Raw Rag™

New, lower price for raw-food dinner at Denver's Root Down

Tuesday night is still raw-food time for dinner at Root Down, but there have been two changes: The price is now $35 (instead of $42) and the number of courses has been reduced to four (from five). Click to read my last post about this raw-food event.

Last week, we took a Sunday-morning walk around the restaurant environs. The neighborhood is eclectic, and the park right across the street affords a photogenic and expansive view of the Denver skyline.

Tomorrow night's menu (from a Root Down e-mail; join their mailing list here):

Prepared by Chef Daniel Asher (Raw Food Certified).

Four Course Raw Vegan Dinner 

Tuesday, July 27  |  6:00 - 10:00 p.m.
All Organically Sourced/Completely Gluten Free
 $35/per person

Coconuts & Slaw
Fresh Young Coconut Juice and Meat,
Served with Asian Cabbage Slaw

Wild Greens
Arugula, Lambs Quarter, Quinoa Greens,
Valencia Orange, Spiced Almonds, Heirloom Tomato,
Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing

Linguini San Sabastien
Squash Pasta, Okra, Corn, Cremini Mushroom, Broccoli,
Gold Cauliflower, Creamy Beet Alfredo

Champagne Mango Mousse
Fresh Berries, Chocolate Peppermint Glaze

Call for reservations: 303-993-4200.

Location: 1600 W. 33rd Avenue, Denver, CO.

Time: 6 - 10 PM.

The raw-food Tuesdays will be offered through the summer.

Image credit: la denver dish.

A raw-food lifestyle does require common sense, for goodness' sake

It is a wonder raw foodists aren't more widely considered kooks when one sees articles such as this one about a woman named Naomie Harris, evidently a British actress. (I am not much of a movie-goer or TV-watcher so have not heard of Ms. Harris.)

The headline reads: "Harris Fell Ill On Raw Food Diet" (Contactmusic.com). Excerpt:

British actress NAOMIE HARRIS was diagnosed with anaemia after she embarked on an extreme raw food diet and tried to survive on uncooked carrots.

And the new diet to which she switched?

"I became so ill I was anaemic, so I just stopped that and became a total vitamin junkie. Just eat lots of vegetables, exercise and breathe."

Now there's a wise and balanced solution! Oh, dear. I hope no one imitates her nutritional choices.

This raw Famous Onion Bread is pretty darn good

In fact, I had to use some will power to stop eating this bread on the night it was ready. If you like sweet (from the onions), salty (from the Nama Shoyu), and chewy (from the whole combination), then this recipe may just become one of your raw-food-cuisine favorites.

The recipe comes from RAWvolution; here it is:

• 3 large yellow onions 
• 3/4 cup flax seed, ground in a high-speed blender
• 3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds, ground in a food processor
• 1/2 cup Nama Shoyu
• 1/3 cup olive oil

1. Peel and halve the onions.
2. In a food processor, cut the onions with the slicing disk.
3. Transfer onions to a large mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients, and mix until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
4. Spread 2 cups of the mixture evenly on dehydrator trays lined with a Teflex sheets.
5. Dehydrate at 100 degrees for 24 hours.
6. Flip the crackers/bread onto a tray with mesh only and remove Teflex.
7. Dehydrate another 12 hours. 
8. Once dehydrated, cut into 9 equal pieces.

I made several modifications.

First, I assumed my dehydrator would not hold the full batch so halved it. It is

Critical look at THE CHINA STUDY: What do you think?

One-size-fits all works no better in diets than it does in shoes. For this reason, I am remaining a bit skeptical of the recommendation that ALL people should eat ALL raw food at ALL times, and should never eat animal foods. Some of the books one can read on the raw food cuisine are too absolutist for me, as are many of the anti-meat manifestos. Although it is not as simple as a black-and-white approach, I am coming to think we each need to find the food lifestyle that is appropriate for our body, our exercise level, our altitude, our attitude.

Perhaps finding that personal food pathway takes time, self-awareness, experimentation, and mindfulness?

In order to look at all sides of the diet questions, I have been reading such books as The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability and Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human, both readable, eccentric, and worthy of at least skimming.

And I read this critique of The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health. (The book is oft-cited as proof that people should be vegetarian.) I would like you to read that blog post critical of The China Study and tell me what you think in the comments below.

An excerpt from The China Study Revisited: New Analysis of Raw Data Doesn’t Support Vegetarian Ideology (Science-Based Medicine):

Over a year ago I wrote about The China Study, a book by T. Colin Campbell and his son based on a huge epidemiologic study of diet and health done in China. The book’s major thesis is that we could prevent or cure most disease (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, bone, kidney, eye and other diseases) by eating a whole foods plant-based diet, drastically reducing our protein intake, and avoiding meat and dairy products entirely.

