RAWvolutionary Eating

What's more Vegan than Vegan? RAW Vegan. If you're anywhere in the LA area and know more than, say, 10 people, there's a decent chance you know one of these non-cooked food ninjas. As they say in these parts, Raw is "so hot right now." Cooking pun not intended.

I'm not sure that I could be a faithful follower of a 100% all raw diet (neither could my bank account), but faithfuls will sing the praises of its benefits including more energy, clearer skin, and better digestion. Dreaming of plates teeming with salad and sashimi? Well first of all sorry, sushi's not included. Second, any Raw Foods chef will tell you it's not all as easy (or cheap) as it sounds. But, if done right, Raw food can be made to taste even BETTER than the cooked stuff. Not to mention, your menu choices are so nutritionally dense and vitamin-packed, you'll end up more energized, require less food, produce less cravings, and be free from the toxins and additives you'd get from that bag of Doritos. Mmmm... MSG! (Kidding)

So what is Raw eating exactly? The almighty About.com clears up a few FAQ's here

In short: no faces (or anything that comes from something with a face), no heating above 104 degrees, no oils (unless cold packed), no chemicals or preservatives, and that's just the start of the "No" list. But with the use of nut butters, milks, and cheeses, as well as flax seeds and tons of sauce options, foods like "pizza" and "cheesecake" are far from forbidden. In fact, raw cheesecake might be one of the best desserts I've ever had. Try it. I dare you.



Intrigued and curious? Your local Whole Foods most likely has a few ready-made options to whet your taste buds. If you're in LA, places like Planet Raw in Santa Monica and Leaf Organics have a full menu and classes on 'cooking' raw to boot. Some say that even a 75-95% Raw diet can produce significant benefits than even Vegan diets alone. Perhaps the greatest benefit I've found from my handful of Raw meal adventures: even the biggest Raw smorgasbord will make the words "food coma" a thing of the past.