We talked to Russell James aka The Raw Chef about the benefits raw (or accidently vegan) food can have on your body and how best to start out on such a diet if you want to give it a try.
Russell James, The Raw Chef
Please tell us about your journey into veganism.
I've never really considered myself a vegan, it was really about eating raw food for my health. Raw food just happens to be vegan, although there are some people doing some raw dairy and eggs. For me, it started when I was a teenager, working for Burger King. Working there every day after college, in that greasy environment, eating that food every day meant that I started to suffer with acne. After 8 years taking strong drugs like Roaccutane, multiple courses of antibiotics, and topical skin creams that made my skin red and itchy, I came across raw food. The first time I heard about raw food, I thought it sounded extreme, so I ignored it. But after getting into juicing and going on a 7 day fast in Koh Samui, Thailand, I experienced some raw food dishes and I was hooked.
I just loved the vibrancy and creativity of it, and the fact that I could further clear up my skin with it, after having such success with the fast sealed the deal for me.
Why is raw food so important to our diet?
Adding raw foods in their most natural and beneficial form is missing from most people's modern diet. Raw and living foods have a vibrancy to them that is transferable into our living bodies. It's not that all cooked foods are bad, but a diet rich in raw and living foods gives us access to vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes that a lot of people are missing by cooking everything they eat. If I was to put a baked apple and a fresh, raw apple in front of you, then you'd intuitively know the raw apple has the most benefit to give. So all we're doing is extending that out to other foods and making it fun and interesting.
How did it improve your life? How did you feel before eating raw food?
I feel a lot more open to life in general. My life is very different now, to how it was then. I was working in a job I didn't like at all at the time, but now I have a business I absolutely love, following my passion. Before I started eating raw food, I guess I felt like everyone else; just, "OK". But looking back on it, I was struggling with my energy and my ability to really create the type of life that I wanted.
Why do you think there is such an extreme impression of what people who eat a raw food diet are like?
I think that taking proper care of yourself is becoming less and less extreme. It's really a case of what's become normal is actually pretty strange. When you look at the long list of ingredients in processed and packaged foods, you start to realise they're food-like-products and not food at all. We're in a time where convenience has become the most important thing, but that comes at a price. You only have to look at the increase in every type of disease over the past 30 years. So when someone you know says they're taking control of their own health, even if it's not convenient, they're seen as doing something strange. But a person who has realised the value of their own health, has a big reason why they want to take the time and energy it'll take to become vibrant and healthy, even if it means standing out a little.
Why do so many people think preparing raw food is difficult?
For just about everyone, it's a totally new way of doing things. So when you come to prepare something raw, you're not just preparing food, you're learning something new. Some people just get too up in their head about there being multiple steps. Things like soaking nuts become a barrier, because people say they haven't got time for it, but in fact, leaving a bowl of nuts to soak doesn't take any of your time, it just takes a bit of forward planning.
You began to read up a lot on raw food in your spare time before you started up your business- so what surprised you the most?
I was surprised more people weren't eating this way, and that I hadn't really heard of much beforehand. With all the benefits raw food offers, and the stories I was hearing about people healing themselves, it was both surprising and exciting to me.
What is the best advice you can give to someone who is thinking of starting to eat raw?
Take a slow and don't try to become 100% raw overnight. It's highly likely that you won't ever be 100% raw, because we don't live in a society that makes it easy, or desirable. For example, London in the winter is not the best place to be all-raw; I usually want some hot soups and baked vegetables in addition to the raw food I'm eating. Start with breakfast and lunch, getting some recipes under your belt that you really love and are conformable making without needing to refer back to the recipe all the time.
Please tell us about your recent experience at The Tiny Leaf Restaurant.
I really loved being there on the 1st floor of Tiny Leaf, creating a beautiful raw food experience. It was really cool being in a place that has the intention around vegan, vegetarian, organic and zero waste. Serving people raw food and seeing them have an experience of how this type food can make positive change in their life, is one of my favourite things to do. All those smiling faces, some of them surprised how good raw food can be, makes me happy.
What is the dish you make the most for you and your partner?
We actually keep it pretty simple at home and it depends on what season it is. Just coming out of winter, I was making a lot of hearty salads with baked butternut squash. As we move into spring and summer I'll no doubt be making plenty of kale salads, which are a real favourite.
What is next for you?
Because we get such great feedback and success stories for our online courses, I'll be continuing to grow and improve those. I'm also really looking forward to doing more retreats and workshops for 2016 and beyond. We've been working on a published book for a while now, which we're planning on launching in 2017. I'm really excited about getting that out in the world and showing people how they can bring raw food into their lives in a really accessible way.
Tagged in Vegan