What Truth Tastes Like

Raw Food

Those who believe in raw food take the “apple a day” theory to a whole new level. Staunch raw foodies follow a diet of primarily unheated food, or food cooked at less than 104 °F to 115 °F. They can be divided between those that advocate raw veganism or vegetarianism, those that advocate a raw omnivorous diet and those that advocate a 100 percent raw carnivorous diet.

The idea is that foods cooked above this temperature lose much of their nutritional value and are less healthful or even harmful to the body. Advocates believe that raw or living foods have natural enzymes, which are critical in building proteins and rebuilding the body, and that heating these foods destroys the natural enzymes and can leave toxins behind. 

Jennifer Kuntz, who owns Raw & Juicy in Seaside, has made a living out of not cooking delicious and healthy raw foods served out of an airstream trailer in Seaside since 2008 and recently added a to-go kiosk in Seacrest Beach.

Kuntz offers raw food and juicing classes and workshops called “Reviving Your Life” out of a space she calls The Kitchen in Santa Rosa Beach (see schedule at rawandjuicylife.com). For Kuntz, eating raw food is a lifestyle choice. A video that streams from her website explains her food philosophy: “It’s a personal choice to feel good … and when you feel good, you look good.”

For her, the adage “you are what you eat” goes well beyond food groups. “It’s about being alive and feeling alive. It’s a way of life. An honest way of being in the world … and I like that.”