It seriously couldn't be easier to make raw ice cream, and in any flavor you like WITHOUT any processed ingredients, sugars, and dyes. Click here for the recipe. Enjoy!

Photo credit: ourlifeinthekitchen.com

We are so excited to be able to share this news with you. We had a fantastic time at the Natural Products Expo East this past weekend. We are riding the wave of positive energy that we received this weekend and are so PROUD to be the recipient of the "Most Innovative" Product Award. 




You can read about the Expo and our award here. Thank you EVERYONE for your support and positive energy. We are deeply humbled and couldn't do it without all of you. THANK YOU.

We at Brad's Raw Foods are pleased to present this article by guest blogger, Michael Shaw. We suggest following a plant-based diet. Whether or not you subscribe to a raw food diet, we believe you will make tremendous strides in the investment of your future health. We hope you enjoy the read!

Vegetarian Protein Sources

If you grew up at all like me, then you were told on a regular basis – especially if you were on the thin side – that you needed to be sure and get enough protein! The subtext here was not only that you needed to eat more, but specifically that you needed to eat more chicken, and maybe eggs too. Not only is this mantra of worry not vegetarian or vegan-friendly, it’s also a bit of an old wives’ tale: for most of us, a healthy, balanced diet based on fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains provides completely ample vegetarian protein sources. When you do a little research, you’ll find that myth debunked frequently, by well-established diet and nutrition experts.

There are so many categories of non-meat-eating diets these days, though, that each one needs its own guidelines, whether you practice ovo-lacto vegetarianism, veganism, or a raw food diet, each progressively more challenging (and potentially time-consuming).

Where to get your vegetarian protein sources

Let’s start with the easiest:

Ovo-lacto vegetarian diet

This diet is for vegetarians who also eat eggs and dairy products, and it obviously equates to lots of protein options, as eggs and dairy are for the most part foods high in protein. If you are an ovo-lacto and many of your vegetarian protein sources are eggs are dairy, try to be conscious of your foods’ sources: if you have eggs regularly, don’t just buy cartons from your average supermarket, if possible: seek out eggs that don’t come from factory farms, but instead from smaller farms where the chickens can roam around and aren’t cooped up their entire lives. Here’s a great resource for finding high-quality egg sources: Organic Egg Scorecard.

Health-wise, it’s important to recognize that Greek yogurt is an especially good source of protein as compared to milk and cheese (and more basic, lesser-quality yogurts), which tend to be pasteurized/processed in ways that good quality Greek yogurt is not. Even with eggs, yogurt, and the occasional cheese and milk, though, ideally they won’t make up the entirety of your protein sources—there’s still legumes (various beans, peas and lentils), grains (quinoas, brown rice, millet), and soy in numerous forms to mix into your diet as well. And all of the above are gluten-free if gluten is a protein you want out of your diet.

Vegan diet

With eggs and dairy off the shelf, so to speak, vegans are more dependent on legumes, grains and nuts for vegetarian protein sources. There’s also the aforementioned soy, as well as seitan, which is gluten-based so quite clearly not gluten-free. From my perspective, the key question for vegans to ask themselves is: how do I get along with soy? Soy has many incarnations, from tofu to tempeh to textured vegetable protein, and from soy milk to edamame, but how much soy can your own individual digestive system take? For some, it’s not an issue…they can have soy milk in their cereal, have soy-based veggie burgers for lunch and tofu for dinner. But for many, it’s more like: OK, whoa, that’s enough- easy on the soy! They become oversaturated with soy, and from then on they either can only have it mixed lightly into their diet, or not at all, at least for a while. Vegans should be aware of this, and regardless of their soy sensitivity, it’s probably best to rotate great-tasting grains like quinoa, or legumes like lentils or kidney beans, in with
their soy intake. After all, variety is the spice of life.

