If you eat lots of raw food, or know of someone who does then this list will help you pick the perfect gift this holiday season. This easy to follow raw food gift buying guide will come in handy this Christmas season.

One thing to keep in mind though, is that people who eat more raw food or are into environmental causes prefer to tread lightly on the earth. So only buy them something if you know they will appreciate the gesture. :)

Raw Food Books & Stocking Stuffers

Great Raw Food Books that make great Gifts

Alright, so I’m a huge book worm. If you’ve watched any of my more recent videos you know what my bookcase looks like. I personally love looking through raw recipe books for inspiration and to spice up my kitchen routines.

That being said, always check to make sure the person you are buying a gift for doesn’t already have the book you’re getting them. :)

Here are a bunch of great raw themed books that will be a sure hit this Christmas!

• RAWvolution: Gourmet Living Cuisine: Recommended by @CarlaRose as a great coffee table book.
• Living Raw Food: Get the Glow with More Recipes from Pure Food and Wine: Sarma’s new book is also another gorgeous photo filled recipe book.
• Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen: Easy, Delectable Living Foods Recipes: A great starting guide to raw with lots of yummy recipes.
• Ani’s Raw Food Desserts: 85 Easy, Delectable Sweets and Treats: More dessert recipes, because honestly who can say no to raw desserts that are this good?
• Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow: The first book by Sarma and Matthew, a dazzling array of photos and recipes.
• The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health.
• Raw Food Made Easy For 1 or 2 People: Simple raw recipes that taste great, what more could you really ask for?
• The Raw Gourmet: This is one of the classics, written before most other raw food books and still standing the test of time.
• Green for Life: This is the perfect gift for anyone who doesn’t currently eat a lot of leafy greens. A super short read that can truly change lives.
• Sweet Gratitude: A New World of Raw Desserts: Cafe Gratitude desserts are some of my favorite, and this book shares their recipes. Yum!
• Everyday Raw: Another great raw food recipe book by Matthew, that will tantalize your taste buds.
• I Am Grateful: Recipes and Lifestyle of Cafe Gratitude: This book is perfect for the Cafe Gratitude fans in your life. Or for those who have yet to experience the Cafe’s special vibe.

Dry Skin Body Brush

If you’ve read my post on the benefits of dry skin brushing then you’ll know that most raw food lovers will enjoy this gift.

Here’s the gist of it: dry skin brushing is great for removing toxins from the skin, allowing for lymph circulation, reversing cellulite, and getting smoother skin.

I recommend the Purest Palm Body Brush, it’s the one I use every day.

Salad On the Go Containers

This makes a great gift for anyone, regardless of whether or not they have kids. It’s a great container that you can bring with you whenever you travel, or even if you’re out and about for the day.

The lid allows you to store a salad dressing, and you can pack a delicious salad in the main compartment. Never worry about leakage or soggy salads again! Get the Aladdin Chill & Go for yourself, or for the health conscious friend who is often on the go.

A Case of Larabars

When I asked what makes a good gift for fellow raw foodies on Twitter, @LuvSchweetHeart recommended a case of Larabars. I thought it was a brilliant idea, and with so many flavors to choose from you can’t go wrong.

My favorite type of Larabar is the Cashew Cookie. It’s just got the best balance of chewiness and the flavor isn’t too overpowering. You can buy a whole case of Cashew Cookie Larabars online and have them shipped before Christmas!

Handmade Raw Chocolate Treats

Gnosis Chocolate offers a variety of handmade raw chocolate bars. You can order online, and have mouth watering chocolate in time for the holidays!

Shazzie’s Chocolate bars are full of superfood goodness, and are perfect if you live in the UK. There’s a flavor for the goddess in you and for the goddess in your raw food friend or partner.

One lucky duck treats are great if you live in New York City, but they also offer shipping. Why not treat your raw foodie with some delectable desserts and hand made cookies.

Nut Milk Bags & Sprouting Bags

I’m a big fan of making your own nut milks, and sprouting your own sprouts. If the raw foodie in your life has yet to explore these new ways to “cooking” then getting them a nut milk bag is the way to go!

You can buy the kind of Nut Milk Bag that I buy here, they are handmade in Vermont. I met the lovely lady who makes them, and it really made my day to know I’m helping local people every time I make some nut milk or sprout some mung beans.

Raw Food Appliances Make Very Generous Gifts

When I surveyed Twitter, @NaomiNiles recommended kitchen appliances and tools, and I totally agree! Some of my kitchen appliances came as gifts and I couldn’t have been a happier little witch. :)

The Cadillac of Blenders: The Vitamix

The Vita-Mix or sometimes known as the Vitamixer is definitely a top of the line blender. I know several people who are asking for one from Santa, too.

I got my first brand new vitamix this year and I cannot see myself going back to my old blender.

Yes, it’s expensive. But if you’re spending money anyway, you might as well get something that will last. The vitamix comes with a crazy 7 year warranty, a 30 day no risk money back guarantee, and they’re even offering a 3 payment plan.

