Raw Food and Cravings
I love eating a raw food diet. I especially love eating a raw food diet in the summer. Many of you know that I frequent our farmer’s markets. Not only do I get great prices on produce, but I get fresh, just picked veggies and fruit. I also get to support local growers and see produce that I normally don’t have access to year round.
Right now, lettuce is beautiful and plentiful. I have been buying a lot of romaine and eating a lot of salads, not to mention putting it in green drinks. I have to tell you, I have never been a big salad eater. I love my raw food diet but salads can seem like a lot of work, not only to prepare but to eat. With all of these beautiful greens around, I couldn’t resist and have been making quite a few.
Here’s where it get’s interesting. As I eat more salads, I find that my cravings (normally for potato chips) have shifted. Now I am craving salads! It is quite amazing how you can retrain your taste-buds. As you eat healthier, your cravings for not-so-healthy food will eventually be replaced by cravings for healthy food!
I love mixing fruit with my greens. Don’t worry food combiners, greens are different than veggies. They are considered a leaf and closer to fruit than vegetables. Still, listen to your body as we are all different.
This is my current favorite salad. Strawberry mango with jicama, and avocado, over romaine topped with a beautiful little blueberry vinaigrette and pumpkin seeds for that extra little boost. This is a hearty salad that works great for any meal.
Strawberry Mango Salad
SERVES 4
Salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1 cup strawberries, sliced
- 1 cup mango, diced
- 1 cup jicama, diced
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- Tear romaine and place on plate.
- Mix together fruit and jicama. Place a handful on the lettuce bed.
- Top with blueberry vinaigrette and pumpkin seeds
Blueberry Vinaigrette
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar (or sweetener of your choice)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil, cold pressed
- Combine all ingredients in a blender.
- Pour over top of salad.
For more recipes like this see: Salads
Jennifer wrote on April 29, 2012
this looks amazing what wonderful colours, will be trying the blueberry viniagrette Thanks!
Erin (Ms. Bliss) wrote on August 3, 2010
What a delicious looking salad! This is gonna be the next raw food recipe that I try.
Brenda wrote on July 16, 2010
Love my salads. Love my greens. Like you, they make me feel so healthy and complete. But… I’m deeply bothered by the bugs that cling to my greens. Especially organic greens (quite the paradoxical dilemma I’ve found myself in). I recognize this to be somewhat irrational which offers hope that I can overcome the fear of eating insects. It is a living food source, so, I know that I am not the only being that is going to want to dine on the greens I’m preparing. That is what I tell myself. Yet, I rinse the greens 2-3 times and still find tiny bugs floating in the spring water. It sometimes ruins my appetite. Do you have any suggestions for over-coming this issue? Thank you in advance.
aimee wrote on July 15, 2010
This looks delish! I love the blueberry vinaigrette:) Can’t wait to try this one.
Stacey Burke wrote on July 15, 2010
Awesome recipe and article! Thanks keep them coming!
Stacey wrote on July 14, 2010
How many would you serve with this amount as a main? 1 or 2? Just curious 🙂
Thanks!
Susan wrote on July 14, 2010
oh my…if you can eat an entire head of lettuce, an avocado, a papaya, a jiccama, a cup of pumpkin seeds and a cup of strawberries (that is aprox 9 cups of salad) at a sitting, that would be impressive. I would think this could serve 4 unless someone is really hungry. It is a very filling salad with the avocado and the pumpkin seeds.
Erika @ Health and Happiness in LA wrote on July 13, 2010
This looks amazing! I also looove fruit with salad!
Sarah Schatz - menus for people with limited diets wrote on July 13, 2010
this sounds so delicious and so summery. I love the combination with the jicama, avocado and fruits. thanks!
J. Bosley wrote on July 13, 2010
Funny to get your email today……For the FIRST time yesterday, (July 12, 2010) since going raw in early March 2010, I too actually CRAVED a salad ! BTW>…potato chips are my main crave as well :0 I was driving and actually started “pseudo chewing” imagining the CRUNCH of the fresh greens ! I have NEVER done that…..EVER. Thanks for sharing. JB