Happy Raw Year!

Since last year, Aileen de Guzman has been emailing us to attend her Raw SuperFood Workshop in Makati. When we received an email from her inviting us again to her first class for 2011, we just had to go.

Salad Greens

We have always been curious to learn what this workshop was all about, thinking also that we will surely learn how to prepare dishes with organic vegetables as principal ingredients.

According to Aileen, using organic is a must in raw food cooking since you will be eating your food as it is. She shared how watching Demi Moore in a TV show changed her life.

Veggie Sushi

Benefits of eating raw:

• Glowing skin
• More energy
• Weight loss
• Sustained weight loss
• Better blood test results (e.g. cholesterol level)
• Good health

Most illness are caused by toxins we put in our bodies. Eating raw foods helps us detoxify, stay healthy, strong, fit, achieve your ideal weight and look your best. When we eat whole fresh organic foods, manufacturers can’t sneak in chemicals, preservatives, artificial colors, flavoring and other toxins into the food. We go straight to Mother Nature as the source for nutrient rich foods.

Here are some of Aileen’s frequently asked questions:

Please share with us your “diet”.

I used to eat the Standard Filipino Diet. I grew up in Lipa (Batangas) where Bulanglang was a staple. It’s a mix of locally produce vegetables from our backyard – kibal, kalabasa w/ talbos, patola, white mais and okra – simply boiled in hugas bigas and garlic. It’s vegetables with fish or a bit of meat. Now, I cook it without any meat.

Vegetable Salad with Asian Dressing


What inspired you to go “raw”?

Since high school, I have been trying to be  vegan to loose weight but didn’t know how to do it the right way. All I ate were Iceberg lettuce (w/c practically has no nutrients and often has lots of pesticides), tomato and cucumber with the other cooked veggies and fish. Then when I got married, the doctor told me that I have endometriosis. It is a case of hormonal imbalance that really cause terrible cramps during my period. The doctor said there’s no cure for it unless I get pregnant. I tried everything: different pain reliever, medication, laparoscopy, diet, exercise, acupuncture, etc.. Most of these gave me temporary relief only, until 6 years ago, I did a lot of research and found out that I’m gluten sensitive, yeast/lactose intolerant and I needed to go vegan. I did it and it lessened the pain and improved my total health. Good thing I really love cooking and experimenting. I got hold of a lot of cookbooks and magazines, and watched the Lifestyle Channel. But I found my food bland and boring. Then I discovered raw food!




Yummy Tiramisu

One day, I was watching the personal chef of Demi Moore who prepared her food the raw food way. Wow! Imagine, if she wants pizza, burritos, pasta, this guy prepares it the raw way! That’s the time I got into raw food and got hooked.

Tell us more about your Raw Food Class

After years of research, learning and experimentation, it came to a point that I felt the desire to needed to share what I have learned. Most recipes are easy to prepare, economical and delicious. It is a 4-hour workshop that includes 5 cuisines starting from Breakfast Smoothie, appetizer, salad, main dish and guilt free dessert. Participants may eat everything we made plus we explain how the body works and how it can heal itself given the right conditions. Handouts are also provided and continued emails for more recipes and information.

Aileen in Action

The one we attended was the introduction to raw food. The schedule of the next sessions are as follows:

Introduction to Raw SuperFood (January 8th) – DONE

Fermentation (January 29th)

Sprouting (February 12th)

FREE class on Shortcuts/ Techniques + Potluck Session – Schedule To Be Announced

Pinoy Raw Chef

For more information, you can check out her blog or call Aileen at +63919 2127190.

Can you share with us your all-time favorite raw food recipe?