The best thing about my vitamix is that I can make green smoothies for skeptical people and they love them. The secret: no chunks!

The greens go down smooth, and I know I’m contributing to someone’s health without forcing them to gulp something down uncomfortably.

Also, I get this question a lot – the Blendtec and the Vitamix are very comparable blenders, and I definitely recommend you get whichever one you personally prefer. Either way, you’re getting a high end blender that’s going to last you for years to come.

Food Processors That Make Tasty Meals

I happen to have a Magic Bullet, but to be honest since I got my vitamix I haven’t used another type of food processor. It’s enough to handle my blending and processing needs.

That being said, after getting a blender, I think it’s a good investment to have a food processor. If you are shopping for a new raw foodie who doesn’t yet have a food processor, I recommend the Cuisinart Prep 11 Plus Food Processor.

Raw Food Dehydrator for Crunchy Treats

This is the cadillac of food dehydrators, it’s the Excalibur 3900 Deluxe Series 9 Tray Food Dehydrator. I’ve had mine for a few years now and I love having it to make raw crackers, cookies, breads, kale chips, and other dehydrated snacks.

You can also buy them second hand, or opt for a cheaper smaller version. Most dehydrators don’t come with a temperature setting though, but the Excalibur does.

Fresh Juicer for The Juice Loving Raw Foodie

I’ve heard great things about the Breville Juice Fountain, and many raw foodies recommend it. One of the benefits is that it’s a good quality juicer, for a pretty fair price.

It also has a wider opening, so you don’t need to cut fruits or vegetables as small to get them juiced.

The juicer I own is the Omega J8005 Nutrition Center Single-Gear Commercial Masticating Juicer. What I like about it is that you can use it to make green juice, and other treats like nut butters, raw fruit sorbets and ice creams, and baby food.

It’s got a heftier price tag, but because it uses a mastication system you’re actually getting more juice for your buck. Before I got this blender I always cringed when I saw how much juice was left in the pulp. Now the pulp is totally dry.

Pasta Making Spiralizer & Spiral Slicer

One of the easy and delicious raw recipes that gets a lot of raw foodies excited is raw pasta! This type of pasta is usually made from spiral sliced vegetables like zucchinis or spaghetti squash.

After using a spiralizer, you get angel hair pasta! Or at least something that imitates the texture and look of pasta, but tastes light and delicious.

If the raw food lover in your circle doesn’t have a spiral slicer yet, you can go with a basic Saladacco Spiral Slicer or a more advanced Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer.

The Homemade Icecream Maker

Okay, so you can make raw ice cream using a vitamix, an omega juicer, and a food processor. Why do you need a specialized icecream maker you ask? Well apparently, we raw inclined folks like to collect kitchen gadgets… Just kidding!

With a specialized ice cream maker you can blend up the raw ingredients you like, then add them to the ice cream maker to get fluffed up. This is very different from soft serve ice creams you can make with the vitamix, the juicers, and the food processors.

I rest my case. This is the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker.

(And no, this is in no way a hint to my boyfriend or family members. Ahem. Seriously, though.)

Raw Ingredients or Superfoods

Most raw folks love to create in the kitchen and these ingredients are so much fun to experiment with! If you’re not familiar with what types of raw ingredients or superfoods you should get the raw foodist in your family or friends circle, here’s a quick run down.

• Raw Chocolate or Cacao Powder
• Organic Maca Powder
• Organic Goji Berries
• Chia Seeds Aztec Superfood
• Organic Hemp Seed Protein Powder
• Spirulina Natural Powder

Gift Certificates to Raw Food Restaurants

If you live near a raw restaurant, or are planning to travel near one then gift certificates make a great gift! What better way then to try some fun new raw dishes than by eating out at a raw restaurant.

• Cafe Gratitude in California, USA.
• Pure Food & Wine in New York City, USA.
• Grezzo in Maine, USA.
• Live Food Bar in Toronto, Canada.
• Rawlicious in Toronto, Canada.
• Raw Aura in Toronto, Canada.

There are tons of other raw restaurants out there too, so do a google search or look at Happy Cow to find ones in your area!

Gifts for Raw Moms with Kids

Kid Friendly Raw Recipe Book

This is the perfect gift for busy moms who want to include more raw foods into their kids’ diet. It’s hard enough being a mom, let alone trying to come up with raw recipes your kids will love.

With this ebook you’ll get your kids to join in the raw fun, and get recipes like Chunky Monkey Ice Cream, Froggy Delight Green Smoothie, and Alien Slime Smoothie. Yum!

Give Monkey Mike’s Raw Food Kitchen a Whirl!

Kid-Engineered Snack Containers

These little Munchkin Snack Catchers are great when you’re on the go with younger kids. You can easily feed your kids munchables like grapes, berries, nuts, and seeds, without making a mess!

Your children can take out as many of the small snacks as they want, and there isn’t as much of a chance of spilling grapes all over the floor.

