Raw Food Stores

Raw veganism refers to the practice of eating primarily fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouts that can not have been heated (cooked) to more than 40 degrees C (104 degrees F). This temperature limit is still contested among specialists, so you will likely see different figures quoted in different places. The premise is the same, though: By not heating the food to a temperature higher than the human body itself can withstand, the idea is that the foods' nutritional content, along with its enzymes - the life force in food - will be preserved.

If you are really starting to care about your health and the environment, eating a diet that consists of as much fresh, organic, local produce as possible makes good sense. To do that you shouldn't need to travel far to meet your needs. The best places to shop will be your local farmers' markets for your fresh fruits and veggies. If you want to expand your culinary horizons, you may need to look beyond your local markets to eat a more interesting mix of raw foods, however. The raw food world is expanding, and with it have popped up a plethora of online shops offering healthy food products that are not so easy to come by, such as truly raw nuts and seeds, dehydrated foods, raw cacao products, "superfoods," and a whole array of raw supplements.

You do not have to consider yourself a 100% "raw foodist" to reap the benefits of consuming the foods these retailers sell. This lens gives an overview of the top shops selling raw foods and products in sync with the healthy, eco-friendly, raw vegan lifestyle. I don't recommend any store over the other, to be perfectly honest; in fact there is no one store that meets all my raw food shopping needs and desired price range, so I use a variety of them!

Oh, and you'll find that a lot of these super raw food stores carry appliances, books, DVDs, and personal care products to support the raw vegan lifestyle, too!