Living Light Culinary Adventure

hello everyone,

i'm currently in California having an amazing experience at the Living Light Culinary Institute. It is the premier school that focuses on raw vegan culinary arts and sciences. i arrived at san fran airport on friday where a classmate picked me up. before leaving for our 4 hour drive up the northern california coast we stopped at Cafe Gratitude which is a raw vegan restaurant. i was in heaven!!! they offer everything from fresh green juices with superfoods, shakes, lettuce wraps, veggie sushi rolls to organic raw desserts that are just amazing. they offer everything i make at home but it was already made for me. the best part of eating raw is that after you eat you still feel wonderful and full of energy. you are ingesting loads of enzymes that help to prevent the aging process. you know that the foods you have just put into your body are the best foods you could possibly eat and are loaded with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and more.

At Cafe Gratitude i enjoyed a large juice made of greens, beet, ginger and lemon. WOW was it loaded with ginger. we got our meals to go so we could enjoy them on our journey. we stopped half way through out trip in a wonderful little wine country town to enjoy our raw vegan meals from Cafe Gratitude. i enjoyed an amazing salad loaded with veggies and avocado mixed with ginger tahini dressing and raw hummus.

As you know i've been eating primarily raw for a long time now and i can't imagine eating any other way. i just feel vibrant and energetic. Remember it is ok to eat the occasional lightly cooked food because some foods are easier to digest and the nutrients assimilate in the body better when lightly heated/cooked (but only a very few foods). in general the key is to just eat more raw foods!!!

i'm attending this school so i can learn as much as possible about the culinary techniques that make the raw foods not only taste amazingly delicious but also the most nutrient-dense as possible. i love to learn new things and if can learn a few new techniques i will be happy.

As with any type of eating style you have to be careful to keep it simple. it is easy to overindulge in raw foods which is still not optimal for your body and mind. here at living light i continue to practice what i preach. my typical day includes:

waking approximately 6 am
walking along the coast
water and vitamins
shot of E3 live
fruit/green smoothie: variety of fruits, vitamineral green
green juice: kale, cucumber, celery, apple, lemon, ginger
late lunch/dinner options: salad greens, sprouts, raw veggies, nut cheeses, flax crackers and more.
another green juice
walking along the coast

today we sampled an amazing carrot, apple cake with cashew cream sauce that was just amazing!!! i don't often indulge in even raw desserts but this one was light and delicious. it could be a morning energy bar too.

be well, kelly