Raw Food: Soul Food

Pi Villaraza and Daniw Arazola serve food that is nothing less than what can be considered as “Soul Food.” But if you’re expecting the Southerner’s definition of fried chicken, buttered collard greens and sweetbread, you won’t find it here. In their humble abode, called Bahay Kalipay – a haven for raw foodists, healers, yogists and artists, Daniw and Pi show how the journey towards wellness and enlightenment lies in the raw.

We fill up our body with toxins and waste and we wonder why we’re always sick,” says the scruffy yet lean 34-year-old raw food advocate and inner dance healer Pi Villaraza. Despite his disheveled hair and scrawny physique, Pi is at the peak of health and is a picture of serenity. All eyes are on him as he relays his history and the healing power of a raw food diet. 

Beginning of Green
A few years ago, Pi was a successful yet discontented corporate executive who on a sudden whim left his high-paying job, family and friends to become a hermit on a secluded island in Mindanao. For two years, Pi lived on nothing but coconuts. It was during this time of prayer and detox, he reveals, that he found his health, enlightenment and peace. 

Today, Pi and his beautiful wife Daniw host yoga and raw food detox retreats at Bahay Kalipay, meaning “House of Happiness,” in Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan. Pi’s sister Asha Peri also hosts raw food workshops but her specialty lies in creating simply sumptuous raw food desserts. These three ministers of health — who prefer to use their adopted spirit names — often travel to Manila and neighboring countries to share their expertise on raw food. I was fortunate enough to have attended one of these two-day raw food workshops while they were in Manila. 

Life force

“Raw food is filled with energy and a life force called enzymes, which aid in the body’s digestion, metabolism and cleansing,” he explains as he points to the pile of fruits and vegetables behind him. “These enzymes and the life force are destroyed when we cook food above 115 degrees Fahrenheit or 37 degrees Celsius. Raw and fresh greens on the other hand vibrate with life. They so happen to vibrate at the exact frequency of our bodies so when we consume fresh ‘live’ foods, there is a harmonious balance within our body. Junk food and cooked meals, on the other hand, creates discord. This discord is seen and felt in the form of illness and disease.”

Parade of Food
The fare is undoubtedly a feast for the eyes but it is more so a fulfilling meal. The parade of appetizers laid out on the long table included fresh cucumber slivers, carrots and cabbage with black sesame seeds rolled in delicate nori paper; crisp lettuce wraps topped with raisins, arugula and the light tangy teriyaki dressing; and cold miso soup with marinated mushrooms and cucumber cubes. The wonderful hue of fresh vegetables, nuts and ripe fruits teased our appetites and provided a pleasant crunch to our palates. Though the meals may sound simple, the raw foodist’s diet isn’t merely a permutation of salad greens and nuts. The same creative passion that world-renowned chefs put into their dishes is also present in making this light and fulfilling meal. The thoughtful and loving essence of every dish is felt in every bite. 

I was particularly delighted with the non-cook lasagna made from thin cucumber slices and eggplant and alternating layers of a creamy cashew, sweet marinara and pesto sauce. If you’re looking for a meal with more bite, try the burger patties made from “meaty” banana blossoms and Japanese turnip “rice.” End the meal on a sweet note with one of Asha’s sumptuous desserts. Swim in the sugary albeit healthy sweetness of banana pancakes made from sweet saba, cinnamon, and carob powder; non-bake cranberry cheesecake and dark chocolate brittle. 

Notice how despite feeling full after eating a raw food platter, you still feel energized. Pi points out that one shouldn’t gauge how good a meal is by how heady you feel after consuming it. The sudden drop of energy and pang of sleepiness, often referred to as the “food coma,” occurs because the body is tasked to break down the excessive amount of processed food, refined sugars and foods high in fat into smaller and more usable components. All the body’s energy is focused on digesting the food. Eating raw food avoids the “food coma” as fruits and vegetables — which have their own army of enzymes — are digested sufficiently, without any additional aid. 

The true power of eating green is epitomized in the high-energy green smoothie. Chuck a few greens and your favorite fruits (60 percent fruit, 40 percent greens) into the blender and voila — light energy in a cup! Since one glass of this green gold is nutrient dense — it has so much nutrition per bite of calorie, you will notice that not only do you feel more energized but the cravings for salty, sweet, sour and oily junk food will steadily disappear. The rationale behind this is that as the body gets what it needs, it no longer wants or craves for junk food. 

If food can harm, then food also has the ability to heal, Pi cites. Raw food reinstates the balance and harmony of the body, spirit and mind. There have been numerous studies where people have been healed of illness and other emotional disorders just after a few weeks of healthful eating — from miraculous recoveries such as shrinking tumors to improved general health such as weight loss, better skin appearance and increased energy.
With appetites satiated and our palates wonderfully surprised by the bright fare, we leave the workshop light and energized with Hippocrates’ words echoing in our head — “Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.”

For more information, visit www.bahaykalipay.com
or email inquire@bahaykalipay.com.

 Photos from Raw Food/ Daniw Arrazola