Ani's Raw Food Essentials - Ani Phyo [1]
We all would benefit from eating more unprocessed whole foods—fresh, unheated fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds are what the FDA calls “superfoods,” which have been shown to increase our overall health. Superfoods help us ward off diseases and illness, give us more energy and stamina, keep us at our ideal body weight, and help us look and feel our best.
LIVING WELL
Raw food is more than just a diet. It’s an entire philosophy and way of life. Eating more fresh organic ingredients affects the way we look, how we feel, and how we interact with other life and planet Earth.
Whole, fresh, unheated, unprocessed, organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds are rocket fuel for our body. This turbo-charged, nutrient-dense food fills us up with the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes our body needs to hum like a well-oiled machine.
Raw foods and sunshine give me energy, mental clarity, focus, and help me to be more productive.
A properly fueled brain can take charge and orchestrate the trillions of cells in our body to fight illness and disease. As our health and stamina increase, we may shed unwanted extra pounds, our complexion may clear up . . . all while we tread lightly on our planet. And, when we feel great, anything is possible!
My recipes are designed to help you enjoy more healthy, whole, fresh food, which is the key building block for living life well.
MY RAW FOOD JOURNEY
Most of my youth was spent in the Catskill Mountains, living on a large plot of land where my family grew our own organic produce. We didn’t have candy, sugar, soda, or processed foods in my house growing up. I ate a lot of Korean food, which, like most Asian food, is traditionally wheat and gluten free. Like most traditional foods, Korean food is whole and unprocessed. And a majority of Korean food is vegan, raw, and fermented.
My father was a raw fooder, and mono dieted frequently. He’d eat a whole bell pepper like an apple, and I had thought this was because he was from the “Old Country.” That era of raw foods is what I now label “Raw Food 1.0.” Raw food was eaten functionally back then, because it was good for you, not necessarily for taste.
My parents, having come from what was considered a third-world country in those days, were frugal. Having grown up poor, Koreans were good at conserving and using less . . . which are essential for treading lightly on our planet and living eco-green.
Although I grew up in a raw foods family, my eating habits changed when I got to college: the dining halls were full of new types of food, such as fried cheese, pasta, cake, and cookies. I loved trying all these new tastes. Unfortunately, I was eating mostly white flour, sugar, and dairy, and this newfound “diet” took its toll. I gained the Freshman 15 in just a few months’ time and my cholesterol was almost at 300, which is too high for anyone. My mom put me back on a vegan, whole food diet—and immediately, my cholesterol dropped. I began exercising again. That was the turning point on my path back to an active, healthy lifestyle.
After college, I discovered vegan raw foods in San Francisco. A friend took me to a raw restaurant that had delicious food served like I’d never experienced before. It was what I call “Raw Food 2.0” and was beautiful, delicious, and healthy.
I had so much energy after my first Raw Food 2.0 meal, I couldn’t sleep. I felt fine the next day and carried on with work as if I’d rested. Soon, I began to eat more of this raw gourmet food for energy, stamina, mental clarity, and focus. I could work more efficiently, be more productive, feel great, and sleep less without getting sick. I began making and incorporating more gourmet raw foods into my diet, and the