"Nothing would benefit humanity more than a vegetarian diet." Albert Einstein






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Why Raw Organic Blended Soups?


The Basic Philosophy by Michael Harleman

Blended soups are by far one of the best ways to transition into a living foods diet. The are nutritious, easy to digest and very easy to make once you get the hang of it. But it is also misleading and unfair to think of soups just as a lesser food for those who are transitioning. Many of the very successful long-term living-foodists, like Anne Wigmore, David Jubb and Dr. Flora, all spent many years living and thriving on blended soups alone. Why are blended soups so excellent? Here are a few reasons why including more blended foods into your diet can help your rejuvenation process:

  1. They are pre-digested.

    People often come to living-foods after many years of mediocre eating habits and their digestive systems are not strong(to put it mildly!). At this point, our bodies are literally starving for nutrition but we haven t yet acquired the digestive strength to extract all of the nutrition out of whole foods like salads, fruit, nuts, seeds, etc. Bringing in highly nutritious blended soups is a great way to saturate the body with lots of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes in a way that is totally easy to absorb

  2. Good chewing is a discipline most people have yet to acquire.

    Haven't we all heard expressions like Your stomach doesn't have teeth and, Chew your juice, drink your food? We heard them, yet we still very rarely chew our food until it is totally liquefied. And while there is no substitute for learning how to chew properly and thoroughly, many of us just do not have the time and need the be getting the nutrition ASAP! So while we are still learning how to chew our food, blended soups are a great way to insure that we are getting lots of easy to digest, live nutrition.

  3. Blended foods often have a high water concentration.

    The beauty of blended foods on a live foods diet is that we are taking water rich foods and adding even more water to them. This is incredible for bringing lots of highly structured water into the body, and many of us have spent years being chronically dehydrated. Also, there is a tendency on this diet to overeat the high density foods(nuts, seeds, avocados, olives) and this is much more difficult to do when those foods are added to our soups because they become more hydrated and filling.

  4. Blended foods are an excellent way to incorporate foods we might not normally want to eat.

    Aloe vera is an amazing food with many healing elements, yet very few people can eat fresh aloe gel all by itself. Its just a little too gooey and bitter. But the great thing about mixing it with other foods in the blender is that this bitterness cant be tasted at all! And the gooiness actually makes the blend smoother and creamier! The same thing goes for lethicin or tocotrienols. These are all amazing superfoods that make perfect additions to our blended soups and give us an extraordinary level of nutrition. You would be surprised how many healthy items, which don't taste all that great alone, will actually make lovely additions to our blended soups.

  5. Blended foods can help us to either lose or gain weight

    One of the biggest reasons people often snack and overeat is because they are malnourished. This often goes even for those on a strict living-foods diet. But with blended food,

    • it is so well broken down and digested


    • we are absorbing much more nutrition while spending less energy on digestion. This means that we are often satisfied with much less food than we might have been normally. Often we will find ourselves not hungry for many hours after eating a blended soup! Anyone who has trouble with lots of snacking and binging will often find blended foods to be a huge relief.

    On the other hand, many people on a living-foods diet have found it difficult to gain weight. But blended foods also allow us to add and absorb much more food to our diet than normal if that is our goal. A person might only be able to eat a 7-8 stalks of kale in a salad, but thrown into the blender, he or she can easily eat a pound or more. Those who have trouble putting on healthy weight often find that eating large blended soups with lots of dark leafy greens and raw plant fat quickly solves the problem.

  6. Blended foods can be gently warmed and adapted to our environment.

    Those living in colder environments often struggle trying to eat all raw foods. Why is this? Its typically because they often eat only fruit and salads, most of the time right out of the refrigerator. And while a salad or fruit can be eaten at room temperature, it is still kind of awkward to warm those foods up. With blended soups, on the other hand, we can put them in a pot and gently warm it up until it is just over 100 degrees (this is easy to tell with your finger tip). This ensures that none of the nutritional value/enzymes are lost or destroyed but at the same time the soup has a lovely warming quality. Those who struggle eating raw in colder climates will often find that this alone will make a huge difference in their ability to stay warm and feel satisfied/ balanced.

