Eating Raw on the Run

Eating raw, live foods enliven cells and contribute to a better functioning body. As more people awaken to the incredible benefits of this natural way of eating, the global ecology also begins to flourish. But besides grabbing an apple, how can eating raw become convenient to keep up with a busy lifestyle?

While mastering dishes such as sun-baked pizzas, mock salmon sushi or gourmet tacos (such as the delish one above, from Gourmet Vegan Chef) can undoubtedly take a little time, there are high quality options for raw foodies on the run.

Registered nurse and natural foods chef Alice Benedetto turned her passion into an organic raw-food product that gets my seal of approval (I’m addicted, actually). Raw Revolution Organic Live Food Bars, available at various international wholefood retailers and on Amazon.com, are gluten free, vegan and free of wheat, corn, soy, trans-fat, cholesterol and refined sugar.

“When I made raw snacks for my son as an alternative to high sugar processed snacks, friends also loved the taste and suggested selling them. That seemed impossible. As a single mother of an active two year-old, working full time, how would I start a business?” Alice says on her website www.rawindulgence.com.

“I found time to develop the Brownie, tested them out and got great response. Even the average person, not just a health food nut, loved the taste.”

Raspberry & Chocolate and Spirulina & Cashew are a must try, as much for the superb taste as for the health-boosting enzymes that are very much left in tact in this generous-sized bar.

Some of my other faves include:

Pure Bar — made with cold-processed fruits and nuts, these organic, vegan and kosher-certified bars were also created by a busy mother after her daughter decided to become a vegetarian at six. Available at selected retailers and also from Amazon.

LÄRABAR — is simply fruit and nuts. Each bar has no more than seven ingredients. There’s no added sugar, is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, vegan and kosher. Available internationally at natural, conventional and specialty grocers.

Righteously Raw Maca Bar — Vegans everywhere, rejoice. This decadent, raw, organic food bar has no sugar, no dairy, and isn’t pasteurised or homogenised. With ingredients such as cacao butter, cacao powder, khadrawi dates, lucuma, coconut oil, agave nectar, vanilla bean and Himalayan pink alt, it’s little wonder The Health Ranger named it his favourite too.

Main photo courtesy Geoff Peters 604