Chef Matthew Kenney

Chef Matthew Kenney:

I am annoyed by one review of the Kenney book, Everyday Raw. The person reviewing on Amazon complains this book makes raw food complicated. One can grab a handful of nuts and an apple and call it breakfast, or have a big salad and call it lunch. Do you need a book to tell you that raw can be simple? I think the opposite is true- most people need a book that shows them amazing raw food.

Kenney is an incredible chef who elevates (un)cooking food to an art form. Given the love and creativity that goes into Kenney's preparation of raw food I can't understand why any raw foodist would scorn his book. Does this person not understand that reviews affect book sales? If that person wants to eat a very simple raw diet- go for it- but why spoil the fun for others who enjoy a gourmet raw experience?

The recipes in the last two of Matthew Kenney's books I bought turned out great every time I tried them. (I have his first book. It is cooked and carnivorous.) He puts a lot of careful work into preparing these books. And, the books also have gorgeous photography.

Fruit and Nuts

This morning I woke up wanting to have something other than Green Juice. I had a sixth of a coconut and a sixth of a mango (another breakfaster was having mango and insisted on sharing). Two hours later- I had perfect blood sugar.

I wasn't really hungry at eleven, but sat down and had a lunch after unpacking the groceries. I had a 4oz cup of cherries, one fourth of an avocado sprinkled with a few grains of sea salt. I snacked on the above, and finished with a tablespoon of raw almond butter.

I know that some would consider the above food combination scary. According to food combining theory in the book The Raw Life, by Paul Nisson; the cherries are fruit (and should best be eaten alone), the avocados are considered fat, and the nut butter is considered protein. Either the fat or protein might have been eaten alone or with greens, but not together.

Reasons of health aside, food combining eliminates gassiness. For three weeks I went along fine, eating what I wanted with no problem. Then one night I had a banana, raw hazelnuts, some greens with a little oil and vinegar, and a glass of red wine. My stomach hurt! It was no joke.

Herbert Shelton's book Food Combining Made Easy seems to be the accepted authority on this- so that's on my to-read list. Paul Nisson recommends strongly that you eat mono-meals (just one thing or one kind of thing at a meal, even fruits are divided into sub-groups such as acidic fruits, sweet fruits, etc.) I might add that many of the long-time raw foodists interviewed for his book agreed.

But, I also read in Nisson's book The Raw Life that Morris Krok, said "You might have an apple with your almonds. Although this is not the best food combining practice, the almonds are dry but the apple is juicy." The message I get is to do what works for you and not become obsessed in a way that stops you from continuing on your path .

Also- there are raw food chefs out there making amazing dishes which sometimes combine nuts and fruits. If you don't go wild eating too many different things at once, I think these inspired dishes can bring good health as well as pleasure.