A Christmas Tree Made From Nothing But Raw Veggies!

Here's an article about (and great photo of) a Christmas tree made entirely from raw vegetables!
It's gorgeous and edible!

Raw Vegans for Dennis Kucinich

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RV4DK/

Dennis Kucinich is the only vegan running for president, and the only candidate proposing universal free health care for all. He's a peace and environmental activist and has many great values and ideas! His wife is a vegan also. Check out his platform.

The Salad Song!

We now share with you The Salad Song, thanks to the awesome indy radio station wfmu.org
(Just ignore the word "ham" in this song!)

Dennis Kucinich FEEDING a Turkey on Thanksgiving

Dennis has the compassion to make a fine president. He is electable!

The Little e-Book of Raw Holiday Recipes, by Judy Pokras

Photo by Judy Pokras, copyright 2007

I'm excited to announce the arrival of my brand new e-book of holiday recipes!

It celebrates food that’s interesting and tasty, with complex flavors and textures and unexpected ingredients, and plated with flair. Food that’s good for us!

Vegetable Orchestra--All Their Instruments Are Veggies!!!

The Vegetable Orchestra video on FoxyTunes Planet

[via FoxyTunes / The Vegetable Orchestra]

This Cartoon Should Be in All Supermarkets

How to Buy Organic Apples (comic)

This brilliant cartoon needs to be in all supermarkets. It would make a great T-shirt and should also be on placards that protesters hold up for TV cameras to blast across the world's TV sets.

Interview with Funny Raw Song Video Guy

If you've seen Joel J. Jacobs' hysterical YouTube video about eating raw foods, you might wonder, as I did, what inspired him. Look no further! Here's my exclusive interview with this funnyman. If you haven't seen his video yet, there's a previous blog post here (June 20) with a link to it. You can find it easily in this blog's list of labels (tags) under Joel S. Jacobs.

A Really Raw Celebration in Spain

Spainiards take it further than US raw foodists when they get down and dirty with their annual tomato fight (tomatina)! Think of mud wrestling, but in raw tomato sauce. (Don't miss the fabulous photos!)

Our Heroes--Cafe Gratitude

I'm grateful for Cafe Gratitude, and I wish there were one in every town!
Their philosophy is awesome. I haven't tried their food yet, because they're 3,000 miles away from me. Here are the owners/founders talking about their vision.

David Wolfe's Deep Love for Trees

In this video, raw foods personality David Wolfe talks about his deep love for trees. Very sweet.

A Film About Raw Foods As Sexy

Here's a trailer for Markus Rothkranz's upcoming film about how sexy the raw foods lifestyle is.

New Hydroponic Growing Cylinder

This is the coolest invention I've seen in a long time! It produces very strong plants, they can be grown indoors, and it equals the growing space of a much much larger area than the space it takes up.

Funny Video Guys Sings: I Will Eat Raw!

One guy's funny video parody of I Will Survive, raw food style.

Hillary Orders Raw Carrots in Restaurant!

In this adorable video, Hillary Clinton tells husband, Bill, she ordered him raw carrots instead of onion rings because she's looking out for him. This is a must-see! Is Hillary into raw foods?!

An Open Letter to Michael Moore

Dear Mike,

I'm very impressed with Sicko. It's brilliant! Maybe you'll be president some day; but then again, maybe you have more real power as an indy filmmaker than as someone who would need mega millions for a campaign.

Here's hoping you'll take on the food industry next. There are so, so, so many things wrong with it. In no particular order, here are just a few:

-- Non-organic food contains toxins--pesticides and herbicides and industrial chemicals in ground waste--that are making people sick.

-- Genetically engineered food is being sold without our knowing it's been GE'd, and without our knowing what ill effects it may have on our health.

-- Congress doesn't allocate enough money for enforcement of the Organic Labeling Law; this in itself is a crime! We're paying extra for foods we believe are organically grown, and they might not be at all.

-- Most of the produce we find in supermarkets nowadays comes from other countries, not our own. Even when it's labeled organic, we can't know the conditions in which it's been grown. Food from places like China has been shown to be contaminated with all kinds of awful toxins.

-- We consumers don't know what's been done to fresh produce before it's allowed into the US; it might be fumigated, heat-treated, hot water treated, etc.

-- Non-local fresh produce is often coated with wax and various other substances to keep it intact during long trips. We don't know what those ingredients are or how they affect our health.

-- Organic Raw Vegan food promotes health so much more than processed, cooked foods. This is a fact that needs to get out more.

-- Research from The Picower Institute in the early 1990s and the Swedish Academy in the early 2000s showed that cooking food creates acrylamides--harmful chemicals that cause aging and chronic disease.