Giving Goodwill by Adopting a Family in Need

Master J. Begin wrote this short piece about giving to someone in need this holiday season.

This Christmas is going to be a real Christmas for us! Our group has decided to adopt a couple of families that truly are in need and the entire team will pitch in by donating gifts and food so they can have a wonderful Christmas.

The concept is easy: get in touch with a local childcare agency or church and ask if they know of a family that could use help this Christmas. Find out the number of family members and their gender, and voila you have your adopted family.

This concept can be used in your workplace or in any group. It is making this Christmas so exciting and fun for us! Imagine a wave of giving taking place across the nation… And it becomes a blizzard of goodwill!

Green & Eco Friendly Gifts

When I asked about green and eco gifts, @DRumbold had some great suggestions! Here they are. If you’re planning on hosting or would like a lovely eco-friendly bouquet of flowers, then Harmony Hill Gardens is the place to go.

Dorinda also recommended Eco Friendly Apparel from Green Changes. They’ve got some nice t-shirts that I’m sure some raw foodies would enjoy.

And of course you should check out some of Dorinda’s recycled green handmade soap. It’s just gorgeous, and will keep even the most adventurous raw foodies squeaky clean.

Another great gift idea for raw foodies is to buy JoeyFiveCents’ repurposed vintage jewelry. There are also a slew of other great small handmade gifts available on Etsy. I personally need to restrain myself from visiting the Etsy site, since there’s so much goodness there.

Another great place to shop for green and eco products is Carla Rose’s Green & Chic online shop. She’s got a variety of beauty products and other environmentally friendly gifts for the raw foodie in your life.

What Do You Intend to Give This Holiday Season?

Even though this gift guide is all about the material gifts we can give each other, I want to remind us that giving and receiving can take place in other ways too.

Being there for someone through thick and thin, providing love and support, being a good friend or family member, these are all great gifts! These are gifts that cannot be replaced by material things.

So go ahead, let us know what you intend to give this holiday season… no matter what type of gift it is. And feel free to share this list with those who could use some inspiration.

Originally published November 2009.

Photo Credit

This is a guest post by Ingela Johansson.

Maybe the benefits of raw food diet have you raising your eyebrows… The question is, are you ready to start eating a raw food diet and begin enjoying true raw food health?

You don’t have to eat a 100% raw food diet to reap the health benefits that come with it. The benefits of raw food diet run deep. Listen to your body, and do what feels best.

But do remember that the more natural foods you eat, the better it will be for your body, mind, and soul.

The Benefits of Raw Food Diet

So why should you start eating a raw food diet? You’re probably thinking about how hard it will be to transition and start getting used to a whole new menu. But I am here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be like that. The benefits of eating more raw foods far outweigh the hassle you have to go through in order to learn a few new tricks and recipes to make it work.

Did you know that most diseases are caused by unhealthy dietary choices?
It’s 100% true.

We don’t think about it when we eat food that isn’t healthy for us, but each time we put something like a candy or ice cream into our body we are hurting it. Our bodies are made for natural foods, because they provide the necessary nutrients for a healthy and vital life. Many who’ve suffered from illnesses and ailments have been cured when they embarked on a healthier diet because they finally allowed their body to start healing.

How to Transition & Enjoy The Benefits of Raw Food Diet

Incorporating raw foods into your diet can feel overwhelming when you don’t know anything about it. In reality, it is simple. Eat the fruits and vegetables that you desire, and eat as much as you want. When you’re new to eating a raw food diet almost anything is allowed, because it is a time of experimentation.

Try new things and see how they work for you. Check out some raw recipes, they are delicious!

Here are 3 simple ways you can get more raw foods into your diet.

1. Add Smoothies – I have always liked smoothies and found them to be an easy way to add more raw foods into my diet. You can start by drinking a smoothie instead of eating your usual snack between meals. Throw some bananas, spinach and berries into your blender and enjoy the ride.

2. Eat Fruit Before Your Meals – Eating fruit before your meals will decrease your appetite for cooked food, so if you’re planning to lose weight, this might be a good option for you. It is also good for reducing cravings. I sometimes get a craving for sweets after I’ve eaten cooked foods. This usually doesn’t happen if I eat fruit before my meal. Try it!

3. Have a Raw Day – One day of the week; immerse yourself into raw foods cuisine. Go to the your local store and buy a huge amount of organic fruits and vegetables. Having one 100% raw day per week can give your body a rest and let it heal and rebuild. Make it a day of relaxation where you take it easy and try new things.

Raw Foods Cuisine and Achieving Raw Food Health

Raw food health is not about following a strict diet, at least not for me. Like I said above, you don’t have to be 100% raw to get the health benefits raw foods give. Again, listen to your own body, and go at your own pace. Start small and make consistent changes. You will be amazed at where you land in a month or two. There are no rules, you can gain the benefits of raw food diet right now. You can make juices, smoothies, delicious raw brownies, or you can eat everything as they are. It’s completely up to you.

Now get out there and start enjoying the foods that will bring you vibrant health, energy, and joy.

