Ani's Raw Food Essentials (2 page)

I developed a line of prepared packaged foods under the name SmartMonkey Foods, eventually also launching a line of fruit and nut bars. To focus on my raw foods business, I moved to Portland, Oregon, for four years.

Portland was cold and damp probably ten months out of the year, with gorgeous summers, wild blackberries, and no humidity. Eating all uncooked, cold, damp foods in that cold, damp climate took its toll on me over time without my even realizing it.

I didn't listen to my friends who told me to consider the climate in relation to my diet—that I couldn't eat the same way in the cold months in Portland as I did in warm
Los Angeles. I was into being fully raw, and it worked for me for a while. What I learned wasn't that it's impossible to be 100 percent raw in a cold climate; rather, that it's important to find what works for each of us. We all come from different ethnic backgrounds, have a unique genetic makeup, and have grown up and live in various climates.

When people ask me how important it is to be 100 percent raw, I remind them to have an attitude of gratitude instead. We are lucky to have the option to decline food because it's not raw, organic, or vegan, for example, while people in other parts of our world are starving. If someone makes a meal filled with good intentions that happens to not be all organic or raw, it may just be healthier to choose to accept it graciously, rather than being extreme. Extremes cause stress.

There are many days when I enjoy all raw foods, especially if I'm really busy or it's super hot outside. But, on cold, overcast, damp days, I may crave a hot soup, and so I'll have one.

I've actually found as I've let go of my reins of extremeness, people are more open and willing to try my style of eating and living. The pressure to be 100 percent perfect is gone. Instead, having gratitude for the foods I have to eat helps me make the right choices.

We are indeed privileged to have the choice to decline food that is not organic, vegan, or fresh. We are blessed. Let's remember to give thanks for this. On your own path, you may want to go 100 percent raw, or you may find it's best for you to try adding raw dishes to your diet daily or weekly. What's important to remember is that you don't need to be rigid and you don't have to go to extremes. The recipes in this book were created with those thoughts in mind.

Eating raw foods increases our health, no doubt. But to increase longevity even further, it's important to consider our overall well-being. To increase my overall health and longevity, I make sure to live eco green and toxin free, I enjoy an active lifestyle, I choose natural beauty and eco fashion, I work on being happy, and I eat my delicious, whole, fresh, raw foods.

Toxins in our living and working environments can be decreased by using toxin-free cleaners, choosing organic materials for furnishings whenever possible, and opening windows to air rooms. The EPA estimates indoor air can have two to five times more pollution than outside air.

I love my dress made from a Baltimore Orioles jersey.

In Korea, shoes are left at the door, which avoids tracking in residual pesticides. I use a HEPA filter vacuum to filter out dust, bacteria, pollen, and dog dander from my pooch, Kanga. My shower curtains are PVC-free to avoid toxins that can disrupt my hormones, and I have green plants that help clean and filter my indoor air. A NASA study found plants remove 96 percent of harmful carbon monoxide from a closed room.

Toxin-free living also means abandoning toxic thoughts. A positive outlook makes it easier to feel happier. Focus on what you want, and don't waste energy worrying about what you don't want.

Our body was designed to run away from predators in the wild, and to gather our food. Today, we work all day at our desk in an office and buy our food at the market. So, it's important to include cardio, stretching, and weight-bearing exercises, to build strong, lean muscles and a healthy body that's less prone to injury and pain.

I've got to sweat every day to detox and clean myself from the inside out—even if it means going to a sauna on days when I've got less energy. Meditation is exercise for my brain muscle, and I do my best to meditate, even if only for five minutes, every morning upon rising and every evening before bed.

Eating more whole, fresh, organic foods increases overall health from the inside out to give us a glow of health. In Los Angeles, we have clothing recycling stores, where you can trade about three stylish fashion items for credit toward another item in the store. I love shopping at these fashion recycleries and find one-of-a-kind gems that create my fashion statement. Plus, it's a cost-effective way to get new clothes. When buying new clothing, I do my best to choose organic fabrics that help me avoid chemicals on my skin.

Research has found toxic chemicals called parabens, used as preservatives in makeup, shampoos, deodorants, and nail polish, in cancer cells. Choosing poison-free beauty options will decrease your exposure to toxic chemicals that build up on your body over time. Our skin is our largest organ, and what we put on it is the same as if we are drinking or eating the substance. I make sure everything I put on my body is safe to eat, such as lemon juice to lighten, and coconut oil and jojoba oil to moisturize my hair and skin.

Take time out for our friends, family, and pooches.

When we feel happy, we are less stressed, and our overall sense of well-being is increased. I've found being happy takes practice, but the rewards are endless. Happy people win favors, receive kind gestures, laugh more, have fewer wrinkles, and even make others smile.

Even though I eat a nutrient-rich diet of fresh, organic, whole foods, I still have days when I need to work on feeling happy. It helps me to make a list of ten to twenty blessings I'm thankful for today. I may be grateful for something as basic as a new day, a good night's rest, a strong body, a beating heart, and my family and friends. I try not to think about what I don't have, once had, or wish I had, and focus on this moment and all that's good in my life.

To increase happiness, be kind, take a minute to help someone out, and give compliments freely. Give it a try, and you'll see how good it makes you feel. Spend more time with your family. Our family and friends are the most important thing in life. At the end of your life, you won't wish you'd worked harder, or made more money. You'll wish you'd spent more time with the people you love.

I haven't had a TV in years, and I avoid gossip. Living without these leaves me with more time to make nourishing food, meditate, contemplate, and feel gratitude and bliss. And, I make sure to give my dog, Kanga, as much love as possible.

What we choose to eat has the largest impact on our planet, and the right foods can help us feel and look our best. By enjoying more organic raw foods, we're contributing to a green planet by decreasing the production and use of toxic chemicals and their contamination of our natural environment. We ingest less poisonous chemicals, and place less stress on our immune system. We provide nutrient-rich food to fuel our optimal physical, mental, and emotional performance.

When I started eating more whole foods, I noticed an immediate decrease in kitchen garbage, as most of it comes from food packaging. The stuff we throw away is what we're paying for . . . the packaging, printing, manufacturing, warehousing, refrigeration, and distribution. After all this has been paid off, there's not much money left for the actual ingredients in the food. This is why most processed, packaged, and prepared foods are full of chemical flavors, colors, and empty calories created to make actual food ingredients go further. Another reason for enjoying more whole, fresh, raw foods straight from the source.

My style of Raw Foods 2.0 includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Most are never heated or cooked, and if heated, the temperature never goes above 104°F. I believe anything hotter than 104°F begins to damage the nutrients and enzyme activity in our food. Research has shown nutrients are damaged and destroyed as food is heated and cooked. I've heard some people heat raw foods up to as high as 110° or 118°F, and you'll hear varying numbers. I believe anything hotter than 104°F damages enzymes and nutrients, because 104°F is hot when I touch it and feels as if it's damaging my skin.

Whole, unprocessed, fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds are mixed together in a blender or food processor, or simply tossed together in a bowl, to create delicious, nutrient-rich dishes that taste better than the cooked versions. Good for you and good for the planet, my recipes support eco-green living, health, and overall well-being.

I consider my food to be living foods, which is a bit different from the “classic” definition of raw foods. A dehydrated cracker can be raw but has less enzyme activity, so its shelf life is longer than, say, a living apple, which contains water and enzymes and will ripen more and more over time until it eventually composts back into the earth. I recommend enjoying dehydrated foods in moderation, and drinking plenty of water with it to keep hydrated. Remember, water is the basis of all things living.