-- When food is heated over 118 degrees Fahrenheit, the food's digestive enzymes are destroyed. We're born with digestive enzymes but as we get older they decrease. The work of digestion takes a lot of the body's energy, and as a result there isn't as much energy left to fight off disease. We're better off eating raw food, whose enzymes are intact.

-- Raw vegan food is not only delicious (and it is!), it keeps people in excellent health, energized, slim and youthful.

-- Interest in raw vegan food is growing and will soon reach the tipping point. When I first launched RawFoodsNewsMagazine.com, in 2001, media mentions of raw vegan recipes, restaurants and books were rare. Now they're commonplace.

-- I'd be happy to recommend some fabulous raw vegan restaurants and books, and to work on this film with you. I'm a longtime journalist (having written for many publications, including The New York Times) with a background in film and video.

Judy Pokras
Editor/Founder/Publisher
RawFoodsNewsMagazine.com

Have you met RawGirl yet?

Click on the headline to meet her. She's a raw foods super hero who always saves the day! Her MySpace page URL is rawgrrl, but her costume says RawGirl. She's the coolest!

Exciting Investment Opportunity in the Raw Foods Community

Check out this exciting investment opportunity!

The New York Times Gives Cafe Gratitude a Rave Review

And this is great for all of us, because Cafe Gratitude is expanding and, as you can see in the photo of the blueberry cheesecake that runs with the review, is bringing luxurious awesome idyllic raw recipe food to the world!

Kucinich is the Only Vegan Running for President

Kucinich is the only true peace candidate--the only one who voted against the war from the beginning, and never voted for any funding. He is the creator of The Dept. of Peace. He also wants to do away with our trade agreements, to bring jobs back to America. He has a 100 percent positive record on how he has voted on environmental and animal issue bills. He's vegan, meditates, is a pacifist. He's an amazing man, truly one of a kind. Please check out his website.

THANKS!

Marr Nealon
Volunteer, Kucinich for President Campaign
www.kucinich.us

List of Foods with Most and Least Pesticides

Have you seen the Environmental Working Group's list of the produce containing the most and the least pesticides?

Stop the US from Pasteurizing All Almonds!!!

The FDA recently announced plans to begin pasteurizing all almonds. Have you signed this petition urging them not to, and urging them to label the ones that are? Also see action link at bottom of article excerpt.

Here's an excerpt from an article giving all the sordid details:

It is The Cornucopia Institute's contention that even if independent research concludes that treated almonds are in fact safe, labeling them as “raw” is misleading and deceptive to consumers, many of whom wish to purchase truly raw, unprocessed almonds. “Raw foods are increasingly in demand. The new rule is another case of the public being deprived the opportunity to intelligently choose their food supply,” said Jimbo Someck, who owns and operates four of the country’s leading independent natural food stores, in the San Diego area.

The new regulation to sterilize almonds coincides with the recent announcement by the Food and Drug Administration that it intends to relax its labeling requirements for irradiated food. The FDA proposal will also allow irradiation, the controversial ionization process, to be called pasteurization—a reference that is troubling many food safety watchdogs.

“Consumers deserve to know how their food has been processed,” said Food and Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter. “Mislabeling irradiated food as ‘pasteurized’ or treated food as ‘raw’ is an industry attempt to make consumers buy products that they otherwise might avoid.”

In light of heightened public concern, the Cornucopia Institute has appealed to USDA Secretary Mike Johannes to postpone implementation of the new regulatory requirements and reopen the almond docket to public comment. Only 18 public comments—all from the almond industry—were received on the proposal.

Unlike consumers, retailers, or other organizations concerned with food safety, all almond handlers received a personal letter or fax from the USDA alerting them to the sterilization proposal and inviting them to comment. "The industry and the USDA tried to slip this through quietly, under the radar, without adequate public scrutiny," Cornucopia's Kastel lamented. "We are asking the Secretary of a unit of government that Abraham Lincoln referred to as the ‘People's Department’ to intervene so concerned citizens can have a say. The close collaboration, away from the eyes of the citizens and the media, we are sure, is not something the Secretary will feel good about." An action alert with instructions for contacting the USDA, and a sample letter interested consumers can send to the USDA and California Almond Board, can be found on the Cornucopia Institute Website: www.cornucopia.org.

This New Kitchen Appliance Makes It Easy to Grow Vegetables Indoors!

Teeravit Hanharutaivan and his VEGE

Let's hope some manufacturer buys this brilliant invention by a young Thai student named Teeravit Hanharutaivan. Called VEGE, it lets you grow up to 40 different vegetables hydroponically in your kitchen. Congratulations to Teeravit Hanharutaivan for inventing such a wonderful appliance. It will improve the health of everyone in the world! Teeravit Hanharutaivan deserves a huge prize for this!