Photo Credit

Ingela Johansson is in love with natural skin care. If you want more natural anti aging tips, you can visit her blog, where you will find topics ranging from how to find an eczema cure to learning how to start removing age spots.

Photo Credit

This is a guest post by Laura-Jane the Rawtarian.

In North American culture, we are accustomed to eating because it tastes great, rather than eating for nourishment. When the average person hears the words “raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds” they cringe and picture dry carrots sticks and tasteless iceberg lettuce salads. In fact, to most people, the idea that healthy food can actually taste great and satiate sounds like a myth.

But if you’ve tasted any of the raw food recipes here at the this web site, you’ll know that healthy and delicious are not mutually exclusive!

Here are 5 easy raw food meals that save you time and taste great, too.

1. Raw pate

All raw fooders should have a standyby raw pate recipe in their raw recipe arsenal. And Nathalie’s Indian-inspired pate is one of the greats!

Raw pates are versatile, quick to make and, best of all, they keep well in the refrigerator. I make a batch of raw nut pate on the weekend so that I can easily pull together a raw meal quickly later in the week.

Raw nut pate can be served in collard wraps, in nori rolls, on raw crackers, on cucumber rounds, or, my personal favorite, eaten out of a small bowl with a crisp gala apple on the side.

2. Raw veggie burgers

If you have a dehydrator, raw veggie burgers are a great meal option. Make large batches of veggie burgers and be sure to dehydrate them thoroughly so that they can be kept in your pantry or refrigerator.

Raw veggie burgers are simply made by processing nuts, veggies and a binding agent (such as flax seeds), forming them into patties, and dehydrating them in a dehydrator.

I like to serve raw veggie burgers in romaine lettuce wraps. Serve with raw ketchup or raw mayonnaise for extra zip!

3. Your favorite raw salad

Every raw fooder should have a favorite raw salad that tastes great and is easy to prepare. My favorite salad recipe involves mesclun (wild greens) and tomatoes with a basic avocado and nutritional yeast dressing.

The trick to a good salad is to keep it simple. Don’t try to add every vegetable on earth into one salad. Keep it simple and enjoy just two or three flavors per salad.

Watch Nathalie make her Simple Raw Salad Recipe on video here.

4. Raw pasta and sauce

I love creamy tastes, and I absolutely love raw alfredo sauce served with zuchinni or kelp noodles.

Here’s my favorite alfredo sauce recipe:

• 2 cups unsoaked cashews
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon thyme spice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Simply combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth! This recipe keeps in the refrigerator very well.

5. Green smoothies

I drink green smoothies for breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner, and dessert! They are one of the quickest and easiest meals to prepare, and they can be altered easily to fit your mood or what you have in your refrigerator.

I usually start my green smoothies with one banana, a heaping cup or two of baby spinach, and then I get creative from there. Lately, I’ve been loving making raspberry lemon green smoothies. They are so tangy! If you’re looking for tips on green smoothie making, check out 13 witchy ways green smoothies make you feel great.

And, of course, any proper raw meal should be followed by a raw vegan dessert! Try pumpkin pie, raw ice cream or a plate of divine, crisp, fresh fruit. Want more raw dessert ideas? Grab Nathalie’s free e-book 28 Desserts You Can Eat Every Day.

Photo Credit

Laura-Jane the Rawtarian is a raw fooder who loves eating simple, satisfying raw food recipes and inspiring others to change their lives with the raw food lifestyle. Looking for ways to help friends and family go raw, she recently launched a comprehensive raw food diet plan to make going raw easier than ever. Laura-Jane loves eating raw chia pudding, and she always keeps a wide variety of nuts and fruit stashed in her purse!

Photo Credit

This is a guest post by Liz Longacre.

My husband and I, and a few courageous friends, have spent the month of January on a raw food ‘live-it’. My husband suggested it and it fit perfectly in line with the current evolution of my relationship with food. So with a big fat “I love you”, I quickly agreed. I love a man who can challenge me!

I’ve been on what you could call a spiritual food journey. I’ve been exploring the relationship between eating in a way that’s right for animals, the environment and my own health. More and more I’ve been taking things back to wise old Mama Nature. Our food production system just seems to have strayed so far from what nature intended. The health and environmental consequences being inflicted upon us as a result are clearly screaming “go back”!! In this case, going backward may really be the best way to go forward.

“Nature” has many definitions. The simplest being “the world of living things”. Since I was a child, I’ve always been fascinated with this world, drawn to it, captivated and comforted by it. Perhaps growing up in New York City helped me to appreciate the times I would get to fully immerse myself in all of nature’s wonders. Walking through the woods by a lake with my dog on family vacations was always my simple version of Utopia.

My fascination with nature first and foremost always included a love of animals. To me, animals are magical. They are the essence of nature, it’s most instinctual creatures, so full of emotion and sixth sense wisdom, so beautiful and so strong, yet so vulnerable…

It’s this love for animals that led me to start a travel business completely dedicated to their welfare. It’s also what led me to be a vegetarian for 12 years and, once I educated myself on our factory farming system, a vegan for the past year. Once I began my vegan journey, I knew I had to be healthy to maintain it properly.

