Eat Raw and Live

Supermodel Carol Alt will share her experience about a new way to stay fit and happy while never worrying about weight again at Robert Wood Johnson Hamilton Center for Health and Wellness in Mercerville Jan. 27.

By: Mary Jasch

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Supermodel Carol Alt’s new book professes the benefits of a raw diet.


   On the cover of her new book, Eating in the Raw, slim and sexy supermodel Carol Alt is knocking down a parfait. But not to worry — it is made of raw granola, fresh fruit and, yes, whipped cream.
   Ms. Alt, 43, is the quintessential model, living the dream of every person who watches her weight.
   Since the start of her career 24 years ago, Carol Alt has graced hundreds of American and European magazine covers — Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar — posters, film screens and exercise videos. But during a career that hinged on being beautiful, she was often physically miserable. Always hungry — "starving," as she put it recently in an interview — and chronically ill, Ms. Alt found the cure eight-and-a-half years ago when she began eating raw foods. She became healthy, invigorated and always feels full.
   "When I was modeling I couldn’t eat. Now, I stuff my face to lose weight," she says, "as long as it’s raw. I’ve never had any more stomach or headaches or sinus problems."
   Ms. Alt, superstar of Sports Illustrated’s "Swimsuit" issue, will share her experience about this new way to stay fit and happy while never worrying about weight again at "An Evening of Healthy Eating Featuring Carol Alt and the Chefs of Whole Foods" at Robert Wood Johnson Hamilton Center for Health and Wellness in Mercerville Jan. 27.
   Lecture-goers can walk away with a great resource, her new book, Eating in the Raw: A Beginner’s Guide to Getting Slimmer, Feeling Healthier, and Looking Younger the Raw-Food Way. Also, the chefs from Whole Foods in West Windsor will give a raw foods demonstration, and all will answer the audience’s questions.
   When Ms. Alt began modeling at 19, her father started to teach her to save money because he believed her career would be over at 25, the age of retirement for many models. But at age 34 her career was in full swing when she finally found the raw food diet. "I’m very aware that my business depends on my looks. Raw food has given me longevity," she says.
   Once she began eating in the raw, Ms. Alt never looked back. She’s had no cravings for fries or frittatas or even pumpkin pie. Grilled sirloin? She prefers it raw, just as she likes pasta, cakes and brownies. "I cheat with popcorn," she says. Not because it’s fattening, but because it’s raw — well, almost. Ms. Alt does not believe in total denial, the stuff of yo-yo dieting nightmares.
   She is not a vegetarian, but eats meat in the form of tartare (chopped steak) and carpaccio (paper thin slices), and fish as sushi and seviche (marinated in citrus juice). In fact, Ms. Alt said that for those worried about parasites, a citric marinade is the way to eat raw fish. The acid prevents the growth of micro-organisms.
   "Be careful of your food source," she advises.
   She buys organic produce and grass-fed beef. "Grass-fed cows would not be eating other cows," she says. "We’ve always looked for ways to preserve food to keep it longer, but we don’t have to cook food. We’ve never had such abundance."
   Although supermarkets carry fresh produce, raw meat and fish, many products must be bought at specialty shops or health food stores. Her Web site, www.carolalt.com, is a resource for many foods, and there is a plethora of raw recipes on the Web. Try bagels with cream cheese. All you have to do is grind almonds into flour and make cream cheese from flaked fresh coconut — and use the squeezed-out nutritious coconut water too.
   What? No time to "cook?" There are made-to-order raw cookies and raw cakes, mostly made with soaked and pureed fruits and nuts, then molded and frozen — and lots of other raw food. "The thing with eating raw is you can substitute things in every day situations," she says. Instead of roasted nuts, have raw nuts.
   The trend is bigger than one might imagine — like an underground fresh food express pushing its way to the collective conscience. Even raw food restaurants are popping up. "If people are smart, they’ll educate themselves and learn what this is and understand how the body works," Ms. Alt says. Her book can do just that. "Three doctors read my book to make sure I didn’t make any mistakes."
   Ms. Alt says you’ll never be hungry eating nutrient-dense raw food, and that cravings come when the body is not fed and it demands energy. "We are eating machines. When your body is malnourished, you age faster and get sick all the time. When your body is fully fed, it is nourished and doesn’t crave. Sometimes I forget to eat because I’m so nourished."
   Although she takes enzymes with every meal, the big "E" — exercise — is not in the daily routine. Nor does she step on the scale. "My clothes tell me all I need to know. With raw food I don’t bloat and I don’t change."
   For Ms. Alt, raw food has saved her life. "I was always sick, hungry and guilty. I want to be happy, healthy, full, and live in abundance. For me, eating raw is as close to God as it could be. Because I found that miracle from God, I feel the need to share it."
An Evening of Healthy Eating Featuring Carol Alt and the Chefs of Whole Foods takes place at the Robert Wood Johnson Hamilton Center for Health & Wellness, 3100 Quakerbridge Road, Mercerville, Jan. 27, 7 p.m. Admission costs $10. For information and registration, call (800) 483-7436. On the Web: www.friendshealthconnection.org