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November 08


Events, info, recipes

Photo DISCLAIMER - I'm neither a doctor nor dietician, and none of the material in this e-zine is intended to diagnose, treat, etc. I am a teacher and raw food coach with an interest in natural health.
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Hi everyone!

For those of you new to RawforLife, I'm Debbie Took and for almost two years now I've followed a raw food diet. I don't eat cooked food because cooking damages and destroys vital nutrients and creates toxins. Some say living solely on raw food is 'extreme'. It is. I decided I didn't want to suffer any more from the various ailments considered 'normal' in our society. And, since going raw, I've never felt better. This is my third winter raw, and, yet again, no cold so far, despite everyone around me going down with one.


What is RawforLife?

My mission is to spread the word about raw, and to inform and support those at all stages of the raw food journey.

I do this in two ways:

FREE INFORMATION AND SUPPORT

  • RawforLife website here
  • RawforLife Blog(articles)here
  • RawforLife monthly e-zine
I also answer ALL 'quick' queries that come in to me via the Contact Form on the website, but please note if your question is complex and/or you'd like a longer answer, see RawforLife Support below. I make a point of replying to ALL e-mails that come in to me (usually within 24 hours), but occasionally my replies go astray, so if ever you have contacted RawforLife and not received an answer, please let me know (as I fret about things like this!).

Please tell others about www.rawforlife.co.uk via your forums, and own mailing lists. Why? Because I'm not producing all this information via site, e-zines and blog to make money - I'm doing it to inspire, encourage and support as many people as possible to increase the raw in their diet. To this end, I keep finding ways of putting even more on the website (eg via links to articles) that will help people without their having to spend a penny. If you haven't looked at the www.rawforlife.co.uk website for a while, please take another look, and if you think it could persuade even one person to increase the raw in their diet, please...let them know.


PAID-FOR INFORMATION AND SUPPORT

What is the RawforLife e-zine?

An e-magazine for everyone. It's for those who have been raw for years, for those who are new to raw, and it's also for those who really aren't sure about raw at all (but would perhaps like to eat a little more raw food).

I'll try not to confuse, and will always, in the e-zine at least, aim to feature a Recipe of the Month that is straightforward and that needs no special equipment beyond a basic blender or food processor. I'll try to use easily-available ingredients, but if any are only available online I'll tell you where to get them; and they'll be reasonably-priced! To those more experienced raw fooders -I hope you'll find at least a couple of things in the RawforLife e-zine you hadn't been aware of before.

Welcome to...the November RawforLife e-zine!
In This Issue

November

  • Forthcoming Events: See below
  • Feature Article: Organisation
  • SUPER Food of the Month: Persimmon
  • Recipe: Pepper and Almond Soup
  • 'Pick of the Blog': Blending
  • 'Raw When Poor': Sprouted Lentils
  • Book of the Month: Ani's Raw Food Kitchen
Photo
Forthcoming Events

No events planned for this side of New Year - I'll keep you posted!
 
 
 

Feature Article

Organisation
One of the questions I received shortly after launching 'RawforLife Support' was 'How can I stop feeling overwhelmed?'

And going raw can indeed feel overwhelming sometimes. Not only are the beliefs we've held about food turned upside-down but there seems to be so much to learn, or re-learn, so many ingredients that we've never heard of, or at least can't obtain locally, and so many raw food recipes that we find really need to have been started yesterday, what with the soaking, the sprouting... And, for those transitioning from a cooked-food diet, this can, particularly at times when we have a heavy workload, make the ready meal, or even the pizza delivery... a tempting option. So, if anything that I have described has been your experience at times, here are some organisational suggestions that might serve to make your life a little easier.

When you go raw, shopping and preparation may seem harder. But it's really that raw asks for an adjustment in lifestyle. The longer you are raw, the easier it will become. So, raw is different rather than harder.

Your life is obviously not mine, so just use what fits in with your lifestyle and raw food preferences.

Another fridge...

The first thing I bought when going raw, before the food processor, before the dehydrator, was another fridge. This was because I was buying far more fresh produce than ever before. Yes, it's an expense but makes life so much easier in the early stages. And the good news is you won't need one with a freezer compartment as more freezer space really isn't necessary. I rarely freeze food. For why not, see here.