  7. Blended soups are highly adaptable.

    Whether we are on a cleanse or trying to create a gourmet dish, we can modify our blended soup accordingly. Those on a cleanse often find that it works best to use more greens and less sugar and fat in their soups. Yet, those trying to make an impressive gourmet soup will find it easy to create a base in the blender and then garnish the soup with chunks of tomato, herbs, sprinkled nuts or anything else.

The Basic Formula for Blended Soups

    1. LIQUID

We say liquid here and not water because water has a tendency to make the soup very bland. The best base for soups is often coconut water as it has a neutral, sweet taste and is very high in electrolytes. Green juice from plants like celery or cucumber also often work well. Fruit juice can be used but it is best to be modest with this and dilute it so that the sugar is not so concentrated. Another great idea to use is the leftover soak water from sun-dried tomatoes. This imparts a subtle tomato-like flavor. The main point is to prevent it from being bland. If water must be used, often more flavorful or spicy ingredients might be needed so that the soup does not taste too plain.


Watery fruits are important because they give the soup a more full, smooth texture without making it overly dense or fatty. Some great examples of watery fruits are tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, all kinds of squash, apples, etc. It is usually best to avoid sweet fruits in the soups because the sweet flavor will dominate the entire thing. Often the sweetness from the tomato, squash or coconut water is more than enough.

    1. FATS

Fats are great in blended soups because they add calories, creaminess and we are less likely to overeat them in this form. Often half of an avocado can make all the difference in whether a soup tastes amazing or tastes terrible! Other kinds of fats, like nuts, soaked nuts, nut butters, coconuts, olives and even oils will often work too. It all depends on the type of soup you are trying to make.


In this class are all of the strongly flavored ingredients like herbs, onions, garlic, radishes, spices, celtic sea salt, etc. Adding these elements to the soup will often give it more of a layered flavor spectrum and more bite . Because these ingredients are so strong, it is often better to start with less and then add more little by little until the desired taste is achieved. Leafy green vegetables can also be considered in this category because adding lots of them will totally dominate the flavor of the soup. Leafy greens are best used in soups that have a more therapeutic purpose, while they should be mostly left out when trying to create a soup based more on pure taste. Dark green soups can be great while fasting and cleansing but after a while we just look at them and think, Yuck!! Its a good idea to alternate with using non-green soups so that we stay emotionally balanced and satisfied from those we make.


    A great and healthy addition to blended soups is to grind some fresh seeds, herbs/spices and celtic sea salt in a blender or grinder and sprinkle over the top of the final product. Often the mixture will take on a breadcrumb-like texture that reminds us of when we used to eat crackers on the top of our soups. Freshly ground seeds are often one of the best ways to get our essential fatty acids, minerals and amino acids in a form that is super easy to digest. If one is not on a strictly blended food fast, one of the best additions to our soups are to add chopped ingredients like tomatoes, nuts, cilantro, green onion, etc. These and similar items will give the soup added texture and crunch that makes it more appealing overall.

Mike's Favorite Blended Foods:

While on a blended food fast for over 2 weeks I ate three things:

    • a Superfood Smoothie
    • Electrolyte Lemonade
    • Warm Squash Soup
      • 1 apple or peach or nectarine (whichever is in season)
      • 1/2 to 1 basket of berries in summertime or 1 pear in winter (or any fruit combination that goes well)
      • optional: a couple celery sticks to cut the sweet
      • 2-4 Tbsp. coconut butter (can also use hemp oil)
      • 2-4 Tbsp. flax seeds (or sesame or pumpkin seeds. However, flax is a superfood)
      • 1 Tbsp. lecithin granules
      • dash celtic sea salt
      • optional: afew soaked or dry nuts, or hemp seeds
      • optional: spirulina or BGA. This will turn it green though
      • optional: high quality honey (I use a Manuka 10 plus from New Zealand rain forests) or bee pollen.
      • optional: tocotrienols, maca root, or any other superfoods.
      • add water till level. The more water the less thick. Play around.
      • can also add greens if you wish.
      • Three lemons peeled but with as much white rind on as possible
      • One pear
      • dash celtic sea salt
      • 2 teaspoons honey
      • 8-12 oz. charged water. Once again, the more water the less thick. Play around.
      • 1-2 cups butternut squash
      • 2 teaspoons honey
      • half a squeezed lemon
      • some greens or sprouts
      • couple of sticks of celery or fennel
      • dash celtic sea salt


