SUMMERTIME AND RAW EATIN’ IS EASY
August 5, 2008
When the subject of summer vs winter raw foods is brought up, Carol Alt knows that in this day and age, there is virtually no difference between the two in terms of easy availability. Access to foods that are grown internationally and transported all over the world is commonplace and relatively inexpensive, thanks to modern transportation methods. No more waiting for the first warm days of summer if you crave strawberries, grapes or asparagus. Winter vegetables? No longer any different than the summer ones. With very few exceptions, all fruits and vegetables are now available year-round.
What does seem to be seasonal, however, is the way many people think of summer vs winter meals. In the wintertime, nothing seems more inviting that a hot cup of soup, followed by a rich, heavy, warming plate of…well, you name your favorite foods.
But who wants a heavy meal during the heat of summer? Certainly not raw food enthusiasts and really, not too many other people, either. We all want to cool off and a terrific, interesting salad, or a plate of fresh fruit, can be just what the doctor ordered.
Carol loves the variety of dishes available during the long, warm days of summer, and is happy to share a few choice ideas. For example, a beautiful, yet simple salad composed of cucumbers, dill and cold-pressed olive oil. She sometimes includes her own homemade kefir and a little sea salt in the dressing, for variety.
“I love kefir and since it’s so easy to make, especially during the summer, when it’s warm outside, I keep some going all the time”, says Carol. “Ask your favorite Indian restaurant to sell you a kefir ‘bud’, which is just a scoop of their own kefir. Heat your milk (about a gallon) until just before it comes to a boil, let it cool, and add the kefir ‘bud’. Set the bowl outside in the sun (cover it with a towel or plastic wrap), come back 8 hours later and voila! you have your own homemade kefir! If the kefir isn’t quite thick enough, just leave it in the sun a while longer, until it’s the consistency you want”. Carol likes to add granola to her kefir when it’s ready to eat and of course, you can add whatever fruits you prefer. “Kefir contains more beneficial bacteria than yoghurt and by making my own, I know that the ingredients are not chemically altered”, something that fits right into Carol’s raw and healthy lifestyle.
Back to the salad dressing, Carol says there are countless variations on the cold-pressed olive oil and kefir base: Curry, a pinch of cayenne (if you like things spicy), minced onion, garlic, etc., can all be added to suit your taste. “Experiment with it. You’ll discover a lot of different tastes that work beautifully with fresh salad greens, as well as other raw vegetables. By using the cold-pressed oil, you also know that the dressing will be of the highest possible quality, especially in terms of raw.”
If you can’t resist eating pasta, Carol urges you to try rice pasta. Chop up some fresh tomatoes, a little cilantro or basil, celtic sea salt and cold-pressed olive oil. “Don’t cook the mixture - in Italy it is called ‘pomodoro al fresco’ or ‘cold tomatoes’”, Carol advises, “but even if you HAVE to have a hot tomato sauce, which will probably give you heartburn, at least add the oil after cooking…” and toss it with the hot pasta. “When I gave up wheat pasta, along with the other wheat products that I no longer eat, I never had another cold, or sinus infection, or allergy attack!”, she says. “Before I changed that part of my diet, I was constantly taking aspirin, cold medicines, allergy medicines - I was sick all the time. Never again.”
Depending on where you live, the myriad summer fruits - cherries, peaches, mangos, berries, pineapples, etc. - can be cut up, tossed together, and served with a kefir-based “dip” or dressing. Add a little honey and some of the juices from the cut fruit to the kefir for a lovely, slightly sweet dressing.
Speaking of something sweet, Carol will combine a fresh banana, some fresh fruit, perhaps a little freshly squeezed orange juice and kefir, all whirled together with a little ice in the blender, for a delicious slushy. And to cover her bets during the winter, or if she forgot to go to the market for fresh items, Carol freezes some fruit (including cut-up bananas) for emergency use. She also recommends keeping commercially frozen fruits in the freezer year-round, with the caveat that they not be processed with added sugar or syrup.
These are just a few of the ideas and recipes included in Carol’s book, “The Raw Fifty”. The book covers nearly 130 menu ideas and recipes, which help raw enthusiasts (and anyone else looking for delicious additions to their usual fare) come up with easy, tasty, family-pleasing dishes.
In case you’re wondering - and who doesn’t? - how the calorie count in raw fruits and vegetables stacks up against that of the same foods when they’ve been cooked, Carol has a great analogy. “I compare the foods we put into our bodies to the gasoline we put into our cars. It’s all going to be burned up, but if you put cheap gas into your car, it’ll leave a residue and not burn cleanly. That will ultimately damage your car’s engine. The higher quality the gas, the cleaner it burns. With our food, the purer it is going in, the cleaner and more energy-efficient it will be. What can be more pure than raw fruits and vegetables?”.