Raw Diet

Raw diets obviously pose the greatest challenge as far as finding consistently solid
vegetarian protein sources, as not only are eggs and dairy out, so are most legumes and whole grains, since they need to be cooked. Tofu, too, isn’t raw diet-friendly (it’s for the most part processed), but sprouts, which provide relatively high protein doses, are. Nuts tend to become a much more significant player in a raw diet, primarily cashews and almonds, as well as walnuts (cashews, as you may know, are a raw food staple used to substitute for pasta and bread-like dishes). As with soy, however, some people can become nut-intolerant (for those of course who aren’t already downright allergic), and so raw foodists should monitor their reactions to nut intake on an ongoing, conscious level.

Going back to the original point of this article, though, raw food adherents will tell you that there is plenty of protein to be consumed from green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale) and other vegetables and fruits. And, in addition to sprouts, seeds are another raw food-friendly protein source: primarily pumpkin, flax, and hemp seeds, the latter of which is said to be a great overall source of protein, and one that makes a great protein powder (with no added sugars like typical protein powders) that can be added to juices and smoothies.

More so than with the other diets, a raw food diet should also be monitored in terms of its effects on your health; for some, the raw food path is the perfect way to go, producing all sorts of vibrant energy, great skin, and so on. If you do go the raw food route, keep good tabs on how your body is responding, and be open to pulling back to a semi-raw diet, if necessary.


(Michael Shaw writes about vegetarian-related fare, and also focuses on healthy alternatives to refined flours and sugars on his website, No Flour, No Sugar Diet.)

submitted by raw chef Stephen Hauptfur 

During Brad's Raw 7 day juice fast challenge, there were quite a few questions about juicers and which one is best to get. Depending on where you are at with juicing, if you are new to juicing, curious and want to try it out, or if you know for sure that you will be juicing for a long time to come, there are a few things to consider and I have different suggestions.

If you are new to juicing and want to try it out at home, there are quite a few less expensive juicers that work very well. Some extract juice better than others but in general, they are all pretty comparable. Keep in mind, with the lower end of the juicers you will not have many options to expand later on but they will get the job done and hopefully will become a bridge to a more active juicing routine and another, more qualified juicer purchase in the future. 

If, however, you are pretty sure already that you will be juicing quite a lot and for some time to come, I would seriously recommend thinking about other longer term options, such as, the quality of juice you really want along with how much juice and how frequently, you will be making juice.. 


Centrifugal vs Masticating juicer:

Choose a Centrifugal or Masticating style juicer based on what you will be juicing. A Centrifugal juicer uses a spinning motion to grind the fruit or vegetables into pulp and then push the juice out from the center of rotation. Masticating juicers use a slow grinding-kneading motion to squeeze out the juice. So, something to consider, will you be juicing more fruits or greens? If greens are your thing with smaller amounts of fruits, a Masticating juicer would be better for your needs. If the opposite, more fruits and less greens, then a centrifugal juicer is ok for your use. 

Centrifugal or Masticating style juicer based on the quantity of juices you will be producing, meaning, is it just you or a whole household that you will be making juices for.. If it's just you, a Masticating juicer is fine, however, if you will be making 4-5 or more juices each time and especially multiple times a day, you may want to go with a Centrifugal juicer as they are much quicker equaling less time spent making the juice..

Another thing to consider, here in the raw world especially, the quality of the juice or Nutrient value you are getting from the fruits & vegetables you are juicing. A Centrifugal juicer spins very fast and it is said the high speed can produce too much heat which can damage the enzymes in the juice. I cannot confirm or deny this statement, one thing that is for sure though, a Masticating juicer will definitely not create the same friction that a centrifugal juicer does.

Centrifugal juicers tend to cost less in the short term, however, they operate less efficiently while Masticating juicers work much more efficiently, requiring less vegetables to create more juice. As a result, you spend less on vegetables over the long term than you would with a Centrifugal juicer.

