The Live Food Diet

Juicing

2007-07-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

The raw food kitchen is not complete without a juicer, an awesome tool that allows us to give our bodies a break from digestion and a quick dose of enzymes and nutrients. Vegetable juice is great for detoxifying during juice fasts, and even cancer patients find it beneficial. There are endless possibilities for vegetable and fruit combinations, but here are some of the ones I have discovered. (You should use organic produce, and if you do, you can also juice the nutritious peels and rinds of your produce. Orange peel should not be eaten.)

Lemonade: 3 apples, 1/2 lemon

Orange juice: 3 oranges, tsp-sized piece of ginger

Green juice (this will not spike blood sugar): 1/2 bunch Swiss chard, 1 cucumber, 1/2 bunch of celery, wheat grass (optional), parsley

Apple carrot: 4 carrots, 3 sticks celery, 2 apples, 1/2 bunch spinach, 1/2 lemon, 1 clove garlic (if you like garlic)

Apple grape: 1 bunch grapes, 2 apples

Fruits and vegetables that are great for juicing: pear, apple, orange, lemon, strawberry, lime, grapefruit, pineapple, melons, cranberry (good for urinary tract infections), pomegranate, Swiss chard, celery (should always be juiced last, as the strings will clog the average juicer), spinach, beets (will make urine pink), basil, dandelion leaves, kale, garlic, ginger, turnips, mint, parsley, cucumber, jicama (starchy), sprouts of all types, wheat grass, any dark greens your juicer can handle.

A note on wheat grass: This is a popular thing to juice in small quantities. Wheat grass has an excellent nutritional profile and is a good source of calcium, potassium, vitamin A, iron, magnesium, B-complex, super oxide dismutase (used by the body to make antioxidants). Among other benefits, it is said to cleanse the liver, help menopausal symptoms, prevent hair loss, cure constipation, detoxify heavy metals, improve digestion, and help prevent cancer.

Wheat grass juice is very potent and it can cause nausea if ingested by itself. In juice bars, it is usually added in shots to other kinds of juice. To get the most out of wheat grass, it is best to buy a wheat-grass juicer (buy a cheap one on eBay).

Tip: It is cheaper to grow your own wheat grass. The most nutritious wheat grass is grown outdoors through the winter, but it can also be done more conviently indoors over a period of about ten days. Just buy wheat berries, soil, and a plastic berry container. Put just enough wheat berries over the soil to cover it completely. Wheat grass needs 3-4" of soil, and it should grow about 5" tall before being cut with scissors. After being cut, it will continue to grow, but this new growth does not have the nutrients of the original grass.

(Cautionary Notes: 1. Drinking the juice of fruit and carrots will spike blood sugar. Drink it infrequently or with high protein foods. 2. Juicing spinach, beets, and collard greens on a regular basis can result in kidney stones. 3. A lot of green juice is a laxitive, which the body can adjust to eventually. Start out juicing in moderation. 4. You still need to eat whole vegetables. Juicing removes fiber, which maintains regularity. 5. Apple seeds should not be juiced. They contain natural cyanide.)

A helpful juicing website: http://www.juicingbook.com/

Raw Ice Cream

2007-04-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

There is such a thing as raw ice cream. For the committed raw-foodist, buying an ice cream maker is a great investment, as is a book called Vice Cream by Jeff Rogers. This raw ice cream recipe book has some unusual flavors (like pumpkin, which is excellent), in addition to the normal flavors. Here is a recipe I use, which is based on the recipes in Vice Cream.

My ice cream maker holds about five cups. Adjust the quantities according to the size of your ice cream maker.

3 cups almond milk
1 cup truly raw cashews (any fatty nut works well, but nuts with skins make the ice cream gritty.)
1/3 cup agave nectar
Any fruit (2 bananas, a cup of strawberries, blackberries, 1/2 cup of carob, raspberries, essential oil of mint, orange juice [or whole])
vanilla (optional. This is good by itself or with fruit.)