The fridge will be necessary for all the extra green leaves, nuts and seeds you'll be buying. However, neither fruit nor tomatoes need be stored in the fridge, or at least not in the UK (I base this on our 'summers' of the last two years). Indeed, tomatoes taste far better stored unrefrigerated.

The morning routine

When cooked, the only thing I used to do in the morning was see if anything needed to be taken out of the freezer. Raw, I spend about quarter of an hour each morning on food, but it's time well spent.

I always have sprouts (eg mung, lentil, alfalfa) on the go. Typically I'll have one jar of seeds/pulses soaking, another in early stages of sprouting, and another with sprouts ready to refrigerate prior to eating. Time needed to soak, rinse, refrigerate and wash up - around five minutes. For easy sprouting, see here.

I check the supply of soaking sun-dried tomatoes. If I only have one or two left in the bowl of water kept in the fridge, I rinse them and add a few more. Mine come from Infinity Wholefoods and are tough as leather when bought - this way I always have some ready for salads and raw food recipes. Time needed - a minute maybe.

I occasionally soak nuts. For example, almonds soaked in the morning will be ready for a milkshake or soup early evening. Time needed - a minute maybe.

As I also make one portion of Essene bread each morning, I'll soak a new lot of wheatberries , drain another for sprouting, and make bread from those sprouted. Bread made in the morning will be ready by the evening (no dehydrator needed). Time needed (including washing-up) - around ten minutes. For how to make Essene bread see here.

'Gourmet raw' recipes are often best left until the weekend when most people have more time. But, around Tuesday, have a look through the recipe books so you can buy any key ingredients and have them all soaked/sprouted (if necessary) and delivered (if bought on-line) by the weekend.

And, each day, spend just a few minutes making a short shopping list for the day ahead, because, ideally, shopping should be done daily - aargh!!

Photo Shop daily (ideally)

Now to those new to raw with full-time jobs outside the home this may seem the tallest order of all. Pre-raw I used to do a big full-large-trolley shop of mostly pre-prepared and frozen items at the weekend and rarely shop during the week. Sure, I'd buy a little fresh fruit and veg, but of course by halfway through the week there would either be none left, or anything remaining would be past its best.

As a raw fooder, you need to re-organise your life so that you shop daily, or at least every couple of days. This is not as hard as it sounds, as your shopping loads will be much smaller, so not much to carry each time, and the visits will be quick. I usually fill around one or two Onya bags (see here for my eulogy to Onya bags - available in and outside the UK).

24-hour, or evening-opening supermarkets, with decent organic sections such as Tesco or Waitrose mean that you can shop on your way to work, or on your way home (when some fresh produce will have been marked down). The more fortunate amongst you may have markets that you can use at lunchtimes. And all this means that the mammoth weekend shopping and unpacking sessions will be a thing of the past. You'll have your Saturday mornings back again!

If you would like the comfort and convenience of having some food delivered, google 'organic food delivery'. But do compare the prices with your usual source - they can be very expensive!

Your objective is to always have a well-stocked fridge and cupboards, so that you always have the ingredients for a BIG salad, a green-leaf wrap, smoothie or juice, and, if you like following raw food recipes, at least some of the ingredients for them.

I compile my daily shopping list by having a quick flit down a core 'basic fresh produce' list. For example, today all I need to buy is celery and apples. Tomorrow I'll need to buy more, eg replenish green leaves.

Basic daily fresh produce list

Again, this is mine. Suggested only.

  • Fruit: avocados*, apples, bananas, dates, lemons, oranges
  • Non-sweet fruit: bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes
  • Leaves: Romaine lettuce, spinach, spring greens (collards), kale
  • Vegetables: carrots, celery, spring onions
  • Herbs: basil, mint, parsley (although in the summer all my herbs are home-grown, with the exception of parsley - no success there yet!).
  • Nuts: walnuts in shells
So these are my 'basics', to which I add any other fruit, leaves and vegetables that I fancy.

