DEMI MOORE, WHOSE TAUT body and flawless skin belie her 47 years, proudly goes raw. So do Alicia Silverstone and Beyonce, Angela Bassett and Donna Karan. Famed Chicago chef Charlie Trotter has devoted a whole book to the subject.
The raw food movement has become a hot — uh, make that cool — form of vegetarianism that champions uncooked vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, grains, beans and seaweed as the staples of a healthy diet.
In recent years, restaurants devoted to raw food have opened around the country. Vibe Cuisine (formerly Veggie Magic) in Sarasota is the closest one to Southwest Florida, but raw fare is cropping up around the area, appearing on restaurant menus, starring in (un)cooking classes and sparking the formation of groups in Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Naples through which members share meals, recipes and information about the raw life.
Mr. Trotter, better known for his cooked cuisine, added some mainstream mojo to the movement with his how-to tome, "Raw" (Ten Speed Press).
Here's the basic premise of the raw, or living foods, diet: Enzymes found in food provide vital energy to the body. When food is heated to more than 106 degrees, those enzymes die, robbing food of nutrients and causing it to become toxic, forcing the body's immune system to fight against it. Eating raw, unprocessed food bolsters the immune system, allowing it to heal and protect the body.
To omnivores accustomed to the standard American diet, called SAD by those who eat raw, the concept can be perplexing since they eat little but salads and fruit uncooked. But inventive raw chefs produce a cornucopia of tasty dishes without benefit of meat or dairy, stove, oven, microwave or fryer.
At recent local raw food gatherings, participants dined on lime-agave margaritas, apple-jicama salad, Kelp salad, spicy mango ginger soup, burritos, apple pie and chocolate-chili brownies, among other uncooked dishes.
More than salad, but not more work
"Raw food isn't just about plain salad," says Charles Marble, who runs Mangroves Health Institute in Naples. "It can be as gourmet as you can possibly imagine."
Raw Diet Blog 
