Customer Reviews

Eating in the Raw: A Beginner's Guide to Getting Slimmer, Feeling Healthier, and Looking Younger the Raw-Food Way

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I absolutely love this book. Carol is the reason I started on the Raw-food diet nearly a year ago. I happen to catch a glimpse of her on one of those "celebrities and their diets" shows on E and while typing away on the computer and partially listening to the show I was able to put my cynicism for some of the diets aside long enough to listen to what Carol had to say about dehydrated chickpeas sprouts turning into raw hummus and other details about eating raw while she was pushing a cart around a Whole Foods market, a place I frequent. I initially thought who on earth would purposely eat this way. Apparently she said something in that short segment that really stuck with me because 2 weeks later, out of no where, I found myself searching for anything I could get my hands on to make since of this whole raw-food lifestyle. After one day of searching I was able to find a few websites to get me going and I started cold turkey with nothing more than my Vita-mix, which I already had. I felt great immediately, but found it somewhat burdensome that every other recipe required that I sprouted this or juiced that and when it came to resources I definitely experienced information overload. I didn't want to buy expensive equipment while deciding weather or not I would continue eating this way. Where on earth do I find Spirulina Flakes? I sure wish I had Carol's book then because she answers those questions and many more. So many of these recipes are basic and require no expensive equipment which is very appealing to someone with a busy lifestyle or to someone with no interest in investing hundreds of dollars before reaping the benefits of raw foods. If you are ready to buy there is a great guide in this book, which points you in the right direction. I bought my juicer, dehydrator and Saladacco only recently after reading her book.


Anyone who eats raw should be thrilled that Carol has taken on this lifestyle and furthermore written a book about it. Carol is a very beautiful woman and super model who comes off as a very real person thus breaking down a few barriers one being the very cultish feel that permeates throughout raw-food community. Carol through her book gives you the comfort in knowing that everyone can painlessly take part in this lifestyle change. The ailments she describes are things that any normal everyday person could be experiencing including myself before I removed toxins from diet. I had no knowledge of Carol's reasons for going raw when I initially trusted her opinions and started down this road but she motivated me to make a very positive life altering change, now that I know of her reasons I can certainly identify with them. Something as simple as allergies, fatigue, poor eating habits hypoglycemia and even a poor mental attitude which can lead to depression should alert you to change your diet to get motivated to take control of your health and go raw before you are actually chronically ill. So many people end up at this very point after being diagnosed with life threatening illnesses later in life but in most cases the cause can be traced back to years of abuse stemming from poor food choices. I love the fact that her support system includes health professionals such as Dr. Timothy Brantley who have motivated and encouraged while guiding her through her raw food journey.

I was not a Vegan before starting the raw-food diet a year ago and wasn't thrilled that I had to become one in order to take part. Just like vegans I also love animals which is why I ate organic and caged free when ever possible just as Carol mentions in her book so it is no surprise that I love the fact that Carol advocates the eating of raw fish and other raw animal products, because they do have their place in a healing diet, weather strict vegans want to agree or not. Her choice in advocating this as an option in the world of raw food, gives the entire raw-food movement a stamp of legitimacy in my opinion. It also opens up the idea to those who wouldn't ordinarily consider it at all. I think it boils down to making choices that are best for your body because we're all different and there is no cookie cutter diet that works in the exact same manner for everyone. Even Dr. Bernard Jensen Doctor of Iridology and advocate of Nutrition and Holistic Health strongly advocated the use of Raw Goats Milk as a healing aid to many of his patients.

If you prefer to go completely vegan then this book can even be used as a good stepping stone between the world of cooked foods and the world of Raw foods, I'm not too fond of the sound of fertile eggs but I occasionally like having the option to test out some of the raw cheeses, and a few of the raw fish recipes such as "Doctor. Minarik's Ceviche Royal" have been fabulous and I don't miss out on having my raw goats milk smoothies. I absolutely love the fact that real chefs from real restaurants contributed to the recipes in this book. If you've read or attempted many of the amateur recipes on some of the popular raw foods websites or from a particularly poorly edited Raw-Food reference book then you'll understand my excitement. Particularly impressive are the contributions made by Kelley Serbonich who is the executive chef at Hippocrates Health Institute which was started by the highly revered Ann Wigmore over 40 years ago. I think Carol's book is up there with Nomi Shannon's "The Raw Gourmet" for great exotic recipes and with Shazzie's "Detox Your World" for realism and down to earth rapport building with its readers. I would highly recommend this book as well as the books mentioned above to anyone starting out on their raw-food journey, also check out Carols website for a few good resources (www.carolalt.com). There are so many wonderful books on the Raw-Food diet & holistic health such as "Sunfood Diet Success System " by David Wolf, "The Uncook Book" by Juliano Brotman, & "Conscious Eating" by Dr. Gabriel Cousens these are just a few good books that worked very well for me in the beginning and will prove to be very useful for anyone starting out or who is well on their way.

