I'm sure you've heard of the raw foods trend, and while I'm not a fan of subscribing to any particular "diet" per se, I do believe that every eating fad has some good takeaway points. In this case, eating raw foods is an excellent way to ensure you are getting the maximum enzymes available in your food.

Enzymes are important for hundreds of processes in your body, particularly digestion. In simple terms, the very food you eat every single day can actually improve your digestion by providing the raw (pun intended) materials for your digestive juices, as long as you chew your food well. There are many proven benefits of eating a mostly raw food diet, including better bowel movements, glowing skin and -- the most common one among my clients -- improved energy and stamina.

I want to emphasize that as a nutritionist I actually do not recommend a diet of 100 percent raw foods -- there are many cookable foods that you shouldn't eat raw for both health and taste reasons. In fact, for some foods like broccoli, cooking actually brings out its health-promoting nutrients.

The inspiration for my seed cookie recipe came not only from wanting to create something raw, but also from not wanting to crank up my oven in the middle of a Toronto heat wave. I recently made these cookies for a brainstorming meeting with three other health-conscious women, and they were a hit. Everyone asked me for this recipe.

You don't have to be an experienced cook to make these cookies -- they're really easy. If you don't have all the ingredients I've listed below, feel free to get creative. You can really use any seed or nut to make these delicious.

Raw Seed Cookies

Ingredients:

10 Medjool dates, seeds removed
¼ cup of almonds or pecans
2 tbsp flaxseeds
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
Small handful of dried cranberries
Option: Small handful of organic dark chocolate chips
½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Blend on high until all the ingredients are combined and the nuts are broken into small pieces. Spoon out desired amount and form into balls or bite sized cookies. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or enjoy right away.

Joy McCarthy, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Health Coach of Joyous Health, loves to inspire others to eat well and live well. Joy is the resident holistic nutritionist at 889 Yonge, a Yoga & Holistic Lifestyle Spa in Toronto. Joy welcomes your questions or comments.

Please note: All of these recipes are created in my joyous kitchen with the healthiest ingredients. I'm not a calorie counter or a professional chef -- I'm a nutritionist who loves to cook and bake, and I'm delighted to share my creations with you.