Take a page from followers of the Raw Food Diet — no cooking necessary. Whether you want to follow this meal plan or just want some healthy no-cook recipes raw food advocate, Lisa Montgomery, explains raw food basics.

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RECIPE:
-Chocolate Mousse Pie

Here's what folks are saying about a raw food diet:

"Raw food diet the whole thing? No, no."
"A raw food diet would be a bit of a stretch."
"I'd consider it why not?"
"Sometimes I eat a raw food diet not very strictly though."

While a raw food diet might not be for everyone, recently celebrities such as Demi Moore and Alicia Silverstone have brought it into the limelight. Royersford resident Lisa Montgomery was ten years ahead of the curve. Now she teaches others and has written several books on the topic she says, "a raw food diet for me is fruits vegetables nuts and seeds nothing heated above 118° I tend to make it 105°. But I also sprout natural wilderness rice and other grains."

That's what her diet is, but Montgomery also notes, "Not every raw foodist is a vegetarian. Some eat raw fish, meat and dairy. Everyone is different." So, what does her kitchen look like? "On top of my stove I have my cutting boards. In my stove I have storage I do keep a frying pan and pot in the house in case someone is coming over," says Montgomery.

And what replaces those appliances? "I have a dehydrator and other tools I use are a Vitamix high speed blender, Greenstar juicer, Sodona dehydrator and a Cuisnart food processor." Montgomery also says her pantry is filled with seeds, nuts, fresh fruits and veggies as well as grains to sprout. Lest you think this can get boring, Montgomery notes, "I can still make bread, pizza sushi Cookies you can make in dehydrator, even if you make raw lasagna you can put it in the dehydrator and it warms it and melds the flavors."

There's no concrete data to back the health claims. But one thing is for certain, everyone can eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. Even Montgomery says it is not an all or nothing proposition. Adding healthier dishes to your menus is a good thing. Plus, in the heat of the summer, who wants to turn that oven on anyway!? For example, Dave Lieberman of Foodnetwork's Good Deal says beets are great cooked, but they also lend themselves to quick no-cook summer fare. He says, "The secret to raw beets is shaving them very thinly arrange the slices on a plate drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and put some fresh thyme and maybe goat cheese on the top and it's a lovely appetizer. It's beautiful and that's one of my favorite things about beets—the color."