Love it raw: ‘Un-cooking’ for better health

Rhea Claire Madarang

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Diet and detox come together in raw food

RAW FOOD FAIRIES. Raw food chefs Asha Peri and Daniw Arrazola spread raw food love among fellow Filipinos. Photo by Rhea Claire Madarang

MANILA, Philippines – We all know the old yet timeless advice our mothers tell us: eat your fruits and vegetables. 

Raw food chefs Asha Peri and Daniw Arrazola take this advice further by saying “eat raw (fruits and vegetables, that is — not sushi!).”

Raw foods are generally higher in vitamins and minerals. They have more enzymes which aid the body in nutrient breakdown and absorption. Cooking and heat destroy most of these enzymes.

HEALTHY SELECTION. Clockwise from left: Raw lasagna, 'not-meatballs,' and mock corned beef, all vegan and raw, prepared at Asha Peri’s workshops. Photos from Dahon Kusina

A raw food lifestyle is also linked to a lowered risk of cardiovascular disease, improved immune system, increased energy, and greater mental clarity, according to studies and testimonies.

After adopting a predominantly raw food diet, Asha says she rarely gets coughs and colds, and her energy and eyesight have improved. For Daniw, it was not only about physical health but also about emotional health.

“I was already doing yoga and meditation, but the everyday negative thoughts and worries were still there,” Daniw tells Rappler. After going for just a few days on raw food, though, the negative self-talk disappeared.

EXCITING AND ENTICING. Even the salads in Asha’s workshops are far from boring. Photo by Rhea Claire Madarang

While these two chefs do not advocate a 100% raw diet for everyone, they highly recommend incorporating raw in one’s daily lifestyle.

An internationally certified raw food chef, Asha makes preparing and eating raw fun and doable through her Dahon Kusina (Leaf Kitchen) workshops, mostly in Manila. “Healthy” is far from boring in her workshops, where she teaches preparation of raw versions of dishes people usually enjoy like lasagna, hamburgers, cakes, and ice cream.

Even her salads are colorful and creatively prepared, with different ingredients and dressings that make the salad anything but ordinary.

SWEET! Can you believe these sweet, decadent desserts are all raw and vegan? Photos from Dahon Kusina

Asha has also been applying her over 5 years of experience as a progressive early childhood educator to let her workshops better address participants’ needs. “Before the workshop, I find out what their needs are, especially healing needs,” Asha shares. “The information I share and the recipes we do in the workshop are all given to address their needs.”

Through Asha’s workshops, some participants are also encouraged to become raw food chefs and teachers themselves. They are now sharing the raw food lifestyle with their families, friends, and communities.

Daniw, an internationally certified raw food chef herself, also gives raw food workshops especially in Bahay Kalipay, a retreat and healing center she manages in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. She reaches out to different communities — especially indigent communities — around the Philippines through Raw Food Pinoy, an initiative she founded.

READ: The house of happiness 

HELPING COMMUNITIES. Raw food relief work for tropical storm Sendong victims in Cagayan de Oro. Photo from Raw Food Pinoy

During the aftermath of tropical storm Sendong, the Raw Food Pinoy team did relief work in Cagayan de Oro, one of the hardest-hit areas. The team used fresh, local, and affordable ingredients to prepare food for Sendong victims and showed them that incorporating raw food in their lifestyles is doable and sustainable.

The team also left some blenders with community leaders to help sustain raw food practices. Blenders are the key equipment for the raw food lifestyle, especially in the preparation of green smoothies, a blend of leafy green vegetables otherwise difficult to consume raw in their solid state, and fruits.

The Raw Food Pinoy team also conducts free talks and demonstrations in different provinces in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

DON'T JUDGE BY ITS COLOR. The green smoothie, a blend of fruits and leafy greens, is a raw food staple both Asha and Daniw recommend that people incorporate in their lifestyle. Photo from Raw Food Pinoy

In May, Daniw is conducting an intensive raw food workshop in Palawan with community scholars. These scholars will then be encouraged to pay it forward by sharing the raw food knowledge with their communities.

While Asha and Daniw are both formally trained raw food chefs, they admit to experimenting with raw food recipes even before they attended any formal training. Daniw shares that the process is mostly intuitive and that people should not be intimidated from trying it themselves.

“Anyone can prepare raw food,” she says with conviction. “We have so many ingredients at the local market — we just need to be creative.”

Find out more about the raw food lifestyle in this video:


For those who still hesitate, Daniw recommends trying raw for a day to see the difference. – Rappler.com

 

(To find out more about Asha Peri’s raw food workshops, visit Dahon Kusina’s Facebook page or e-mail do.you.beleaf@gmail.comTo know more about Raw Food Pinoy’s advocacy, visit their Facebook page. If you want to volunteer for or donate to Raw Food Pinoy’s workshops to indigent communities, e-mail Daniw Arrazola at iamdaniw@gmail.com.) 

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Rhea Claire Madarang

Claire Madarang is a traveler, writer, biodiversity communications practitioner, and facilitator of nature play activities. Follow her adventures, travel tips, and reflections on her blog Traveling Light and on her Instagram