There are various other things I use that last a relatively long time, such as ginger (in juices). I keep a notepad near the fridge and jot down anything that's running low.

*Note the organic avocados where I live are sold hard. So I'll usually have two ripening in a brown paper bag or envelope together with an apple (the ripening gas from the apple ripens the avocado). The point at which the avos are almost ready to eat is the trigger for me to buy some more to ripen.

Basic weekly dry food list

About a year ago, I found an organic market held in a church hall just ten minutes' drive from me, and I buy almost all my dry foods from them now (as well as some fresh produce). For those in the Reading area, it's Truefoods - locations here. Although it had been going for several years I'd never even known it had existed! (I don't read local newspapers and up until recently there'd been nothing approaching a raw food network in Reading.).

So, if you think there's nothing like that near you, do a bit of googling - you might be surprised. Truefoods Market buys most of their nuts, seeds etc from Infinity Wholefoods in Brighton who, unfortunately, only sell wholesale. I'd suggest for your basic dry foods find a wholefood shop in your nearest town, or try online, but do also consider the organic wholefoods section of your supermarket. By the time postage is taken into account, online suppliers are often more expensive than the supermarkets.

I also buy some of my produce from my friend Chang-Yu, who runs G&JLivingOrganic here

As with the fresh produce list, I'll have a quick flit down to see if anything needs replenishing. Sometimes nothing does, so no trip needed. Other times, particularly if I've been experimenting with recipes, I'll need to do some significant restocking of foods like:

  • Shelled nuts: Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts
  • Seeds: Alfalfa seeds, flax seeds (linseed), pinenuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds
  • Pulses: Lentils, mung beans
  • Sun-dried tomatoes
Do keep nuts and seeds in the fridge, or at least once opened. Although I've read that nuts can last a year refrigerated, my experience indicates that that must apply only for those recently shelled. I don't think nuts taste good after a month or two, even kept in the fridge, so never buy huge amounts. Tip - always try nuts first before you add them in bulk to a recipe. I had to throw away a dish once that contained hazelnuts I...hadn't used for a while.

Photo Here's a pic of one of my four fridges (I do run raw food courses, and to those outside UK - in general our fridges are a lot smaller than yours.) As well as the leaves and veg, there is a dish of sun-dried tomatoes soaking, some sprouted sunflower seeds, and alfalfa. The small white dish contains home-made tahini, and, just behind that, on top of the seeds, you can see the base of a DetoxYourWorld ready-made tahini (I'm comparing the two).

On-line supplies

I do buy some items from on-line suppliers. These include:

Raw chocolate powder (OK, I use occasionally :-)), mesquite (a sweet pod, ground), ground carob, raw cashews, prepared 'butters' (eg almond butter).

Try DetoxYourWorld, Fresh Network and Funky Raw for a wide range of products combined with good service.

Flax oil I buy from Stone Mills

Wheatberries (for Essene bread) also from Fresh Network (the 5 kg size is most economical).

Raw olives from The Raw Greek

Sea vegetables (eg dulse) from The Sea Veg Co

If you're raw vegetarian rather than raw vegan, try red23 for raw goats' milk, yogurt and cheese, and thehivehoneyshop for honey (the English varieties are cold-pressed and unpasteurised, ie raw).

Weekends

If you're into recipes, now's the time! The daily preparation/shopping routine will have paid off - you should have everything you need. Weekends are also a good time to make flax crackers. Make double quantities and they'll easily last the week or, so I'm told, much longer (I wouldn't know, as the ones I've made have never lasted that long).

Also consider making double quantities of almond milk. It'll keep for two to three days (stir before using) so that you can enjoy delicious shakes. See here for ideas.


So, I hope that this will help you to become so organised and efficient that going raw will not be an ordeal and you will not feel overwhelmed. Indeed, you will be the Bree Van de Kamp of the raw food world (apologies to those who don't watch Desperate Housewives and haven't a clue what I'm talking about).

SUPER Food of the Month

Persimmon (aka sharon fruit, kaki, etc...)

