I have found, in my research, many differences among the leaders in the raw food movement. For example, Dr. Gabriel Cousens believes good quality salt should be used to bring out the taste in most raw dishes and this is what his apprentices teach at the Tree of Life retreat in Patagonia, Arizona. However, Brian Clemente, director of Hippocrates Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida, an Ann Wigmore legacy, uses absolutely no salt in any recipes. Each has their own, well thought out rationales for their decisions. I am working on this analysis and will include it in The Raw Food Diet Myth: What Every Non-raw Foodist Should Know about Living Food. Other areas of disagreement include the temperature at which food can be dehydrated. Some say 145 degrees for the first hour and 115 degrees for the rest of the time. Some say 100 degrees. Others say 115 degrees for the entire time. Another interesting difference is in juicing. Some like Natalia Rose and Sarma support juicing using standard juicers (like the Green Star, Champion or Norwalk juicer) which removes all of the fiber and allows your body to quickly and easily digest the nutrients from the plants you are juicing. Others, like Victoria Boutenko, are strong supporters of the “smoothie” which requires creating the drink in a high speed blender. This method retains all of the fiber in the drink and has a much different impact on the body, obviously! Both have merit. Both have pros and cons. What is most important is for you to be aware of the differences and do your own evaluation and analysis – what could be more important?

My husband Joe and I are good examples of this experimentation. After trying both the juicing and the smoothie version of a drink, Joe prefers a smoothie and I prefer the juicer. Some of it is personal preference in taste and texture and some of it is the impact that the drink has on our bodies. Joe starts every day with a drink made from ripe bananas, ice and kale (or some other green from our local organic delivery) made in the high speed blender. I start every day with a drink made from 1 head of romaine lettuce, other greens that we have like celery, spinach, or cucumbers, one lemon, and about 2 inches of organic ginger root (to give it some zing!). Different people. Different tastes. Different choices.