Blend all ingredients until smooth (a full five minutes or more). Follow instructions for ice cream maker. This is best eaten immediately because it will freeze solid in the freezer.

An alternative recipe I like:

The contents of a young Thai coconut (This is sweet, fatty, and has excellent flavor, unlike those regular brown hairy coconuts. It is also easier to get into.)
Water
1 cup cashews
1/2 cup carob powder (banana would be good too)
1 tbsp. vanilla

Put contents of coconut in blender and add enough water to make four cups. Add other ingredients and blend. This recipe is based on a coconut macaroon cookie recipe in Raw Food Real World. It's macaroon ice cream.

Raw Recipes I Invented

2007-04-22T13:50:00.004-07:00

Raw Tomato Soup
(no dehydrator required)

Ingredients:

8 ripe roma tomatoes
12 sun-dried tomatoes
2 tsp. nama shoyu (raw soy sauce)
Basil (preferably fresh)
Oregano (preferably fresh)
Parsley
2 tbsp. olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
2 cloves garlic
Pinch cayenne
3 sticks celery
1 white onion
1 cup steamed potatoes
Salt
Pepper

Steam potatoes. Boil 3 cups of water, turn off heat and put chopped celery and onion into it to soften for about a minute. Blend all tomatoes, tamari, basil, oregano, parsley, oil, lemon juice, and cayenne. Mix potatoes, tomato mixture, and strained celery and onions. Add salt and pepper.

Raw Pizza
(dehydrator required)

Crust:

1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
2 jalapeno peppers (CORED!)
1 cup golden flax seeds, finely ground (a coffee grinder works well for these)

Blend all ingredients into a thick paste and spread about 3/8'' thick on a dehydrator tray. Dehydrate at 110 degrees for eight hours. They are good when still a little soft.

Sauce:

3/4 cups sun-dried tomatoes
6 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cups apple cider vinegar
5 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. nama shoyu (raw soy sauce)
1 tbsp. agave nectar
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
Celtic sea salt to taste
A pinch cayenne

Toppings:

1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced thinly
3 tomatoes, seeded and sliced thinly
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped small
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (optional)
1/2 cups sliced black olives (if you can find raw ones)

Marinate chicken in nama shoyu, garlic, and ginger, and fry with oregano, thyme, and basil. (If you are raw, but eat meat and fish occasionally as I do, chicken is great on the pizza. It is, of course, optional, though.) Chop veggies and olives and mix together with the chicken pieces.

Cheese (optional):

The pizza already has enough flavors without "cheese," but here is the recipe:

3/4 cups pine nuts
Juice of half a lemon
2 cloves garlic
Celtic sea salt to taste
6 tbsp. oil (for spreadability)

Blend all ingredients in the blender or food processor.

Assembly:

You can cut the large cracker on the dehydrator tray into a large circle, like a pizza, but I prefer to make small pizzas--about hors d'oeuvre sized. Spread sauce on the crust, sprinkle with toppings, and distribute pieces of "cheese."

Stuffed Pesto Mushrooms
(dehydrator optional)

Ingredients:

12 crimini mushrooms
4 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. nama shoyu
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic

3 cups basil leaves
1-2 cloves garlic
1 cup pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup raw black olives (optional)
Celtic sea salt to taste

Stem the mushrooms, and marinate the whole caps in nama shoyu, apple cider vinegar, and garlic for at least a half hour (overnight is good). Drain marinade. In food processor, blend basil, pecans, pine nuts, tomatoes, olives, and salt. Fill the mushrooms with the pesto and place in the dehydrator at 108 degrees for 1 hour. The mushrooms do not need to be warm, but they are better that way. If you don't have a dehydrator, put the mushrooms in the oven on the lowest temperature with the door slightly open. As with all foods, do not microwave them.

Soaking Nuts and Seeds

2007-04-22T13:50:00.003-07:00

Nuts and seeds are a major part of the raw-food diet, but many people have trouble digesting them. Nuts and seeds contain natural enzyme inhibitors which can be destroyed by soaking them in water. Soaking starts the sprouting process, rendering nuts alkaline forming, as well as tastier and easier to chew.