I have an awful admission...breaking a fast recently, I didn't re-introduce food gently (let alone have juice) -I...binge-ate! After 2 1/2 days I could no longer resist the temptations of a certain luscious, juicy, sweet orange fruit. I drove to Tesco, bought a bag of non-organic, unwashed (yes, I know, I know!) sharon fruit, sat in the car park and ate seven.

Ah - the lure of a persimmon. The persimmon originated in China and is now grown all over Asia, southern Europe and some parts of the US (eg California, you lucky people - yet again!) In the UK at least, the slightly larger ovalish persimmons usually go by the name of 'kaki'and are often available organic. The smaller round ones (from Israel -non-organic and artificially ripened unfortunately, but I'll still buy them if starved of kaki!) are usually called 'sharon fruit'. I've heard people in other climes talk of a type of persimmon called a 'black sapote', which has black flesh when ripe, and apparently tastes gorgeous, like chocolate, and if anyone has found one of these in the UK, please...send me one.

Now, some say the persimmon can be tart, or bitter. I've never found this yet, but then again I only eat them when they're soft and ripe, as I don't think we should be eating any sweet fruits in their hard unripe state. The taste is difficult to describe - it's really rather unique - but the consistency of the flesh can be described as jelly-like - a little like an over-ripe plum.

Photo

Persimmons ripen off the tree, so it's fine to buy them hard and let them ripen at home. When ripe they are soft to the touch and sometimes, but not always, deepen in colour (from yellow/orange to orange).

If you've never tried a persimmon, please do...a wonderful experience awaits you. Waitrose last week were selling sharon fruit half-price - 99p for four. If your persimmons are soft, you can eat them straight away. If hard, leave them a few days. If still hard after a few days, here's something you can do that I discovered by accident. Press the persimmon quite firmly with the pad of your thumb. You will feel the flesh soften underneath. Repeat all over the persimmon, in effect massaging the persimmon until the whole of the fruit is soft; it should feel squidgy, like an over-ripe tomato. Your persimmon should then be soft and sweet, ie ready to eat!

If it's a non-organic persimmon, cut in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Organic kakis - I remove the remains of the stalk then eat the whole lot just like an apple.

The persimmon is just one of the many wonderful discoveries I've made since becoming a raw fooder.

Recipe

Pepper and Almond Soup

PhotoThis was one of the first raw dishes I made, so makes me feel all nostalgic...it's from Shazzie's 'Detox Your World'. I've changed the recipe a little, eg she uses what we in the UK call coriander leaves (cilantro to US readers). I subtitute parsley for coriander, but if you like the taste of the devil's weed use coriander. It's perfect for November, as soups are so comforting, AND, if you like, can be warmed! So very useful for those who feel that they can't live on food straight from the fridge as the days get colder. A raw soup can be heated gently, but not above 115 F. If you don't have a thermometer, that's roughly when the soup feels very warm to the fingers, but not quite hot.

This soup is so delicious, and looks so pretty, that it could easily be served to non-raw people, either as a light main course or starter. In fact, if dinner party guests are sceptical of your diet, no need to use the word 'raw' at all. Most people are familiar with the concept of a chilled soup, and this soup's such a winner it should bring many compliments.

1 pt almond milk (for how to make almond milk see
here)
2 yellow and 2 orange peppers, roughly chopped
5 sun-dried tomato halves, soaked until soft
Generous pinch each of ground cumin and ground turmeric,(ideally grind them yourself)
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped.

Put aside 2 tsp of the finely-chopped red onion and one sun-dried tomato half.

Blend: almond milk, peppers, remaining 4 sun-dried tomatoes, spices, and the remaining red onion.

Spoon-mix together half the chopped parsley, the 2 tsp of red onion and the one sun-dried tomato half (finely chopped).

Ladle into dishes (white shows off the colours most beautifully). Stir the other half of the parsley into the soup. Garnish with the parsley/red onion/sun-dried tomato mixture.
‘Pick of the Blog’

The main RawforLife website, at www.rawforlife.co.uk is the 'base' - full of information about raw food, 'before and after's', and details of classes. The RawforLife Blog, at www.debbietookrawforlife.blogspot.com, is the 'newsy' site - updated 2-3+ times a month with news, articles and occasional recipes. As the e-zine and Blog subscriber lists are not identical, I do hope those who do subscribe to both will not mind my reprinting one Blog article here each month. If you would like to see all past Blog articles and receive articles by e-mail as soon as they are published, do visit the Blog site, enter your details in the Feedblitz panel on the Blog site, then follow very carefully the instructions for subscribing.

