Best Source of Vitamin B12 for Raw Foodists and Vegans

Many vegans and raw foodists can run into issues with Vitamin B12 deficiencies because they do not eat meat or dairy. Unfortunately, most raw food sources of B12, such as spirulina and fermented foods, are not bioavailable which means the Vitamin B12 in them cannot be easily absorbed and used by the body.

So what's a raw foodist or vegan to do to make sure theya re getting the proper amount of B12 in their diet? Watch this video!

Here's a great source of the RIGHT KIND of Vitamin B12 suggested in the video that I've located for you. I was impressed with the reasonable price too!

8 Raw Food Travel Tips

Hey Everyone,

I'm back from spending the summer in New York training for my new job as a configuration analyst so I haven't been updating my blog like I should, but I'm back now and ready to go!

What I'd like to talk to you about today how to stick to a raw food diet while traveling away from home. Let me tell you that living in a hotel room for 6 weeks sure does make you appreciate the convenience of being at home!

I didn't have my beloved Blendtec Blender or Excalibur Food Dehydrator with me due to the current suitcase weight restrictions and the fridge in my hotel room was dorm room sized which meant storage space for fresh produce was extremely limited.

Here are some of my own raw food travel tips. I hope you find them useful.

1. Get online and find the health food stores and local grocery stores in the area where you will be staying. You can make a bee-line to one of these places for supplies as soon as you get checked in to your hotel.

2. Check the internet for any raw food restaurants that may be in the area. You can order several dishes at a time and store them in the fridge in your hotel room.

3. I recommend packing at least 1 raw food bar for each day you will be away from home. Raw food bars make tasty, portable meals that don't require refrigeration. (My favorite brand is Raw Revolution Organic Live Food Bars) Other good things to bring would be a container of Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt or Dulse Granules that will go a long way in flavoring your food.

4. A good multi-vitamin such as Garden of Life Living Multivitamin and a green food powder like Greener Grasses can help you get the nutrition your body needs while traveling.

5. Also buy things like a jar of organic raw almond butter to spread on fresh fruit, and a bottle of organic extra virgin olive oil to drizzle on salad. None of these things have to go in the fridge so you can save your precious space for other things like salad greens, tomatoes and other items that require refrigeration.

6. Think portable when buying fruits and veggies. Choose foods such as apples, cucumbers, bananas, avocados, lemons (for salad dressing, and other foods that can be left a room temperature, but don't buy too many at a time or they will go bad before you can get them eaten.

7. A few things to pack from home would be a bag of soaked and dehydrated nuts and seeds and a bag of sprouted dehydrated quinoa and/or buckwheat groats to sprinkle on salads. Try to bring a variety in order to get the most nutritional benefit. You might also bring a few bags of raw dehydrated crackers. I put these items in my carry-on so they don't get crushed.

8. The last thing I would suggest either bringing with you or purchasing when you reach your destination is a Magic Bullet High-Speed Blender. Why this brand in particular and not something cheaper? I bought a cheap personal blender when I got to New York and burned the motor up within a week and a half making very simple green smoothies. Anything less just won't hold up. And while having a small blender like this isn't necessary, it certainly makes life easier when you can just mix up a green smoothie, kick back and relax knowing you are giving your body the very best in nutrition. And don't forget to bring either some Sun Warrior Protein Powder or Living Harvest Hemp Protein Powder for those smoothies so you can get in some good, high quality, plant based protein.

I hope you got some good inspiration for how to stick to a raw food diet while traveling and enjoyed my personal tips and tricks.

Until next time,

Happy Traveling and Eat Raw!

Raw Food Cracker Recipe - Carrot & Flax Crackers

Before I get to the raw food cracker recipe I have for you today, I wanted to talk for a moment about how to satisfy some of the cravings you may have on the raw food diet.

Personally, my biggest craving was for chips and dips. There's something really satisfying about dunking a crispy, crunchy, salty chip into some sort of yummy dip while I'm watching TV or reading a book. For me, that's comfort food eating. When I decided to go raw, it was obvious that I was going to have to find some tasty substitutes for my beloved chips and dips or I just wasn't going to be able to stick with eating raw food long term.

The point I'm trying to make here is that you really need to identify those foods you associate with comfort. Whether it's chips, candy, ice cream, pizza or whatever, make it your goal to either find or create your own raw recipe for the comfort food you like best. Having a raw version of your favorite comfort food on hand will go a long way towards helping you stick with the raw food diet.

Here's my current favorite raw food cracker recipe.

Carrot and Flax Crackers

1 & 1/2 pounds Carrots, grated
1/4 red Onion, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons Celtic gray salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

In a food processor, grate the carrots. Transfer grated carrots to a large bowl and change the blade from the grating blade to the "s" blade. Add the carrots back to the food processor with the water, salt and garlic. Process the carrots until you have smooth puree that is slightly watery. (This could take some time) You may add additional water if necessary to achieve the correct consistency.

Transfer the carrot puree back to the large bowl and stir in the ground flax seed. Adjust seasoning if necessary remembering that the final product will be much stronger in taste due to the dehydration process.

Cover 3 Excalibur dehydrator trays with cling film or use teflex sheets.

Divide your mixture evenly between the 3 trays and spread out evenly on each one, just less than a half inch thick.

Place into Dehydrator and run until dried well on top. Flip onto normal uncovered trays and continue to dehydrate. It’s best to cut it about two hours after you flip. Continue dehydrating until crispy.