When I buy nuts, I soak and dehydrate them (at 105 degrees). Different nuts and seeds have different soak times. Hard nuts with skins, like almonds, should be soaked at least eight hours, while a soft seed like sunflower only needs three. I usually just soak them all overnight. After soaking, rinse them to wash off the tannins (brown stuff) that make them hard to digest. The time it takes to dehydrate nuts depends, of course, on the type of nut, but don't take them out until they are completely dry. Put the finished nuts in the freezer.

Sweeteners

2007-04-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

Raw foodists are obviously health-conscious people. Most of them know the dangers of white sugar and artificial sweeteners, but many still use sweeteners that are, although better than sugar, not truly healthy. Using raw maple syrup or organic evaporated cane juice is a step in the right direction, but these foods spike blood sugar and/or are acid forming. The only two sweeteners I know of that are low-glycemic (they don't spike blood sugar), plant-derived, and alkaline forming are stevia and agave nectar.

Stevia, which is derived from a South American herb, is 300 times sweeter than sugar and is therefore sold in small quantities (small bottles of liquid or packets of powder). It has been used extensively in Japan for thirty years with no known side-effects. Whereas the herb stevia provides its sweetness through a couple of unique chemicals, agave nectar is simply fructose-based. Fructose (fruit sugar) is about 1.25 times as sweet as sucrose (table sugar). Agave nectar is derived from the agave cactus and is used to make tequila. It is a liquid similar to honey, but it doesn't crystalize and it has less flavor.

The Enzyme Debate

2007-04-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

One of the main reasons that people stop cooking their food is that they want to preserve the foods natural enzymes. Enzymes are chemicals that help chemical reactions procede in every living cell. In digestion, enzymes are the chemicals that help break down food so that the body can absorb it. Some of these enzymes are provided by the pancreas and some are are already present in food, if it is raw. Cooking destroys enzymes, which, according to raw foodists, makes digestion more difficult. Difficulty with digestion--besides being uncomfortable--keeps the body from absorbing what it needs and makes the body tired. Anyone can tell the difference between how stir-fried vegetables digest and how a salad digests. Although there is some debate over whether enzymes actually do contribute to digestion, my body tells me they do, and I think they are worth preserving.

Problems with Eating Raw

2007-04-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

There are several potential problems that a raw foodist may encounter. All of these may be avoided.

1. Detoxification symptoms. If you go directly from the Standard American Diet to a raw diet, your body will detoxify, which causes a plethora of unpleasant symptoms--diarrhea, cravings, rashes, headaches, etc. This usually lasts only a few days. It may be better to ease into the diet over the course of a week or so.

2. Early loss of too much weight. If you go quickly from a high-carbohydrate diet to a low-carbohydrate diet, your body may not adjust quickly enough, causing you may lose too much weight. It may be better to ease into the diet to allow your body to adjust.

3. Kidney beans (including sprouts) are poisonous when raw, as are buckwheat greens, and rhubarb greens.

4. Some people's digestive systems cannot handle woody vegetables--carrots, broccoli, etc--and these foods must be cooked (preferably by steaming). Not many people are this sensitive, but they should be aware that sometimes foods have to be cooked to render them digestible. Find what works for you.

5. Raw does not always mean healthy. There are several foods I often see in raw-food cookbooks that are not healthy. The most common ones are sweeteners, usually raw maple syrup, organic evaporated cane juice (sugar is sugar), and honey*. The ONLY two sweeteners that cannot cause health problems--as far as I know--are agave nectar and stevia, both of which come from plants. In raw recipes, I have also seen peanuts, which are hard to digest, coffee, commercial chocolate, and cashews**, which are almost always cooked.

6. Won't I become deficient in vitamin B12? This is a major concern of many potential vegetarians, because B12 deficiency can cause anemia. It is not, however, necessary to eat meat to obtain this vitamin because it can be produced in the human gut by friendly bacteria, just as it is in vegetarian animals (like beef, the best source of B12). As long as the bacterial balance of the gut is healthy, a deficiency is not likely. For more information on this subject, see <http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/why-we-should-not-eat-meat/vitamin-b12.html>.

