Always interested in optimizing her health, whether through natural foods, herbs, or supplements, Brigitte Mars broke through to a new level of wellness when she decided to try eating only raw foods for a month. What began as way to support her daughter, Rainbeau, who had converted to raw foods, soon became a way of life. After a few weeks of eating raw, Mars felt she was enjoying the best health she had in years. She waited until she had been raw for a year before she started advising her clients about the advantages of cookless cuisine. Now, Mars has the unshakable enthusiasm that raw food is an idea whose time has come.
Q. What convinced you that the raw foods diet was having a positive impact on your health?
A. My skin got clear, cellulite disappeared, my mental clarity felt significantly better, I no longer had digestive problems, and my vision improved.
Q. What made you write Rawsome! (Basic Health Publications, 2004)?
A. I wrote Rawsome! to answer commonly asked questions about the raw diet. When I decided to go raw there wasn’t any one book that answered all the questions and explained how to make the food. I also included sections about traveling raw, raw kids, and nutritional information.
Q. Why do you think raw is best?
A. It saves the environment because you don’t have to use energy to cook food; it saves time because you don’t have to wait for something to cook; and it saves money because you are focusing on produce, nuts, and seeds. Your health improves because when you heat food above 114 degrees Fahrenheit, you kill food enzymes and thus decrease the nutrients. Everything you think you like to eat, such as lasagna or pizza, you can still eat raw just by changing some of the ingredients and preparation. I’m making the simplest, healthiest, most delicious food of my life. When we sit down to dinner, my husband says, “You’re saving me.”
Q. What are some of your favorite raw dishes?
A. We eat marinated kale salad a lot. It’s simple, takes five minutes, and makes you feel great. Last night I made raw chocolate ice cream with agave syrup, almond milk, and raw cacao beans.
Q. If you are not ready to go completely raw, what are some more moderate steps you can take?
A. Simply include more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. Eat fruit for breakfast, and eat cooked foods towards the end of the day. Juicy fruits and raw vegetables are easier for the body to digest. The morning is the time of cleansing and elimination. Mix it up a little by doing cooked foods with raw foods, like fish served with salad.