You are interested in a raw food diet. Now you have to decide what to eat. To help you with the transition from cooked to raw, here's a raw food conversion chart.
The chart has the following categories:
| Bad | Better | Best | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar | All forms: - Dextrose - Corn syrup - Rice syrup - Malt |
Raw honey Raw Agave Maple syrup Raw fresh fruits Raisins Dates |
Stevia Vanilla Cinnamon Raw honey (25g) and Coconut Sugar Raw fruit in moderation |
| Sweeteners | All forms: - Aspartame - Splenda |
- Xylitol | Stevia Vanilla Cinnamon |
| Salt | Table salt Iodized salt |
Unrefined sea salt Unrefined Celtic sea salt |
Organic salt from plants: Celery Seaweed Phytoplankton |
| Flour | White flours from: - Wheat - Corn - Rice, etc. |
Organic whole flours from: - Spelt* - Kamut - Quinoa - Buckwheat - Millet - Brown rice* - Other non stored grains *stored grain |
Sprouted grains Almond flour Coconut flour |
| Bread | From supermarket | Home made Health store Sourdough (Yeast free) Wheat free Sprouted |
Dehydrated flax crackers Essence bread Lettuce wraps |
| Pasta | White pasta | Organic spelt or buckwheat Sprouted pasta |
(Raw) spaghetti made from squash |
| Fat | Butter Shortening Margarine Chemicals Trans fats Animal fats Fermented fats |
Cold pressed coconut oil Olive oil Hemp seed oil Flax seed oil |
Whole hemp seeds Whole organic flax Seeds Nuts Fresh coconut |
| Meat | Cold cuts Processed meat: Hot dogs Bacon Salami, etc. |
Organic raised Nitrites free E-numbers free (EU) MSG free, etc. |
Vegan nut pate's Raw "meat" balls made from nuts/seeds |
| Fish | Farm raised fish |
Wild fish Not endangered |
Wild Alaskan fish Caught same day & sustainable Cold smoked wild Alaskan salmon Krill Oil |
| Eggs | Conventional eggs | Organic farm free eggs | Egg replacers: - Agar agar - Flax seed - Psyllium fiber |
| Cheese | Cheese From cow Pasteurized Not organic Homogenized |
Organic raw goat cheese Organic raw sheep's cheese |
Nut cheese Seed cheese |
| Milk & Yogurt | Milk, yogurt From cow Pasteurized Homogenized |
Organic milk Raw goat's milk Almond milk from store Rice milk Coconut milk |
Raw almond milk Raw milk from nuts Raw milk from seeds & grains Home made Kefir Raw coconut juice & milk |
| Bad | Better | Best | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Water from tap | Plastic bottled water Evian, Poland Spring, Fuji Water |
Distilled water Low mineral spring water Bottled in glass |
| Thee | Black tea | Herbal teas | |
| Coffee | Coffee Decaffeinated coffee |
Coffee replacer | Raw "hot" chocolate milk |
| Soft Drinks | Lemonade Jam Soft drinks Fruit juices |
Organic fresh juices Flash pasteurized |
Freshly squeezed juice: Fruit juice Orange Juice Vegetable juices Green powder juice Juice fresh from juice bar super foods drinks Coconut water (fresh) Smoothies Home made lemonade w stevia |
| Bad | Better | Best | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato Ketchup | Tomato ketchup From supermarket |
Organic, sugar free ketchup Home made ketchup |
Raw ketchup |
| Mayonnaise | From super marked | Organic, no sugar added Home made |
Raw home made mayonnaise Raw mayonnaise made from avocado Raw mayonnaise made from nuts/seeds |
| Pasta Sauces | From package Cans Mac n cheese Ready made |
From health food store Organic Home made Pesto sauce Tomato sauce Organic Cheeses |
Fresh raw tomato sauce Raw pesto Nut cheese Salsa |
| Bread Spreads | Cold cuts Processed meat Jam Chocolate spreads Cheese |
Organic almond butter Jam/Jelly 100% fruit Raw honey Raw cheese |
Avocado Pesto Tapenade Salsa Guacamole Nut pates Nut cheeses Coconut butter |
| Bad | Better | Best | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candy | Candy from supermarket Energy bars Diet bars Chips Cookies |
Organic from health store: - Candy - Chips - Cookies - Popcorn |
Larabars Raw Cookies Raw cakes Fresh fruits Dried fruits Dehydrated crackers/chips |
| Cookies, Cakes | Cookies from super marked Cakes from super marked |
Organic from health store Home made cookies Home made cakes |
Raw cookies & cakes Raw cakes & pies Dehydrated cookies |
| Bad | Better | Best | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplements Vitamins |
Supplements Vitamins From supermarket From drugstore |
Supplements from some small companies | Whole foods supplements Super foods Green powders |
| Bad | Better | Best | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resources | Grocery store | Health store | Home made foods Green/farmer's market |
| Grown | Conventional grown | Organic foods Naturally grown No pesticides, herbicides, chemicals Local farmer's/green market |
Wild Local and organic Own garden, sprouts |
| Processed | Junk Pre-packaged Fast food Grilled Microwaved BBQ Fried |
Steamed Cooked Stir fried Baked at low temperatures |
Raw Juiced Blended Dehydrated |
| Ingredients | Many ingredients Conservatives Sweeteners Chemicals E-numbers MSG, flavor enhancers, etc. |
Few ingredients Ingredients you can pronounce |
Home made All fresh ingredients |
This content on your website or in your E-zine? You can, as long as you include this: "Esme Stevens is the president of Raw Food Europe and has the number 1 website for starters of a raw food diet: thebestofrawfood.com."