Eating 'rawrrr': The appetizing world of raw food 

In a world saturated with food shows, where new restaurants sprout at every corner of this congested city, it takes a drum-ful of will power not to eat more than you should (the rule of thumb is: your determination should be bigger than your appetite). 

 

Truth is, with the most delicious food also being the most sinful, it is really so darn hard to eat, instead, a plateful of vegetables and a sad-looking apple.  

 

Raw food does not seem or sound appetizing. Not even when laying out a table full of vegetables at Sugarleaf’s raw food workshop last June 29 at the Medicard Lifestyle Center. My initial reaction was, there’s no way my tummy will be satisfied by those!

 

The second of a five-part series, the workshop was conducted by raw food chef and health advocate Aileen de Guzman, themed “let food be your medicine.”

 

“Have you ever noticed, when you’re hungry, na-ransack mo na lahat ng nasa refrigerator mo, pero gutom ka pa rin? That means your body hasn’t found the nutrients it needs,” de Guzman said. 

 

According to de Guzman, raw foodism, which is a diet consisting of uncooked, unprocessed and organic foods, is key to curing our body’s illnesses. There’s a reason why nature has blessed us with so much fruits, vegetables, and nuts, she said. These are what our bodies need in order to be nourished and to recharge.  

 

But more than this, at least to yours truly, who lives to eat (and not the other way around), the raw food dishes that de Guzman prepared were surprisingly exciting, delicious, and yes, even filling.

 

Raw food to curb indigestion

 

“It’s all a matter of combining well, the science of putting fruits, vegetables, and super herbs together,” de Guzman advised, referring to the dishes she was about to make, which were potent colon-cleansers.   

 

Before the class, de Guzman demonstrated six easy-to-prepare recipes that promote a healthy digestion. 

 

A coca probiotic smoothie, for example, is the basic solution to flatulence and constipation. 

 

De Guzman concocted a strong juice of fresh buko, guyabano, aloe vera, coca tea, and almonds. This was topped off with bananas and soaked chia, similar to a Frappuccino. It was, as expected, a green liquid substance your eyes wouldn’t feast on. But my oh my, it tasted like any sugary shake typically bought in malls. The chia seeds also gave it a good texture, like tapioca pearls in a glass of milk tea--but much, much healthier.

 

A real treat were the herby beauty beets, with fennel seeds (which is good for gastrointestinal calming) and Astralagus (a Chinese herb containing the natural nutrients to control blood sugar). With it's colorful presentation, the dish was a delight to gaze upon—and in a truly surprising turn of events, it tasted like a mild version of nachos. The topping, the herb pesto, made all the difference: it was both garlicky and cheesy (which, I was both amused and amazed to learn, was actually nutritional yeast). I swear it tasted like cheese! But unlike nachos, which you eat a lot of and regret later, you could have a plateful of these herby beauty beets without the guilt, while at the same time, healing the body. 

 

De Guzman also demonstrated how to make berry power coleslaw with an added herb ingredient of Schizandra, a dragon herb believed to help reduce stress hormones. Instead of mayonnaise, de Guzman combined almond butter, olive oil, garlic, and lime juice as a dressing to the slaw.  

 

For the last of the “main courses,” de Guzman made the class interactive by asking us to prepare the vegan ganoderma sushi with her. So there we were, rolling up our nori wraps stuffed with sprouts and avocados.

 

Lastly, de Guzman treated the class to yummy dessert—chaga choco power cups. I was amazed to learn you could use organic ingredients and still get the same happy feeling when eating sweets. To replace sugar, de Guzman used raw yacon syrup instead. 

 

My chaga power cup was an interesting mix of buckwheat, black currant, and goji berries. It wasn’t as creamy as your sinful mini cake, but it satisfied my sweet tooth craving all the same. 

 

 

Start by buying a juicer

 

Obviously, I had fun eating all the raw food dishes. At the end of the session, I was so full, I decided not to have dinner anymore. 

 

With raw food not bland, blah, and boring, there are no more excuses for the health-conscious to fail at eating healthy. However, raw food can be intimidating, not to mention time-consuming. Considering the busy schedule of most working professionals, who has the time to look for all these ingredients anyway?

 

But as de Guzman said, one can start incorporating raw food into their lives slowly but surely. 

 

“After deciding and committing yourself to leading a healthy lifestyle, the first step is to buy a juicer,” she said. 

 

Juicing, according to de Guzman, is fast and very easy-to-do for those who are always on-the-go. And it’s cheap too. 

 

“The juicer is expensive. But the ingredients? You can buy pineapple for fifty pesos, malunggay for five pesos, tanglad for five pesos. Juice them together and you have a very potent, powerful lunch. And you can drink as much as you want.”

 

That’s drink-all-you-can for you. And I guess the important thing is to gradually introduce healthy food in your life. Especially if you’re of the sort who have been eating junk and greasy food non-stop, the initial reaction of your body is to go on a hunger strike. 

 

But once your colon is cleansed from the toxins you’ve been ingesting every day, then the body will steadily adjust to healthy food. The long term benefits are the rewards.

 

De Guzman urged, “Don’t wait for you to get sick before you start eating right.” — VC, GMA News

 

 

Sugarleaf Cafe still has upcoming workshops in July and August. Contact Jeren at 09178402654 or email angelo@sugarleafph.com for more information and reservations.