My letter re: Utah Newspaper's Excellent Raw Foods Article

See my letter to a Utah newspaper about their reporter's excellent article about a geophysicist who became a raw restaurateur.

Eating Fruit May Prevent Colon Cancer

Here's an article that came out the other day touting the cancer preventing qualities in fruits.

I haven't posted in days because my computer kept crashing, dozens of times a day, like every few minutes! So far today it hasn't crashed in several hours!

Help Spread the Word: Stop Global Warming; GO VEGAN

I'm a raw vegan and I believe it's a great way to eat, for so many reasons:

• It's nutrient dense and free from toxic and harmful ingredients, so it boosts our health;
• It keeps us lean and energized;
• When made by talented professional and amateur chefs, the food tastes fabulous.

Most people in the world are carnivores and omnivores. When those people become vegetarians and vegans, they're moving closer to raw vegan. A United Nations report reveals scientists found that when people switch to a vegan diet, it does more to prevent global warming than even switching to a hybrid car. I've created bumper stickers, t-shirts and other items that say:

Stop Global Warming

GO VEGAN!

Help save the earth! Buy t-shirts and bumper stickers, put them on your vehicles, wear them, send some to politicians and journalists and spread the word!

Raw Recipe Book Author to Give Demo at March 25 Washington State VegFest

Jenny Cornbleet, the author of Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2, will give a recipe demo on Sunday, March 25 at 1:50 p.m. at the Washington State VegFest.

If you go, please let us know how it was!

OK Magazine's Feature on Raw Foods

The celebrity news magazine OK has an article in its current issue on raw foods. I haven't seen it yet, but here's how they promote it on their website: CELEBS’ HOT NEW DIET: RAW FOOD!

Inspiring Raw Weight Loss Article

A Denver Post article relates how a one-time obese guy lost more than 100 pounds in six months by switching to a raw vegan diet. Inspiring!

Happy Green St. Pat's Day to All

I'd like to take a moment here to say that we at RawFoodGrrl and RawFoodsNewsMagazine.com are green 365 days of the year, not just today! Ecologically and dietarily green! Join us!

Raw Version of Vietnamese Roasted Banana Dessert

Here's an online video demo of raw chef Vanessa Sherwood's adaptation of a Vietmanese Roasted Banana dish. It looks delish!

The Fruit with the Most Protein

Did you know that avocado has more protein than any other fruit?

Tennessee Raw Chef Signs with Local Whole Foods Market

According to this article, a (beer-drinking !) raw vegan chef has signed a contract to make prepared raw foods for her local Tennessee Whole Foods Market. She also sells her food products at other local venues. I hope her entrepreneurial efforts will inspire raw vegan chefs everywhere to do the same. The more raw takeout-food there is for consumers to buy, the better!

Ben Vereen to Appear at Raw Film Festival

The Broadway and Hollywood dancer, singer, actor Ben Vereen will be making an appearance at the first Raw Film Festival, on Saturday for the screening of "Supercharge Me," which he appears in.

Preview of Film "Interview with Sergei"

The film Interview with Sergei, featuring Sergei Boutenko, of the raw foods Boutenko family, will be shown at the upcoming First Annual Raw Food Film Festival in Los Angeles. Here's an excerpt.

First Annual Raw Foods Film Fest in LA March 16-18

The First Annual Raw Lifestyle Film Festival featuring films about the raw vegan diet, organics, healthy lifestyles, and natural living aims to catapult the information gathered and experienced in the Raw, Vegan, Living Foods Communities into mainstream culture. This event caters to raw vegans as well as all people interested in healthy eating and living.

The event will take place at the MOA Japanese Healing Arts Center, phone: (310) 657-7200, at 8564 Melrose Ave. (between La Cienega & San Vicente), in West Hollywood, CA 90069, diagonally across from the Bodhi Tree Bookstore, from Friday March 16 to Sunday March 18. The Festival is being organized by Serenity Spaces.

Oklahoma Library Held Raw Foods Talk and Buffet Meal

It's great to see raw food events in small towns in the middle of the country!

The Tahlequah, Oklahoma library featured a talk recently about raw foods and many raw dishes, as part of its monthly "Books Sandwiched In" series. Here's an excerpt from what the Tahlequah Daily Press reported about the event, quoting the organizer, George Kilmer:

People also should encourage the produce managers in their grocery stores to stock more organic fruits and vegetables, he said. “It’s not only the health of our bodies, but the health of the planet that’s at stake,” he said. Among the benefits of raw foods is that they contain their natural enzymes. Cooking destroys these enzymes. “They’re little proteins, and proteins are heat sensitive,” he said.

