Why cook it when you can eat it raw? Advocates of “living food,” from Woody Harrelson to Uma Thurman, claim that cooking food kills nutrients and enzymes that our bodies need, and puts undue strain on the digestive system. Raw vegetables, greens, fruit, nuts and sprouted grains are colorful foods that make you feel as alive as they are, and adherents claim the diet can help you lose weight, cure allergies and even cure diabetes.
Interview with Brigitta Verschoor, living food practitioner and chef
Why not cook?
When you eat cooked food, energy that your body could use to heal or strengthen itself is instead used for digesting. That’s why after eating a cooked meal, you feel tired. After eating raw food, you feel energized. Enzymes are the life force, and so if you cook foods you are killing the life out of them. You and others claim to feeling more creative and inspired on this diet. Why? How?
It’s simple. If you eat lively things, you feel lively. You change your relation to food. After you realize what food is, and what you can do with it, and respect the life in it, the energy, it gives you the same qualities. Personally, it inspires me, and I felt a surge of creativity after my body adjusted to the new diet.
Can a purely living food diet be for everyone?
It’s good to eat as much living food as possible. I don’t think it’s the ultimate solution. You need to eat what makes you feel the best. Parents can learn to substitute raw foods for all the processed foods you find in the stores. Imagine, you can give cake to your kids for breakfast without feeling guilty!
An uncooked cake? For breakfast??
Yes! The base is nuts or seeds, soaked or sprouted. I grind nuts, add cinnamon, and put fruit or coconut on top, or even make a chocolate cream topping from raw carob or raw chocolate that’s not toasted or roasted. I blend it with avocado, can you believe it? And it becomes a beautiful chocolate cream cake.
What’s for dinner tonight?
I’ve made a pâté of pumpkin seeds and dried tomatoes, puréed with fresh parsley and lemon. I’ll serve it with dried bread made from oat, rye and wheat sprouts, or on sheets of nori, or in cabbage leaves. We can put “sour cream” on top, made from soaked almonds, lemon and salt – some people think it’s the real thing!
Did this article pique your interest? Try an Introduction to Living Cuisine and lifestyle workshops with Brigitta or get an opportunity to meet world famous raw chef Chad Sarno (www.rawchef.com). Contact Brigitta Verschoor at 06 30 549 8542 or verschoor@t-online.hu.