BOOK REVIEWS

 

This book is an excellent primer in raw (live-food) cuisine. It is highly effective for inspiring and meeting the need for a friendly, gentle introduction into the raw food lifestyle. The authors (Cherie Soria and Dan Ladermann) have a long and proven track record of guiding people into the many joys of this lifestyle, and their simple, clear instruction is a testimony to their refined understanding. This book will doubtless continue their legacy as it serves to broaden the palette of those seeking to enrich both their kitchens and their lives.

 

As a holistic physician I especially appreciate the book’s careful examination of “Getting Essential Nutrients” in chapter 3. The authors’ insistence on supplementing with B-12 (as I point out in detail in my book Spiritual Nutrition), and their brief expose on the need for vitamin D is precisely the kind of advice a beginner (and actually anyone) needs to ensure long-term success with raw foods! Their concise discussion of essential fatty acids on page 45 is very helpful in attaining a broad overview of this crucial topic. Yes – It is possible to thrive with enduring, radiant health on a raw food diet once one carefully and responsibly addresses some key nutritional issues.

 

The authors’ advice to “ease into raw” coincides with my own philosophy of gentle immersion into a diet consisting primarily of raw plant-source nutrition, as I discuss at length in my book Conscious Eating.

 

Raw Food for Dummies is very practical. The authors don’t just share what foods to eat, but also how to set up your raw food kitchen. They provide a delightful selection of recipes, many of which are healthy, low-glycemic meals – the type of cuisine I advocate for optimum blood-sugar management. The rest of the recipes can be easily modified for those on an anti-aging, anti-diabetes diet. Cherie and Dan are wonderful chefs, and it is a treat to benefit from their culinary prowess.

 

Raw Food for Dummies is a fabulous resource for those just discovering the power of raw food. Having now thrived on raw foods for 40 years, I can fully attest to the strength and vitality this lifestyle yields. I am 70 years old, and I continue to enjoy enduring, radiant health, due, in part, to this delicious, wholesome diet. I am thankful that Cherie Soria and Dan Ladermann through Living Light International and this excellent book share in the work of introducing this way to the world.

 

Actually raw food is not for “dummies”. It takes a wise person to choose a diet that is optimal for creating and maintaining enduring, radiant health. Thank you for writing this book, Cherie and Dan!

 

Gabriel Cousens
M.D., M.D.(H), D.D. (Doctor of Divinity), Diplomate of American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine, Diplomate Ayurveda, Director of the Tree of Life Center in Patagonia, AZ

 

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Sometimes the "Dummies" guides aren't quite the super-easy presentation of a topic they're purported to be, but this one is true to the series' commitment to showcase new topics in a way anyone can understand. Raw Food for Dummies demystifies raw foods; shows how to make the lifestyle possible for people with lives and jobs and things to do other than open coconuts and blend things in a VitaMix; and is filled with recipes that are as unintimidating as they are delicious. I'm thrilled to add this cook-less book to my cookbook shelf.

 

Victoria Moran
Inspirational speaker, corporate spokesperson, certified holistic health counselor (HHC, AADP), certified life coach, a vegan lifestyle coach in private practice, and founder and director of Main Street Vegan Academy