Seasonally Raw

by Regina
(Eastsound WA, USA)

I eat a Raw foods diet that consists of 50% to 100% raw, depending on time of year. It is cold and wet now in January, in the Pacific Northwest, so finding enough fruit and vegetables to eat raw is difficult. Also, I have found over many years (15+) of experimenting with raw foods that in the fall and winter, my digestion does better with some cooked and warm foods. Usually no more than 50% of my food intake in the fall and winter is cooked. I have also discovered that I need at least 50% raw food all the time to feel my most energetic and healthy. In spring and summer, when fruits and vegetables are everywhere and so fresh and delicious, it’s easy to eat 100% raw every day.

I don’t aim for a specific goal of percentage of raw per day or per meal. I have been doing this long enough that I naturally find myself eating raw when my body needs it. That seems to be more in the morning, and less at night. Before bedtime I find that some cooked and warm foods in winter helps me sleep better. Again, in summer, I eat raw 100% of the time.

I am very happy with the amount of raw food I eat for the climate I live in. Eating the right amount of raw foods at the right time of year has helped me feel so much better physically and mentally. I also feel that I am doing something good for the planet as well as myself. I use less electricity, and because so much of my food is raw and unprocessed, I get far less pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals in my diet. I also use less packaging, since processed foods tend to use lots of plastic and packaging to transport them and keep them fresh. It makes me happy that eating raw is so good for me and easier on the environment.

The health benefits have been tremendous. I never worry about my weight, my skin is clear and smooth, I sleep well, my body feels and looks good, and I almost never get colds. I have more energy than most women half my age. I am 40 years old and easily pass for late 20s or early 30s. I believe that eating as much raw food for as long as I have has made a big difference in the way I look and feel.