Blending
As anyone who has been part of the raw food world for a while will know, it does seem that, for just about everything that passes our lips there's Raw Food Expert X who tells us it's an essential part of our diets, and Raw Food Expert Y who tells us what harm it will do us, or, at the least, that it's not an 'optimal' food.

And here we all were (or many of us) wedded to our smoothies - banana smoothies, green smoothies, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink smoothies, then along comes Raw Food Expert B who makes our little mouths turn down with his comment that smoothies should be regarded as 'recreational' rather than 'nutritional' drinks and that over 80% of nutrients are lost through blending. Can't be true, or can it...:-(

So, every so often at RawforLife, I look at a food/class of foods and present a range of arguments for and against. My objective is to provide information for Raw Food Independents - those who prefer not to follow everything one human being says, and like to make their own decisions. And yes, this time it's smoothies, or, let's say, blending in general.

Before I start, for those who aren't sure (and not everyone is), when we say blending we mean liquidising food in a blender(also known as a liquidiser).

So here are the blending pro's and cons - I think I've got them all...

BLENDING (AS OPPOSED TO JUICING) GIVES US THE WHOLE FOOD

All the fibre is retained, and, if you like, the peel and/or seeds. So that should mean that more nutrients are retained in blending than juicing. And the presence of the fibre helps the food move through our bodies easily.

BLENDING BYPASSES CHEWING

Good in some ways...

During digestion our bodies turn food into a liquid so that nutrients may be easily absorbed and assimilated. The first stage of this process is chewing, and the second is when water and gastric juices mix with the food. The blender does at least some of this work for us, saving us energy.

Also, to release nutrients from cell walls of green leaves we need to chew to a creamy consistency (although in reality most people probably don't chew long enough to do this). Some claim that a blender can break down these cell walls, making nutrients such as lycopene (in tomatoes) and betacarotene (from carrots) more available to us.

Blenders are also useful for people with poor teeth who find chewing difficult.

So, by 'chewing' our food for us, blending can make things easier for our bodies. David Wolfe, 'Sunfood Diet Success System': 'Juicing and blending foods saves the body digestive energy channelling more energy for healing and detoxification.'

And anything that reduces the digestive burden must be good news. Victoria Boutenko in her book 'Green for Life' describes how many people over 40 have insufficient stomach acid (hydrochloric acid) necessary to rupture the tough cellulose structure of some raw fruits and vegetables and that low stomach acid in general means impaired absorption of nutrients. Not only does a smoothie help by liquidising tough leaves in the first place, but Victoria describes how in The Roseburg Experiment it was found that regular consumption of green smoothies was raised hydrochloric acid levels.

But not so good in others...

Although the blender can do the mechanical work of chewing for us, it can't do the chemical work. When we chew, enzymes in our saliva start to digest the food. And chewing makes our food more alkaline. Also, the very act of chewing sends signals for the release of digestive juices suited to the food eaten, and for enzymes to be released by the pancreas. The saliva itself helps relax the pylorus, a muscle at the lower end of the stomach that allows food to pass into the small intestine.

George Malkmus ('Hallelujah Diet') says that because the blended pulp and juice of a fruit in liquid form moves quickly to the stomach without the benefit of being pre-digested by the salivary enzymes, it 'becomes a difficult substance for the body to deal with' and that 'because of this, very few of the nutrients find their way to the cellular level of the body.' (bit of a downer!)

In an effort to compensate for the disadvantages of the blender bypassing chewing, some will tell you to 'chew' your smoothie. The word 'chew' is used simply to attract attention to the issue; it's not possible to chew a smoothie, as chewing is grinding solid matter between the teeth. But what we can do is swill it around the mouth, so that it's mixed with saliva before swallowing. This should help a little, although as David Wolfe believes we should chew our food 'around 50-100 chews per mouthful' (!), we're going to have to do a lot of swilling to match optimal chewing!