One of the things that Carol emphasizes is that “raw” really means “unprocessed”. Every time you open a can of something - anything! - the food in that can has been processed, meaning that in a very basic way, it has been altered molecularly. The human body then has to process the altered food differently (and less efficiently) than it would if the same food were raw and unaltered.
Carol has given lectures and even spoken to doctors and other medical professionals about the molecular changes that occur when raw food is cooked. She is trying to teach everyone that by eating raw, your body receives the purest possible energy source and is really forced to burn it all off in the cleanest, healthiest way.
In a future article on this website, Carol will explore what it was like being a fat - yes! you read correctly! - kid. But for now, she hopes you’ll push back from the computer, and take a walk…maybe to a fresh foods market nearby, for some of that luscious summer produce she’s been talking about
Carol,
I’m currently reading your book, Eating in the Raw, and want to congratulate you on your success. Many, many people say they want to write a book, but only a few actually sit down and do the actual work involved in bringing it to fruition!
I do have one question for you, though. Several times throughout the book, you mention the fact that a lot of the food you discuss in the book can be purchased through your website. Unfortunately I can’t figure out how to navigate your site, in order to find where to purchase the food. While there are ads on the right hand of the site, they appear to be Google ads, not actual affiliate links to specific raw food sites. Am I missing something?
If I could make a suggestion, from my experience, the perfect area for this kind of marketing is under “Carol’s Marketing Corner,” as that’s where I expected to see it, along with any other products you have available for sale (as opposed to your headshot and resume information, which belong under a different category such as Media, Film & TV Credits or the like).
One other suggestion would be to have an “Online Store” navigation button added to your site, so that your audience can directly purchase your books, as well as anything else you recommend for raw foodists (i.e. Vita Mix blender, Power Juicer) in your books. I would also suggest having a “Blog” button added, as well, thus enabling your audience to find your blog more easily.
Anyway, I’d love to know more about the 14-grain breakfast cereal you recommend, along with the actual name of it and where I can purchase it.
And if you’re still looking for a “first” idea for Playboy, I’d be glad to meet with you in person to discuss an idea I have for you.
Thanks in advance for the cereal information!
Sincerely,
Sharon
Hi Sharon,
I think I actually wrote to you before-or else you are not the first to ask me this question. I have my favorite cereals- there is Classic Granola from Good Stuff From Mom and Me (their Almond Granola is good too!) or i just found that Kaia Foods has a great Granola Crunch, too-
Good Stuff.com and http://www.kaiafoods.com
The people who had the seven grain cereal I spoke about in my book got flooded with orders and decided not to sell to the public!
They will only sell to people who work with their doctors…and have a “prescription” for the cereal. They believe as I do that foods are like the best medicine and they understand that very ill people should have first dibs on their cereal thru their doctors…
However, the above cereals i mention here are a great, tasty replacement-oh and just as nourishing!!
bon apetit!
Sharon,
You are right, the links to all of the wonderful raw websites are gone. Carol used to have a “raw” page on this website with all of those links which I have actually purchased from many times. I would love to see these links reappear as well as the factual information that Carol had regarding her personal story and the science behind a a raw food diet for people who really are not sure what “raw” really means. I have both of Carol’s books and keep them as a kitchen reference for my raw eating. They are both excellent books with delicious recipes. Once you understand teh science behind a raw food diet and miracle of enzymes as a means of digestion and that “spark of life,” I can’t imagine how anyone would not at least try to go 80% raw!
SIncerely,
Tania
Hi Carol: Could you tell me if any manufacturer has taken over the production of Le Mirador Skin Care products. I love the mask I bought and was wanting to try the entire line but found out you don’t sell it any longer on QVC. I’ve tried everywhere to find it. Thanks so much for you help - Dian Goss
Hi Carol,
I make my own kefir, too. I use raw milk to create my batch. It’s not always easy to find raw milk, but the the benefits far outweighs pastuerized milk. Please see:
http://www.realmilk.com/rawvpasteur.html
Either way, you look fantastic, Carol….and thanks for spreading the “raw” word!
dear sharon,
thank you for your comments.
unfortunately, i have had the worst website karma!!
i am still in the process of clearing up an existing relationship and starting a new one for raw food.
so, it may take me a little more time to re-do what i have done several times already!!
however, if you are looking for good raw food:
rawvolution.com
goodstuff,com and
sundiet.com (aka: naturesfirstlaw.com)
hope this helps….?
ca
hi dian,
thank you for your note!
