How To Do Raw Right

Following a plant-based, no-heat diet can be tricky. Geeta Rao examines and explains how to do raw right

My first introduction to raw food was at Café Gratitude on Berkeley’s historic Shattuck Avenue. Ten years ago it was unusual to see what we are now more familiar with—breads and butters made of seeds and nuts, poke bowls and pasta made of fresh vegetables. That particular café has shut down but the raw food movement is enjoying a moment in the sun helped along by trends like veganism and the smoothie-detox revolution. This December, American Express Essentials listed 12 of the world’s best raw food restaurants including Wild Food Cafe, Rockin’ Raw, NYC and Alchemy, Bali, signalling its growing popularity around the globe.

THE RAW JOURNEY

Raw food philosophy traces its origins to 19th-century Europe. Dr Maximilian Bircher-Benner, acknowledged as the founder of the raw food movement, used raw oats and raw vegetables as part of the prescribed health treatment at his clinic in Switzerland. He believed that raw foods could heal, not just nourish.

While Bircher-Benner advocated only a partial raw diet and included dairy, the modern raw vegan movement defines a raw food diet as plant-based (nuts, seeds, sprouts, fruit, vegetables), free of dairy and animal produce, uncooked, unprocessed and not heated beyond 49 degrees, which makes even a toaster or microwave suspect. Followers have always believed plant-based foods are best served uncooked because cooking kills vital enzymes, making the food ‘lifeless’.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT