January 27, 2012
(last updated April 29, 2014) 
Happy Friday! Nice responses to yesterday’s Vitamin-rich juice. I am so glad you all enjoyed the recipe. Today, I’m switching gears to offer you a Friday giveaway for two copies of the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Raw Food “Detox” (quotations mine).
I was offered copies of this book by Adam Graham, a wildly talented raw foods chef. I immediately said yes, please—a copy for me and one for one of my readers. Adam generously obliged, and made me the recipient of two copies of the book.
I was a little trepidatious when I first heard this book’s title: though I was once as influenced by the concept of “detox” as are most newbie raw foodists (including the years in which I started this blog), I gradually came to believe that the expression is overused and often misunderstood. People talk about “detox” without specifying the precise biological pathways by which they think it’s happening. Rather than defining the process biologically, they treat it as a mystical, unknowable, mysterious phenomenon that is specifically tied to raw food. For this reason—and because I have yet to fully explore and gather evidence for the idea of “detox” as it relates to what we eat—I’m incredibly wary of the word, and try not to use it sloppily.
When I received The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Raw Food Detox, I was immediately impressed with the awesome recipes. These include many useful recipes for blended smoothies and juices, which are a mainstay of mine during busy student days. The desserts and snacks are likewise delicious and often very ingenious. So I recommend the book heartily for its food! Note, however (it’s clear in the photo below) that bee pollen and honey appear in the book. So, if you’re vegan, you’ll want to modify with agave or maple syrup in those places.
I will confess that I was less impressed by some of the health writing, which emphasizes “cleansing,” “detox,” and acid/alkaline balance without enough scientific support for my liking. It’s a great compendium of many of the theories about health that abound in the raw community, but they simply aren’t theories that speak to me any longer (of course, a lot of the information does speak to me—for instance, the parts about nutrient density, freshness, non-GMO foods, organic produce, and so on). Ultimately, I’d recommend the guide first as a resource for great raw recipes, and second as a good primer in raw foods theory. But since I’ve read up on the theory a lot already, I am going to offer both copies to two lucky Choosing Raw readers, and encourage them to draw their own conclusions about the health info therein.
To enter this giveaway to win one copy of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Raw Food Detox, you can do any of the below. Each action counts as a separate entry, so please leave a comment for each action you complete!
- Leave a comment, telling me what you hope to get out of this reading experience.
- Tweet about this giveaway, being sure to include a link to the giveaway post.
- Follow me on Twitter.
- Like Choosing Raw on Facebook.
- Like The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Raw Food Detox on Facebook.
- Mention this giveaway in a blog post.
You have until next Friday to enter the giveaway. Good luck!!!
What are you all up to this weekend? Good things, I hope.
xo
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I follow you on twitter!
I have never tried a primarily raw diet, so this book would be extremely informative. Thanks so much for the chance to win!
Can’t “like” on FB since I don’t like all these social media techies! Hope I can still win 🙂
Can’t “tweet” so hope I can still win!
Would love to be inspired to create raw food lifestyle being a new raw foodie!
I’d love to try the detox myself! Trying to clean out my system healthily!
I would love new recipes! This is the time of year when I start to get a bit lazy with cooking and I always turn to foods full of carbs and unhealthy fats.
I liked you on Facebook.
I would love to have our two teenagers read it and give me their opinions, based on their current knowledge of the raw living foods lifestyle.
Peace and Raw Health,
Elizabeth
I hope to learn some new smoothie recipes
follow you on fb and twitter. Would love a new recipe book to give me some creative ideas for my family!
Tweeted about the giveaway!
Following you on Twitter!
I liked Choosing Raw on Facebook!
This looks like a great resource for recipes, as you mentioned! I’d love to get my hands on a copy. 🙂
I liked it on Facebook. Greetings from Norway
I would like this book to get new information and recipes.
I would LoVe to detox and have a whole new book as a guide, tho I LOVE CR, one can never have enough information to help on our healing journey! Xo
I have liked the Idiot Guide to Raw Detox Diet on FB!
I have liked CR on FB!
Wow! Nice giveaway! Seems perfect for this time of year as I tend to hibernate more and need something liek this. Thanks!
I love your blog and I love raw food! I am currently working on getting my own blog up and running and am trying to learn as much as possible about nutrition and the raw food lifestyle. This book would be awesome! =D
I liked The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Raw Food Detox!
I liked Choosing Raw!
I also liked Choosing Raw on Facebook.
First of all, thank you for a great blog! 🙂
Secondly, I’d like to win the book because I’m a bit on the unimaginative side when it comes to raw food. So the recipes will go to good use.
I’d love to read this book to get some more non-sweet raw snack ideas. I love all my raw truffle recipes, but funnily enough there are times when I crave savoury 😛
looking forward to some awesome raw recipes.
I “like” The Complete Idiots Guide to Raw Food Detox on FB
I “like” Choosing Raw on FB
I follow Choosing Raw on Twitter
I would like the book for the recipes!
I want to learn some raw salad dressing recipes!
I liked your page on Facebook!
I followed you on twitter!
I already like you on FB!
I would so use this book to help transition me to more raw (or fully raw) foods. I would also show it to friends so they understand how great raw food is!
I’m vegan for a good part of the year (I’m Russian Orthodox Christian and we fast from meat, dairy, and eggs during Lent, Advent, and before other holidays), and I’d love to dip my toes into raw foodism! I don’t really know where to begin, so this would be a great resource for me. 🙂
I would love to learn more about raw food, and I think an idiot’s guide might be right at my speed now.
Following The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Raw Food “Detox” on twitter, too
@j_mosh
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/j_mosh/status/163112883834724353
Following you on facebook, too.
Following you on Twitter!
@j_mosh
I’m trying to reestablish my diet habits and I work on the road, so have raw food ready to eat in my car would be healthy and helpful! I’m hoping I could find some good snacks in this book.
I am looking to learn how eating raw can help improve my energy and digestion! Thank you 🙂
I liked Raw Food Detox on facebook.
I liked you on Facebook.
I already follow you on twitter 🙂
I tweeted the giveaway. Twitter name: jenicooksagain
I hope to find easy to use recipes and learn more about raw foods.
Hi Gena, I love your offer and like that you are making it a game for us to play. I am currently working on a book called the Conscious Cleanse. I am looking to partner with one or some natural food chefs. Interested? So I am interested in the book for research and because I love raw food and love trying new simple recipes. I can only hope that if it’s for “idiots” that it’s simple. :o) Thanks! Julie
I hope to get new recipes!
I liked The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Raw Food Detox by Adam A. Graham on FB!
I already like you on FB 😉
I now follow you on Twitter 🙂
I tweeted about the giveaway and included the giveaway link.
I love collecting healthy, raw recipes and I hope to gain some new insight and new delicious food ideas.
I’m very curious about this book and as a beginning raw food person, any help would be very much appreciated… I’ve read a few other ‘idiot’s guides’ and most are very good. I’m going to plan on being lucky!
thanks for your wonderful recipes and ideas…
I liked the book on FB.
I liked you on FB.
I would love to win the book for the recipes! “Detox” is just a new, hip way of saying “diet,” but the recipes sound delicious!
And I’m following you on FB, too.
TGIF! This sounds like an excellent book, and I’ve been keen on incorporating more raw foods into my diet. Very excited that the weekend is here…although, besides teaching yoga and a friend’s birthday, it will mostly be catching up on work and errands. Sigh.
This sounds great! Though I’m not completely raw I try to make raw foods a big part of every day. This sounds like a great way to do that without having the “prep” consume my life, as with some fancier books and recipes.
I’m slowly working my way towards a future in health coaching/dietetics/nutrition, and will read just about anything I get my hands on. Living foods are such powerful healing tools for an array of ailments. I love to hear people’s different approaches and ideas. Knowing what’s out there helps me to grow and have a stronger stance on my opinions.
Sounds like an educational book to own. Thanks.
Just clicked “like” on “Choosing Raw” FB page!
I follow you on Twitter!
I tweeted with a link to this page:)
I would love this book as I need some motivation to get going on my own cleanse – digestive issues, ugh.
