I eat raw carrots, tomatoes, cucumber and fruits. And there ends my tryst with raw food. This is why I was initially sceptical about the new food trend, slowly catching up in Coimbatore. Will it be people munching on spinach, raw potatoes and pumpkins? But Padayal Shivakumar, a natural food consultant from the city, proves me wrong with his diverse menu.
A proponent of raw food diet in the city, Shivakumar conducts workshops and caters raw food for functions through the state. “I joined a yoga institute in 2008 and learned about the working of our body and the importance of food. I became interested in nutritious food there,” he says. He was introduced to raw food at a function in Karur. “I liked the food there. I did a year of research and switched to this diet three years ago.” He also attended several classes and seminars to learn more about this diet. Since most people find it difficult to switch to raw food diet, he came up with tasty and healthy alternatives for almost all of regular foods and launched the ‘No boil, No oil’ concept.
Shivakumar is a firm believer in vegetarianism. “Vegetables, fruits, millets, nuts, etc. must be the main components of our diet,” he claims. When asked about milk, he says that one can use coconut milk. He believes in going back to native varieties of vegetables and fruits. “Modern diseases like diabetes and cancer are the result of us moving away from Nature and its principles. Going back to Nature is the only way.”
The shift from cooked food to raw diet is not easy. Shivkumar advises people to take it slow. “Start with raw snacks. Then progress to a meal a day, then two, and later to an all raw diet.” He also emphasises importance of chewing food. “Saliva is crucial for digestion. Chewing our food properly is the only way for saliva to be mixed with our food.”
Talking about catering raw food items, his first venture was in Viluppuram. “I had to serve 750 people. It was more like an experiment to know if people will appreciate it.” Since the response was good, he started doing more events. He has now catered raw food for about 30 events. “I also demonstrate the preparation of a few dishes to create awareness.” His menu includes cutlet, bajji, cake, ice cream, lollipop, sambar, koottu, poriyal, idly, and laddu. For laddoos, he uses kodo millet flakes, peanut powder, roasted dal powder, cashew powder, cardamom, cucumber seeds, dry grapes, grated coconut and organic jaggery. “This stays fresh for a day.” To make a cutlet, he grates coconuts, carrots and beetroot, adds jeera powder, pepper powder, rock salt, peanut powder and coriander leaves. The mixture is stuffed into snake gourd rings that have been soaked in salt water for 30 minutes. The making of the brown laddoos and pink-and-green cutlets are a delight to watch. The ladoo is soft and sweet and I love it in the first bite. The cutlet has a raw taste, which I didn’t like. It seems to be something that one has to get used to.
Dr. Shilpa Shah, lifestyle, health and nutrition consultant at Goodlife Clinic, says, “I can vouch for the raw food diet. It can do miracles, if followed in consultation with a professional. It helps detoxify the body.” She says that people who eat fast food and drink alcohol should follow it. “It cleanses the liver and makes you healthy. Just remember, when you are shifting to an all raw diet, you have to eat fruits before cooked food, as it makes the digestion easier.”