And there are other disadvantages of bypassing chewing. Some believe that many of our dental problems are due to eating soft, mushy food and that our jaws need grinding exercise to stay healthy just as the rest of our bodies need exercise. I've even heard that chewing helps strengthen our facial muscles and prevent jowls - how about that, 40-plusses?! But, OK - having said all this, most raw fooders will be doing a lot more chewing in their diets in general than cooked-food eaters, so this would only be a concern if smoothies formed a large part of our diets.

BLENDING ALLOWS US TO INGEST LARGER QUANTITIES OF CERTAIN FOODS THAN WE WOULD EAT UNBLENDED

Once the food is in a liquid form it's much easier for us to ingest a lot of it.

Good in some ways

Victoria Boutenko advocates the eating of 1-2 lbs (500g-1kg) of green leaves per day. As not everyone enjoys eating this many leaves in leaf form, she recommends putting them into green smoothies (in which the leaves are often mixed with fruit).

But not so good in others

Some argue that, once raw for a while and more in touch with our bodies' needs, if we don't find eating 1-2 lbs (for supermarket shoppers that's 3-4 bags) of spinach leaves in one sitting appetitising in their natural state, then that's because our bodies don't (and shouldn't) need to eat that much.

Also, even if it's a food that we may be happy to eat a lot of in its natural state, turning it into a drink can still result in our ingesting too much too quickly. For example, I make around three glasses' worth of banana-date smoothie each morning, and, certainly before collating the material for this article, at times would gulp the whole lot down quickly and my stomach would hurt. Not good! Of course, this greedy style of eating also maximises the chances of our swallowing air, which can cause discomfort later.

BLENDING CAN ENCOURAGE US TO EAT FOODS THAT WE'D REJECT UNBLENDED

Good in some ways

Depends on one's point of view...Some people like to blend the white part of a watermelon; others will blend carrot tops, or bitter leaves. The arguments for this are usually made from the nutritional standpoint, ie that these foods have been found to contain high levels of certain nutrients. There is also an economic argument in that parts of foods usually discarded are being used.

But not so good in others

What we're doing here is masking unpleasant tastes by combining the foods with more strongly-flavoured and/or sweet foods. We're effectively duping our tastebuds and in so doing bypassing the body's warning system, which is that if something doesn't taste good to us we shouldn't be eating it.

This is certainly one of my own reservations re the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink sort of smoothie - my policy is only to put into a smoothie something that I'd be happy to eat in its natural state. I don't find the white of a watermelon desirable, so would not put in my smoothie. Similarly, carrot tops don't taste good to me. To give an extreme example, an analysis of deadly nightshade might reveal very high levels of certain vitamins and minerals, but that doesn't mean we should be putting it into a smoothie.

THE 'COMBO-ABOMBO' (DIGESTIVELY INCOMPATIBLE INGREDIENTS)

I've been amazed at the number of ingredients some people use in their smoothies. Not only must it be impossible to taste some of the foods, but it would be all too easy to include digestively incompatible ingredients.

Slow-to-digest foods like nuts and seeds don't mix well with fruit. This is because the fruit wants to pass through quickly, and if its exit's blocked by heavier food, it will ferment as it hangs around, causing acidity and gas. I've had no problems with fruits mixed with almond milk, but perhaps that's because the almonds have been well-soaked first. But do be aware that fruit+fat is usually a no-no and be wary of tipping dry nuts/seeds into the jug along with fruit.

'Acidic' fruits such as orange and grapefruit (pineapple is also included in this category) should not be mixed with sweet fruits such as papaya, banana or mango. Although all fruits are alkaline after being metabolised, acid fruits need to undergo some change in the body before reaching this state. This involves some delay in the stomach, which holds up the passage of any accompanying sweet fruit. Again, fermentation is the result, and many raw fooders experience pain after such combinations.

OXIDISATION

 Oxidases (oxidising enzymes) are released on the presence of oxygen and rapidly bring about a change in the colour of food (eg when apples are cut they go brown). Blending, as it pulverises the food and fills it with air, produces oxidisation - the amount of fizz and froth on top being an indication as to how much.

Dr Brian Clements (Hippocrates Institute) says that 85-92% of nutrients are lost through the heat and oxidisation of blending!

I'm puzzled by the reference to heat. It's true that the faster the blades and the longer the blending the more heat is produced. Indeed it's possible to bring a blend to boiling point after five minutes in a Vitamix blender. But most people don't blend smoothies for more than 20-30 seconds. I've touched the blades of mine after blending, and they've never been hot. Slightly warm maybe, but I'd say no warmer than body temperature.

Dr B's claim generated much discussion on international raw food forums. The research back-up for the statement did not appear to have been made available. And it would be interesting to see this, as surely level of nutrient loss would vary by the food being blended, and also by nutrient, and by how long after blending the smoothie was drunk. Many raw fooders (including some with scientific backgrounds) were unconvinced by this statement, but if anyone does have any of the scientific evidence for this (eg readings of various nutrients in x and y food prior and post blending) please let me know and I'll edit this article.

Victoria Boutenko, in her talk at The Raw Spirit Festival, reminded us that, if potatoes (you remember, in that 'past life'!) are submerged in water they don't go brown, and that consequently we can reduce oxidisation losses by using water in our smoothies. Although of course in blending we are introducing air into the mixture after it has has been mixed with water, I have heard from other sources that the water could still protect the food to some extent; in fact, this has been used as an argument to add water to thick mixtures to get blades moving rather than use the 'tamper' stick supplied with expensive blenders.

This could help: if you have a multi-speed blender, start blending at the lowest speed, thus minimising oxidisation and only blend at highest speed if necessary, and then only for a few seconds.

Also, I would have thought that, as sprinkling lemon or lime juice on food lessens discolouration, adding the same to our smoothies could make sense.

And of course drink your smoothie immediately to avoid further oxidisation from contact with air. As you know, a banana smoothie will change colour quite quickly if left undrunk. However, my feeling is that storing undrunk smoothie in the fridge, or taking it to work, is fine. I'll go out on a limb and say that, although Dr B is a biochemist, and OK I'm definitely not, I'm not convinced by his figures, and still reckon that, although drinking a smoothie immediately is optimal, there'll still be plenty of goodness left if you finish it later on.

***

Unless you're like my husband, who won't drink smoothies because he doesn't like the consistency, you probably enjoy smoothies, as I do. They taste so good, and are so easy to make! And in that respect, if those two things alone help people stay raw, smoothies are good news! In fact, I know a raw fooder who pretty much came to raw through smoothies.

For me...daily smoothie? Yes, definitely.

Nothing but smoothies for days/weeks? 'Smoothie Feast?' No. (What do you think?)

If, like me, you're going to continue to make and enjoy smoothies, here's a list of things I suggest we can do to maximise the benefits and minimise any disadvantages.
  • Don't mix acidic fruit with sweet fruit.
  • Include water.
  • Use blender on lowest speed first, and minimise time at high speed.
  • Ideally, drink the smoothie just after makingit.
  • Sip it slowly, and swill around the mouth.

And if you've never tried a 'green smoothie', I recommend Victoria Boutenko's book 'Green for Life' for the rationale. And you might like to try one of these combinations:

spinach and mango, kale and pineapple, lettuce and banana

In each case, blend the fruit component first. Then add leaves to taste (pushing them down into the blended fruit), along with water.

The 'spinach and mango' in particular is a great one to make when non-raw people are around. After perhaps an initial 'what on earth is that?', if they can be persuaded to try it chances are they'll be pleasantly surprised!
'Raw When Poor'

Packets of 'superfood' costing £15-30 can be fun additions to the raw food diet, but none of them are essential. Each month I will be reminding everyone about delicious, whole foods, available locally, that cost very little. To many of you this information may seem obvious, but, equally, many of us can get a bit carried away at the start of the raw food diet (I did!) and spend vast quantities on expensive foods - and I don't want anyone saying it's too expensive to be raw!