I noticed a number of things in the book that bothered me. I found evidence of sloppy citations, cherry-picked references, omission of data that contradicted the thesis, and recommendations that went beyond the data. I concluded:

He marshals a lot of evidence, but is it sufficient to support his recommendation that everyone give up animal protein entirely, including dairy products? I don’t think so.

The China Study involved 367 variables and 8000 correlations. I said I would leave it to others to comment on the study design and the statistical analysis, and now someone has done just that.  Denise Minger devoted a month and a half to examining the raw data to see how closely Campbell’s claims aligned with the data he drew from; she found many weaknesses and errors.

Your thoughts?

Note: Additions to the China Study debate:

• What T. Colin Campbell Didn't Want You to See (The Spark of Reason)
• China Study Author Colin Campbell Slaps Down Critic Denise Minger (vegsource.com)
• The China Study vs the China study (Blog of Michael R. Eades, MD)

Raw raw, Modesto!

I grew up in the Central Valley of California, one of the most productive agricultural centers in the world, "the greatest garden in the world." Because of all the produce available (peaches, walnuts, artichokes, soy beans, onions, and a long list more), one would imagine that Modesto (between Fresno and Sacramento on the map to the left) would be a mecca of health. A visit there will quickly disprove that imagining. When I am there, I see that many people are obese, and the standard fare is too often animal-product centered.

People in Modesto like their chicken, eggs, steak, butter, and cow milk! Try to find a vegetarian restaurant, let alone one that offers raw food fare. (If you know of one, please tell me and I will add a correction here.)

What would it take to get Modesto to eat mostly raw? Maybe a magic wand? I am not advocating 100% raw for this city which is located near feedlots, grazing cattle, chicken and turkey ranches, and cheese factories and festivals. But I am curious to know why the people living in Modesto and surrounding Stanislaus County do not avail themselves more frequently of

Raw in Santa Fe: Those chile peppers may increase your fat oxidation (and perhaps help you lose weight)

I lived for a few years in Santa Fe, and took to the New Mexican cuisine immediately. The chile peppers, the blue corn chips, the pico de gallo, the posole, the atole . . . I have missed those dishes and many more since moving north. Colorado restaurants don't quite duplicate New Mexico tastes. And imagine my shock when I learned that Denver servers do not know what you mean when you respond "Christmas" after they ask you whether you want red or green chile with your meal.

In Santa Fe, the people who serve you at restaurants know that Christmas means you want both: red and green!

Because I like the New Mexican cuisine so much, one of my goals is to learn how to convert my favorite dishes to raw. I have looked for a class to teach me how to do that conversion, but so far have found nothing. However, I did learn of a restaurant that serves raw dishes in Santa Fe when my friend recommended it very highly. The place is called BODY Cafe (333 Cordova Road - map PDF). Click to peruse the menu PDF.

Chiles are everywhere in New Mexico, not only in the food, but also hanging from

Nut-milk & fruitola sundae for breakfast: A recipe from serendipity

Breakfast today was delicious. It came together a bit by accident, and, step by step, I will tell you how.

Last week, I made some granola approximating the Apple-Cinnamon Maple Pecan recipe from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw. I could not find any raw buckwheat groats at either Whole Foods or Vitamin Cottage so substituted raw barley from the Whole Foods bulk-bins department. So the recipe was 

• I-1/2 cups raisins soaked for at least 1 hour (up to overnight)
• 2 cups raw barley, soaked for at least 12 hours in the refrigerator (I soaked mine for 24 hours)
• 1 cup water (the recipe says filtered but I am not that fussy; may be in the future but not now)
• I medium apple chopped in the food processor with the "S" blade
• 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of pecans soaked for at least an hour and chopped into small pieces (I just broke them up with my hands)

Put apple pieces, water, raisins, syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla in food processor with "S" blade or blender and blend on low until the stuff forms "a chunky paste." (Note: the recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg here, too, but I left that out.)

To combine these ingredients, I used the food processor, and made a horrible mess; some of the liquid ran out of the machine and on to to the counter and floor. For my Regal model,

Grow your own fruits and vegetables—without a garden!

This morning I received a fun e-mail from my friend Hartley who clearly knows what I like. He sent me the link to this post: 66 Things You Can Can Grow At Home: In Containers, Without a Garden (Daily Good). Excerpt:

Growing your own food is exciting, not only because you get to see things grow from nothing into ready-to-eat fruits and veggies, but you also don’t have to worry about the pesticides they might contain, and you definitely cut down on the miles they—and you—have to travel.

