Messina

The big “o” has been in the news recently—that is the “o” in
organic. When Michelle Obama planted an organic garden on the South
Lawn of the White House, it generated plenty of headlines and
photos.

Many heralded the news as a gesture in teaching the public about
local, sustainable food. Mrs. Obama talked at length about healthy-food
choices and making dietary improvements. She said she felt better
following a healthy routine and encouraged others to make small
changes.

In Tucson, there’s been a push toward eating local, fresh food with
the Eat Local, America! Challenge, continuing through July 20. Tucson
Community Supported Agriculture offers three-month subscriptions,
getting you a weekly bag of locally grown fresh produce for a fee.

Another development in healthful eating is the raw-food movement.
Raw foodists consume uncooked, unprocessed and often organic food. This
can include raw meat, dairy and eggs, but many raw foodists are vegan,
consuming no animal products. Raw food can be heated, but not above 105
degrees. (This temperature may vary, depending on who you ask.)

Tucsonans Rebecca Astara and naturopathic physician Ariel Policano
run raw-food groups. Astara maintains a Facebook group called Tucson
Raw/Vegan Salon. Policano coordinates a meetup.com group called the Tucson Raw Food
Meetup. Each hosts monthly raw potlucks and says attendance is
increasing.

All attendees must bring a dish that is raw, vegan, unprocessed and
organic. But you don’t need to be a raw foodist to attend.

“The purpose is to bring people together in community to learn about
raw foods and to share information,” says Policano.

Adds Astara: “One thing I want to be really specific on is if anyone
has an interest in health, organic foods, whole foods (or) natural
living, this is a great place to come. It doesn’t matter what your diet
is. You only need to want to share this type of food that evening.”

My nonculinary brain initially couldn’t figure out what one would
eat besides plain veggies and fruit. Astara sent me some recipes that
sound both delicious and surprising: lemon meringue pie,
beet-with-plum-sauce nori rolls, apple jicama salad, mango/apricot
guacamole and kelp-noodle spicy spaghetti. A scarcity of choices does
not seem to be an issue.

“It’s given me all these new food choices,” says Astara. “I feel
like I have 1,000 things I can eat now that are super- healthy. …
Since I found raw foods and superfoods, my consumption has
increased.

“The thing about the raw-food movement is that there used to be few
choices. Now, it’s taken off exponentially. There are so many chefs
that just prepare raw foods. … I don’t ever feel deprived.”

The superfoods that Astara mentions include maca, a root plant; raw
cacao, from which cocoa and chocolate are made; and goji berries, a
sweet red fruit. Superfoods are nutrient-rich foods that help ward off
disease.

Policano stresses the power of enzymes in raw foods. When a food is
cooked, enzymes are destroyed. Eating live, raw foods—which are
full of enzymes—adds to our energy and longevity.

“Enzymes are the main thing that differentiates cooked food from
live food. Enzymes are the key to all living reactions. We want to be
greedy about the enzymes we get or preserve in the body. … Live foods
are the best recommendation that I can make for my patients,” says
Policano.

Both women report great personal benefits after they turned to
raw-food diets. “I had such a profound personal transformation,” says
Policano.

“Everything in my life changed,” adds Astara. They speak of greater
clarity, energy, mood elevation and immunity.

What you won’t find coming from the women is a holier-than-thou
attitude. In the debate between vegetarians and meat-eaters, there’s
often a “my way is the only way” stance. Having eaten each way, I’ve
seen hostility, lack of acceptance and impatience from both sides.
These mindsets don’t serve either party well.

Astara and Policano have the right approach in that they want to
bring people together. Instead of arguing or convincing, there’s simply
an open hand.

“I come from a place of inviting. Why don’t you come and try the
food yourself? See how your body feels,” says Policano.

Astara agrees and adds: “My reason for starting the potlucks was to
gather conscious community. The food is delicious and secondary.”

To contact Rebecca Astara, e-mail beckeyw@aol.com. To contact Ariel
Policano, visit www.bodyblisscleanse.com.
Policano will hold a living-foods class on Saturday, July 18.

This article appears in Jul 16-22, 2009.