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Raw foodists ideally try to eat actual living foods as the bulk of their diet. "Eat life = receive life," that's how I think of it.

So what's the easiest way to tell if a food you intend to eat is still alive? Go for the rot! That is, if your food continues its life process by fermenting and eventually composting, it still has life in it. If it sits in a can, box or bag in the middle aisles of your grocery store without changing much, it's a dead food. Simple as that!

Shelf Life Means No Life
Foods with a shelf life are not alive at all. Yes, I'm sorry raw-fooders, that does indeed mean that dried maca powder, seaweed extracts and many dehydrated foods may be raw (unheated), but aren't alive. If you place an avocado pit in the soil when you are finished eating it, in the right climate, it will continue its life process by sprouting a tree. If you toss a celery stick on the soil, it will decompose and become living soil. But if you sprinkle freeze-dried açai powder on the ground, you might be adding nutrients to the soil, but you won't sprout a tree or compost living soil.

Whether you are a raw vegan or a standard American, the ideal diet contains at least 70% living foods. Worry about the other 30% later.

The great news about living food is that you can't stop it from continuing its life process. All you have to do is basically get out of the way, and it will. Want to sprout seeds, activate nuts and germinate legumes? Just give the seed life materials (water, air and sunlight) and watch it grow. Wanna ferment kombucha? It, too, is as easy as not interfering with the natural life process and getting out of the way.

About Kombucha
Kombucha is known as the Tea of Immortality in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Its recorded history began in Russia in the early 19th century. The name, kombucha, is a Japanese word that literally translates as "kelp tea" (kombu cha).

Many cultures have utilized this fermented drink over the centuries for its reputed immune boosting, detoxifying, probiotic and adaptogenic qualities. Now, Western soda addicts are switching to kombucha to get off colas. With its sparkling wine-like natural carbonation, it is easy to see why kombucha is an exceptional replacement. Not only is kombucha delicious, but it is filled with the powerful nutrition of a living, fermented food.

I was gifted a kombucha mother or culture, also called a SCOBY (an acronym for Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast), five years ago. I had been purchasing ready-made kombucha from the health-food store for quite some time before that and had become disenchanted with the expense as well as the needless accumulation of store-bought glass bottles. Not only that, but commercial kombucha is fermented almost exclusively on cane sugar, often using high heat in the dissolving process.

I wanted to make a really raw kombucha. I wanted to stop recycling oodles of glass bottles. I wanted to save some dough. So I started making my own. Here's my ubereconomical, super-green and rawalicious kombucha recipe developed through years of toil and research (aka learning to get out of nature's way).

Additional resources:
How to Make Raw Kombucha: My Recipe

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