The Food Rawvolution

Editorial

I had a conversation once with a tall, blonde and distinguished German about how he likes his pork, sauerkraut and kranskies. After much discussion, he finally admitted to me that he is into raw food. He continued to talk to me about this diet and somewhere in there was an invitation to his place for a ‘raw’ dinner.

The food and diet movement never ceases to amaze me. First, all things that are slow is good. Now, raw is the way to go. Welcome to the food rawvolution. I appreciate a good piece of rare steak but I am not completely sure about embracing the raw food culture. In New York, there is a small group of restaurants that cater to this niche food community. Interestingly, such restaurants and juice bars, are gaining more attention from the mainstream crowd.

Raw food is defined as food that is uncooked and unprocessed and is usually vegan. Most practitioners and restaurants define uncooked as prepared at less than 40C. Dehydrators are used to make bread. Juice is usually made with a hydraulic juice presser. Advocates believe that such food methods preserve more nutrients and enzymes than more traditional methods.

Scientists have documented evidence that taking up raw foodism is healthy. In a study conducted by the BBC, the researchers compared the bone health of people who had been following strict raw food diets for up to 10 years with that of people who ate a more typical American diet, including refined carbohydrates, animal products and cooked foods. It was concluded that while the raw foodies were thinner, they were inevitably healthier than the placebo, I mean, the other group.

Let’s look at the other side of the coin. Most of us might argue that the process of domestication and the function of cooking were originally in part an effort to detoxify food. Using that same line of thought, wouldn’t eating raw food mean that we are ingesting these toxins? Another claim is that raw food is best because it serves as an enzyme supplementation but from what I have researched, our own enzymes tend to digest our food and break down anything foreign, including the enzymes from the food we ingest, chomping it down for their amino acids.

And then there is the element of taste. As foodies, it inevitably comes down to flavour and variety. The notion of raw food conjures up boring salads. Or does it? Chef Russell James from the UK is a raw food convert. Think of pizzas, ravioli, cultured nut cheeses, smoothies, juices and chocolate tortes, to name a few. And suddenly, I am mildly curious.

This diet doesn’t seem to be a celebrity trend. You do not need to be Daryl Hannah or Tyra Banks to be able to grasp the food rawvolution. Having done some research, it would seem that the raw dinner party seems quite achievable – from a tomato and caramelised onion tart with balsamic crust and tahina sauce to a spectacular raw lasagne.

So the dinner invitation still stands and I am yet to draw up some courage to go raw. I have had friends who attribute their physical fitness to date sweeteners and agave nectars and if they can be on that diet and still look that good, then perhaps I too should be a knickers-throwing, squealing groupie of the food rawvolution.

Alvin Quah for Citysearch, September 2011