"It is much more than a fad of the moment," says raw nutrition expert and author David Wolfe in his new bookEating for Beauty. "A raw food diet is now considered a viable way of life for serious health seekers around the world." The living food movement, led by Wolfe and other high-profile raw foodists, has begun to replace the vegetarian movement as a healthy alternative to the fast food, pre-packaged, fat-laden meals most Americans eat today.
The raw-food culture is a mix of alternative health devotees, spiritual seekers, and hot trend spotters. Hollywood is not new to the raw lifestyle - Wolfe has personally counseled actors Alicia Silverstone, Alison Lohman and Woody Harrelson, motivational speaker Anthony Robbins, and model/Playmate Rebecca Scott. Wolfe and his chef staff have prepared raw feasts for The Grateful Dead; k.d. lang and Lisa Bonet have attended seminars.
To anyone who eats cooked food, the idea of eating only raw food might seem extremely restrictive, too taxing on your body. Yet there is solid evidence that a living plant food diet eases digestion, boosts energy, and eliminates carcinogens.
As the nation embarks on their New Years' resolution goals, Wolfe urges people to seriously look at the safety of the Standard American Diet (also known as the SAD diet.) "Fifty percent of the U.S. population dies of heart disease," he notes, "which is caused by poor diet and is therefore preventable and even reversible with proper diet, as tens of thousands of cases have shown.
"In the next ten years, cancer will surpass heart disease as the number one killer in the United States. We know that the best way to prevent cancer is to limit our exposure to carcinogens. The number one way of exposing ourselves to carcinogens is through cooked commercial food. Raw plant food actually contains anti-carcinogenic nutrients, so it's an obvious better choice."
--article from sunfood.com
