"Raw"- velutionary Food

Since reading about the raw food movement (if we can call it that), I have both soared the heights of inspiration and plunged into the deep depths of despair (and often simultaneously)! Inspiration comes with reading how others have not only changed their lifestyles, their mindsets, their health, weight, centres of gravity, added longevity, new vigour, popped out babies whilst jogging on the beach, pausing only to secure the newborn onto their backs with their organic cotton headscarf before resuming their former pace. In fact one hale and hearty 61 year old fellow has managed to not only have kept up his strict raw diet for 38 years but has the cheek to look like a man 40 years his junior! "Six pack" rippling like a medal of honour, he stands posing in front of the veggie and fruit section of his local greengrocer.

Despair comes when I face the ingredients, the makings of a delicious repast spread out in front of me and I know that no matter how lovely and healthy it all looks, the sad reality is that it's never going to taste like a really good 'burger and slap chips! Salad I can handle, but as a side or even a starter but not as the main performance. When do we graduate to really looking forward to putting something raw into our mouths and going Yum!? One of the most important things about food consumption prior to eating it is of course - smelling it. When last did you smell a mouthwatering salad and feel the digestive juices rush excitedly round in your mouth? Does the whiff of a cucumber send you into swoons of anticipation, the way a slow-cooked oxtail casserole would? But, I digress..

Why? Why would anyone willingly choose the raw option? Well, the answer is simple. Guaranteed weight loss. Who doesn't want that? But, beyond that, because choosing raw as a lifestyle is not just about losing the weight, but keeping it off. And, beyond that, even, there are health benefits far outweighing the present status quo - healthy and strong bodies worked on by precious enzymes preserved and intact in the foods we consume, in their whole, uncooked and unprocessed state. Enzymes are proteins that facilitate chemical reactions in living organisms. In fact, they are required for every single chemical action that takes place in your body. All of your tissues, muscles, bones, organs, and cells are run by enzymes.

I quote from Jon Barron - "Your digestive system, immune system, blood stream, liver, kidneys, spleen, and pancreas, as well as your ability to see, think, feel, and breathe, (in fact, the very functioning of each and every cell in your body) all depend on enzymes. All of the minerals and vitamins you eat and all of the hormones your body produces need enzymes in order to work properly. In fact, every single metabolic function in your body is governed by enzymes. Your stamina, your energy level, your ability to utilize vitamins and minerals, your immune system—all governed by enzymes." Read the full newsletter:

http://www.jonbarron.org/athletic-performance/10-27-2003.php


I have decided that I want LIFE back. Obvious asthaetics aside, I want to feel energised, brimming with health, I want to be pain-free and live that way for a good long time. I want to go to my grave having run out of my allotted years rather than having run out of health. I want my memory, my intellect, my imagination, all of my mental faculties intact when I kiss the good earth for the last time.

Last night's supper was an adaptation of Ostrich Koi Saa taken from the recently read book entitled "Ant Egg Soup" - the adventures of a food tourist in Laos written by Natacha du Pont de Bie.

Ingredients:

500 gr fillet of ostrich (sliced very thinly) My husband loves fiddling with meat, so I pretend I can't manage so that he can manfully step in with his extra sharp knives!
2 TBSP fish sauce
4 stalks lemongrass (bruised - really smashed about good with the dull end of the big knife) and then finely sliced
8 spring onions (finely chopped) - reserve 1/2 of these for later
2 cloves of garlic (finely sliced)
a couple of dashes of light soy sauce
1 large handful of fresh mint leaves (you can't substitute for dried, must be fresh leaves, washed and torn off the stem)

1. Marinate the meat with the fish sauce, lemon grass and 1/2 of the chopped spring onions
2. Heat a splash of vegetable oil in your wok or shallow frying pan and saute the garlic slices until golden and crispy - remove and set aside with the other 1/2 reserved spring onions
3. Toss in the marinated meat and stir for about 1 - 3 minutes, searing it on high heat
4. Add the soy sauce - the meat should be a bit rare and juicy
   
5. Remove from the heat after tossing in the garlic, mint leaves and remaining spring onions
6. The heat should just "wilt" the mint leaves

Serve immediately on top of your plated salad leaves. I also used avocado, small tomatoes cut in half and finished with lightly steamed green asparagus.

I like serving lesser portions of meat or cooked ingredients with larger portions of raw ingredients - striving for the 80/20 rule at each meal - meaning 80% raw to 20% cooked.

Interestingly enough, there are certain vegetables which are more beneficial when consumed in a cooked (lightly steamed) state rather than completely raw, and these are) (to my current knowledge) - tomatoes, asparagus and broccoli). Hopefully all those raw lifestyle foodies out there will be able to add to the list and we will all, in time, be able to pool our knowledge and recipes to encourage, assist and motivate each other.

Tonight's supper will be
Raw Spring Rolls but I will report back on that with the recipe tomorrow!
Happy Eating - YUM!