Kilmer plans to organize a local farmer's market next.

Utah's First Raw Foods Restaurant

Kudos to Salt Lake Tribune writer Kathy Stephenson, on a beautiful, inspiring story (Raw Foods: Earth to mouth, March 7, 2007).

I'm delighted to hear that 27-year-old Omar Abou-Ismail left an intense career as a geophysical engineer to become a raw restaurateur! How awesome is that! And to think he started his business with a minuscule $3,000 loan!

Restaurants are known for being very risky businesses, even for experienced restaurateurs, so a big "Bravo!" to Omar!

Here's an excerpt from the article:

John Sroka, of South Jordan, is one of the many regulars at Living Cuisine. He was diagnosed with m yasthenia gravis, a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease that causes weakness, often in the muscles that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expression, chewing, talking and swallowing. "Eating raw foods is the only thing that I've found that helps me with that," said Sroka, as he dined on a falafel salad recently. Sroka said for several months he ate an entirely raw diet. "It seems like a strange thing," he said. "But it's cleansing, energizing and a great way to lose weight because you can eat as much as you want."

We're with Peta That Gore Should Go Vegan for the Environment

PETA's written a letter to Al Gore offering to have a chef teach him how to go vegan, for the environment. This is a fine idea! Peta's timing is right-on! What better a way could there be to draw attention to this topic?

In February 2006, my magazine, www.RawFoodsNewsMagazine.com published an article by a Ph.D. about why switching to a vegan diet does more to prevent global warming than switching to a hybrid car.

Last year I created an online store with t-shirts, totes, caps, bumper stickers, magnets and more saying:

STOP GLOBAL WARMING,

GO VEGAN

(And once Gore goes vegan, he can then discover how wonderful raw vegan is.)

Dean Ornish Explains Why JAMA Dietary Study is Flawed

In a Newsweek online column, M.D. Dean Ornish explains why he disagrees with a new study that compared four diets, including his. Hear, hear!

Here are two excerpts:

1. March 6, 2007 - A study came out today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) claiming that you can lose more weight on an Atkins diet than an Ornish, Zone, or LEARN (Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitudes, Relationships and Nutrition) diet and—ta dah!—(drum roll, maestro), it’s even better for your heart! I imagine that a lot of people are going to be saying, “You mean I’ve been eating fruits and vegetables for all these years for nothing when I could have been eating bacon and eggs? What was I thinking!”

2. [In the study of the Ornish diet] There was a direct correlation between how well people adhered to the diet and how much blockage there was in their coronary arteries. There were 2.5 times fewer cardiac events such as heart attacks, and 99 percent of these patients stopped or reversed the progression of their heart disease. These are actual measures of heart disease, not just risk factors such as changes in cholesterol levels. So, for the study that came out today in JAMA to say that the Atkins diet is just as good for your heart as an Ornish diet makes me a little crazy, since they didn’t measure heart disease, only risk factors.

Darryl Hannah's Raw Foods Video

Darryl Hannah has a cool video on her blog about raw foods.

A List of Raw Restaurants

A list of raw restaurants in the US

A Raw Foods Way to Use Gumball Machines

Blanc writes the following:

Thought I'd share this with you all:

For several years I've had a gum-ball container (the kind they sell at those candy stores where they also provide all those many-colored round candies) that I didn't know what to do with, since I don't consume anything which would work well for dispensing through that little opening. I tried nuts, but they don't work so well, either. I finally found something I could use it for: goji berries!

I had bought a large bag and had been snacking on them like crazy. It occurred to me that I could put them in the gumball container and pour a small handfull as I walked by. Kind of amusing to me, but I'm glad I kept the container and could put it to good use.

Movie "Supercharge Me" To Show at Raw Film Fest in CA

Supercharge Me is a feature-length documentary about Jenna Norwood's experiment with eating raw food for 30 days. It will be shown at the first-ever Raw Film Festival in Hollywood, CA from March 15-18. We wish Jenna the best of luck with her film!

Grow Your Own Goji Berry Plants

As you may know, goji berries are loaded with antioxidants. They might not be so easy to find in a store, depending on where you live, although you can get them by mail-order.

Here's a company that sells the plants that you can grow on your own.

Fox News' Dr. Manny Gives Good Health Award to Raw Foods

Inspired by Hollywood's Oscars, Dr. Manny Alvarez of Fox News gave out his first annual Good Health Awards, and one of them goes to raw foods!

Here's what he writes:

The Raw Foods, Raw Power Award
More and more people have been trying to get back to basics when it comes to food and nutrition. Buying organic foods is one way to eliminate the additives in processed foods, genetically-modified ingredients and insecticides, from your diet. Take it one step further, and you've got a raw foods diet.

