NEWBURYPORT — It is said that the trend of eating raw and living foods is as old as the human race, maybe older.
After all, before man invented fire, raw food was the only food. But the cavemen's nuts and berries didn't have quite the same gourmet flair you can find around Newburyport here in the 21st century.
When you think raw foods, don't think undercooked steak and sushi. Raw foods include any food that is unprocessed and kept under 112 degrees so enzymes and the food's makeup aren't compromised.
The theory is that changes made to food through cooking or processing create chemicals and impurities in the foods that harm our digestive systems and, subsequently, our health. The building blocks of raw food diets are ingredients like fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
A person who eats living foods eats raw foods that have sprouted, meaning seed-based foods like nuts, beans and rice that are soaked before eating to bring them to life and activate their live enzymes. Sprouts are a popular ingredient in many raw and living food recipes.
From there, it's all about creativity. From "meatballs" made of almonds at Revatilive in the Tannery to "steak" made from papaya at Grezzo restaurant — pronounced Gray-Zo, meaning raw in Italian — on State Street, eating raw has come a long way. In Newburyport, even cats and dogs can go raw at The Natural Dog on State Street.
"There are so many impurities in food," said Kristen Overlock, co-owner of Revitalive, a new cafe and wellness center at the Tannery. "Even if you can make small changes like drinking water or eating an apple, it is a step in the right direction."
The same can be said for pets, notes Lily Baker of the Natural Dog, though the animal food isn't vegetarian. Instead, the store offers "complete" foods that include a mix of meat, vegetable and bones.
"That's what they're designed to eat in nature," Baker said. "Common dry, kibble dog food has been around 50 years. Animals' needs haven't changed in the last 50 years. They are designed to eat raw, unprocessed meats."
Though the awareness of raw food diets has increased in recent years, Kathy Rand, owner of the Natural Grocer, has been selling organic, vegetarian and raw foods in Newburyport since 1997.
"Part of a vegetarian diet includes raw foods," she said. "But as a singular focus, in the last 8 to 10 years, it's become a different type of choice. ... With increased awareness of what we are eating in general and what happens to foods when we alter it in some way, one can follow the other."
Is raw a cure?
There are many subcategories of vegetarian (no meat) and vegan (no meat, eggs or dairy products) diets, including fruitarian (only fruit) and liquiarian (only liquid). But it's the raw food movement that's been picking up steam locally.
The followers of the raw food movement say maintaining the diet will not only improve health, it can promote rapid weight loss, and its detoxifying effects can rid people of everything from acne to serious diseases.
Alissa Cohen, owner of Grezzo and an author and expert on raw food, says cooking food destroys enzymes, vitamins and minerals, and makes it harder for our bodies to break up and digest foods. She said an all-raw diet puts those essential enzymes back in your body and gets rid of built-up toxins that lead to diseases and illnesses.
Cohen herself was sold 25 years ago when, she claims, a raw food diet cured her fibromyalgia and her eyesight. Cohen said she has worked with people all over the world and has seen a raw food diet cure cancer, hepatitis C, diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses.
There are critics who disagree, arguing that while the diet is definitely low in fat and high in nutrients, it doesn't cure anything. As for cooking killing enzymes? Plant enzymes only help plants grow, wilt and decompose after they are harvested, and they are not needed for human digestion; human digestive enzymes are used for that, critics say.
To the naysayers, Cohen challenges them to do the raw food diet for 30 days.
"Go 100 percent raw," Cohen said. "It doesn't even take that long — you'll see a difference in days. There's no denying how you feel."
Finding wellness
Revitalive co-owners Overlock and Anna Forkan have been eating raw, vegan food for years and credit the diet for increased energy and better health.
"When I was growing up, we had meat and potatoes every night," Forkan said. "Now I salivate for salads."
While the women say it can often be hard to go to parties with non-raw vegans, they say they plan ahead and bring a new dish for party-goers to try.
Their goal for their clients is overall wellness, they said. From sauna treatments in a 220-degree sauna to detoxifying foot treatments and colon cleanses, Forkan and Overlock have a dedicated following who come to them for group cleanses and private coaching.
"We want to empower people and motivate them to do something good for themselves," Overlock said. "We accept every person at every level or stage of their journey. We are not a cult, but we encourage people to learn more."
The idea behind the cafe in the Tannery is to make fast, raw, food accessible to everyone.
"Whatever level you're at, we want to meet you," Forkan said, noting you don't have to be raw full time to enjoy raw offerings.
Even with all the limits and guidelines, a raw food diet's taste doesn't have to be compromised, said Leah Dubois, executive chef at Grezzo.
Dubois said chefs use dehydrators to achieve texture and taste, "along with other culinary secrets," to turn fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains into menu staples such as the gnocchi carbonara made with "rawmesan" cheese.
"You can go to many places and get a steak done medium rare, and it will taste the same. You can go to different places and get a pasta dish made with the same butter, cream and egg," Dubois said. "We hope to expand minds and open them up to different tastes."