*Honey--Honey is very nutritious, especially in its raw form, but it also converts to glucose quickly in the blood stream (a large percentage of the sugar in honey is sucrose and glucose). This can cause a more severe sugar crash than white sugar does, which is not healthy. I think it should be eaten in moderation or not at all.

**Cashews--When cashews are taken out of their shells, they are heated to temperatures higher than 115 degrees. A cashew package that says "raw" means un-roasted, not uncooked. It is possible to buy truly raw cashews.

Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine by Gabriel Cousins, MD.

2007-04-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

Living Cuisine and Raw Food/Real World both have great information on nutrition, but their authors are chefs, and their focus is on creating excellent, tasty food. Raibow Green Live-Food Cuisine is written by a doctor, and it focuses on the theory of eating raw, which is based on his person al experience of what works best for his patients. For those who start the raw-food diet because they are sick, especially those with chronic diseases, this is a great resource and reference.

He goes into detail on how foods (and chemicals) effect the body, and why we benefit when we eat foods that are raw, organic, non-GMO, low-glycemic, and fresh. His book is inspiring and informative and it can help the reader heal, detoxify, and identify which foods may be irritants. He realizes that different people can reach optimal health with different foods, and he discusses how to develop the best diet for yourself. In the back are sections on raising babies on the raw-food diet, eating raw while traveling, and preventing jet lag.

Although the book is an excellent guide to reaching optimal health, the recipes are not the best. He is a doctor after all, not a chef. He has a few good recipes, and many can be modified, but Rainbow Green is definitely more a wellness guide than a cookbook. He does have a few cooking tips not found in Living Cuisine or RFRW, including using essential oils and making kefir. Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine is definitely a book that should be in every raw kitchen.

From the back of Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine:

These revolutionary recipes do more than stimulate your palate. Properly understood, they enhance your understanding of the biological terrain of the body and mind and the process of attaining optimal health and expanded consciousness. The authors of Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine have created the first sophisticated, gourmet, multinational cuisine based on natural, organic, living food.

In developing the understanding that there is no one diet for everyone and pursuing a scientific means of individualizing one's diet, Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine merges the wisdom of the Ayurvedic dietary approach with modern research on metabolic factors such as fast or slow oxidation; blood type; genetic make-up and more. Learning how to select a diet that fits your unique constitution is the key to health and balance.

The prevalence and dangers of foods that have been genetically engineered; commercially grown with pesticides, herbicides, and hormones; irradiated, microwaved, or even (just) cooked are also addressed. Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine is the most practical solution to these critical personal and planetary issues. This compelling synthesis of research and innovative dietary strategies charts new territory based on an age-old theme: Eat as nature intended.--From the back of Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine

Raw Food/Real World by Matthew Kenny and Sarma Melngailis

2007-04-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

Raw Food/Real World--100 Recipes to Get the Glow

This book is a great complement to Underkoffler's Living Cuisine. The authors own a restaurant in New York and their recipes are as tasty as Underkoffler's. My favorite recipes are the Soft Corn Tortillas (very authentic), the Macaroons, the sushi rolls (exceptional), and the Thai Veggie Wraps. The book has main meals, fruit smoothies, juices, desserts, soups, salads, cocktails, and some excellent spicy flax crackers.

Their personal stories of dieting and detoxification are inspirational. The book is colorful, well-illustrated, and easy to read. Also, the authors personally know Renee Underkoffler and their book seems to intentionally cover things that Underkoffler does not, such as supplements and detoxification. The one problem with the book is that the authors use several foods that, although raw, are not healthy. These include maple syrup, peanuts (hard to digest), and chocolate (caffeinated). The discerning cook can easily make substitutions.