QVC was the only place that i know of that sold Le Mirador products.
however, i am coming out with a new line of completely clean, raw, ‘beyond natural and organic’ skincare.
we will debut on HSN in early Dec.
i know that this does not answer your Le Mirador question, but as i loved that clay mask, too, i am making one just like it, but raw!!
hope this helps somewhat?
all the best,
ca
hey mike!
thank you for giving me your secret to getting raw milk!!
i love making my kefir- and i love eating it, too!
i also buy raw goat’s milk- not the best for kefir, but tastes sooooo good!!
thank you again for your comments!
all the best,
ca
hi tania,
thank you for your comments. it is nice to know that my page reached so many people.
i just gave some links to yolanda, above, hope this helps you, too…..
i am trying to get a site up and running. it has been a nightmare, and i am not sure why.
in any case, i keep trying….
all the best,
ca
HI Carol,
I was 90% raw three years ago. I got started after reading your book! I have just re-read it along with several other raw food books I purchased at that time. I would love an e-mail when you get ready to launch your raw skin care line. I have been looking for one and have not found one. I have been diagnosed with gout an an autoimmune disease. Eating raw makes me feel so much better!
Thanks bunches, can’t wait for the skin care line!
Hi Carol,
You have a lot of great information about eating raw. I’m just getting into myself and have your book The Raw 50. Would you be interested in setting up a membership site for your following? The idea is to create online courses with your content and create an online community where people can watch videos and chat about the ideas, recipes, and so on with each other in discussion forums. Rather than customers buying your book once, they would pay a recurring monthly fee to access the site. Our company would host and run the whole thing at virtually no cost - instead we prefer to create a JV and share the risks and rewards.
If you would like to talk about partnering on this opportunity please contact me. Sorry if this isn’t the right medium but there is no other online method that I could find.
Will
Hello,
I am a luxury organic skin care retailer interested in the raw skin care line. Please let me know as soon as it is available to retailers outside of HSN and congrats!
Hi Carol,
I am a mother of three and have pacreatities. I am so interested in getting healthy, i am tired of feeling sick. I have changed my way of eating alot but yet struggle and really want to feel better for my family. I just rented your book on Raw food and am very interested on the benefits that Raw food can do for you. I am excited, scared, to try something new. Thank you for all the information you give it is really great to be lead in the right direction in Eating Raw,
God Bless you.
Rosa
Hi Dian,
So, you are right, I do not do QVC any longer! I have moved to HSN where I will be launching my own line of skincare called RAW ESSENTIALS. We launch on Dec 11/12 in a small launch and then the major launch is Jan 26th. I will have a mask like the Le Mirador mask- the clay mask and we will have a nutritional mask, too!
So come see me on HSN and try my new mask which will do what that clay mask did, only more RAW, more detoxifying and i believe, more healthy!!
Hi Tania/Sharon,
Yes, as you can see my website has changed. I have had very difficult time with web people and as I do all this for RAW and RAW FOOD for free, it is hard to find people of like mind who won’t charge my fans or charge the food companies I list online.
I have worked over a year (believe it or not) to get my raw skin care line up and a website to boot- this site should open soon.
I am hoping and have been working towards getting a small section on that site to list my favorite sites, but it will still take time.
But, like I said, it is difficult to get this done. I am trying…..
Dear Mike,
Yes, I make my own kefir and when I can, I do use the raw milk. I buy my milk in LA and pack it and ship it with my bags back to NYC!! But even if I cannot get raw milk, I still use pasteurized and cook it again…..I believe that the bacteria action in kefir is important to get-even if not cultivated in raw milk!
Imagine you can buy raw milk in whole foods in LA and not in NYC? Silly!
So, when I go to LA I buy my milk and my cream-for raw Banana Cream Pie!!
But these are treats I get every now and again!
By the way, I have found raw milk also in Milan…
Hi SUSAN!!!
Here it is! Your email announcing that my skin care line is launching!!
we will be on HSN on Dec 11/12!
We will not have our own time slot for this mini-launch, we will be on the beauty shows…..
Our own time slot comes with our major launch in Jan (26th to be exact) where we will launch our 11 products for all skin types….
In March we will start the launch of our Anti-aging line…..
Please tune in and call me if possible while on-air!
Looking forward to hearing from you!!
Happy Holidays!
Carol Alt
Hi Spirit!!
Here is the deal on the skincare line…..
HSN has a one year exclusive on the line! They believe it is the future of skincare…
I have always believed this or I would not have done the line.
I have done all the work for you! No need to be a label sleuth or educated in chemicals to read labels…
I have created a line with all the active ingredients preserved in their God-given state…and done so without synthetic chemicals!
Hard to find this type of good, clean skincare in this day and age because synthetics are so much cheaper…..well, and the FDA does not regulate skincare so no one HAS to do it!
But hey I put this on my skin- so I want the best!
And so should you…..
Hi Will,
can you please leave a number?
or else, send a message to my manager…
thank you
To my Fans,
I am sorry if it takes me a bit of time to answer all your mail. As I do this all by myself, no assistants or agents do it for me, I am sometimes at the mercy of my schedule….
So, I was in Italy for a couple of months shooting a movie and well, that is sometimes 18 hours a day- so, I got a bit behind in responding and the fan mail in my office has backed up, too!
Please bear with me while I catch up!!
Thank You!
Carol Alt
Ага, я с таким тоже сталкивался