You don't have to go 100 percent raw to benefit from a living-foods diet. If you're considering trying raw foods, experts recommend a transition period for best success. Raw foodists offer the following ease-into-it tips.
1. Get a buddy.
Share your raw-foods enthusiasm with a friend or a family member. Encourage each other, get together often for living lunches, and trade raw recipes. Check local natural products stores for support groups—or start one yourself.
2. Shop with a strategy.
Carefully plan your raw-food menus and avoid impulse buying. You'll soon be avoiding entire aisles at the supermarket.
3. Keep plenty of living snacks on hand.
When temptation strikes, grab some sprouted nuts or dehydrated vegetable chips instead of salty junk-food snacks.
4. Think local.
Buy local crops whenever possible; the closer the farm, the fresher the food.
5. Learn to sprout.
It's easy to grow sprouts in your own year-round kitchen garden. Sprouts add protein and enzymes to your daily diet and are a source of nutrient-rich chlorophyll during the winter months. Growing sprouts is a fun kid-friendly project, too.
6. Chew your food carefully and completely.
Slow down and rediscover the complex flavors of food. Thorough chewing activates salivary enzymes that aid in digestion.
7. Eat a salad every day.
Explore the unknown and go beyond romaine and tomatoes. Add kale, sprouted nuts, and grains for texture, flavor, and enzymatic punch. Experiment with live salad dressings and marinades.
—L.L.