As a woman who spent most of her life, (a) using her stove solely to brew tea, (b) acting like sticking a frozen meal into the microwave was a balanced dinner, (c) pretending that ketchup was a food group, and (d) thinking it’s okay to substitute any meal for desert because the calories would even out and I NEEDED sugar to survive I knew I had some work to do… I needed to respect my own body as much as I respected the animals I hoped to spare.

So I started exploring what it means to eat healthy. The more I learned, the more I realized, our food production system has become about endless chemicals and misleading labeling and we’re programmed to devour each bite with every ad that flashes our way. Companies providing our food care only about profits, not health. As a result we have an obesity epidemic like never seen before, increasing health problems (it’s been said that this will be the first time in history that our children’s generation will not live longer than their parent’s generation) and devastating environmental consequences. Our food is becoming a cancer all on its own.

Instead of eating what was given to us by Mother Nature, we’re eating mass produced low quality chemically filled cheap processed foods that are ironically often labeled as “vitamin enriched”. Manufacturers are certainly creative. Perhaps in this instance, creativity has betrayed us.

Our RAW-Donkulous Month!

Photo Credit

So, to start off the New Year being the healthiest we can be, off we went into our raw food month. Back to living foods full of healthy enzymes that will keep us younger longer. Back to fruits, vegetables and nuts, straight from the earth. I knew one thing, it was our turn to get creative.

To avoid eating the same old salad everyday, my husband and I have been raw “cooking” up a storm! It’s been new and exciting, and admittedly challenging at times. But I’ve been following Raw Foods Witch ever since I met Nathalie at a conference, so I knew I’d be armed with great information
and recipes!

My favorite part of this experience has been juicing and drinking green smoothies every morning – AMAZING. It’s like kick-starting your day with a green jolt of nutrient filled power fuel! For once, I don’t miss my cafe con soya!

But it hasn’t been all peaches and almond cream and we’ve had a few bumps along our zucchini-bricked road (which admittedly led to a bit of cheating…).

Some of the lessons we’ve learned:

1. Gradual Changes are Easier

Some friends participating in our raw food month went straight from full on meat and/or dairy eating, junk food downing, smoking and/or hardly exercising (I myself needed improvement in the junk food and exercising categories), to nothing but raw foods – not easy. Starting as a vegan made the transition a little less drastic for me. To make a raw food ‘live-it’ work as smoothly as possible, a gradual change might be easier for both your body and your brain to process.

2. Prepare Ahead

Sticking to raw foods at home was easiest because we emptied our fridge of all temptations. When you’re out and about in the world, things get tricky. Plan ahead! Bring snacks and leftovers and find restaurants with raw food options so you’re never wandering around hungry and aimless!

3. Avoid Alcohol

I admit, this was not a no alcohol month. Not surprisingly, the times I struggled the most were the times I went out to dinner with friends and had drinks. My booze tolerance is next to nothing. After two glasses of wine I approach full on deep-fried carb-packed cravings. After 2 dinners like this, I realized that alcohol was not going to be a friend of my raw food challenge. Shocking.

4. Have a Support System

Doing this month with my husband and friends made all the difference. My hubby and I often spent Saturday nights in the aisles of Whole Foods with our recipes in hand. It was fun and even kind of romantic :)

5. Watch Your Ecology

Being healthy and feeling great isn’t just about the foods you eat. It’s also about how much you exercise, your lifestyle and your emotions. To feel good you have to check all your systems and fine tune them. One thing cannot carry all the rest by itself!

6. Get Creative

As mentioned earlier, you simply cannot eat the same thing everyday. A lazy raw food diet could mean salad, a handful of nuts and some fruit, every-single-day; here enters food boredom and stir-crazy cravings. To prevent this, we got creative and constantly tried new things.

Photo Credit

We’ve made everything from raw chili, to raw mushroom “calamari”, to raw veggie burgers, to raw spaghetti and tomato sauce, to raw jicama fries, to Nathalie’s raw strawberry shortcake and key lime pie! Not to mention the endless amount of smoothies and juices we’ve concocted. Have fun with it, get good recipe books/websites and get your creative green juices flowing!

Liz Longacre is the founder of Your Time Travels, a travel company for animal lovers. Whether you want to volunteer abroad with animal welfare projects, go on safari adventures, enjoy vegan resorts, or travel with your own adorable pets, her company can get you there! You can keep up with Liz at her blog Yourtimetravels.com/blog and website www.YourTimeTravels.com.

This is an interview with Karen Knowler. Karen is currently undertaking a virtual book tour and we’re honored to have her share her wisdom with us! You’ll find links to her new book at the bottom of this article, so sit back and enjoy!

1. What is the most important change you’ve noticed in yourself after going raw?

I’m not sure that it’s the most important change necessarily, but the biggest change I’ve experienced has been in my consciousness for sure.

