Raw food diet & eating seasonally

[ZeezMom]

Are the two compatible? I am far from converting 100% to a raw food diet, but I have begun studying it a bit & would like to incorporate some of its concepts into my own daily food preparation.

I'm very committed to organic, local agriculture & tend to try to eat only what is in season in my area, but it seems that if I were to consider 100% raw, it might be tough to uphold this conviction.

Thoughts?

[tinuviel_k]

Raw AND seasonal year-round would not be realistic in my area. We have a very short growing season: it starts late and ends early. Pretty much from November on I'd be limited to squash, kale, parsnips, sauerkraut, and cold-storage apples until the early vegetables started growing again in April/May.

It would be easier if one had two or three large freezers and weren't picky about eating frozen goods out of season. For instance, I freeze about 60 or more lbs of fruit in the summer to eat through the winter: blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and nectarines. You could also freeze veggies for later use.

I could see doing it if I incorporated local raw meats, fish, eggs, and/or dairy into their diet. Otherwise it would be very tricky to get enough variety, protein and fats.

[hjrowan]

That's an interesting question and one which I have wrestled with a lot! I'm drawn to raw foods (but more of "raw foods meets Weston Price" at the moment) but here in the PNW it would be very difficult to achieve using wholly local, seasonal foods. It's often seemed to me that most raw foodists' diets are not sustainable from a locavore standpoint (e.g. lots of nuts, tropical fruits, superfoods etc) especially if lots of complex raw recipes are used.

That being said, it's a great diet for cleansing and health generally - so I feel personally conflicted! A sustainable/local raw diet is probably achievable if you're living in CA, FL or other tropical/subtropical climates but difficult if living up here in the north. However, I think you could make it "more" local by freezing a lot as the PP said, sprouting your own seeds/grains and relying on what is available. The raw diet is pretty restrictive as it is and I think placing even more restrictions on it would make success pretty tough - good luck! 

[ZeezMom]

Originally Posted by hjrowan 

That's an interesting question and one which I have wrestled with a lot! I'm drawn to raw foods (but more of "raw foods meets Weston Price" at the moment) but here in the PNW it would be very difficult to achieve using wholly local, seasonal foods. It's often seemed to me that most raw foodists' diets are not sustainable from a locavore standpoint (e.g. lots of nuts, tropical fruits, superfoods etc) especially if lots of complex raw recipes are used.

That being said, it's a great diet for cleansing and health generally - so I feel personally conflicted! A sustainable/local raw diet is probably achievable if you're living in CA, FL or other tropical/subtropical climates but difficult if living up here in the north. However, I think you could make it "more" local by freezing a lot as the PP said, sprouting your own seeds/grains and relying on what is available. The raw diet is pretty restrictive as it is and I think placing even more restrictions on it would make success pretty tough - good luck! 

I would definitely count canning & freezing somehow, but you make good points & confirmed my suspicions. Thanks for the input!

[tinuviel_k]

Keep in mind that canning is definitely not raw...
But you can also do low-temp drying as a way of preservation.