Heating food causes the natural enzymes in food to break down, so the goal of the raw foods movement, according to its advocates, is to preserve the enzymes in food by eating only foods that have not been heated above a certain temperature--typically, 118 degrees. Food rich in enzymes is not only healthier, say raw foods advocates, it is also more easily digested and will help you feel more energetic and even look younger.

Raw foodists consume fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and nuts, though some also add fish, meat and dairy products. There are concerns that individuals might not get all the nutrients they need from a diet that eliminates meats, fish, dairy, and processed foods, but having people think about the health benefits of foods in their more natural states might have more people making healthier choices with their cooked foods.

This Dr. Manny Award is to be shared between former super model Carol Alt and Woody Harrelson. These two celebrities have probably been the most visible in spreading the word on raw foods.

Raw Vegan Radio's Latest Interview

Raw Vegan Radio's latest interview (available as a podcast) is of Cory Churko, who's had a multi-faceted career in music for more than 20 years and who switched to raw foods last summer. Cory's worked as a musician, producer and audio-engineer, with such people as Elton John and Shania Twain. In this interview, he talks about touring the world as a raw foodist.

Raw Foods Restaurant Opened Recently in New Haven, CT

Ahimsa, a mostly-raw restaurant, opened a few weeks ago in New Haven, CT. A recent article in the Yale Daily News that mentions it says there's also a raw restaurant called the Alchemy Juice Bar Cafe in Hartford, CT. It's great to see restaurants opening outside NYC!

NJ's Only "Almost" All-Raw Restaurant

I haven't been to East Coast Vegan, in Toms River, NJ, but will check it out next time I'm in the area. In this newspaper review, owner Michael Pollack says when he first opened, the menu featured cooked food, but since he switched to "almost all raw," his business has increased three- or four-fold.

Dragon Fruit

I've never had the pleasure of finding dragon fruit to buy and eat, but it sure is pretty!

Let me know if you've tasted it and what you think of it!

Buttery-Colored Dressing

I just created a dressing and I love the way it came out! It tastes great and is a captivating light yellow color.

Here's my recipe:

Judy's Buttery Colored Dressing

(These are the amounts for one serving; multiply according to how many people you're serving.)

The freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon
1 clove of garlic, grated
1 tablespoon raw sesame tahini
2 tablespoons flaxseed oil (I used Barleans, high lignan)
Celtic salt to taste

Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour into salad.

My salad today consisted of bite-sized pieces of turnip, turnip greens, kale leaves, and tatsoi, with a sprinkling of Zingerman's Wild Tuscan Fennel Pollen and the above-mentioned dressing. I was too hungry to take a picture so you'll have to imagine it.

Le Nozze Di Carlo Salad

Inspired by the the idyllic weather and the vibrant produce at the farmer’s market this morning, I came home and made a beautiful salad. I took this picture of it before it jumped into my mouth:

By the way, those aren’t sticks of dynamite—they’re French Breakfast radishes. When you stand them up, with their long tails resembling wicks, they make good stand-ins for birthday cake candles.

Serving suggestion: While eating this salad, why not listen to a lovely CD by a NYC band named Le Nozze di Carlo, the current band of Bob Goldberg, who was my former band-mate in the 1980s. This CD (same name as the band) is the perfect thing to listen to on a day when you’re feeling happy. And if you’re not feeling happy, its celebratory music might just change your mood. Listening to it is like being on a European vacation. I’m naming this salad after the band, because I created (and ate) this recipe while listening to their album.

Le Nozze di Carlo Salad

By Judy Pokras

Radicchio
French Breakfast radishes
Dulse
Broccoli microgreens
Arugula
Fresh dill
Parsley
Cilantro

You could also throw in grape tomatoes and clover sprouts.
Hell, feel free to throw in anything you like, because recipes are like that; they’re not autocratic!

Vinaigrette Dressing

Freshly squeezed lime juice
First-cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil (from a dark glass bottle)
Celtic salt

Toss and serve.

I photographed the salad on a plate for aesthetic reasons, but then I dumped it all into a large stainless steel bowl, which is how I prefer to eat my salads. Jay Leno says he won’t eat anything in a bowl because he doesn’t like ingredients to touch each other. Well, in that case, my salad is an orgy. But really, it’s much easier to eat salad from a bowl. With a plate, the ingredients can go zooming off onto the table or your lap.

Enjoy!

