10 Ways to Celebrate an Uncooked Holiday Meal with Festive Raw Recipes

Let's face it, jolly old St. Nick sure looks like he could use increased energy, improved skin appearance, better digestion, reduced risk of heart disease, and yeah...weight loss. And, well, these are some of the benefits of a raw food diet. Why raw? "It's a diet that consists of uncooked and unprocessed organic raw foods and usually includes fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds," explains Kara DiCamillo of TreeHugger. "When raw fruits and vegetables are cooked, they tend to lose the enzymes, minerals, and vitamins, which is why raw foodists find this diet so important to their health."

The raw food lifestyle, as discussed by Stephen Walsh in The Vegan magazine, also has "particular environmental advantages in that it often comes from trees (avoiding soil loss from tilling) and requires little packaging and no cooking. These characteristics benefit the health of the planet and all who share it." However, warns Walsh, since many raw foods require long-distance transportation, the focus should always be on seasonally available local fruits and nuts. A least one raw advocate--Raw Model--is tackling the food mile issue head on with a permaculture project in Minnesota.

Of course, you could also do what my friend Chuck does and use bike power to make your raw smoothies.

So, with the shopping-day countdown looming, how does one remain raw amidst the traditional (read: typically unhealthy) holiday fare? As you'll see below, if you know your raw food ingredients, uncooked holidays are easier than you may imagine--but it's always a good idea to tap into the raw food community to glean more tips and ideas.

Keep reading to learn 10 Ways to Enjoy an Uncooked Holiday Season.