A Masticating juicer is much more versatile than a Centrifugal juicer, as a Masticating juicer squeezes the items you put into it, you can also use a Masticating juicer to(with blank plate attachment) make baby food, grind nuts and seeds into butters, process ice creams and with a bag attachment, grains into flours..

Finally, there is what many consider to be the ultimate in juicing health, or if you will, the Rolls Royce of juicers: the Norwalk hydraulic press. Originally made in 1934, according to their own site, it produces 50-100% more juice than other juicers from the same quantity of produce with little to no heat or oxidation, minimizing loss of enzymes & nutrient value. 



Pricing juicers:

Centrifugal (At the low end $40 - 100 or so) the Jack Lalanne series is good, Cuisinart and Waring all make good in-expensive Centrifugal models as well. 



Commercial Centrifugal juicers can be as expensive as the Norwalk press, but they are designed for high out put hours and hours a day.

Masticating juicers ($200 - 600) are more expensive but more versatile. Champion, Greenstar and Omega all make great juicers.



The Norwalk hydraulic press ($2,500) would be a serious commitment for many but definitely an investment in your overall lifetime of good health.

Be well!

From Seed to Smoothie

Blog Photo credit: Copyright © 2011 APMC. All Rights Reserved.

Blog Photo credit: Copyright © 2011 APMC. All Rights Reserved.

One Year Later... Time Flies.

Blog Photo credit: Copyright © 2011 APMC. All Rights Reserved.

Here's the post from The World Of Raw

Erewhon and Expo West!

Here's our post from March 10, 2011 on The World Of Raw

Hello Hollywood!

Last week, Mike and Audrey represented Brad's Raw Chips at the 2011 Locavore/Buy Local event. The event was organized by the Doylestown Business and Community Alliance, while Superior Woodcraft, Inc. graciously opened their doors and provided a very unique setting. 14 local businesses, including Brad's Raw Chips, participated in the networking event and were the providers of the locally made drinks and snacks for the 400+ guests that evening. 
Superior Woodcraft is a nationally-recognized, family-owned business and has been a fixture in Doylestown since the 1970s. They make handcrafted, custom cabinetry for the entire home. We were honored to be able to tour their showroom and factory. It really shows how much attention and care goes into making a beautiful and quality piece. Wouldn't it be great if every kitchen that has a Superior Woodcraft cabinet also had Brad's Raw Chips in its drawers? (Remember this photo?) We really appreciate DBCA and Superior Woodcraft's efforts in educating the local public, encouraging them to buy local, and supporting local businesses. Thank you for your generosity and hospitality!



Speaking of supporting locals, we are very lucky to have some very talented people working with us at Brad's Raw Chips. This week's Sampler Spotlight is on Christina. She is our sampler at Whole Foods Devon, in Wayne, PA.

When she's not out sampling Brad's Raw Chips, Christina is an artist and a performer. She has an art show this Friday, at The Lola Bean in Fishtown, Philadelphia. She is also a fire spinner and will be performing next week at the Philly Addy Awards, an awards ceremony for the design and advertisement professionals in Philadelphia. Please check out her work on her website and blog!

 

And they picked up some Gnosis Raw Chocolate by Vanessa Barg.  (Remember Guys, Valentine's Day is right around the corner.  Don't you think your sweetie would love some Raw sweets?)  www.gnosischocolate.com

 

 

 

 

If Chocolate's not your game, then maybe handmade Silk or Velvet is your name!  Brad's aunt, Gabriele Agustini makes gorgeous handpainted silk and velvet accessories.  What woman wouldn't want to wrap themselves in this luxury?  

 

Please visit her website and blog:  

http://gabrieleagustini.com/

 

Last but not least, back at Brad's Raw Chips we are getting ready to launch our newest contest.  Moms, Dads, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, siblings... whoever!  Get your cameras and kids ready!  Click on the Food, Friends, and Family title above for a sneak peak!  Details will be released with our next newsletter.  Stay tuned!