Here are the recipes:

Superfood Smoothie:


Blend in Vita-Mix and Serve

Electrolyte Lemonade:


Blend in Vita-Mix and Serve

Squash Soup

Blend together, then taste and add any herbs you wish (if you wish).I then like to put in 8-10 prunes and just pulse them in. Gives it a sweetness. Play around with this one. Then warm on stove until its slight warm to the touch. Serve promptly. Good eaten with crackers with coconut butter on top.


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The Living and Raw Foods F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions)

Living and Raw Foods includes all plant based (vegetarian/vegan) foods.

What are Living and Raw Foods?

Raw and Living Foods are foods that contain enzymes. In general, the act of heating food over 116 degrees F destroys enzymes in food. (Enzymes start to degrade in as little as 106 degrees F). All cooked food is devoid of enzymes, furthermore cooking food changes the molecular structure of the food and renders it toxic. Living and raw foods also have enormously higher nutrient values than the foods that have been cooked.

What are Enzymes?

Enzymes assist in the digestion of foods. They are known to be the "Life-Force" and or "energy" of food.

From the dictionary: Noun: Any of the various complex organic substances, as pepsin originating from living cells and capable of producing certain chemical changes in organic substances by catalytic action, as in digestion.

Why are Enzymes Important?

Enzymes are important because they assist in the digestion and absorption of food. If you eat food that is enzyme-less, your body will not get maximum utilization of the food. This causes toxicity in the body. (Can you guess why over 75% of Americans are overweight?)

Doesn't the acidic ph of the stomach destoy enzymes?

Viktorus Kulvinskas, one of the world's foremost and most experienced active researchers into enzyme nutrition has information showing then stomach acid merely deactivates food enzymes. The enzymes are then reactivated in the more alkaline small intestine. Many people who eat all raw foods, sense a world of healthful difference in our energy, digestion and connectedness with nature by eating enzyme-rich living foods. When we stopped eating cooked protein foods which require large secretions of stomach acid (which is not healthful for several reasons) our stomach doesn't produce much stomach acid. Many people who eat raw foods eat a low protein diet and are free from the stomach acid secretions and have much more energy and a lighter disposition.

Is there a difference between living foods and raw foods?

Living and Raw foods both contain enzymes. In living foods, the enzyme content is much higher. Raw, unsprouted nuts contain enzymes in a "dormant" state. To activate the enzymes contained in almonds, for example, soak them in water for as just 24 hours. Once the almonds begin to sprout, the enzymes become "active" and are then considered living. In the context of this web site, the terms are used loosely.

Why eat only Organic Foods?

When juicing or eating foods, it is very important to choose to consume only organically grown produce. "Conventional" or "industrial" produce are grown with pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, and other chemicals that are toxic and/or harmful to your body. Organic foods are grown without the use of these harmful substances, taste better, and are more nutritious.

Do I need to eat all organic to be raw?

No, you do not NEED to eat all organic to be raw. I personally reccomend eating as much organic food as possible. It has been shown that organic produce contains less pesticide and other toxic residues. In addition, it has been shown that organic food may taste better and contain more nutrition. I believe its better to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables in most any case.

Will rinsing wash off the pesticide from industrially grown produce?

Rinsing with cool water will remove some surface pesticide residue, but not the pesticide that was absorbed into the produce as it was grown. Some of the most severely tainted types of produce are strawberries and bell peppers. Some of the least tainted: carrots and avocados.

Is this a "new" fad diet or something?

Not at all! Consider the following: during the vast majority of our existence on this planet, what choices did we have for food? What COULD we have eaten before we discovered fire, tools and implements to kill animals? The original diet for us MUST have consisted primarily of vegetables, fruits, and nuts! What other choices did we have? Clearly, a raw, plant based diet is the main food staple throughout the vast majority of the history of Humankind! Before Humans started killing and eating dead animal carcass, we ate fruits, leaves, nuts, berries, etc...

Is this just another vegetarian or vegan diet?