2. How do you help people who turn to raw foods as a way of dealing with an eating disorder?

When I first started coaching in raw foods, I did work with people who had eating disorders, but I learned pretty early on that everyone has a different reason for having an eating disorder, and also that the disorder can be minor or significant, simple or complex. As such, I learned that coaching people around eating disorders is a very specialized skill, one I do not have, and so I decided not to coach people around this as usually they needed counseling or therapy first. For those whose situation is minor and fairly straightforward, raw food coaching can work so long as the client is consistently honest about what’s going on for them and is genuinely ready and in a position to make progress.

Because eating more living food is such a powerful upleveling for every aspect of ourselves, sometimes it is not quite as easy for those with an eating disorder to handle as we would like to hope, as it will initially increase any emotional issues, meaning that they will have to be quickly and efficiently dealt with. The irony of this is that the lack of dealing with emotional issues is often what brought about the eating disorder in the first place. Having said all of this, with the right approach from both coach and client, raw food coaching can be a very powerful catalyst for major breakthroughs, but the client must be really ready to transform and go at the pace that suits them.

3. What inspired you to turn your passion for raw food into a business?

My career in raw foods actually began when I took over the running of The Fresh Network from its founder, Susie Miller, in 1998. Through running that organization, I got to see clearly what was needed in the market and over time I learned that coaching and teaching raw foods was my favorite thing to do and the thing I received the most positive feedback about. Since making a success out of my passions, I’ve moved into coaching and training others to do the same, which has been incredibly fun and rewarding.

4. Any words of advice for people just starting to transition to a raw diet?

Of course! First of all, work with the pace that suits you. Some people go raw overnight and stay there successfully, but this is by far the exception rather than the rule. Most people do best with the slow and steady approach, although that is not to say that the journey has to be slow or even feel steady! In my own journey I had times where I felt like I was running with it, and other times when I felt like I was actually going backwards. This is very normal. The most important thing is to have ongoing compassion and support for yourself as you make this switch and be really clear on why you are doing it.

5. What’s your current favorite raw recipe?

Hmm! That’s always a really tricky question to answer as it changes all the time, like it does for many people. At the moment it’s my nori rolls. You can get the recipe and see me making them at Karenknowler.tv. They’re delicious, nutritious and super quick and easy to make. They’re a perfect lunch, but I enjoy them at any time of day, especially with sunflower greens. I think these will be one of my favorite recipes for life honestly.

Onto the book tour…

For more information about Karen’s new book Raw Food Made Simple, click here!

Please be sure to check out the other stops on the Raw Food Made Simple book tour, Russell James The Raw Chef, Steph Rice Fitness, and Yummy Plants.

If this is your first time at Raw Foods Witch, head over to the Library to get all sorts of goodies.

Today I’m excited because we’ve got a special video from my friend Melody Granger, who is an organization pro. But she isn’t just talking about organizing closets today (though she’s awesome at it!), she’s walking us through a raw food kitchen! You see Melody has helped her sister who teaches raw food classes locally, to organize her kitchen to make eating raw easier.

I can’t tell you enough how important it is to have things prepared ahead of time, and having a clean organized kitchen is one of those things that makes everything run smoothly. So please watch while Melody shows us the ropes of organizing a raw food kitchen for maximum efficiency. You’ll definitely learn a few tricks, I know I can always learn new ways to arrange my kitchen to make eating raw more streamlined. :)

Without further ado… here is Miss Melody Granger, and her sister’s raw food kitchen organization video:

Let us know if you have any raw food kitchen organization questions below in the comments!

Photo Credit

Melody Granger helps women through the organizing process, eliminating clutter & simplifying spaces, so they create an enjoyable environment that promotes clarity, confidence, & peace of mind as they go after the lifestyle they want. Melody is the creator of “Closet Chat” and the “Get It Done!(TM) Yourself” private coaching program. Get started clearing out your space at melodygranger.com. For free!

Photo by Rachel

I write a lot about green smoothies and the benefits of drinking green smoothies. I’m also a huge advocate of juicing your greens. But one of the important aspects of drinking your greens is the rotation of plants.

Let me explain.

When you consume the exact same variety of green leafy vegetables, your body is always getting the same nutrients. Each variety of plant will give you different nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants.

But it goes even further than that. You see, each plant has a self-defense mechanism to keep animals from completely devastating their favorite plant. For example, if monkeys loved spinach and decided to eat all the spinach around then the plant could not procreate and it would die out.

Nature’s system is so smart because it knows that it’s important to keep greens around (hello! most nutritious food pound for pound!). So green leafy plants actually have a minute amount of alkaloids, which act like a poison if ingested regularly.

That’s where rotating your greens comes in! If you switch between different types of green plans, your body’s immune system is actually getting a boost because it is working on different alkaloids all the time.

So my recommendation, backed up by Victoria Boutenko is to switch between at least 10-12 types of greens. You can have say two or three days on one green like spinach, and then two or three days on kale, then two or three days on gai lan, you get the picture.

