Summer is here and swimsuit season is upon us. Whether you’re ramping up for a detox diet or just looking for healthy recipes that taste delicious, you’ll find plenty of inspiring recipes in Everyday Raw Detox. Based on a book by award winning raw food chefs, Matthew Kenney and Meredith Baird, this app is a unique approach to the raw food lifestyle. Recipes aim to detoxify the body one meal at a time, and there is plenty of guidance for raw food newbies.
Keep reading to learn the true meaning of detox and how to get just as much pleasure from healthy meals as you do from a bag of potato chips.
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Getting Started
Open Everyday Raw Detox and the gorgeous cover photo of the eponymous printed book appears — a colorful bowl of vegetables, looking vivacious and full of life. The home screen is a swipe able menu of recipe categories, from tonics, to appetizers, salads, soups and main courses — even skin and body applications. Each category is represented by an attractive photo inviting you to check it out. If you’re like me and have no idea what a “tonic” is, it’s probably best to start with the Intro icon at the bottom of the screen.
Open the app and the gorgeous cover photo of the eponymous cookbook appears, left. The home screen is a menu of recipe categories (smoothies, juices, appetizers, soups and salads, deserts, etc.) you can browse by swiping left and right.
Whatever your thoughts on raw cuisine, the intro seeks to dispel any myths, encouraging you to eat for pleasure and for your health. We often think of detox as a deprivation diet lasting several days, but Everyday Raw Detox encourages users to think of detox in terms of making healthier choices meal by meal, instead of pushing for a “complete lifestyle overhaul.” Every recipe in the app is raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, and free of refined sugars. The tone of the intro is very approachable, effectively setting users at ease — have a look, try a recipe, make a small change in your day for the better — no pressure! You’ll find a short and sweet description of the raw food lifestyle as well as an explanation of what it means to detox.
The Recipes
Return to the home screen to browse the Everyday Raw Detox recipe categories. If you’re looking to live a healthier lifestyle and need inspiration for smoothies, juices or meals, this area is a goldmine of ideas. The photos are so vibrant and the recipes make health food sound luxurious (Pear-Licious, Mimosa Sorbet, Fennel and Zucchini Velouté with Tomato Seed “Caviar”). Tap a recipe category, like Blended Green Tonics, to read the chapter intro and scroll through the list of recipes.
Tap a recipe category, like Salad and Soup Tonics, to view the chapter intro and browse the recipe list, left. The recipe photos are vibrant and appetizing, right.
For the uninitiated, a raw diet may seem intimidating, but the recipes are very approachable and simple. It would be nice if you could tap on the more unusual ingredients to learn more. This type of “cooking” involves a lot of chopping vegetables and assembly, which means you don’t have to be an expert in the kitchen to make the recipes.
Each recipe includes an introductory anecdote, which makes the raw diet feel approachable for the uninitiated. Recipe instructions are clear and easy to read, right.
The recipes are full of bold, punchy flavors, like Carrot Mango Curry Soup Quinoa with Cherries, Olives, Parsley, Avocado and Lemon. This app will get you thinking about vegetables, fruits and grains in new ways and ignite your creativity in the kitchen. The last recipe category is Skin and Body Tonics, a selection of do-it-yourself hair masks, body scrubs, and facial treatments. Even the body tonics sound appetizing — Coffee and Sugar Body Scrub or Avocado and Honey Face Mask, anyone?
Additional Features
After you’ve finished browsing the recipes, check out the menu of options at the bottom of the screen. This area of the app is a bit random, with no explanation to guide you. It seems like content from the printed book was just imported here, almost as an afterthought. Tap Detox and you’ll find a list of scary terms health terms like abdominal cramps, dysentery, flavonoids. It’s funny how things change. One minute you’re drooling over beautifully photographed healthy meals and the next you’re reading about dysentery. Tap on a term and a list of associated recipes is displayed.
The Detox section is a list of terms, including diseases and positive health benefits, left. Tap on a term, like Anti-Inflammatory, to find a list of related recipes in the app, right.
Sometimes it’s easy to see the connection, like with Anti-Inflammatory and the recipe for Heart Beat, but other times it seems to make no sense at all — like with Dysentery and Coconut Hair Mask. This area is useful if you’re looking for detox tonics to help with a certain condition, like headaches or menstrual cramps, but it would be better if you the app had a search tool or you could jump through the menu a bit faster, rather than having to scroll through the whole alphabetical list. The Ingredients section is designed exactly the same, with a list of ingredients commonly found in the raw diet, from agave to quinoa to turmeric. If you’re looking for inspiration on what to make with a certain ingredient you’ve got on hand, this is the place. The measurement converter tool is buggy and difficult to use. It’s not even clear why they included this in the app.
Conclusion
Everyday Raw Detox is a fun, inspiring app dedicated to helping you detox one meal at a time. The modern, clean design and appetizing photos have a luxury spa feel to them, and you’ll be inspired to find the freshest ingredients and get cooking. Though the app is easy to navigate and rich in content, it sometimes feels unfinished, like a halfway done job. A little design love would go a long way in remedying this.
Regardless, the app is a joy to use and well worth the $2.99 price tag. The recipes are creative and flavorful while still being easy to put together for those who have little kitchen experience. If you’re looking for healthy, detoxifying recipes that taste good and look gorgeous, you’ll find it in Everyday Raw Detox.