I feel this book will help me improve my transformation to high raw vegan. I believe in researching and collecting data to make an informed decision. Because I love the CR blog and I agree with you, I would like the opportunity to review this book to make changes in my life, not only for my health, but to share my journey with others. I want to be able to begin a discourse with my friends and family how high raw vegan can contribute to their lives in a positive manner using solid information. It is also important to me to live by example to bring others to ask questions about my lifestyle. It’s all about positive discourse!
I gradually came to believe that the expression is overused and often misunderstood. People talk about “detox” without specifying the precise biological pathways by which they think it’s happening. Rather than defining the process biologically, they treat it as a mystical, unknowable, mysterious phenomenon that is specifically tied to raw food. – I love this because it is so so true. Our bodies are basically one big “detox” machine, if you want to look at it that way. If you have functioning organs, you have “detox,” so to speak. I can’t tell you enough times how refreshing your perspective is.
Ali,
Great Post! Enjoy your weekend!!!!
Star
i am hoping for some new recipes to help inspire me to stay health for the rest of winter. 🙂
I would love to win this and learn more about incorporating more raw meals into my diet.
I follow you on Facebook.
I follow you on Twitter.
I would like this book for the recipes!
I follow you on Facebook and Twitter 🙂
I always love to get new raw recipes!
I believe that raw food is our cure to a better life and I think reading experiemce will a good start for to flush out my sistem all the toxines acumulated till now.
Thank you for your perspective on detox & alkalinity. The word “detox” makes me shudder. I prefer the idea of cleansing – as in cleaning up your diet, being mindful of the foods you eat (Lord knows I won’t become wealthy by proselytizing such crazy notions! Skip the expensive detox regimens and learn to shop, cook and eat in a more intelligent way).
There isn’t enough scientific data to support much of what is shared on these topics. And to be frank, it’s really confusing to try to eat to balance your alkaline levels. If you’re a mostly healthy person, you can whip your diet into shape by simply eating more fresh, whole foods. I welcome this as a cookbook and primer, and look forward to the research you have to contribute to the field. xo!
From this reading experience, I hope to learn more about the raw food diet and learn some raw recipes!
I like Choosing Raw on facebook.
I ‘like’ you on Facebook! Also, I’d love this book to learn more raw food recipes. I’m about to train to be a raw food chef! Plus I’d love it for easy, quick things to make for myself.
I tweeted your giveaway
pumuckler {at} gmail {dot} com
following you on twitter @left_the_stars
pumuckler {at} gmail {dot} com
I like The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Raw Food Detox by Adam A. Graham on facebook (Louis H Uffmire)
pumuckler {at} gmail {dot} com
I like your blog on facebook (Louis H Uffmire)
pumuckler {at} gmail {dot} com
I hope to win, because the book contains some awesome recipes – and is also written in a way everybody can understand it
Thank you for hosting this giveaway
Louis
pumuckler {at} gmail {dot} com
I have liked CR on FB
I follow CR on twitter (via RSS)
I would love to win this to be inspired to increase the quantity of raw foods in my diet and hope the recipes and concepts in the book would facilitate that.
I have done detoxes before but always with supplements. Our bodies need a break sometimes and so I’m looking forward to some juicing recipes that would be great to give my body a rest from trying to digest my normal diet.
we follow you on twitter and facebook 🙂
reading this book we would hope to learn something new about raw foods. how it relates to our bodies. and learn some new tasty recipes.
Hi i would loveeee this book because i just recently moved out on my own and work two jobs. Time to think for myself about food just isn’t possible so the recipes and information will definitely help me to be able to create batches of things to have in the house all the time.
I am not familiar with raw food diets, would love to learn more!
I’d love to read a book with simple raw recipes!
I’m relatively new to raw foods. I probably never ate raw foods, pretty much at all, until last year. In June of 2011 I did the “Crazy, Sexy, Diet” cleanse. It really woke me up to the power of green juice and fresh leafy veggies! Now I can’t imagine a day without at least two meals involving green leafies! From the book I hope to get a lot of awesome new raw recipes. Though your website is already great for that! Love your recipes!!
I tweeted about the giveaway!