Door County Chef Taking Mystique Out of Raw Foods

For years Cindy Knigge carried this quote with her:  In this food, I clearly see the entire universe supporting my existence – Thich Nhat Hanh. It wasn’t until recently she knew where it belonged.

It belongs with her business, Raw Vitality Foods.

Knigge is a certified raw chef, and makes to-go dishes sold at The Healthy Way in Sturgeon Bay and Greens ‘n Grains in Egg Harbor. She also offers weekly boxes of food to customers, similar to a CSA share, and teaches raw cooking classes.

“My focus is to teach people how to do this for themselves, to take some of the mystique out of it,” Knigge said. “It’s not a new concept. It’s been around a long time and it’s not radical. It’s just eating more fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and good fats.”

Raw food is food that’s unprocessed, unrefined and untreated with heat. The three food groups in a raw diet are fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and healthy fats from nuts, seeds and avocados.

Knigge said uncooked fruits and vegetables are more nutritious than their cooked counterparts, and they contain enzymes that help digestion.

“The benefit [of a raw food diet] is it helps you to avoid the foods that have been linked with weight gain and degenerative diseases, like trans fats, saturated fats, sugar and white flours,” Knigge said.

Raw sprouted Waldorf salad. Photo by Carol Thompson.

Switching to a raw food diet isn’t as intimidating as it sounds, and Knigge said preparing raw food isn’t more expensive or timely than traditional cooking. She said it gets easier after a few raw days, because after a while the craving for other foods goes away.

“It’s easy,” she said. “It’s for everyone. You don’t have to be a vegetarian to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet.”

Knigge’s interest in raw food started five years ago while managing a health food store in Neenah, Wis. A customer came in and mentioned a Good Morning America segment she saw about raw food.

That was all it took. Knigge began testing out raw recipes and sharing them with her coworkers, who insisted she start making and selling her dishes in the store. The raw falafel, apple pie and carrot pecan burgers flew off the shelves.

Knigge said she had always eaten healthy, even before she started cooking raw meals. When she did, she realized implementing raw food into her diet was easy.

“I had been eating a lot of raw food already, and I think a lot of people do and they don’t even realize it,” Knigge said. “It was just the natural progression.”

Knigge doesn’t eat raw food exclusively – she occasionally cooks vegetables and will sample others’ cooking at potlucks and dinner parties. Still, most of what she cooks at home is raw.

Knigge’s raw dessert. Photo by Carol Thompson.

“I eat anything I want to eat, it’s just that my wants have really changed,” she said. “I don’t feel deprived.”

Samples from Raw Vitality Foods will be available for free at the Music in the Garden Concerts every Tuesday from July 9 through July 30 at 7 pm in the green space across from the hospital. For more information on classes, weekly boxes or carrying Raw Vitality Foods in your business, call 920.850.5949 or email [email protected].

Tip for New Raw Foodies:

Soak nuts and seeds overnight before eating them. They’ll be softer, sweeter and more nutritious. Eat soaked nuts and seeds within 24 hours, or dehydrate them for longer storage.

Basic Raw Green Smoothie Recipe:

Ingredients

60 % fruit (try a frozen banana and some blueberries)

40% greens (try kale, spinach or romaine lettuce)

1 tbs. protein (try hemp seed, ground flax seeds or chia seeds)

Instructions

Blend greens with a little water first, then add the rest of the ingredients.