TEXT: Liselotte Fritz
PHOTO: Åsa Johansson
Start the morning with raspberry mush, bring fresh tomato soup to work and treat the family to pink banana (n)ice cream for dessert. It is simple to add raw foods into your everyday life and get a real energy boost, says ÅSA JOHANSSON, just out with a new cookbook.
–When I started with raw food some fifteen years ago I noticed that I woke up happy every morning and found that to be fantastic. Then I did not know what I know today – that the gut bacteria influences our brain and our well-being. A raw food diet gives us not only lightness and energy in the body, but also mental happiness, Åsa Johansson says when we meet on a sunny day in August to talk about her new cookbook.
Åsa Johansson is a certified raw food teacher and now has her base in Mölle after many years in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She teaches classes and holds lectures and also has a blog where she posts recipes and keeps us updated when it comes to the latest research and findings.
You can briefly describe raw food as natural, fresh, and unprocessed foods. The ingredients – like fruit, berries, vegetables, seeds, nuts, seaweed and oils – are never heated above 110 degrees, which makes these foods rich in vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants, among other things.
–In vegan raw food you find lots of dietary fibre. This is what the good bacteria thrive on. They can now spread out and then push back the pathogenic, disease causing bacteria in the gut. You might experience more regular bowel movements and a stronger immune system. If you aim for about 75% raw food in your diet there will be a difference both physically and mentally, says Åsa who since 10 years ago eats a high raw vegan diet.
With her new book she wants to inspire others to begin adding more fresh food into their lives. You can start with an energy giving beverage, a light and colorful breakfast, a vegetable soup for lunch and instead of meat balls with the pasta make them with herbs and walnuts. To make it simple, Åsa has chosen great recipes that will cover all meals during three whole days. All the ingredients are wellknown and easy to get hold of.
–More and more people realize the importance with the diet. If we eat what the body is built for then we will feel good, have more energy and vitality. You do not have to completely change your diet, just adding raw food is enough. You can start with a fresh juice or a smoothie and mix in more greens and you can make a dessert like the pink banana ice cream. This is the easiest way to get the family on board, Åsa says with a smile.
