In The Raw

Ever heard of eating Raw?  Not raw like a lion devouring a gazelle on Discovery Channel but in the vegetarian (vegan) sense. I'm a carnivore, but sometimes I will eat vegetarian for a meal or a few days.

Today I was driving home from a beautiful late summer day at the beach.  I wanted something good to eat.  Something different from my normal diet.  Something good for me. I remembered that there was a Raw restaurant Good to Go a few miles from me.

Raw foodists adhere to the concept that cooking food kills it and destroys beneficial enzymes and nutritional value.  There is much debate about whether Raw is effective or beneficial.  On the negative, since food is not cooked there is a legitimate question of bacteria.   On the positive, because raw food is organic, there are no pesticides.  For me the energy surge from eating Raw and vegetarian exceeds that of coffee...and how have you ever had a bacteria free salad?

I wandered into Good to Go and found a pleasant restaurant with an easy-going staff and a delectable menu.  I tried to choose between the Burger de Not - a Brazil nut veggie patty on ciabatta and a side salad,  or a pizza -made with almond spread, sun-dried tomato marinara, kalamata olives, crispy onion and avocado.  The woman behind the counter said the Burger was her favorite. I ordered it.  I ate it . I enjoyed it.  My belly was full.  Darlene the owner walked to each table and offered samples of the restaurants chocolate macaroons.  She told me that their plan is to create a chain of vegetarian fast food restaurants.

I try to have a balanced diet.  Balanced not only in ingredients, but also in incorporating new and healthy choices.  The goal is over time to work out the bad things (strawberry licorice) and replace them with better choices (fruit, nuts, lean meats, vegetables) with an occasional indulgence (...strawberry licorice).

Try eating out or cooking differently than your normal routine.  Try eating vegetarian, raw, vegan.  Try Pakistani or Croatian. Try something good and healthy.  Food is what fuels us.  Choose good fuel.

Photo Credit © Nikolay Mamluke | Dreamstime.com