Raw Food Diet Heals Diabetes

Here's a low glycemic breakfast cereal recipe from a great DiabetesHealth.com article by Aimee Perrin, Why One Woman Stopped Cooking: The Raw Story, about how a raw foods diet helps people overcome diabetes:

Low Glycemic Breakfast Cereal
1 T flax oil
1 T flax seeds
1 T hemp seeds
1 tsp maca powder
2 tsp shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 tsp raw cacao nibs
Salt & sweeten with stevia to taste, then mix thoroughly in bowl.
Protein 6 g; Carb 10.2 g; Fat 28.9 g; Calories 325

Seattle Guy's Organicize Me

Seattle Weekly reporter Michael A. Stusser took an assignment to eat 100 percent organic for a month, and to write about it. The piece he wrote has some excellent information in it, such as this:

For plenty of families, buying organic produce is less of a priority than simply putting fresh food on the table. For those who must pick and choose, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has established a "dirty dozen": produce that, due to high pesticide residue, absolutely should be purchased organic. Apples and nectarines top the list, followed by cherries, peaches, pears, raspberries, imported grapes, strawberries, bell peppers, celery, potatoes, and spinach. If you can't go 100 percent organic, certain fruits and vegetables—due to how they're grown and ease of cleaning—are less likely to be contaminated, including bananas, mangos, pineapples, corn, onions, avocados, peas, and cauliflower.

The surprise is the conclusion he comes to at the article's end, to eat only raw food!

Freeze-Dried Durian, Anyone?

If you've ever eaten the exotic fruit called durian, you'll know it's got some mighty strong cons, namely that the sweet taste is cancelled out for many people by the unpleasant fragrance. Fresh durian is said to be worlds better than the defrosted stuff that's shipped frozen, but most people can't find or afford it.

So I was delighted to come across the following posting by a Seattle woman named Nora to the yahoo e-group called RawSchool:

Hi everyone,I discovered something new today. While I was waiting for a fresh case of durian to be brought out from the freezer at a store in the International District of Seattle, I noticed something on the shelf called "freeze dried durian". I noted that it said on the package it was "all natural" with no additives or preservatives, so I decided to buy a small package. Wow, what a taste treat. It reminded me so much of candy (it's like a malted milk ball without the chocolate coating) that I basically just ate it and waited for the pain! But it was surprisingly easy to digest, or at least there were no negative effects as of about 2 hours after I ate it, when I ate some frozen durian. Frozen durian always gives me a bit of a hangover the next day, so if I feel badly tomorrow it will be hard to tell if it was the frozen or dried durian.I googled 'freeze drying' because I was curious about it and found the description below. According to this info, there is less cellular damage than what happens during dehydration. Very interesting! I probably won't make this a staple or even eat it frequently but I think it would be a fabulous way for someone to experience durian for the first time because the taste is very similar to fresh durian (even more similar than frozen) and there is no smell, no mess, and no wondering how to pick one out or defrost it, etc. Plus I'm sure it can be ordered on line by people in rural areas who don't have access to durian in any other form. In fact, I found this link, although the prices look quite a bit higher than I paid today ($3.45 for a 30g pkg, which I paid $2.09 for, same label).

Raw Food As Mating Signal

From Saveur Magazine:

In certain parts of Italy, male suitors wear basil in their hair to signal the seriousness of their intentions.

I hope this catches on in the US!

Raw Foods Family's on Tonight's TV Show Wife Swap

A few months ago, an e-mail was circulating in which a TV reality show producer was seeking a raw foods family to be on their show. The participating family would be paid $20,000. There was a lot of talk in the raw foods community suggesting that it wasn't a good idea to participate, because the show would force rawies to eat cooked foods and would make fun of the raw foods lifestyle.

On tonight's episode of the reality show Wife Swap (which airs on ABC), one of the families is into raw foods, but they're not raw vegans. Still it should be interesting to watch this episode, to see how the fashion-forward other wife tries to get the raw family to eat cooked food. Here's an excerpt from a review of the episode:

In the second week of the swap, when the wives change the rules and turn the tables, Barbara tries to turn the Hess-Webbs on to a raw food diet and licks the kitchen floor to teach the family that germs are not to be feared. In an effort to show Robert that he's too attached to appearances, she tries to box up and throw away his prized collection of designer duds, and he throws out her raw foods in retaliation. Meanwhile Kim makes the Haigwoods eat cooked food and takes them all to a doctor, but her plan backfires when he pronounces the family healthy.

Howard Stern, the Radio Guy, Eats Raw Food

According to New York Magazine's excerpt from Sarma Melngailis's blog, the Howard Stern of radio fame (not the Howard K. Stern who was involved with Anna Nicole Smith) eats raw food in her NYC restaurant, Pure Food and Wine.

