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Katrin and Julie, a.k.a. The Raw Food Sisters, are brightly shining stars in the Instagram community (follow them @therawfoodsisters). Originally from Sweden, the girls have been traveling the world and have called Rome, Florence, Berlin, Amsterdam and Accra their homes. Known for their super positive approach to life and amazing raw creations in the kitchen department, they promote self-love in a non-cheesy way, and share about the impact of plant-based lifestyle on their lives. I was super lucky to interview the girls about superfoods, transitioning to a raw vegan lifestyle, books, and their big plans for the future. Read on.
1. What brought you to Ghana?
We got this fantastic and crazy idea to start our own production of sundried tropical fruits. When we started our health journey we realized how perfect dried fruits are as healthier snack options. We got so excited about this, and especially what benefits a project of this sort can bring to local communities in the producing countries. We started to talk about our idea, and one thing pretty much led to another. Through our contacts we were able to initiate our mango project in Ghana. Unfortunately it didn´t work out as we were hoping but in the end to the better. Currently we are in Sweden and actively working on some other exciting projects in Ghana. We can´t wait to go back early next year.
2. Do you find it easy to maintain your healthy lifestyle in Accra?
It´s definitely possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle in Accra but it can also be challenging at times. There’s an abundance of fresh tropical fruits (heaven on Earth!) but we can´t really only live out of fruit. The supply of a great variety of foods is very limited in Ghana, especially the range of green veggies. We also learned out of experience to be cautious eating fresh greens and needed to use our creativity with the local ingredients to get a balanced diet as possible. There are easy and healthy options that Mother Nature provides us with all around Ghana though. So one traveling over there should not be worried not finding healthy foods. The situation is a bit different for us staying there for longer time periods to get all the right nutrition’s needed. Next time when we go back to Ghana again we are going to bring a lot of our superfoods with us.
3. How did you get into eating raw vegan?
Our raw vegan journey started in January 2013 and this change literally came over night. We both felt a drastic need for a change in our lives. We knew we are meant to feel good and started to make changes in our diet. We decided to go vegan for a month, just to see how we felt about it. Just after some days we felt sooo good and energetic which was incredible! We started to do research and found out about raw food. It felt like the most natural step at that point and that´s when our raw vegan journey started. Now we are living a highly raw vegan lifestyle. In Ghana, we started to incorporate some warm vegan meals into our diet (we couldn´t only live out of fruits). We felt very good about adding warm foods and especially now during the cold winter time here in Sweden. The most important thing is to listen to what our bodies’ needs.
4. Do you have tips for those who’re new to the raw vegan lifestyle?
We went totally cold turkey doing our lifestyle change but what we would suggest is to take it step by step. Start by changing some of your meals raw. Start for example with a smoothie for breakfast. Feel your way forward on what feels good for you and don´t be too hard on yourself. Get excited about it and that you want to take care of your health. We also suggest you to find yourself a community. If you feel alone, you can easily find like-minded people online. There are plenty that are looking for support just like you so don´t be afraid to take the step. Create yourself an Instagram account, a great way to connect with others and to find inspiration and motivation.
At the beginning of next year we are also going to launch our first E-book called “Raw Food for Beginners”. It´s a book intended to help you get started with raw food because it´s a jungle to know what superfoods to get, staple foods to have in the pantry, food combinations etc. We have been there ourselves and want to make it easier for you. Also, last but not least, HAVE FUN!
5. Is there a food that you can’t live without?
BANANAS! There’s just so much you can do with bananas. We use bananas as base in our smoothies, buckwheat porridges, chia puddings, desserts etc. They are just soooo good and we always make sure we are stocked up properly.
6. Do you have a favorite superfood? How do you eat it?
Our favorite superfood is maca. We have it in our breakfast smoothie or buckwheat porridge. It gives such a good energy boost. Now when we don´t drink coffee maca has been our savior in the mornings. ;)
7. Can you share 3 of your favorite Instagram accounts to follow?
- @theswedishyogi – Tove is extremely inspiring and her account is filled with gorgeous yoga poses, healthy food and thoughtful texts.
- @theblondevegan – Jordan lives in NYC and her account is filled with mouthwatering healthy vegan recipes.
- @smileyjoforever – Joanna shares her life in a very beautiful, honest and inspiring way. Many thoughtful texts and beautiful pictures along with delicious food.
8. What is your message to everyone who will read this?
Listen less to other people around you and trust your inner voice, it knows its way. Do your best to enjoy and have fun in every moment, life passes too fast if you don´t pay attention!
9. What is your favorite book?
“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coleho.
10. You already have a big and dedicated following on Instagram, and you inspire daily with your ideas and recipes. What are the next big goals for The Raw Food Sisters?
At the moment we are writing an E-book and we will launch in January 2014. We are also planning to come out with some other books throughout the year. Our next BIG goal is to go live with our coaching program. We inspire and coach other women to take their lives to the next level and to have the courage to go after their dreams. We love life and live our dreams. We have the tools to make it possible and wish for others to do the same, that´s why we are so passionate about our coaching.
We are also working on some projects in Ghana and working on introducing our own health food products to the market. It´s very exciting times we have ahead of us! :)
11. What is your favorite breakfast?
We love to start off our days with either a green smoothie or one of our all-time favorite buckwheat porridges. So let us introduce you to our delicious Raw Buckwheat Porridge with a Magic Maca Touch. It´s an excellent breakfast option to keep you going until lunch and it leaves you perfectly satisfied with a light feeling. It´s super easy to prepare! Raw Buckwheat Porridge with a Magic Maca Touch.
Here’s the recipe.
Ingredients:
- Buckwheat groats (soaked), 3/4 cup
- 2 bananas
- 4 dates
- 1 tbsp maca powder
Topping options:
- Cinnamon
- Berries
- Hemp seeds
- Sliced banana
Directions:
- Wash and rinse the buckwheat groats. Put them in your food processor or a high speed blender (we used a hand mixer). Mix well.
- Add bananas, dates and maca powder. Mix well.
- Pour the porridge in a serving bowl. Top with whatever you desire, for example cinnamon and loads of berries and superfoods. Ready to be enjoyed!
Check out www.therawfoodsisters.com for recipes and more!