TUESDAY NIGHT RAW: No cooking allowed as group celebrates holiday

By MATT THACKER

About two dozen people gathered in Jeffersonville Tuesday night for a Thanksgiving meal, but there was no stuffed turkey or pies fresh out of the oven. Instead, there were turkey rolls, fruits, vegetables and mud pies.

It was all part of the first “Raw Thanksgiving” at Core Wellness in downtown.

Dr. Steve and Rebecca Hoffman, owners of Core Wellness, located at 246 Spring St., became interested in the raw foods lifestyle and started a group on www.meetup.com.

Steve said he had no idea how many people would join the group, now called the Louisville Area Food Meetup. They have grown to 99 members and meet monthly.

“It’s a global movement,” he said. “I’ve always taught a healthy lifestyle, and the raw food lifestyle takes it to another level.”

Most of the people in the group do not eat only raw food. The Hoffmans say some members are only “raw curious” while others have been eating only raw foods for 20 years.

“People thought we were experts because we started the meetup, but we’re really just learning a lot fast,” Rebecca said.

Jackie Vetter, who lives in Georgetown and is a health educator for the Red Cross, said she quit smoking recently and started gaining weight. She is also diabetic and began looking for solutions to lose the weight. About two months ago, she began eating more raw foods.

“My blood sugar is staying normal, and before I had a big fluctuation. I haven’t weighed myself yet, but my clothing is starting to get too big for me,” she said.

Ann Merriman, owner of Grinny Possum Fiber Arts on Spring Street in Jeffersonville, said she is now trying to eat more raw food after joining the group in March.

She said the difficult part has been trying to convince her family of the benefits of raw foods. While her family eats a more traditional Thanksgiving meal, she plans to fix herself a plate of raw food.

Thanksgiving can be a challenge for vegetarians and “raw foodists.”

Sharon Adams, of LaGrange, Ky., said she has been a vegetarian for a couple years. Her sister has started preparing different types of foods for her on Thanksgiving.

“It’s good to have the camaraderie and encouragement,” said Carolyn Dean, of Louisville, who became a vegetarian about six years ago and now eats raw food about 50 percent of the time.

Susan Marjanovic, a raw food chef, has been traveling the country going to various raw food meetups. She lived in New York City before moving to San Francisco to learn about more healthy lifestyles. In February, she began traveling the country to advocate the raw foods lifestyle. Her journey took her to Jeffersonville on Tuesday.

After gaining 35 pounds in about a month and going through depression, Marjanovic said she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and doctors wanted her to start taking medication. She did not believe depression caused her weight gain, so she began searching for answers and learned she actually had hypothyroidism.

She heard stories that raw food diets helped cure people of cancer, so she decided to try it. After switching to only raw foods, she lost the 35 pounds and says she feels better than ever.

“It’s not just about raw foods,” she said. “It’s about exercise and your spiritual well-being whatever you believe in. A big part of taking care of your mental and physical health.”

According to www.webmd.com, the verdict is mixed on whether the raw food diet is healthy.

Various studies have also shown that eating raw vegetables can reduce the risk of cancer. Research has shown participants on a raw food diet have low cholesterol and triglycerides but also have a vitamin B12 deficiency that can lead to anemia and neurological impairment.

“Despite major flaws in the raw diet philosophy, one needs to question why a so-called natural diet leaves the dieter dependent on pills for B12 (impossible to get without animal products, such as meat or eggs) or zinc (very hard to get on a raw diet),” wrote Christopher Wanjek, author of the book “Bad Medicine” and columnist for www.livescience.com.

People who eat only raw food now have more options. Rainbow Blossom, on Bardstown Road in Louisville, is for the first time this year allowing customers to order completely raw Thanksgiving meals for one or four people.

Ali Lone, of New Albany, is in charge of the raw foods. In fact, she eats mostly raw food herself.

“I’ve been working with raw foods for years, so I have learned what combinations taste good together,” she said. “My body just doesn’t feel right if I don’t have two salads a day.”