PS: For those of you who are having trouble finding raw sprouted Ezekiel or Genesis Bread go to your local Trader Joes, Wild Oats or Whole Foods, also check out Food-For-Life.com to find a retailer in your area. To order Flax Crackers, Olives, Raw Honey, Raw Olive Oil, great snacks and many more raw food items Check out: rawfood.com, eatraw.com, rawbakery.com and for resources and recipes see Living-Foods.com. You can also make your own Flax Crackers at home using a food Dehydrator. Good Luck!

This was the first raw food book I read (a year and a half ago). It's a great introduction, but my mistake was jumping right in after this one book. Carol Alt says her boyfriend switched to raw overnight. I decided to switch overnight, but the detox experience I suffered through was unbelievably awful! Don't put yourself through the same thing I did!

Start with "The Raw Food Detox Diet" by Natalia Rose. It emphasizes the importance of transitioning (so you don't shock your system and make yourself sick like I did), and the importance of combining food groups properly for best results.

Since Carol Alt's book, I've read dozens of other raw food books. I'm dismayed at how many of them say you may go through a detox but just stick with it. What bad advice! Natalia Rose explains in her book why you shouldn't detox too fast - if you overload your system with too many toxins too fast, your system can't eliminate them all and your body might re-tox and turn on itself. It's important to transition slowly! But so few raw food books bother to mention that!

Also, Carol Alt's book doesn't give any information about the importance of food combining - something else I learned the hard way. She gives the impression that it doesn't matter WHAT you eat or HOW you eat it, as long as it's raw. Unfortunately, it's not that simple! An almond butter & banana sandwich on sprout bread (p. 140) is a horrible food combination! Don't rely on the recipes provided in this book until you learn more about food combining.

Despite all the things I now see are missing from this book, I have to say that it was extremely inspirational and convincing as my first raw food book - I committed to going raw and never looked back (I just didn't educate myself enough before jumping in). Alt provides enough information, suggestions, and resources (lists of raw food distributors, stores, and restaurants) so that you don't feel overwhelmed. A year and a half later, I'm still using the kitchen appliances recommended in this book, still buying some of my foods from stores listed in this book, and still using the almond milk recipe all the time.


BOTTOM LINE:
Don't make any radical changes based on this book alone! Read this one if you want to find out what the raw food craze is all about, but make sure you read plenty more (such as Natalia Rose's Raw Food Detox Diet) and educate yourself before you jump right in.

As a long time 100% vegan raw foodist, I was excited as always to see a new raw book! I was very impressed with the overall layout of the book. The forward by Nicholas J. Gonzalez, M.D. was fantastic. His description of the raw food lifestyle is very well researched and beautifully presented. This alone makes me delighted to have the book.

I tried four of the recipes, and they were all good. My favorite two were Kelly's Macadamia Whipped Cream and Kelly's Lemon Custard. I was impressed by how Carol believes in and defends the raw food lifestyle. I also liked her honesty about her popcorn slip ups. I love how down-to-earth she is. I also loved how she pointed out in her book that the raw food lifestyle is not a fad.

The first raw food restaurant opened in 1917 and stayed open until World War II. There are books on raw foods that date back to 1925, and I'm sure if I did even more research I would find books dating back even further. As Carol puts it in reference to the books and restaurant, "That's too long ago for this to be a fad." I think Carol is wonderful for the raw food movement. People admire her and respect her, so it can only help push the raw movement mainstream.

My concern with book is that she mentions eating raw meat and raw dairy. I agree that we are all different, but I have not seen any value or benefit from adding raw animal products to one's diet. I have seen fabulous results with the raw vegan lifestyle mixed with exercise. I culture all my foods and feel that this is vital to our health. Perhaps this is why Carol adds raw dairy to her diet. It is quite simple to culture seeds, nuts, and coconuts and reap amazing health benefits from this.

There are a few drawbacks to this book. The recipe section is very small and surprisingly, none of the recipes are hers. There are many conflicting references in regard to eating animal products. Carol seems to spend a good deal of time defending that decision which ends up confusing the reader on whether one should or shouldn't eat raw animal products. The pro arguments aren't convincing enough. I would have liked to have seen solid up to date research. Although, I loved a lot of what was in Carol's book, I would not recommend that someone who is new to the raw food lifestyle purchase her book. It is too confusing. This is an excellent book for the experienced raw foodist.--Angela Elliot

I read the whole thing in 2 days. I have tried about 5 or 6 recipes and they were all very surprisingly good, full of taste and easy to create. the wealth of information given in the book is easy to relate for and apply for any average working class person, espacially tips given in shopping. Using her guideline, I was able to go the local health food store and find everything for the recipes, no problems. The basic information I was able to get in here. I think for any beginner, this is the book to start with.

