“… Karen Brown’s morning ritual involves stuffing spinach, kale, dandelions and fruit into a blender … a concoction she swears is delicious.
When you first start, make it 60 per cent fruit – it makes it more palatable, she says.
Brown has followed a 95 per cent raw food diet for about three years and says the green smoothies are a mainstay of her daily menu.
Two years ago, she founded the Christchurch raw vegan group, and has since seen the diet gain momentum in the city.
There are more than 100 names on the mailing list and her regular potluck dinners are popular social events for the diverse, all-ages group.
The raw food philosophy is built around the notion that food loses a lot of nutrients and enzymes during the cooking process …
… and that fresh, raw fruits and vegetables carry the highest benefits for health.
Raw foodists believe uncooked food is easier for the body to process … and that nothing should be heated above 45 degrees Celsius.
The ancient diet had a wave of popularity in the 1930s and has grown in popularity again since the 1980s.
The diet is now particularly popular in the United States … with numerous Californian restaurants dedicated to providing only uncooked food.
Brown was vegetarian and dairy- free for 20 years before going raw, which she believes helped with the transition.
However, the radical change took careful consideration.
“It was a big plunge. I really didn’t like the thought of not having a cooked meal at night-time.”
Many people choose to follow a partially raw diet, rather than Brown’s all-or-nothing approach.
Either way, she recommends easing into it to allow the body time to adjust, rather than going cold turkey.
“There is a detox period where you will feel tired for a few days at the start.
After that, your energy levels go through the roof.”
The main benefits for Brown are her abundance of energy and increased mental clarity.
She speaks of feeling lighter, and no longer experiences the sensation of food sitting heavily in the pit of the stomach.
She rarely gets sick and cannot remember the last time she had a cold.
“The Western diet makes you sick.
Illnesses are ultimately a result of the way we live.”
go to source/story>>>Life in the raw – food-wine – life-style | Stuff.co.nz
