I live in a warmer climate, with abundance of fresh organic produce all year ’round. So, I admit, it’s easier for me than for those who live in very cold climates to stay the a raw food program. However, I travel in my work, so I do experience climates other than Southern California.

Those who are committed to eating a raw/living cuisine can do so regardless of their climate — and many ARE. Alive, fresh organic produce is more readily available everywhere, at least in North America, because of demand.

To Warm or Not to Warm, that is the Question

There are ways to warm foods without killing the enzymes and otherwise denaturing the foods. If you really want warm foods, check out the book Warming up to Living Foods by Elysa Markowitz.

Remember, just EATING warms the body. Cayenne or ginger or other warm spices warm the body. I remember that when I used to prepare hot tea, I was more comforted by holding the warm cup than drinking the contents! Even water is corrupted by heat — at 159 degrees, water is corrupted.

I have a warming section on my gas stove. At the "medium" setting, liquid reaches and maintains 115 degrees. I usually have warm herbal tea "brewing" which can be nice when a friend comes to visit. You can test the temperature of water with a candy thermometer, available from any kitchen supply store.

As I mention in Raw Sprouted Pea Soup, you can use a dehydrator or warming tray to warm dishes and/or start your food preparation with warm water and room temperature ingredients. Even a warm tea before eating can be very comforting.

I expect (though I cannot guarantee) that if you discover raw food dishes you like, the idea of hot or even warm foods will be a small factor, even on very cold days. And if you’re compelled to eat something hot or cooked, eat it! Eat it with a smile on your face.

Choosing the Living Food Lifestyle

To my way of thinking, it’s all about making a choice. If you don’t want to eat raw foods, that’s your choice — make it joyfully. If you do, you’ll find benefits beyond what you might imagine in the midst of eating your familiar foods.

A little education helps. Or a lot. I made and sustained the commitment to raw foods primarily because I focused on educating myself, as you can read in My Raw Food Story. Writing this blog takes my own education many steps further because expressing what I know gives me access to even deeper knowledge.

Anyone who doesn’t want to eat raw/living foods can come up with any number of reasons not to. Anyone who wants to eat raw/living foods can be creative and find ways around excuses. We all must choose, and choose based on what feels good to us. No one way works for everyone.

Alissa Cohen, David Wolfe, Gabriel Cousens, Cheri Soria, Brigitte Mars, along with many others, bring different aspects to the knowledge base of raw and living foods. The Internet has de-centralized the information so that the ordinary person can have access to great minds and resources. Books on the subject are now plentiful. I’ve purchased and read over 100 books on the subject, some of which are in the right navigation bar; other resources are in the left navigation bar.

We can feed our minds to help us to more properly feed our bodies.