Yes and NO! This is the ULTIMATE vegetarian/vegan diet. It should be the goal of all vegetarians, vegans and SAD - [Standard American Diet] eaters to eat raw. The benefits are out of this world! Once you embrace an all-raw and living food diet, you are more living, have more energy, better health, think more clearly, and become more in tune with your body! This type of diet even gives you a "competitive edge" over people that eat life-less food.

What is the difference between a raw/living foods diet and a vegetarian diet?

Vegetarians and vegans believe in only eating a plant based diet.

Living and Raw Foodists believe in eating only an UNCOOKED, UNHEATED, UNPROCESSED and ORGANIC plant based diet.

What is a Living Foodist or Raw Foodist?

A person who eats 75% or more living/raw food.. The more, the better. Optimally one should eat 100% raw and living foods if it feels right for them.

Is a 100% living and raw food diet best?

That depends on the person. I believe life should not be about 100% raw food, but about 100% health. You can be "unhealthy" and eat 100% raw food, if you are not eating the correct raw foods. In addition, the stress that can be caused by "screwing up" or "falling off the wagon" can be worse than eating a high percentage raw food diet, with "better" cooked alternatives. I personally eat 99.999% raw foods.

Is there just one type of living/raw foodist?

There are many subcategories of living/raw foodists. Some include:

  • Fruitarian - People who consume mostly fruits
  • Sproutarian - People who consume mostly sprouts
  • Juicearian - People who consume mostly fresh juice


Why would someone want to eat a raw and living foods d/iet?

There are many reasons why people eat a raw and living foods diet.

  1. Health: Persons embracing this type of diet invariably experience improvements in their general physical and mental status, including more energy, better health, more energy , weight loss, detoxification, and a sturdier immune system that better resists and recovers from just about any kind of disease... and the list goes on...
  2. Energy efficiency: Since you no longer have to cook, you don't waste electricity, and save the environment.
  3. Since you eat organic agriculture, you help to save the planet. Most become more in-tune with their body; many report definite spiritual improvements.

What do raw/living foodists eat?

Raw and Living Foodist eat all fruits, vegetables, sprouts, nuts, seeds, grains, sea vegetables, and other organic/natural foods that have not been processed. In some instances, there are special ways to prepare the foods (example: most raw and living foodists soak/sprout nuts, seeds and grains before consuming them). For some delicious recipes, see our recipe section!

How can you tell if something is a raw/living food?

Most foods that have not been processed in any way, shape or form are raw and living foods (until cooked). Processed foods (canned, bottled or prepackaged) are most often adulterated, (changed from their original state) by heating, additives, preservatives, colorings, salt, and sugar. Don't think this is all for your benefit; the benefactor is the manufacturer's profit margin, NOT YOU. Try to purchase foods that are in their natural state.

What do raw and living foodists drink?

Water (purified water - never tap water), Freshly made juices (made with your own juicer - and consumed immediately), coconut milk (from a young coconut), are some of the liquids living and raw foodists drink. Most all drinks purchased at the store have been processed (Including: soda, bottled juices, coffee, alcohol, and most others) and are not included in a living / raw foodist diet.

Do raw and living foodists drink tea?

Some living and raw foodists will drink SUN TEA, which is tea brewed by the power of the Sun. Teas that contain boiling water are not considered raw. Many teas that are purchased in the store may have been processed at temperatures above 118 degrees. The best way is to grow your own herbs and dry them at a low temperature, and use them for sun teas.

Are certain raw foods better than others?

Yes. I believe one should focus on eating the majority of fresh fruits and vegetables. All other raw foods (such as nuts, seeds, etc) should be minimized. Fresher foods are always best. Ones that you grow yourself, or purchased at a farmers market, are much fresher than foods purchased in the grocery or health food store.

Where do raw and living foodist get their protein?

