call her my mentor because she’s the first
person I met and started learning through.
When you’re first learning about this stuff
you feel alienated and alone,” Davis says.
Delair and Davis will be the first to
admit that a raw, whole food diet may
require more advanced planning and
time for preparation, but the immediate
and future results are more than risk-free
— the advantages lead to restored physical
and mental health.
“The time it takes for me to juice …
for breakfast or lunch is the same amount
as it takes me to put coffee in the filter,
make my cup of coffee with the sugar and
the cream that everybody would typically
make in the morning; I’ve got a really
healthy juice,” Davis says.
Delair says the amount of time it takes
to juice a few fruits for a cold soup is less
than the time it takes to cook a hot meal.
Not only is it important to eat the right
combinations of raw food, it is important
to consume liquids that are advantageous
as well. Preparing a drink with liquid chlorophyll,
for example, will help detoxify the
body.
“If you mix some liquid chlorophyll,
mineral water and lime juice in a Mason
jar and sip on it all day it is a perfect drink
that is very alkalizing,” Delair says.
It is important, she adds, to consume
foods that are alkalizing because in an
acidic state the body can’t fight diseases.
The variety of recipes and meals that
can be prepared with raw food produces
an endless menu of tasteful dishes.
For starters, a cold soup served on a
late summer afternoon is a perfect way to
cool down from the heat. One flavorful
recipe combines watermelon, mango, lime
juice, raw honey, fresh ginger, cardamom
and mint. All ingredients are pureed in a
blender. When served, the frothy soup is
fruity with a spicy kick from the cardamom
and ginger, a burst of flavor with
every spoonful. The watermelon, along
with most fruits and vegetables, is also
alkalizing.
It is important to introduce as many
greens as possible into a raw food diet
for a steady supply of nutrients and minerals.
Tossed and composed salads are
one solution for fulfilling this important
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WBM september 2011
nutritional need. To make a fruit salad,
combine organic mixed green leaf lettuce,
sliced strawberries, blackberries and
avocado. The avocado is a fine source of
healthy fat. For a healthy salad dressing,
make your own.
For a fruity and tasteful dressing, combine
strawberries, coconut water, raw
honey, macadamia nuts and a little salt
in a blender. It produces a lavender paste
infused with pure fruit flavor. The honey
is used sparingly as a sugar replacement;
manufactured sugar should not be a part
of your diet, says Delair. If you’re going to
use sugar, Delair recommends using stevia,
a plant-based sweetner, because there
aren’t any side effects.
A vegetable-rich wrap filled with shredded
carrots, yellow squash, red bell peppers,
mushrooms, onions, scallions and
spinach is served for lunch. A sauce of
macadamia nuts, coconut oil, raw honey,
garlic and a juiced lemon or a red bell
pepper puree and avocado lime sauce can
also be made in a blender to enhance the
flavor of the vegetables while keeping the
meal light and easy to digest. Extra virgin
olive oil is one component in the sauces,
which purists say should be one of the
only oils you use to prepare your food.
At some point your taste buds are going
to tingle for something sweet besides a
piece of fruit. Delair makes a chocolate
mousse, again in a blender. In addition to
the superfood raw cacao powder that contains
antioxidants, iron and magnesium, a
bit of coconut oil and avocado are the other
main ingredients. She likes to serve it with
a little nut cream garnish.
This type of dish is something Delair
can happily eat with her diet restrictions.
“I love vanilla, it’s my favorite flavor,”
Delair says as she adds the vanilla extract
to the blender before mixing the chocolate
mousse.
Switching to a raw food diet may be a
big change for some, but that should be
weighed against the obvious health benefits.
It is important to maintain a healthful
balance, which can be achieved by adding
greens and mostly raw foods, ensuring you
receive all of the necessary enzymes and
nutrients.
“Your body’s worth it,” Davis says.