It's tres cool to know that someone with as many diehard fans as radio-Howard eats raw food. But because I'm into high concept recipes, my favorite part of what Sarma wrote in that post is her description of certain things on her restaurant's menu for Valentine's Day:

"Rose petals in mache salad with candied pine nuts; shaved pineapple with mint, ginseng, and ginger; asparagus, winter truffle, and wild mushrooms en Papillote with creamed celeriac, endive, and wine-soaked black figs."

But as a purist, I'd chuck the wine and use freshly squeezed grape juice instead.

An Organic Farmer's Wishes

I just got back from my weekly visit to the only organic farm in the region. They're only open Fridays and Saturdays, or I'd shop there more often. The farm consists of three acres that are farmed with love. They sell their own organic produce plus fruits and vegetables shipped in from elsewhere--as far away as China, where the garlic comes from. I'm not thrilled about buying garlic from China because although it's labeled USDA organic, it comes from arguably the most polluted country on earth. It's hard to believe that no one in the US is growing organic garlic.

The farmer, whose name is Bill Pischer, said he'd love to buy more farmland but land in this town is too expensive, and the local government doesn't seem to care about farmers. Bill's wish is for the state (in this case, Florida) to give tax incentives for local farms. He'd also like the local politicos to put out a guide to local growers. He said he's suggested it to no avail.

What would it take to get them interested in these ideas?

Raw Foods & Bill Gates' Money

What would you do for raw foods if you had Bill Gates' money? Here's what some people would do.

I wonder if Bill Gates has ever eaten at a great raw restaurant.

Papaya Ripening Question

Someone writes:

I have a question about papaya, which I really love. The problem is that often when I have them on the counter waiting for them to ripen and become sweet, the skin becomes brownish and sunken, almost looking like it's going to get mold; and sometimes when I open it, it tastes a little weird because of this. How should I store them to keep them from getting this way and to ripen in a better way? Right now I have them on the counter.

Thanks,
Henrik

Henrik and other consumers might like to see what the Hawaiian Papaya Industry Association writes about buying and storing papayas. For one thing, I'd say if the papaya looks brownish and sunken, it's either over ripe or it's bad and should be exchanged at the store for a better one.

I have one concern about imported produce, and it's that we consumers don't know how produce is treated (fumigated? steam-treated? dipped in hot water? waxed with toxic chemicals?) before being allowed into the country, whatever country we might live in. The produce might not be technically raw, or organic--even if it says so), depending on how it's been treated.

A Raw Physician's Response to Lethargy Question

In the previous post, someone had asked why she was experiencing lethargy from eating mostly raw food and some cooked food, like tofu. The raw foods M.D. Thomas Lodi, of Arizona, has suggested the following in response to her question:

I would recommend 2 to 3 colonics per week for 2 weeks then 1 per week for 6 weeks...also, need to avoid tofu and steamed veggies...these are damaged by heat...salad should include broccoli, cabbage, avocado, and many green leafy veggies...you need 3 tablespoons of flax oil per day and two tablespoons of ground flax seeds...use only Himalayan or Celtic sea salt and have at least 2 teaspoons per day...use kale and dandelions in your drinks...sleep by 9 PM.

Listen to Your Body re: What You Eat

A woman writes the following:

We have been raw/vegan now for about 5 weeks. The first 10 days we felt great, but since then we both are feeling extremely lethargic. I am wondering if we are missing vitamins, or is this a detox effect? We are sleeping 10 hours at night, then we nap 2-3 hours a day when we can. This is very unusual for us. Also we have no ambition or energy to do anything other than what is absolutely necessary. We have a veggie juice in the a.m., usually fruit and nuts for snack and lunch, then dinner is steamed veggies with tofu, or raw veggie salad. If you have any thoughts on how to get over this or what it is, please let me know! Thanks.

Here's what I responded:

I would recommend reading the book Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens, M.D. He goes over different ways of eating and discusses the ways in which our individual biochemistries are affected by what we eat.

It may be that eating raw vegan food is not the whole answer. We might need to eat raw food according to the tenets of Ayurveda, or even, perhaps, our blood type. Also, there's always the question of whether we as raw vegans are getting enough B-12. And are we getting enough sunlight (Vitamin D)? Another thing to consider is: Are we eating too much of a food that we might be allergic to? This is all food for thought.

Sienna Miller & Jay Leno Have "Grape-Off"

I always like when celebrities eat raw foods. Here's a funny video of Sienna Miller and Jay Leno having a "Grape-Off" contest on the air. Let us know if you have a grape-off with your friends.

Add Yourself to Online Map of Raw Foodists Worldwide

There's a very cool map of raw foodists that you can add yourself to. Find raw foods enthusiasts who live in your area. See areas where there are lots of raw foodists! This is at least as useful as a NYC subway map, and twice as fun!