This actually ties in well with the Traditional Chinese Medicine system of hot and cold foods. Some people do well on certain types of greens, while others are better off with different types.

I think it’s super important to swap greens regularly! Oh, and the reason we don’t need to focus on swapping fruit as much as greens is that fruit were designed to be eaten and spread by animals. Greens would rather grow, and have their seeds blow in the wind or be pollinated by insects.

Greens are the most powerful healing foods out there, so it’s great to make them a staple part of your diet!

List of Greens to Get You Started

Your best bet is to go to a farmer’s market and look a the vast array of colorful greens. Pick some up, smell it, ask the farmer what it tastes like, and give it a try! If you’ve got the space and inclination, I’d highly recommend you start a garden. Plant a few of these vegetables and see which ones you like!

• Spinach
• Swiss Chard
• Kale
• Bok Choy
• Gai Lan
• Dandelion Greens
• Mustard Greens
• Carrot Tops
• Yu Choy
• Sunflower sprouts (sprouts in general)
• Romaine lettuce
• Buttercrunch lettuce
• Boston lettuce
• Arugula (Rocket)
• Collard greens
• Cabbage
• Watercress
• Purslane
• Sorrel
• Tatsoi
• Turnip Greens
• Radish Greens
• Beet Greens
• Basil leaves
• Coriander / Cilantro
• Parsley
• Mint leaves

What other greens do you enjoy?

There are literally hundreds of different green edible plants out there. Which ones are your favorites and what have you tried that you didn’t quite like?

I’ve seen it many times: one person decides to go raw, but their spouse or partner isn’t on board. This causes undue friction, arguments, and problems.

Photo by Melissa Maples

Then what used to be a perfectly happy couple turns into a quarreling relationship. All over the seemingly simple topic of food.

If this situation sounds a little too familiar, don’t worry I’ve been there before. In fact, after I decided to go raw my boyfriend Robin and I almost broke up. We were two compatible people that had suddenly developed incompatible lifestyles.

How to Mend The Food Divide

Time and again I’ve heard that it’s easier to get someone to change their culture, their language, their political standpoint, and their religion than it is to get them to change their diet.

Unfortunately for us, that reality is not likely to change in the next few minutes while we’re talking about it.

So what’s a gal to do if she wants her boyfriend to eat more raw food? Or what’s a man to do if he wants to embrace a high raw or all raw lifestyle, but his wife thinks he’s gone off the deep end?

You’ve got to mend the food divide.

You can learn all the tips and tricks in the world on how to eat raw while going to non-raw restaurants, how to make raw desserts, how to use a dehydrator to make raw snacks that resemble commercial ones… But unless you mend the food divide, your relationship will remain shaken.

Food as Display of Affection

Before going raw, Robin and I used to share cooking duties. If he was cooking I would wash and prepare the vegetables, rice, and so on. If I was cooking (which was rare, since I wasn’t a good cook!) it usually meant baking or making an instant meal.

After I discovered raw food, everything went topsy turvy. Suddenly I was the one making most of the food, and Robin felt slighted.

There’s something inherently rewarding in making food for the person you love.

If you decide to increase your raw food intake you may inadvertently rob your partner’s chance to show their love by preparing food for you.

No wonder changing your diet creates so much chaos!

10 Ways to Solve The Food Divide So You Can Have Harmony At The Dining Table

Luckily, Robin and I found a way to make the changes work for both of us. And we’re ready to share the details with you. I’ve also enlisted the help of the lovely Annie Lin, a certified relationship coach.

We’re holding a free teleseminar about this very important topic, happening January 21st at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.

Sign up and get the details for the call here.

The call will be recorded and made available as a recording. So make sure to get on the list so you receive your recording after the call!

Resolutions… New Year’s Resolutions… Doesn’t that just bring up weird emotions like guilt, resentment, and so on? Yuck, no thanks.

This year I’ve decided to just pick one word to guide me in 2010 (inspired by Goddess Leonie!). If I had to pick a word for last year, it would probably be the word: growing.

I grew a bountiful garden, grew my raw food business, and planted some roots in my new home in Toronto, Canada.

Word for 2010: Confidence

One thing that has been monumental in all of these endeavors was confidence. As a Virgo, I tend to let things affect my self-confidence, even though I know better intellectually.

Growing a garden takes confidence because you need to trust that the seeds you plant will grow into delicious food for you and your family. You also need to have confidence that the squirrels and bugs won’t get all of it before you do.

Growing a business definitely takes confidence. I spent far too much time second guessing myself and my business decisions last year. No more. I know what needs to be done, how to make things happen, and how to serve people. I just need to trust in my ability to do it, without doubting myself.

Moving to Toronto didn’t take that much thought, I mean it was the logical step. However I let myself get sucked into the uncertainty that we might not be living in Toronto for a long time and that derailed me. Now I say live in the moment and don’t worry, because 90% of worries never materialize anyways.