As not everyone is fortunate enough to have an organic co-op near them, or be able to get to a market, I've based my prices on Waitrose (so many of you will be able to obtain the foods far cheaper!).

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Sprouted lentils

For 4-5 cups of sprouted lentils (enough to mix into salads and wraps for 2-3 days), sprout just 1 cup of dried lentils. For how to sprout, see RawforLife May e-zine here.

Cost: around 40p

Book of the Month

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Ani's Raw Food Kitchen

I've got lots of raw food prep books (and if my husband is reading, most were bought on Amazon 'Used and New' for a song - honest!).

At least half I've used once or twice, and never again. But Ani's Raw Food Kitchen I've used many times, and, although there's not one raw food prep book I'd completely recommend (as most contain non-raw and/or expensive and/or not widely available ingredients)I've certainly made and enjoyed more dishes from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen than any other one. It's a more 'everyday' book than, say, Raw Food Real World, or Juliano's Uncook.

The book starts, as most do, with a general introduction to raw food, with shopping tips and information on ingredients, interspersed with pics of Ani looking gorgeous (I don't know how old she is - she looks no more than 30, but of course...she's a long-term raw foodist, so she's probably in her 80s). There's also a very 'eco' theme to the book, and this goes beyond the food, eg she discusses composting, recycling, shopping locally etc.

The recipes include some real gems. For example...Cashew Banana Mylk is very good, as is Sweet Corn Chowder. Confetti Salad in Orange-Cucumber Dressing, made from greens, red cabbage, walnuts and black cherries was one of the most delicious and beautiful salads I'd ever made (although the fruit/cabbage/nut combo not ideal 'food combining'!) Couple of the recipes wasn't so keen on (eg the 'Save-the-Salmon Pate') but I will be forever grateful for Ani's 'Cashew Sour Kream and Chives' on which I base the chive 'cheese' that raw and non-raw people have raved about. And Ani's Sesame Sunflower Bread is one of the easiest dehydrated raw breads ever to make, and so good - recommended for those missing bread. The book rounds off with a selection of raw desserts. Carob Crunch Torte is amazing - sprouted dehydrated buckwheat providing the crunch.

Although there isn't a photograph of every meal, there are several photographs in the middle of the book, and they are stunning and inspiring. In fact, looking at Ani's Sun Burger, which I haven't made yet, I know what I'm going to be making this weekend!

'Raw Food Kitchen' does contain non-raw ingredients (eg miso), and, yes, it can frustrate in the same way that so many of the raw prep books do, eg sea veg that most in the UK can only obtain online etc, but the recipes on the whole are so good that it's worth buying on the basis that one can adapt where necessary. If you're looking for a raw recipe book, I do feel that this one stands above the rest.

And, if you go on to the US Amazon at amazon.com, there's a 'Look Inside' facility.
Forums

A raw food forum (also known as a community, group, message board, 'list) is an invaluable source of information and support for raw fooders at every level of experience. You can join and be a 'passive' member, and just read the posts, or, better still, join and post, as regular posters are the lifeblood of forums. I'm recommending these three because I have direct experience of them - being a member of all!

Raw Food UK Forum
This is the forum I started in June 07 and is specifically for the UK raw community. Great for information, encouragement, and news of UK events.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfooduk/

giveittomeraw.com
International 'party version' forum. A bit like Facebook! Support, entertainment, videos..the lot!
http://www.giveittomeraw.com/

goneraw.com
International. The best forum for raw recipes (although take care - some non-raw ingredients). Also discussion.
http://goneraw.com/

I hope you've found the RawforLife e-zine enjoyable and informative! If so, please tell your friends about RawforLife.

www.rawforlife.co.uk
(the website – packed with information on raw food, and classes (Alissa Cohen, RawforLife)

www.debbietookrawforlife.blogspot.com
(the blog –updated 2-3+ times a month with news and articles)

I can be contacted at : debbietook@rawforlife.co.uk

If you’d like to reproduce any part of this e-zine – in print or anywhere on the web – you are welcome, as long as you cite my name and rawforlife.co.uk as the source.

Love

Debbie Took, RawforLife

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