R: Raw Food

I’m fascinated by the raw-foodies, the same way I’m fascinated by people who can run 100 miles or thrive on 2 hours of sleep a night. I understand the basic principle behind rawism—that raising the temperature of food above 120 degrees or so destroys beneficial enzymes. But in practice…I don’t think I could do it full-time.

I like raw veggies—and a big salad—as much as the next girl. I like to grow my own sprouts, and I love fruit. I’m pretty sure, though, that a bowl of zucchini shavings wouldn’t satisfy a pasta craving. And, as I tend to be cold-blooded, I really enjoy hot food. Especially soup. That first cavewoman who threw some wild mushrooms into bubbling mammoth broth was my kind of cook. When I want soup, a bowl of pureed, room-temperature, raw-enzymatic-goodness isn’t going to cut it.

To prepare for today’s post, I had a raw lunch yesterday. I bought some garden herb sea crackers made by Two Moms in the Raw in Lafayette CO, Organic Valley raw cheddar cheese, and a chocolate hazelnut bar from Raw Revolution. I made my own salad of sprouted black-eyed peas, grapefruit, avocado, and red onion.




It was all good. The crackers are super-flaxy but had a nice herb flavor. I couldn’t tell the difference between the raw cheese and a regular mild white cheddar. The bar was chocolatey enough, I suppose. After lunch, I felt as though I’d eaten very healthfully. But more so than if I’d had roasted salmon and sweet potato? I’m not sure.

Prepared raw food products are pricey--my three items cost thirteen dollars--but high-quality food tends to cost more than junk, in general. Homemade raw food can be labor intensive. Many of the recipes I found online require hardware I don’t have—namely a juicer and a dehydrator--and often use lots of nuts, flax, avocado, and coconut. I like all those things. But I also like steak.

As a committed omnivore, it certainly won’t hurt me to make room in my diet for raw foods. And I guarantee that some of them will come in the form of my very favorite desserts from Tasty Harmony in downtown Fort Collins. I’ve had their pies and carrot cake, and they are absolutely raw-licious. Tasty Harmony also has non-dessert raw menu items, including a pesto pizza that looks intriguing.