A raw deal: Eating raw food in Vancouver

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Demi Moore is doing it; Bif Naked, Jason Mraz, Alicia Silverstone, Angela Bassett and Robin Williams too. Celebrities put the raw food diet in the headlines, but it's the impressive results and tremendous health benefits that have kept it there.

A raw food diet is a meal plan based exclusively on raw foods. People follow the exclusivity to varying degrees, but the main mantra is that the more raw foods in a diet, the greater the health benefits.  Cooking food boils or fries the naturally intended vitamin content out of our foods.

This diet can be intimidating. It means shifting some of our commonly held beliefs about food; and changing some of our deep-rooted habits. It's hard to sort the actual health information from the hype. I needed to better understand how everyday people could apply it for healthier living. Enter Sasha Liang.

Sasha is a Vancouver based health advocate, writer, and soon to be certified raw food chef. She didn't come to this diet as a trend, she came to it purposefully, as it supported her personal philosophies about healthy living.

"I became interested in life and longevity some time ago. Obsessed you could almost say. I have always been active and lead a relatively green lifestyle but in the end I was really not aware of what I was putting into my body. Over the last few years I had decided to focus more on educating myself and actually treating my body as a temple, my philosophy is not one I created on my own "you only live once" - and I want to do that as long and healthfully as possible. The raw diet was just an obvious "next step" for me after vegetarianism. I am not eating exclusively raw myself - yet."

Adopting a raw food diet is about more than just weight loss, it's about getting the most out of your food; the full nutrition that nature intended. Along with the desired benefit of weight loss, Sasha outlines some other advantages including more energy, improved skin condition, better digestion, and a lower risk of heart disease.

Sash encourages people to eat as much raw food as they can, noting that some people will choose to cut out cooked foods entirely while others will opt for adding in as many raw foods as they can.  She's noticed in her own Yaletown neighbourhood, that most people are aware of the diet. Many are incorporating it into their lives, but few she would say are exclusively raw.

Sasha graciously answered my questions, giving me a fuller understanding of the raw food diet, dispelling some myths, and consequently making the diet sound more accessible to regular health and fitness folk. 

"Personally, if you can at least fit some raw foods into your lifestyle it's better than none. But that doesn't mean having a side salad with your triple decker cheeseburger, there's more to it than that."

 Can you explain what it means to be a certified raw food chef?

"I thought that there was a lot to go into it - which there is, but you can take courses that that show you how to prepare raw meals and teach you all about the benefits of raw diets, sprouted foods, organic foods as well as superfoods. Being a raw chef you are not certified to teach (for pay), but more courses can be taken that afford you this luxury. Not surprisingly there are quite a few people that have their raw chef certification here in Vancouver."

Are there certain people that would benefit most from adopting a raw food diet?

"Personally anyone dealing with weight and heart disease issues would benefit from adopting the diet. There is no "harm" when you're talking about fruits and vegetables, but you have to be sure to educate yourself and speak to your GP before you undertake any drastic dietary changes. Some people experience a detoxification reaction when they start the raw food diet, especially if their previous diet was rich in meat, sugar, and caffeine. Mild headaches, nausea, and cravings can occur but usually last for several days. There are some "risks" apparently to children and pregnant or nursing women as well as people with anemia. There were a few studies done that noted bone loss however, nothing completely substantiated."

Can a meat-eater embrace this kind of diet?

"I would have to say absolutely YES! I was a meat eater for most of my life, flirting with vegetarianism here and there. I have to be honest, there is nothing that will sit in your gut like lead as well as meat does, so that "I'm so full I'm going to explode" feeling happens less frequently."

What obstacles do people encounter when trying to adopt a raw food diet? How do you recommend overcoming these?

"For me, it was cravings for all of the salty meats and cheeses. Of course not being 100% raw I still get these but allow myself to dig in once in a while. There is "cheeze" made from nuts which is not a perfect imposter but does do the trick. And the best thing for me was taking up Yoga and meditation. I can distract myself with revisiting my intentions in my day or even flee to a good power or hot yoga class when I feel like I have imaginary bags of junk food chasing me around my apartment!"

Some people claim that eating an abundance of raw food is key to healthy living. Do you agree? What other key lifestyle elements do you believe contribute to whole and healthy living?

"I believe that raw food is important because of the life force that it holds but it isn't the be all and end all. When you are able to start buying real organic foods, cutting out red meat and putting in twenty minutes on the treadmill per day, you're on the right track.

Abusing liquor, drugs, cigarettes and inactivity are something that should be focused on before even considering changing your diet drastically. I think that people need to understand where they want to be in life now and forever and seek out what it is that will get them there. Eating a cucumber sandwich isn't going to get you far if you're a couch potato. To gradually make a much needed lifestyle change that incorporates itself into awareness of body and mind, I highly recommend Yoga - in all its forms - to anyone. It slowly works its way into everyday life and thought, healthfully, and is a perfect compliment to a raw diet and abundant lifestyle."

Agreeing with the theory behind a raw food diet is one thing, but implementing it into a busy life riddeled with bad habits is quite another. Sasha shared some of her favorite recipes to help us get started:

Raw corn chowder

Ingredients:

• 2 ears fresh corn
• 2 cups almond milk or other raw nut milk
• dash cayenne pepper

Preparation:

In a blender, blend together corn from one ear and the almond milk or other raw nut milk. Add the remaining corn and a dash of cayenne. Refrigerate your raw soup first, if possible, to allow flavors to mingle.

Sushi Rolls

• 6 carrots
• 4 cups of almonds soaked 24 hours
• 6 celery sticks
• 1 habanero pepper
• 1 cup green onion
• 1 large yellow onion
• 3 oz dulse flakes, rinsed
• 1 oz powdered dill
• 2 lemons juiced
• 1/4 cup water
• VERY RIPE avacado - 1 makes 2 rolls
• Raw nori sheets - 2 per roll as they get soggy

Preparation:

Run the carrots, almonds, celery, and habanero through your juicer, using the open blank. Chop the onions and dulse in a food processor using the s-blade until fine. Mix ingredients in a bowl, adding the dill, lemon juice and water. Spread over raw nori to about 1/4" thickness, covering the sheet up to 3/4" from the top. Cut strips of avocado and place them near the bottom of the roll so they stretch side to side. Roll up from the bottom (squeeze in a maki roller if you have one). Gently cut in half and the halves into thirds (be careful, raw nori tears easily). Enjoy!

Could it be chocolate, pudding?

• 12 dates
• 12 black mission figs
• 1 quart of purified water (More or less may be needed depending on the dryness of your fruit. Start with slightly less.)

Add one teaspoon of raw carob powder

Chill and serve in a pudding glasses.

If you want to check out some more raw food dishes without having to do the dishes after, Sasha recommends Gorilla Food on Richards Street.

If anyone is interested in trying some food and are in the Vancouver area they should try visiting - www.gorillafood.com.

- FRANCESCA CLARKE -