About Raw Foods
Many Maine Coast customers are proponents of the Living and Raw Foods diet, often touted as the ultimate vegetarian, organic and plant–based diet. These folks do not cook their food, thus preserving all the naturally occurring enzymes, which are destroyed at temperatures above 105° F.
People who eat raw and live foods claim increased vitality, health, and spiritual connection, while leaving less of an environmental footprint.
Sea vegetables, as the plant world's best source of organic minerals and trace elements, play an important part in this diet. Especially appreciated are dulse and raw untoasted nori, the highest in protein – 20% to 30% by weight – and the easiest to use without cooking. As in the macrobiotic diet, vegetables from the sea balance vegetables from the land.
Here is what Brendan Brazier, Canadian Ironman tri–athlete and raw fooder, says:
"Seaweed is an exceptionally good source of minerals and trace elements. Dulse, for example, provides the perfect mineral complex in a natural form. The daily consumption of natural–source minerals and trace elements is important for optimal health. Especially significant for active people, adequate mineral consumption allows the cells to stay hydrated longer, thereby improving endurance. Sea vegetables are a superior source, as they are also chlorophyll–rich and alkaline–forming."
THRIVE, A Guide to Optimal Health & Performance Through Plant–based Whole Foods, Brendan Brazier, Oceanside Publishing, 2005
For this section, we're also very grateful to Brenda Cobb of the Living Foods Institute for sharing some of her favorite sea veggie recipes.
For more information on her, please see the link to the left. For more information on raw foods, the lifestyle, as well as more recipes on Living and Raw Foods, visit these websites:
