extra energy which can be used to keep us warm. 

That’s really a very important key.  If your body is sick and fatigued from eating an unhealthy cooked diet it won’t be able to resist the cold.  Downing hot, cooked food doesn’t fix this.  What you really need instead is to change your lifestyle and rebuild your vitality from within. 

Another way to help your body keep warm is to avoid eating cold foods.  This seems obvious, of course, but if you think about it, how many times each day do you find yourself grabbing something straight out of the fridge and eating it?  Likely a heck of a lot, and each time you do that you’re sending a cooler pack directly to the core of your body.  Not the best way to keep the cold out. 

Instead, remember to plan ahead by keeping a day’s worth of fruit sitting on your countertop.  I make a habit of setting fruit out every night so it’s ready to go the next day.  This way I’m not eating chilled apples, oranges, and grapes right out of the fridge.

Now that I've said my piece, let me get to what you expected me to talk about...

No, I'm certainly not saying you can't have warm stuff. 

If you’re keeping these tips in mind and still find that you need something on occasion to warm you up, there’s nothing stopping you from warming up your foods and drinks.  That doesn’t mean cooking them of course, but simply warming them up a bit.  Make yourself a raw soup and use really warm water in it.  You may want to do the same thing with your smoothies. 

And for those really cold days, there’s no need to feel guilty about drinking a piping hot cup of tea, or hot chocolate.  :^)  Remember, this isn't an inquisition.  You only need to be as "perfect" with your raw diet as you want to.  If a hot drink makes you happy, go for it.  

What it really comes down to is doing what makes you feel your best.  If an occasional hot drink is part of that, so be it.  Just remember to keep a handle on how much dairy and caffeine you're getting.      

=========================================================================

Real-World Raw Health and Nutrition:
The raw food diet made easy for your busy life!

Mike Dillman is a self-taught raw-vegan who began his journey nearly five years ago.   Having worked his way through all the challenges firsthand, he wants to save you from making the same mistakes yourself.  You can visit Mike's blog at Real-World-Raw.com to learn how easy it can be to make a raw-vegan diet fit your busy lifestyle.

If you want to experience the amazing health that comes with living the one truly natural diet, Mike's new book, "Real-World Raw: The Busy Person's Guide to the Raw-Vegan Diet" is just what you're looking for.  See for yourself. 
To Download a FREE 20-Page Sneak Preview of the eBook click here!