The WHO (World Health Organization) says humans need about 5% of their daily calories to come from protein to be healthy. The USDA puts this figure at 6.5%. On average, fruits have about 5% of their calories from protein. Vegetables have from 20-50% of their calories from protein. Sprouted seeds, beans, and grains contain from 10-25% of their calories from protein. So if you are eating any variety of living plant foods, you are getting more than adequate protein. Numerous scientific studies have shown the daily need for protein to be about 25-35 grams per day. So if you ate 2,000 calories per day, and ate raw plant foods that had an average of 10% of their calories from protein, you would get 200 calories worth of protein, or 50 grams. This is more than adequate to support optimal well-being. Other studies have shown that heat treating a protein (such as with cooking) makes about half of it unusable to the human body. So raw plant food protein is even a better source than cooked plant foods or animal foods. There is still a huge, foolish, misguided idea that plant protein is not "complete". This is based on studies done on rats in the 1940's. This false conclusion was drawn before we discovered the bodies protein recycling mechanism and its ability to "complete" any amino acid mix from our bodies amino acid pool, no matter what the amino acid composition of a meal consumed. This false idea is still perpetuated by the meat and dairy industries, in an attempt to influence people to continue consuming their truly health destroying products.

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raw cacao beans

You know, I've written before about the whole raw cacao craze, but for those of you who might have missed it, I thought I would give you some more details about raw cacao and my feelings on it.

I often get asked what I think of the whole raw cacao craze. If you don't know about this, there are some people who currently claim that raw chocolate is the ultimate food of mankind and that we should eat as much as possible to benefit from the high levels of anti-oxidants, magnesium and other trace minerals.

Truth is, their claims are completely flawed and wrong.

Let's take a honest look at the issue, by looking at some claims made about cacao:



MY COMMENTS: Yes, cacao contains lots of antioxidants. But the question is not *what is the highest source of anti-oxidants* but *what is the *healthiest source of antioxidants*.

Cacao is rich in fat and contains some caffeine and theobromine, which is a stimulant alike caffeine. Therefore, one should not eat too much of it. But blueberries and other berries are free of these concerns and also contain lots of anti-oxidants. In my opinion, they are a much *healthier* source of anti-oxidants.


"As we have noted, cacao is one of nature's richest sources of magnesium, which is a heart as well as brain mineral."

Same here. Cacao may be rich in magnesium, but that's not a reason good enough to make it a main part of your diet, when it's rich in fat! Other foods contain lots of magnesium, including green vegetables.


"Cacao, because it is unadulterated, has an even stronger love energy. In ancient Aztec wedding ceremonies, the bride and groom would exchange 5 cacao beans with each other."

What can I say here except that I'm surprised people buy this kind of non-sense. Lots of very unhealthy foods have been praised throughout the world for their *magical* qualities that it's not surprising to find cacao among them.

The bottom line about raw cacao and raw chocolate is that it's not the healthiest source of anti-oxidants or nutrients, and it's no *magical* food.

I'm all for enjoying food and life and having some cacao as part of your diet occasionally and enjoying some health benefits that way is perfectly fine. But to make raw cacao an important part of your diet, as is recommended by some people, is completely ridiculous and unhealthy.

I much prefer to use carob powder in my recipes.


Instead of being a stimulant, carob is a mineral rich food and has a calming effect. Carob is high in fiber and rich in polyphenols that have strong antiviral and antiseptic properties, making it effective when given to treat bacterial-induced diarrhea.

Carob is a wonderful substitute for cocoa because it contains fewer calories, is naturally sweet, and, unlike cocoa or sweet chocolate, is caffeine-free and non addictive and has no theobromine or oxalic acid. In addition, it is usually cheaper.

It's also low in fat and sodium, calcium-rich and a good source of potassium, while, unlike cacao and chocolate, it does not interfere with the body's ability to assimilate calcium. Now, carob truly is a health food!




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Community Summary

Community Type: Sustainable
Conscious Principles: Spiritual
Construction Start: TBD
Construction End: TBD
Open to New Members: Yes
Application Required: Yes
Population Limits: none
Age Limits: none
Kids Without Adults: Yes
Community Decisions: Committees
Leadership Core: 100 to 200
Governance Rules: Yes
Financial Requirement: Voluntary
Labor Contribution: Mutual
Specific Skill Requirement: No
Living Quarters: Shared
Personal Pets: No
Livestock: No
Food Production: Growing
Dietary Practice: Raw Vegan
Dining: Cafeteria Style
Disallowed Substances: Yes
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Education Style: Waldorf/Steiner
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