Myth #1: You need to eat 100% raw foods and nothing else in order to get the benefits of the raw food diet.
For most people who are eating a diet high in processed and fast foods, any increase in fresh, raw, and organic foods is beneficial. Simple changes such as eating fruit for breakfast instead of pancakes or sausage will improve your health exponentially. Eating a salad for lunch will give you more energy than a hamburger, soda and fries. In order to get all of the benefits of the raw lifestyle, you do need to eat mostly raw foods, about 90-95% of your food intake. A happy medium that a lot of people adopt is the 80-20 Lifestyle. Eating 80% plant based, raw, organic foods and no more than 20% cooked meals including animal based and cooked foods if you like.
Myth #2: Everything you eat on the raw foods diet will be cold.
As long as the internal temperature of the food is 104 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, it still has vital living nutrients and sustenance. Anything over this temperature, you might as well just cook it. This means that dehydrating foods at temperatures below 104 and warming soups up on a coffee warming plate are still acceptable practices.
Myth #3: The raw food diet consists of only raw fruits and vegetables.
A raw food diet consists of fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, nut “milks”, sprouted grains, seaweeds and juices are all included on a raw diet, as well as some fermented and processed foods such as raw soy sauce, kimchee, miso, raw nut butters and cold pressed raw oils.
Myth #4: The raw food diet is more expensive than other diets.
Any diet can be more or less expensive, depending on your tastes. Certain pre-made raw items can be rather expensive, but some of the best deals will be found in the produce section of your grocery store. Apples, bananas, salad greens and many vegetables are all a bargain compared to steak and lobster.
Myth #5: You will have to eat all your meals at home when on the raw food diet.
More and more raw food restaurants are popping up around the country! Most big cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York have one or even more raw food restaurants, and many vegetarian and vegan restaurants also cater to the raw crowd. Salads and fruit smoothies can be found many places – just bring your own raw dressing, or ask for oil and vinegar.
Myth #6: You will spend all your time in the kitchen chopping vegetables and dehydrating foods for hours on end.
Well, you could. But who wants to do that? Salads, smoothies and many raw soups are quick to prepare. Realizing that many people get frustrated with complex recipes, I’ve selected and created the raw food recipes on this site precisely because they don’t require fancy and expensive equipment and hours of preparation time. That being said, investing in a food processor will save you many hours of chopping and grating. If you’re serious about raw foods, I recommend you at least invest in a blender and a food processor. You may find that eventually you will want to purchase a dehydrator and a juicer as well.
See the original list here.
Eat and Grow 