Things to Let Go Of

Along with a word and theme for 2010, I’m also making a list of things that I am ready to let go of. I’m giving myself permission to release these things.

• My need to constantly be on the look-out for the next best thing, the next best idea, etc. (This doesn’t mean I’m going to stop learning, but that I will learn in a more intentional way instead.)
• My crazy “fire hose in mouth” absorption of non-fiction books. Giving myself permission to read fiction for the fun of it.
• Guilt trips over not exercising enough.
• The need to always have everything under control. It’s not possible, and it would be too much to handle even if it was.
• All those “shoulds” that I hang over myself.
• My overbearing perfectionism. Good is good enough.
• Friends or acquaintances that no longer serve or nurture me.
• Trying to be uber-indepedent do-it-yourself superwoman all the time. I’m going to ask for help when I need it, and humbly receive it.
• Worry. No more worrying, it’s just bad mojo.

Now It’s Your Turn

I encourage you to come up with a word for 2010. It’s also a very empowering exercise to let go of things that no longer serve you.

If you’d like a little help to make this process more magickal, my dear friend Goddess Leonie has put together a delicious workbook and planner. Take a look!

Plan Your Year & Make Magick Happen in 2010

2010: Creating My Goddess Year workbook & planner is Goddess Leonie’s latest masterpiece! It’s filled with 40 pages of worksheets to help you dream, manifest, set your intentions, plan & cultivate your amazing new year.

It’s handwritten & illustrated… perfect for you to print out, soak up the rainbow colors of, and make 2010 your gorgeous goddess year.

This makes the best self-nurturing gift for all of you busy-ladies who have a hard time to take time for yourself. (That includes me!) Check out the beautifulness. :)

May Your 2010 Be Truly Magickal!

January

In January I was on a trip in China and Korea, with my boyfriend Robin. The idea for The Raw Foods Witch web site was still marinating in my mind. I was blogging as The Billionaire Woman.

February

The Raw Food Switch web site was created. Note that the site was actually called Raw Food Switch and not Raw Foods Witch. That little witchy switch took place later on.

In February I shared the story of how I went from junk foodist to raw foodist, and how I stopped taking birth control pills.

March

I filmed a video about Eating Raw Food in the Winter. I also shared some of my first few simple raw food recipes like my quick video on how to make beet juice.

April

In April I started a series on the benefits of eating raw food. Some of the articles were about using raw food for weight loss, and how more college students are turning to raw food to increase their performance.

May

In May my boyfriend Robin showed you how to make a Chinese inspired Raw Ragu recipe to trump all salads. I also shared my views about eating 100% raw vs. eating a high raw diet.

I maintain that it’s not necessary to eat 100% raw to enjoy the benefits of raw food.

June

In June I shared the 9 ways that raw food changed my life. Then I uploaded a video of my garden, and a video of my speech about the beautiful tropical fruit called durian.

Then I wrote a cheeky article that hypothesized that it is easier to become raw than to become vegan.

June was also the month that Raw Food Switch became the Raw Foods Witch. :)

July

In July I went back to basics and explained what is the raw food diet.

In one of my most popular articles to date, I shared the 13 Witchy Ways Green Smoothies Make You Feel Good in 13 Minutes or Less. Yum, yum.

I also weighed in on the debate over organic food, and shared in the advantages and disadvantages of organic food.

August

August saw the harvest from the garden and so I explained what a raw food dehydrator is. I also shared 21 Ways to Sneak More Vegetables Into Your Day, because we all know that eating more veggies is good for us but putting it into practice isn’t always so easy.

I also answered 2 of the most commonly asked questions: Is it better to blend or to juice? And whether a certain symptom is just detox or not, in my article on Raw Food Detox: The Myth, The Madness… The Magick?!.

September

In September I opened up more and shared the story behind why I started eating raw food and what has happened since then.

I posted my video on how to grow sprouts, with some written guidelines as well. Then I shared some of my insights on food cravings, why we have them, and what to do about them.

October

October was a busy month for The Raw Foods Witch. First, I wrote about the difference between healthy food and unhealthy food.

Then I released my shiny “28 Desserts You Can Eat Every Day” ebook. Grab yourself a copy if you haven’t already.

October was also the month I posted my Raw Pumpkin Pie recipe with a quick video to show you how to make it.

November

In November I undertook the master cleanse. I talked about a lot of detoxing techniques like the salt water flush, dry skin brushing, and how much water to drink per day.

I shared the results from my master cleanse. Then I posted happy photos and talked about eating out at restaurants while staying raw.

December

December was all about celebrating the season. I posted the raw food gift guide to help people shop for the raw foodies in their circle.

I explained the benefits of goji berries, and gave away my secret to buying them for a good price.

December seemed like a good time to answer another question I get asked a lot: what is a raw food coach?

And finally, I posted a super fun raw christmas recipe – the raw snowman!

What’s in Store for 2010?

I hope you had a great 2009, and are looking forward to a fantastic 2010. I’m wishing you nothing but the best in health, joy, and prosperity.

Love,