Fruit and vegetable-based meals: 'My uncooked diet is anything but a raw deal'

Sticking to a raw food diet has transformed Tanya’s life

WHEN Tanya Maher broke her back in a car crash in her teens, a fruit and vegetable-based plan helped with her recovery. Now she hopes to convert the UK to her unusual way of eating.

 

WHAT would you say if we told you that the latest diet trend not only helps you lose weight and boosts energy levels but involves no cooking?

'“Uncooking” is the latest buzzword in nutrition and is based on eating raw food. And lots of it.

“It is about getting back to basics and using the freshest, cleanest, most nutritious plant-based wholefoods,” says nutritionist Tanya Maher.

“There is no baking, frying, boiling or microwaving involved. The food has not been refi ned, canned or chemically processed.”

Tanya, 30, owns restaurant Tanya’s Cafe in London’s South Kensington which serves an entirely raw menu of food, smoothies and juices. Celebrity clients include the Rolling Stones, Fearne Cotton, Millie Mackintosh and chef Lorraine Pascale.

Tanya is on a mission to spread what she believes are the health benefits of going raw.

When she was seven years old, her family moved from Russia to Auckland, New Zealand. It was there at 14 that Tanya was in a car crash that left her with a broken back.

“For the first time, I was allowed to go away with my best friend for a joint birthday celebration.

“It was a rainy day and we were both sitting in the back singing along to music. The next thing I remember is seeing a four-wheel drive vehicle heading towards us.”

After being flown to Auckland City Hospital she was told she had broken her back and would have to wear a body brace for four months.

Tanya’s stomach was so badly bruised and swollen that doctors wanted to remove her pancreas. She was also unable to eat.

Despite the growing popularity of raw food diets uncooking has been labelled a health fad

“My body rejected everything I tried to eat and I would shake and convulse after just one bite,” she says. Her parents told her to use her intuition and eat only foods she could stomach.

“They told me to close my eyes and think of different kinds of food to see if anything appealed.

“Three things came to mind: peppermint tea which is soothing, manuka honey which is antiviral and antibacterial and raw vegetables which are packed with goodness.”

Little by little my body began to dislike cooked food and after a few months I realised I was never going to eat meat again

Tanya’s parents bought her what she wanted and doctors were amazed when she started eating. Two weeks later she was strong enough to be discharged.

But it wasn’t until years later that Tanya realised the impact her food choices had on her recovery.

“When I was 23 my parents decided to try eating nothing but raw food as a sort of detox. The transformation was astounding.

“After just a week they had more energy, would wake up earlier naturally and seemed more vibrant,” says Tanya.

“It reminded me how I had used food to heal myself after my car crash. I thought if raw food can heal, what else can it do?” A year later, Tanya and her now husband Elliot, 30, moved to London.

While she began her career in the capital working in property, Tanya’s main interest was always food and she set about reading every book she could find about uncooking.

Uncooking involves not eating anything that has been heated to more than 48C. This preserves the natural goodness in food that can be destroyed when overcooked. Your body is able to benefit fully from the vitamins and minerals.

“When we apply heat to food we destroy its enzymes. Many vitamins, nutrients, amino acids and antioxidants can diminish by as much as 70 per cent,” explains Tanya. “This leaves us with nutritionally deprived meals and tired, nutritionally deprived bodies.”

Tanya began to introduce raw eating into her diet.

“I felt like I was making a fresh start in a new city with new challenges,” she says. “I began by making a green smoothie every morning with spinach, kale, lettuce and fruit.”

It wasn’t long before Tanya felt the benefits and stopped craving her morning coffee.

“I made other small changes such as swapping my chicken sandwich for a salad at lunchtime. In the evening I tried half-cooked, half-raw veggies,” says Tanya, who also cut out meat.

“Little by little my body began to dislike cooked food and after a few months I realised I was never going to eat meat again.”

 

Uncooking involves not eating anything that has been heated to more than 48C

After qualifying as a holistic health coach and nutritionist, Tanya quit her job and approached yoga centres and local restaurants offering to run lunchtime classes. She began blogging about raw recipes and sold smoothies and raw chocolate at local markets.

In 2014 she opened her cafe, complete with Europe’s first superfood cocktail bar.

Despite the growing popularity of raw food diets uncooking has been labelled a health fad but Tanya remains philosophical.

“As a society we eat too much bad meat and processed foods. But raw cooking gives you more energy, focus and attention.

“It can also be good for weight loss because you’re not putting rubbish in your body. You know exactly what is in each meal.

“With just a little imagination you can be the healthiest you’ve ever been.”

Five easy ways to try 'uncooking'

1 Start small.

Give yourself one day or even just one meal to begin with. Pick a day when you have time to shop and prepare. Don’t put pressure on yourself. After all, food is supposed to be fun.

2 Eat what’s in season.

This will keep costs down and the nutritional value of foods high. Root vegetables, for example, grow really well in winter without extra help from chemicals, so they are more likely to be organic. Visit eattheseasons.co.uk to find out what you should buy.

3 Involve your children.

Having a family makes going raw more fun. Play around with colours and textures, pick fruit, grow your own veg and think about recipes you can make together.

4 Don’t ditch chocolate.

Cocoa and cacao are different, even though they come from the same tree. Cacao is raw, unprocessed and one of the best sources of antioxidants and magnesium there is.

5 Spice up your winter.

It can be challenging to stick to raw foods when it’s cold but simple things such as adding spice, heating up your plates before serving and stirring hot water into raw soups will help.

To order a copy of The Uncook Book: The Essential Guide To A Raw Food Lifestyle by Tanya Maher (Hay House, £16.99) call The Express Bookshop on 01872 562 310 or visit expressbookshop.com.