With the weather warming, it’s time to try adding more raw foods into your diet. Raw foods are all foods with no application of heat of any kind. That means no cooking, grilling, or steaming.

Advocates believe that because raw food maintains all its enzymes, it is easier to digest and it is more nutritious than cooked food.

Veggies are great for you whether cooked or raw, but I do find that as winter turns to spring, I do get more of a spring in step when I add more raw foods to my diet.

And the best part is that adding more raw foods into your diet is quite simple.

Should always consider how you can add vegetables to meals. But instead of cooking them out of habit, find out if there’s another way of preparing them. For example:

• Marinate kale, broccoli, mushrooms, or other veggies that are typically cooked to give them a soft, tender texture.
• Add shredded carrots, beets, or zucchini added to salads.
• Raw corn, scraped off the cob, makes a tasty salad that goes well with tomatoes, fresh herbs, peppers, or zucchini.

• To make a raw tomato sauce, simply blend ripe summer tomatoes with fresh herbs and a touch of garlic or onion.

Also, try giving juicing a go. No juicer? No problem! One of my favorite juices only requires a blender.

Blend half an avocado, a cup of spinach, a half-cup of pineapple, and ice for a delicious green juice.

How are you adding more raw veggies to your diet? Let me know in the comments below!