Thoughts on Raw food, Thai food and on what's good for the soul....

My friend Carol, spent a lot of time in India and Thailand over the last few years and is now a raw food cook. The food she creates is beautiful to look at; healthy and has successfully nurtured a number of people who have dietary and energy issues from their eating habits either in the past or present. I think this is a wonderful thing, particularly for those who have terrible lifelong diseases such as diabetes and are able to live more satisfying lives. Do I think it would ever work for me?

The truth is, over the last 30 years, my dietary needs were most met when I lived in Thailand. Nearly, all the produce was grown within 200 km of where I was living, fish were caught daily from the Gulf of Thailand and variety was assorted. Even with the sesame oil, fish paste, lime juice, chilies and other strong flavoring agents of Thai food, I found it to be healthy, clean and delicious. It is the only place I have lived where I could eat the food all the time, crave the food all the time, and not need variety because my body was missing something.

Thai salads are often raw, mangoes, papayas, chilies, etc. Soups are made with coconut milk, chicken broth or lime juice. Noodles are often made traditionally with bones of the animals in the broth used. Rice is sticky or jasmine steamed and is usually eaten once a day but not with each meal. There are not a lot of sweets and nearly all of them involve fresh fruit. Dairy is rarely used.

Given my theories on my potential mild intolerance for gluten and a definite case of lactose intolerance, one can easily see why this is a positive diet for me. Though as I read the book, Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, I also think that it has largely to do with the fact that the food was from where I lived that I felt healthy.

Living abroad and returning to the freezer stocked with frozen fruits and vegetables, jarred lemongrass and the industrial sized tub of garlic my Mother bought, hardly enchants me. While summer produce will be in full bloom and farmers' markets bustling, the United States and its constant desire for convenience, still requires a push towards making these steps towards supporting local markets and an even bigger bonus, towards improving one's health by eating local, organic, naturally enriched with vitamins of the earth food. Nonetheless, it is time for people with money to get out of a mentality of convenience and get into a mentality of healthy living. With the increase of technology and more reliance upon machines, a return to organic farming in the agricultural world, could be just what the doctor ordered in terms of raising rates of unemployment and combatting obesity in schools.

After all is said in done, I think my basis for discussion here returns to the discussion of everything in moderation. Today, I ate raw nearly the entire day; banana, apple, granola, almonds and vegan gazpacho. However, when I returned home, out of no hormonal or sad feeling or lack of hunger, I gravitated towards the chocolate cake I had made last night, took 5 bites of it and was then satisfied. Clearly, my body knew what it wanted but my mind would have fought that sensation if I thought properly about it.

Keep listening to your cravings. If we lead somewhat balanced lives inclusive of exercise, fun and generally healthy eating, those cravings will result in desire to have all three of those things in our lives regularly creating a cycle of health. Hopefully....