As it turns out, with pretty minimal effort, anyone can be a gardener. ...

The list of things you can grow in a tiny amount of space ranges from apples to oranges to bananas to herbal tea to collard greens to beets, and so much more. Get growing. What's stopping you now?

Then you can become an artist of another sort (yes, I consider gardening a form of artistry) by carving your produce. The book The Decorative Art of Japanese Food Carving: Elegant Garnishes for All Occasions will teach you how. And here are several videos on You Tube to teach you vegetable and fruit carving.

Image credit: BloomersBlog.

Smorgasbord of quotes about how one should eat: Visit this post to read varied opinions

Whether or not to eat raw is a topic of debate. In fact, diets of all sorts are the subject of energetic discussions. I decided it would be fun to compile a list of quotes related to those debates. I will add to this list as time goes on, and as I run across interesting opinions. Some additions will be extreme, some will be entertaining, some will be balanced, some will be worthy of thought.

Please check back every so often to see what I have added to this smorgasbord of food thinking.

[I]f you are spiritually centered and call back your energy from negative beliefs, you can eat cat food and still stay healthy.

-Carolyn Myss, Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing (see page 26 here)

There are natural laws and a natural order to this life. Our Creator designed it that way. Gravity is a perfect example. You may totally believe that you can leap from the top pf a four-story building and fly; you may even be able to convince others of this idea. The reality is that if you do jump, you will hit the ground. Real health functions under the same kind of law. You may choose to eat a diet rich in animal fats, processed grains and sugars, caffeinated beverages and sports drinks, and even if you believe that it won't affect your health, eventually it will catch up to you.

-Penni Shelton, Raw Food Cleanse: Restore Health and Lose Weight by Eating Delicious, All-Natural Foods - Instead of Starving Yourself

Many of the most unbalanced people I have ever met are those who have devoted themselves to healthy eating. In fact, I believe some of them have actually contracted a novel eating disorder for which I have coined the name "orthorexia nervosa." The term uses "ortho," meaning straight, correct, and true, to modify "anorexia nervosa." Orthorexia nervosa refers to a pathological fixation on eating proper food.

-Steven Bratman, MD, "Health Food Junkie" (originally published in Yoga Journal)

I don't think people should be too fanatic. I think as soon as you become too stressed about what to eat and what not to eat, you lose that purpose of healing yourself and feeling better.

-Nice Polido, owner of Carrboro Raw in Carrboro, NC; quoted here (The Chapel Hill News)

Image credit: Kevin Rosseel.

Restaurant in Minneapolis serves all-raw: Do you think raw takes much time to prepare at home?

(Click to enlarge photos of food.)

A decade-old Minneapolis restaurant Ecopolitan [menu PDF] is mentioned in a kare11.com (Twin Cities) article on raw food. From "Eating raw; diet trend growing in popularity":

MINNEAPOLIS -- There is a restaurant that has been in the heart of Uptown for ten years.  It was the first of its kind in the city. 

It is the raw-food only dining spot, Ecopolitan.  Yes, raw food.

Raw foodism is a lifestyle in which the 'foodist' eats only foods in their natural state.  That means nothing can been cooked, or even heated beyond 113 degrees farenheit.

The belief is that foods that are plant-based (think vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains) are in the form nature intended and likely better for the human body than anything that has been altered from the natural state (think cooking, processed foods, etc.).

At Ecopolitan, the chefs and servers are so well versed in the raw food fare that it seems, while dining inside, there is no other way to eat.
...

While cheese isn't allowed, the 'cheese' is actually a walnut puree with a laundry list of herbs, vegetables, spices and yeast.

...

To mimic is key.  For many of the raw foods wonders are its mock foods.

Fries made of jicima, meat substitutes made from nuts and sprouted grains.

The raw foodists are nothing if not imaginative.

And according University of Minnesota Medical Centet Nutritionist Heidi Jo Greenwaldt, not only do those dedicated to diet have to learn how to be crafty, they also have to have some time.

I am not sure I agree with Greenwaldt. My experience has been that it takes less time to prepare raw food than to cook. What are your thoughts?

(This photo is in the middle of my blog post as I see it in TypePad but, in my Safari browser, it shows up as aligned left and there seems to be no way to center it. I mostly appreciate TypePad as a blogging platform, but find these occasional glitches frustrating.)

Image credits: Ecopolitan.