They have a website that offers helpful info and is a resource for some of the hard-to-find ingredients in the book:
http://oneluckyduck.com/index.asp?PAGEACTION=QUICKORDER2

From the inside cover of Raw Food/Real World:

Top New York chef and restaurateur Matthew Kenney, and his partner, Sarma Melngailis, had been thinking of opening a Moroccan restaurant. But one night, they were invited to a raw-food restaurant--and it changed their lives. They instead opened Raw Food and Wine, a restaurant devoted to creative, tasty raw food, and it has been drawing rave reviews. Dishes such as Zucchini and Green Zebra Tomato Lasagna, Golden Squash Pasta with Black Summer Truffles, and Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart with Vanilla Cream have given raw food a sexy new appeal.

The decision to go raw was shocking at first for these two ex-carnivorous chefs but they soon found that preparing and eating raw food made them and their guests feel their physical best. Melngailis noticed a difference almost immediately--"Light, clean, natural, and alive foods make you feel light, clean, and more alive. And sexy." This new way of life has changed their outlook on eating and cooking and connects them to the world around them. As Kenney says, "Raw foods and the lifestyle associated with it are so compelling and complex that we will be forever learning and growing. Already we have discovered some of the magic that life offers."--From Raw Food Real World

Living Cuisine by Renee Loux Underkoffler

2007-04-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods by Renee Loux Underkoffler--A complete guide to living raw, with more than 3o0 irresistible gourmet recipes.

If there is one book a raw foodist should have, it is Living Cuisine. For the new raw-foodist, her recipes are delicious and make the transition easy. She was the co-owner of a raw food restaurant so she definitely knows what she is doing. If you are a beginner and you need motivation, try her stuffed mushrooms or her salad nicoise or her Buddha Back Mocha Cake.

Living Cuisine is also a great book for the beginner because it teaches how to transition, what tools to use, and what to buy. She informs the reader exactly how to stock a raw kitchen and how to use some excellent foods many Americans are unfamiliar with, such as algae, seaweed, umiboshi plums, and miso. She gives the inexperienced cook (like me) tips on how to shop, prepare food, and blend flavors. She explains how to make fresh juice, how to grow those nutritious sprouts (very easy), how to dehydrate without killing enzymes and how to culture and ferment. Her fermented foods are excellent--nut cheese, kim chee, sauerkraut. Living Cuisine gives many tips to those who want to transition to a healthier way of life. She is a teacher who understands how hard it is to make the transition, and she tries to make the process easy and fun.

There are so many handy tips in the book in addition to the basics--how to balance you pH in the morning to start digestion off right, how to render nuts more digestible by soaking, how to make nut milk. She answers many questions: Why eat organic? Is vinegar healthy? Which is the best kind of salt? And of course...Why eat raw?

Living Cuisine is a fun book to read, not just because it is so informative, but because Renee Underkoffler's style is direct and enjoyable. She has not only created a great resource for both beginning and experienced raw foodists, but also an enjoyable read.

Underkoffler also has a great website with tips for eating and living raw: http://www.reneeloux.com/

From the back cover of of Living Cuisine:

Eating Raw isn't just for naturalists and hippies anymore. Today, everyone's setting their tables with the foods nature has already prepared. and these foods go well beyond the sprouts, carrots, and celery that so many associate with this type of diet. Raw foods have gone gourmet!

In Living Cuisine, celebrated raw-foods chef Renee Underkoffler will show you just how varied, exciting, healthy, and delectable raw-foods cuisine can be. she provides easy-to-follow guidelines for incorporating this healthier way of eating into your lifestyle. Whether you are completely dedicated to the raw-foods diet or are simply raw-curious, you will discover how easy it is to transform the raw foods in your kitchen into a sumptuous gourmet feast.

With such delicious and diverse recipes as Pesto-Stuffed Mushrooms, Sweet Corn Bisque with Spicy and Sweet Pepper Relish, Indonesian Vegetable Pad Thai, and Chocolate Hazelnut Torte with Raspberry and Vanilla Creme Frosting, Underkoffler makes it clear that eating raw is anything but boring!

Let Living Cuisine be your guide into the world of raw-foods eating and living. But be warned: Once you go raw, you may never go back. --from the back of Living Cuisine