10 best raw food products
Sustenance served up as nature intended can give us a boost. IndyBest suggests snacks, oils and drinks for healthy eating
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Your support makes all the difference.While many detoxers will be rejoicing now the end of (Dry) January is in sight, it doesn't mean all your resolutions have to go out the window. Raw food - bursting with the nutrients and minerals that heat-treating destroys - gets a bad rap, so IndyBest has foraged the top snacks, drinks and ingredients that won't leave you feeling like you're eating rabbit food.
{1} Nakd raw fruit & nut Cocoa Delight Bars: £2.70 for 4, tesco.com
Packed with naturally sweet dates, energy-laden cashews and a dash of cocoa for an extra hit of endorphins, these chewy bars are a perfect pick me up.
{2} Food Doctor Raw Seeds and Nuts: £2.99 for 250g, tesco.com
Suitable snacks for the raw foodie are hard to find, especially on the hoof. The Food Doctor is here to help. These do exactly what it says on the bag – nuts and seeds, with all the good stuff.
{3} Raw Health Raw Apple Cider Vinegar: £2.29 for 500 ml, buywholefoodsonline.co.uk
This cider vinegar is full of natural enzymes that help your body break down food, which is why so many nutritionists recommend it to people suffering from intestinal troubles. A tablespoon with some honey in hot water is great for soothing a sore throat, too.
{4} Coldpress Pink Lady Apple Juice: £2.79 for 750ml, Tesco.com
This one isn’t just for the raw foodies. Coldpress make the crispest apple juice around. This Pink Lady one tastes just like you’ve bitten into the real deal.
{5} Unoco Raw Coconut Water: £2 for 250ml, Ocado.com
Unoco’s is the first fully raw coconut water in the world. It also often has a deliciously rosy colour because it’s so full of antioxidants; any coconut water that’s been pasteurised, sweetened, flavoured or has come from a mature coconut, will never turn pink.
{6} Inspiral Raw Crackits: £4.49, buywholefoodsonline.co.uk
They may not taste like oatcakes, but they don’t pretend to. They are, however, crunchy and crumbly and full of flavour. Gluten, dairy and soy free, they’re soaked before air-drying to make them easily digestible.
{7} Lucy Bee Raw Extra Virgin Raw Organic Virgin Coconut Oil: £9.95 for 500ml, asda.com
In case you’ve missed the coconut oil craze, this multi-purpose stuff is made up of medium-chain fatty acids – basically the ‘good’ ones. Lucy Bee’s has a very mild flavour making it perfect for baking and frying, but it’s also great as a moisturiser or hair mask.
{8} Ombar 72% Superfood Chocolate: £2.18 for 35g, buywholefoodsonline.co.uk
Ombar comes in a number of flavours, including ‘mylk’ (dairy-free, of course) and cranberry & mandarin. They’re made by adding ground raw ingredients to raw cacao and coconut sugar, but this deliciously dark one is just as tasty.
{9} Lakrids Raw Liquorice Drops: 6.50 for 30g, fortnumandmason.com
Lakrids’ crunchy drops are for the discerning – both in the raw foodie and the liquorice worlds. The company lightly steam and press their liquorice root, leaving it with all its natural goodness. Beware: they pack a punch.
{10} Hilltop Honey Raw British Wildflower Honey: £5.50, ocado.com
It’s widely accepted that once honey is heat-treated, it loses some of its bug-battling goodness. While Manuka is generally regarded the strongest, raw British honey has been found to kill MRSA and other pathogenic bacteria too, without Manuka’s overwhelming flavour. Hilltop’s offerings are far lighter and more floral by comparison.
Verdict: Cooks looking for a healthier alternative to olive oil should look no further than Lucy Bee's coconut oil, though it's good for beauty junkies too. And while Inspiral's Crackits and Raw Health's cider vinegar are perfect for the seasoned raw foodies, even those without the militant mantras will appreciate Hilltop Honey's delicious proffering and Ombar's fruity chocolates.