How to Stay Warm & Raw this Winter

This week has been the coldest week we've experienced so far on the East Coast...so it's inspired us to create a blogpost with our favorite tips and tricks on staying warm and staying raw in the colder months. Staying raw during the winter will keep you more resilient to not only the cold, but also the winter blahs!

Eat Seasonally

The vegetables that are in season in the winter are usually the ones that take the longest to grow and are also the most warming. Some examples: most root vegetables (parsnips, turnips, carrots), sweet potatoes, winter squash, onion, garlic, & most nuts.
Most people don’t realize that they can eat squash, parsnips, turnips, and sweet potatoes raw. The trick is to process them in the food processor with the S-blade to achieve a rice like consistency or to process them longer for a smooth consistency. For example: parsnips or carrots make a nice rice substitute and sweet potato and pumpkin can be food processed to make a raw holiday pie. Another way to use these winter vegetables is to blend them in the blender to make a soup such as a creamy butternut squash soup using a nut milk as the base. Also, raw soup does not have to mean cold soup! If you have a Vitamix you can blend your soup long enough to warm it up & that helps too.

Use Warming Spices

Many spices have been highly valued in other cultures for their health & beauty properties for thousands of years! Some of these warming spices include: cinnamon, cayenne, curry, cloves, ginger, turmeric, cardamon, nutmeg, mustard, & black pepper. Tip: Both cinnamon and cardamom taste great in a fruit smoothie and our turmeric tastes great in a blended soup.

Eat More Warming Foods

Use your Excalibur to make dehydrated foods,which are more calorically dense & therefore they are typically more warming. You can also heat your foods in your dehydrator at 115 degrees for a couple of minutes to warm them up & keep the nutrients in tact. Whether you are making crackers, breads, or your favorite raw recipes we sell a variety of dehydrator sheets to help you make a delicious dish.
If you don't feel like making your own crackers/chips, we sell a variety of tasty flavor combinations including our new Lydia's Rawkin Beet Chips with spicy cayenne that will really warm your taste buds ups! Also try these warming foods:

*Dried fruits (raisins, apricots, and dates are especially warming)
*Nuts (especially macadamia nuts or raw nut butters)
*Fatty Seeds (pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds)
*Hot Peppers or Chiles
*Herbs (Maca, and Ginseng)
*Superfoods (Spirulina, & Moringa)

Drink Warm Teas & Beverages

Drink warm beverages: herbal teas & infusions, veggie broths, apple cider,
lemon water, ginger slices in hot water with honey, hot cacao drinks
made with raw nut milk, or try mushroom teas like chaga & reishi.

Additional Tips:

•Try using hot water instead of cold water in your smoothies & soups
•Warm your plates that you serve your food on
•Exercise & get your body warmed up & your digestion/lymphatic system moving
•Layer your clothing with organic cotton & hemp clothing
•Take a warm bubble bath- try adding ginger & sea salts to your tub
•Build a fire & light some candles

Let us know if you'd like to share how you keep warm in the winter months!