Everyone thought the raw vegan diet was a fad soon to pass, but in 2014, it's alive and well. The raw food movement has been around for decades, but recently, it has morphed into a diet that’s more accessible, affordable and sophisticated – and no longer only for the crunchy, hippie types (not that there’s anything wrong with that :-)

The raw food concept, at a basic level, believes that cooking removes the nutrients in food. Gena Hamshaw, CCN, a former book editor turned clinical nutritionist and author of “Choosing Raw: Making Raw Foods Part of the Way You Eat,” has been at the forefront of this shift. She believes that we should know where our food comes from, what it does to our body and how we can think about it as fuel, rather than just something to alleviate a hunger pang. Her blog abounds with innovative dishes that are as yummy as they are sustainable. Gena is ready to introduce you and open the window into the pleasures of raw food. And, if you are new to the raw food movement or don’t want to be 100% raw, no worries.  Gena believes that a healthy vegan diet includes raw and cooked foods—the perfect combination!