12 Steps to Raw Food

Victoria Boutenko is an author and speaker with a fascinating theory--that people are addicted to cooked food in the way they might be addicted to alcohol, tobacco or drugs. She suggests following a 12-step plan to get over the addiction. We think she's onto something. Here's an article she wrote about her theory.

Towards a 4-Star Raw Foods Cuisine

I wrote the following in 2001 and updated it in 2003. We've made some progress! We need to make some more!

Towards a 4-Star Raw Foods Cuisine

Whenever I mention my raw foods lifestyle to a non-raw friend or relative, despite my considerable enthusiasm, I'm usually met with a ho-hum response. In fact, I'd sure be surprised if some cooked foods eater reacted to my zeal with a hearty "Wow, I'm gonna start eating all raw now too!" It's not that I'm negative. It's just that I don't think that cooked foods eaters' lack of interest in trying something new is only because they're stuck in their habits.

The Challenge

I think the real problem is that we still don't have a 4-star raw foods cuisine. Sure, those of us who've been raw for a while (and who live in the right places) have enjoyed the rare raw restaurant, have savored the occasional amazing dish at a pot luck, and have been willing to order large salads--or gazpacho or guacamole (if we're lucky enough to find them)--at regular restaurants.
But unless a raw newbie lives in the handful of cities that have raw restaurants, that newbie is pretty much on his or her own. Let's face it: most people lack the time or motivation to be their own inventive chefs.

What We Need

It's for these very reasons that I'm calling for the following:

Let's have frozen banana and coconut "ice cream" kiosks in every shopping mall and neighborhood coffee bar;

Let's have dehydrateries alongside the bakeries found in every town;

Let's have raw food restaurants of every genre and stripe--from fast food casual to romantic hideaways to arty minimalist venues; places that can accommodate large parties, families, or just one or a few.

Let's have raw restaurants with community tables so that those dining alone can meet others; and restaurants of every ethnic specialty; and retro diners complete with mini-jukeboxes in every booth.

Let's have raw vegan restaurants in malls, large and small cities, in business districts and downtown areas, at theme parks and other tourist attractions, and even at sports stadiums and on highways.

Let's have raw vegan takeout items in the giant and small markets people frequent.

Let's have raw snacks at movie theater concession stands.

TV

Let's have national recipe contests sponsored by the date growers', the coconut growers', and the dehydrator manufacturers' associations, with the winners appearing on Good Morning America and the Today Show.

Let's have several regular raw foods shows on the Food Network--no, why stop there? Let's have our very own Raw Foods Channel.

Let's have contests in which architects, industrial designers and raw foods chefs put their heads together to design the perfect home kitchen for the raw foods family, complete with noiseless power blenders and electric gadgets that can open young coconuts as easily as can openers remove the tops of cans.

Let's have raw foods delivery-mobiles that are as common as pizza vans and neighborhood ice cream trucks.

Let's have chefs conjure amazing replications of old standards like pizza, French bread, bagels with cream cheese and lox, cheese knishes, and pretzels; raw analogues that even cooked food addicts will crave.

Let's have retailers who go out of their way to bring more exotic produce (like white sapotes) and more varieties of local produce to the market. When you consider how many fruits and vegetables there are in the world, it's a culinary crime that we get to taste so few.

Raw is Good

We who eat raw foods know beyond a doubt how good they are for the body and the spirit, for beauty, youthfulness, strength, leanness, health and longevity. It's time for us to really put our money where out mouths are and take this to the streets! Let's have a 4-star cuisine raw foods revolution now!

Why Raw Foods?

If you're new to raw foods, here are some reasons to consider adopting this lifestyle.

WHY RAW FOODS?

+ Raw fruits and vegetables contain all of their nutrients, valuable vitamins, minerals and enzymes, things mostly destroyed by the cooking process (although some forms of cooking--frying, roasting and baking--are a lot more destructive than others, namely steaming and boiling). By eating raw foods, we're strengthening our immune systems.
+ When oils, animal fats, and nuts and seeds are heated over 118 degrees Fahrenheit, they're chemically changed in ways that are harmful to the body. Enzymes are destroyed, and food becomes harder to digest. And at higher temperatures, Acrylamides and AGEs (Advanced Glycation End Products) are formed, which cause chronic diseases and aging.
+ When we eat raw foods, properly combined, we have so much more energy than when we eat cooked foods.
+ We look better when we eat raw foods.
+ When we eat raw foods, we lose excess weight without even trying!
+ There are many people who've healed themselves of chronic diseases and other conditions by eating a raw foods diet (in combination, perhaps, with exercising and meditating).
+ You can make delicious recipes from raw foods, so that you won't miss cooked foods. It may be hard to believe at first, but there are many people out there to vouch for this!