Eat for vitality - Vital signs: news and trends for your well-being - raw foods diet - Brief Article

Natural Health, Jan, 2004

If you need to jazz up your diet, take a riff from the raw-food movement. Seek out peak produce to get a mix of tastes, textures and nutrients. "Eating seasonally is a natural formula for getting what you need," says Hawaii-based chef Renee Underkoffler. That's because each season offer's a host of colorful fruits and vegetables, with each hue signaling the presence of different vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Fresher foods are more likely to retain those elements, says nutritionist Dina Aronson." Nutrients are at their highest levels at the peak of ripeness, so eating produce when it's out-of-season may mean that some of those nutrients are lost." For winter, try beets (a source of antioxidant anthocyanins), kale (rich in calcium and vitamin A) and tangerines (loaded with folate and vitamin C).

To reduce your intake of nutrient-depleted processed foods, follow these strategies:

* Swap out refined grains and bring in fiber-rich wheat alternatives. "Quinoa and millet are both easy to prepare without cooking," Underkoffler says. "Soak them overnight, marinate them, then serve them with vegetables."

* Experiment with foods like soybean-based miso and cabbage-derived kimchi. "Cultured and fermented foods are teeming with enzymes and healthy microorganisms," says Underkoffler. These include probiotics, which help promote good digestion.

* Add spice and warmth to your foods by seasoning with fresh ginger, garlic and hot pepper.

* Read raw. For recipes and more tips, check out Underkoffler's Living Cuisine or Raw by Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein, the source for this spectacular bleeding-heart radish ravioli with yellow tomatoes.