I anxiously awaited the arrival of this book after reading about it in Travel Magazine where Carol Alt was the on the cover. I have thought about going vegan for about a year now, so I thought I would see what Carol had to say about it. I did not expect an experts guide considering the title. What I found was an interesting journey Carol went on to find a healthy lifestyle. Most important to me were the exact brands of foods, supplements and appliances she finds to be the best! The recipes were what I expected and look forward to making. Thank you so much Carol for such a awesome beginners raw food book!
Susan Y.

I had read three other raw foods books previoius to reading Carol's. The three left me feeling confused and overwhelmed before I even got started. Carol's book is easy and enjoyable to read. It explains everything a person needs to know to get started with out having to wade through a lot of other stuff. After reading it I knew just what appliances and foods to buy and where to get them. The recipies are simple and really delicious. It was easy to be sucessful in starting this new lifestyle of eating raw.

I own a solid library of raw-food cookbooks, but Alt hooked me with her straight talking, non-preachy, inspirational story--she came back from a life of headaches, Tums, acid reflux, and general ill-health. Of course, anything would have been an improvement over her habits of near-starvation, scotch and coffee breakfasts, and ice cream & brownie indulgences.

From this standpoint, it's hard to tell what saved Alt... eating raw or just plain eating better. (As an eight-year, organic-eating vegetarian, I have had less "amazing results" than your average raw foodist. Yes, my skin is more vibrant, I have more energy, and I lost ten pounds. But, I've had to pull back from so much nut consumption because I started getting rashes. I also doubt that all foods should be eaten raw... sprouted kidney beans gave me a terrible case of indigestion.)

Anyhow, I caved to the call of this book. Now I own a solid raw-food library, plus one... Eating in the Raw.

The recipes are okay, nothing particularly outstanding--though people looking for a raw cookbook that includes meat and dairy will be pleasantly surprised. But, I will use this friendly book as a reminder of why I do what I do. I'll use it as a lender to my raw-curious friends. And, I'll go to it for references on great raw restaurants and resources.

Even if you know a lot about nutrition and raw food, you might learn something from this book. I didn't expect to discover anything new, but I did. (I bought it mostly for Alt's story and was not disappointed!).

I simply loved this book! This is the answer I have been looking for on the raw food front: this book is one of the few (if any) written on raw food that also incorporates the consumption of raw cheeses, seared meets, and sashimi, as well as eating the 'usual' creatively prepared raw plant based fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. As a former model and musician, I was always looking for a way to maintain my weight. I was unable to be model thin in the past without smoking cigarettes, drinking tons of coffee, and consuming very low daily calorie intake, which was total torture. When I quit these unhealthy behaviors, my weight stabilized at 'normal' but I was never at my former, 'glamorous' weight and I no longer made a living as a model. I ate an extremely healthy diet with a lot of salads, chicken, sprouted wheat bread, eggs, pasteurized dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables, tofu, brown rice and raw nuts. Sounds healthy, right? Well it was, but in my late twenties/early thirties, I began having hair loss and nagging energy problems. (My thyroid and iron all came back normal.) I then went searching for answers and started getting into raw foods. The raw vegan diet wasn't substantial enough for me, so I continued to eat some cooked foods, which is fine, but I had actually wondered why most raw foodists were vegan (it had occurred to me to make a caesar salad and eat sashimi). I knew from the moment I ordered this book that is was the answer for me, and boy, was I right! This was a way to eat raw (or mostly raw) for life. No matter what, when you eat cooked food, you will always be 'hungry' and trying to avoid hunger. When you eat fresh, living raw foods, your body is getting what it needs, feels less hungry, and properly utilizes nutrients. As a result, you feel more energy and vitality, look slimmer and more youthful without dieting, and have a greater sense of joy and well-being. Now who doesn't want that???

This book was just what I needed to explore raw foodism. Carol Alt gave very direct ideas and opinions on her own venture into raw foods as well as some pretty decent recipes, tips and tricks for preparing raw foods. I count this book as a must have for anyone that is interested in this lifestyle.

Very well written, very easy to read, conversational style. Considering that this educational book is written by a model, Carol Alt has taken just the right tone and approach.
I am very, very glad that raw dairy, fish, and meat are included. I love dairy and have been consuming raw milk for a few months now, and despite the price (!) I'm sticking with it. If you've ever been irregular, drink 2 glasses per day and see the difference.
I am slowly adding more raw foods to my diet after having eliminated most processed foods. I just finished Eating in the Raw and I started reading The Raw 50. I am probably about 10 years younger than Carol Alt and if I didn't have other health reasons for the switch, I'd go raw just to look that wholesome at 50 years of age!!
She is clearly genuinely interested in helping people live healthier and enjoying life. It made me wonder how many of the 'perfect' looking stars must be eating raw as well.