Joseph Custer Interview by Alex Malinksy

1. Where were you born and what did you do before you started the raw food lifestyle?

I was born in Los Angles California and raised in Northern California. Life took me to Florida in 1991 and I’ve lived here ever since. Before devoting myself to raw foods I was working as an account manager for an art company. I ate the typical SAD diet and spent too much time watching TV and surfing the net.

2. How do you feel on the raw foods lifestyle? How long have you been raw?

I have been on a 100% raw diet for just under three years. During the past three years I’ve reached several plateaus of health each one better then the previous. I’m amazed everyday at how well I feel. I’m 41 years old and feel better then I did at twenty. I’m also 95 pounds lighter

3. What is your daily diet like?

I start the day with grapefruit. I might have another piece of fruit before noon. If I’m not busy preparing a lot of foods for others, lunch is usually a veggie wraps or a sandwich . If I am making a lot of food I’ll eat whatever I’m preparing. My first year raw I ate the sandwich daily. It’s made with flat bread, seed cheese, avocados and tomatoes. I love this sandwich, it will keep you full all afternoon. For dinner I have a lot of greens, usually a big salad. Sometimes I will have a green drink or bowl of energy soup if I feel my body needs to rest.

Over the past three years I have refined my diet to fit my body and lifestyle. I have found that if I keep certain items in my diet daily, like leafy greens or sprouts, sea veggies, avocados and some fresh fruit and then limit my intake of nuts, sugars and dehydrated foods I feel great and have the energy to stay very active all day.

4. What are some of your favorite raw food recipes?

I would have to say Mother Nature’s whole foods right from the tree or plant. Next to that would be whatever recipe I’m working on. Currently it's chili. I’ll be making this at my next workshop. Stay tuned for the DVD!

5. What are some of the best raw recipe books you've read or seen?

I have found fantastic recipes in most all the raw/living food lifestyle books. I have also found some recipes that do not match my taste buds and some in which I don’t agree with the ingredients. My suggestion is to start a collection and mark your favorite recipes in each book. Use a grading system so you remember the ones that do and don’t suit you.

6. Can you share with us some of your favorite raw food tips and hints?

Keep your daily diet simple, enjoy the richer heavier foods once or twice a week but keep as close to nature as you can. Find or develop recipes that have good flavor but don’t lower your energy level. I have found that some foods make my body happy and other do not, so keep a list.

As far as preparing foods I’d say that enjoying the moment, love the food you’re making and bestowing on the food only positive thoughts. These are the best tips I can give.

7. What do you think about food combining?

Food combining can be a difficult concept to follow for most people. When I first went raw I was not worried about food combining just staying on raw foods. I didn’t feel like adding any further complications to my diet and to tell you the truth I still don’t. I do feel food combining has merit and should be followed to the degree needed by individuals with health problems or individuals that have continuing digestion problems after starting on the raw foods.

I noticed as I refined my diet over the past three years I have naturally moved to better food combining. I have seen this same pattern for other that have maintained a raw diet over an extended period. Would it have been better for me to do so from the Start? Maybe so, but then again I might not have made it to this point.

8. What do you think is the most important raw food equipment item one can buy if they do not have a lot of money to spend?

When I made the switch to raw foods I made due with a cheap blender, processor and dehydrator. The total cost for these items was around 110.00 dollars. The piece of equipment I upgraded first was the blender. I just had to have a Vita-mix and it was worth every dollar. Next I upgraded the processor and then the dehydrator.

9. Do you see the raw food movement getting larger? Explain.

Oh yeah it’s getting larger. Three years ago in my area we did not have raw food books in the bookstores. The health food markets did not carry raw food items or hold workshops promoting raw foods. No one was holding raw dinners or potlucks and there was no raw prepared food to be found.

Then one person actively started promoting raw foods. He held a small workshop once a week with only a handful of attendees. He started inviting Raw/Living food speakers into the area and the raw seed started to sprout. Now we have a place making a daily raw lunch. The local health food market has a raw food area. The bookstores are carrying raw food books. There are dinners and potlucks taking place and we now have a few great raw food chefs. Several people from this area are now working at the Tree Of Life and at Hippocrates Health Institute. I’m holding workshop with over 100 attendees a month just in this area alone. So yes, it’s growing leaps and bounds and it’s very exciting to be a part of it.

10. What are some of your current projects you are working on?

I’m currently working on several project; I will be filming a Raw Foods DVD in two weeks. Should be released by the second week of November.

Myself and two other great chefs, Alex Malinsky and Donna Jean Angelillo will be holding the Holiday Raw Feast on Nov 6. This event will be a workshop on holiday raw foods with a full holiday meal for everyone at the end. This event will be filmed and I’m sure rawguru.com will be carrying it when it’s released.

I have the on going series of raw food workshop schedule thorough the end of the year and I’m working on the never-ending book that will hopefully do so early next year. That’s few of my current projects.