It has been a long and drawn out process for raw foodist to come to mainstream but it has finally been done, raw vegan food products and produce are now catching on with popularity around the world. As an open raw foodist, readers of my articles have outwardly come to me and asked for advice on where to get started. First of all, let me say that eating raw vegan does not have to be just about eating salads but has evolved into five-star rated chef created recipes that tease the taste buds. Please feel free to view more information about what foods are raw, purchasing raw vegan food, eating raw, tips to save money on raw vegan food, commonly asked questions, and much more.
Book #1: Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen by Ani Phyo
Ani Phyo was the first person that I came across that made wonderful raw vegan food. On numerous sites and on television talk shows she has been seen making wonderful raw vegan recipes that anyone can make easily at home. One thing about raw foodism is that it takes less time to prepare food than traditional SAD (standard American Diet) and is healthier for you all at the same time. Some of my favorites of Ani’s are the raw vegan donuts, mock scrambled eggs, homemade salad dressings and even the raw vegan hamburger! It is amazing what Ani Phyo can do in the kitchen and so can you by reading her recipe book. You can purchase this book for less than $20.00. I suggest this book to anyone looking for common meals, especially those foodists that love desert!
Book #2: Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens, M.D
As a German American, I love food and always have loved it. The only problem with my love of food occurred early on when it turned into an addictive behavior – a food addiction. This food addiction is now considered an eating disorder and can be treated with psychological help. Fortunately for me, I have found this book by Gabriel Cousens, M.D. Not that all raw foodists have been turned to eating raw vegan due to an eating disorder but many go to this type of eating lifestyle (it really is not a diet) to stop overeating to cover their addiction behavior. This book covers why many people eat the way they do and how to stop overeating. It is a slightly intense book that covers many different aspects of the life as a raw foodist and not just eating raw vegan food. It also contains recipes that are simple to start off in your adventure. This is in fact an older book however I have found that it is one of a kind and is still 100% relevant to today. The original price of the book was around $35.00 but today there are many copies out there and can be purchased for less used. I purchased my copy used for around $11.00! For a new copy, you can go to Amazon and get it for around $23.00. I suggest this book to anyone starting out or thinking about going raw vegan.
Book #3: Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow
When I am not making my own recipes, I tend to lean towards this book for its’ wonderful recipes that have been created by two of the leading raw foodists by the names of Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis. For around $24.75, you can have access to what seems like hundreds of raw vegan recipes by these two top raw vegan chefs! The books’ recipes cover everything from drinks, shakes, main entrees, crackers, cocktails, cheeses and so much more. It is a great find for every raw vegan as a starter or an oldie such as me. This is one of those books that have to have a main spot on one’s kitchen shelf!
Book #4: RAWvolution: Gourmet Living Cuisine by Matt Amsden
When I first started out with raw vegan food, I tempted to read every book in the bookstore and library for the best recipes available. I could not get enough suggestions on how to treat my salty tooth (I actually prefer salty over sweet any day). Many recipes for raw foodists have been created for advanced raw vegans however there are very few recipe books out there for foodists that still prefer flavorful food. This book is unlike any other recipe book because all of Matt Amsden’s creations are slightly salty, oily, and contains lots of flavor. If you have tried the raw vegan lifestyle before however were not sure if you could stick with it because you were bored with the flavors, I suggest this book. For a new copy, you can purchase it for around $20-30.00. Many sites have used books though for much less than $20.00.
Book #5: Naked Chocolate: The Astonishing Truth about the World’s Greatest Food by David Wolfe Britain’s’ Shazzie
When I first came across this book, I have to admit that I did blush. I thought that someone was playing a joke and had taken an adult book and placed it in the cooking section of the bookstore. Fortunately for me my husband was along for the shopping excursion and his eye caught on the word “chocolate”. He has a strong sweet tooth so he grabbed the book right away to see if there were new recipes that were chocolaty deserts. We were not disappointed at all with this book. The book suggests that it “elaborates how you will lose weight, soothe your heart, double your joy, increase your sensuality, nourish your intellect, and attract prosperity by eating it!” It does just this and much more. It teaches about how to un-cook with raw cacao beans and make wonderful treats, rather raw naked treats. It is available brand new for around $24.
Book #6: How to go Raw for Weight Loss by Angela Stokes
This is actually an E-book but is just as good as any of the other published books available in the bookstores. It covers the process of juicing the natural and healthy way to not only lose weight but to also clear the mind and body of toxins. Not all raw foodists fast through juicing however it is becoming very popular to do just once a month by many. Stokes writes about her personal experiences of her food addiction and how she overcame this addiction through juicing her way to a thinner, healthier self. To purchase this e-book please go to the Raw Reform website for around $12.
Book #7: Raw Spirit: What the Raw Food Advocates Don’t Preach by Matt Monarch
Since there are many speculations out there about eating raw vegan 100% of the time, for those of you out there I suggest reading this book. It deals with the emotional changes that one will go through along with the physical changes that one will endure while eating raw vegan. Raw vegan is not for everyone however when done right, it can be for most people. There are very few people that can not benefit from being 100% raw vegan but it does not mean that one has to be all the time to be healthy. Some people flip-flop between raw vegan to vegan all the time just to get the benefits of being raw vegan while still enjoying some of the other “comfort foods”. This book deals with a lot of chapter’s worth of information given by Dr. Bisci’s, a Master Nutritionist and also a Raw Vegan for over 40 years! This book can be purchase for under $20. I should note though that this book does have grammatical errors and is not a good form of perfect literary perfection but does bring up a lot of information pertaining to the emotional and cellular side of eating raw vegan.
Book #8: Angel Foods by Cherie Soria
At first I thought this book was going to be a child’s recipe book however after looking inside I found that it contained many wonderful international recipes for raw foodists. This book is a spiritual recipe food book that dealing with healthy the body through raw vegan recipes that have been reinvented from traditional entrees. Some popular items are: Mexican Fiesta Salad, onion rolls, cheeses and so on. I did notice that not all recipes are raw vegan but once you get to know what is what for raw foodists; your knowledge can guide you to the raw vegan’s recipes in this book. It is wonderful for raw foodists looking for international recipes. This book can be purchased for under $20.00.
Book #9: Dictionary of Natural Foods by William Esser, N.D.
This is not a recipe book however it does help out with understanding what each food in the raw vegan diet is and what it gives the body as nutrition. Coming from a SAD diet to a raw vegan one, I was amazed at how little I knew about some fruits and vegetables that have been grown for hundreds of years. This book helps with foods that I had never heard about such as goji berries, tamarind and so on. This dictionary can be purchase for around $15. It makes other recipes books so much easier and helps assure you that you getting all the nutrition elements that are needed for a healthy lifestyle.
Book #10: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Raw
For those people that need a hand-in-hand experience, try this book that follows along the guidelines of all the other Complete Idiot’s Guide Books. It is simple to read and goes over some of the basics to get your starting eating raw such as: sprouting, dehydrating, and soaking and so on. This book goes for around $16.95 but is available for less when used. I do suggest this for extreme beginners however I do not suggest it for people looking for a full list of good recipes to live off from day to day. It is a started book that needs to be supplemented with another raw vegan recipe book.
