Healthy Hollywood: Fab Food Friday — Salma Hayek Sprouts A Raw Food Cleanse!

This week on our new show Access Hollywood Live, Billy Bush & Kit Hoover featured celebrities’ latest health fad – cleansing – a fave of Gwyneth Paltrow and Demi Moore. Typically, these detoxes are a 3 to 5 day diet of nutrition-packed vegetable and fruit juices. Wellness junkies claim a good cleanse rids the body of toxins, leaves skin radiant, and even revs up your sex drive.

But, if juicing 24-7 is not your thing, Salma Hayek has a solution! The 44-year-old actress and her juicing guru, Eric Helms, created a raw food cleanse as an option to their Cooler Cleanse juice detox. “Typically, a raw food diet is similar in effect, but lower in intensity than a juice,” Eric adds.

In just 2 or 3 days most folks on a raw food diet see results, such as increased energy, better digestion, improved skin appearance and weight loss, claims Eric. “Raw foods are unprocessed and uncooked plant foods. Several days of eating “living food” meals will let your body rest and regenerate. The irritants from your everyday diet are eliminated; the energy used for digestion and fighting these irritants is recouped; and the body’s detox mechanisms are boosted with a flood of enzymes, vitamins and minerals.

Sounds pretty intense? But don’t think raw food equals a steady menu of seeds and carrot sticks. I tried a day of Cooler Cleanses’ Raw Foods and the meals were not only awesome, but also filling. My menu included 2 juices, plus an Asian chopped salad, an avocado & lime soup, collard-green wrapped enchiladas, and creamy coconut dessert. As for results, well, I can’t say I noticed any changes, but I did only do it for 24 hours. Yet I can report I’m still craving the enchiladas. Eric generously shared this recipe with Healthy Hollywood. Seems complicated to make, but the results are worth it!

Raw Enchiladas:

Ingredients:
11/2 large collard green leaves, stems removed
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
pinch of sea salt

Remove the stem from center of the collard greens and lay flat in a shallow pan. Drizzle lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt over collards, rubbing gently to coat. Marinate 10 minutes. Remove from marinade and pat dry. Set aside until ready to assemble wraps.

Veggie Filling
1/2 cup red cabbage
1/4 cup wasabi microgreens
1/4 cup julienned carrots
1/8 cup julienned savory cabbage
1/8 cup julienned red bell pepper
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and julienned
1 tsp olive oil and zest of 1/2 lime
pinch of sea salt and black pepper
3 nori strips

In medium bowl, combine savory cabbage, carrots, red bell pepper, scallions, jalapeno, olive oil, lime juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper. Place 1/2 cup of the red cabbage in serving container. Use 1/4 cup of wasabi microgreens for assembly.

Then make a spicy walnut “meat’ (soaked walnuts, red onion, garlic, chili powder, sea salt, black pepper, lemon juice, filtered water). Place in a food processor and pulse until walnut mixture resembles ground meat. Measure seasonings to taste.

Assembly:
Lay out collard greens shiny side down. Place 2 tbsp of spicy walnut “meat” near the bottom of the leaf. Place 2 tbsp of the veggies on top of the walnut “meat” followed by ¼ cup of the wasabi microgreens. Roll the bottom of the collard green over the filling until it touches the other side. Roll tightly until even. Roll nori strip around the wrap to hold together. Serve pico de gallo on the side.

If a raw food cleanse (or any cleanse) is too extreme. Eric recommends just adding raw foods to your daily diet. “An easy way to start is by adding a green juice or smoothie to your daily diet. Eat whole grains rather than pasta.” Eric also adds, “A good rule of thumb is to avoid food that comes from a machine (frozen, boxed, or canned) and anything that is enhanced with preservatives.”

For more info on the Cooler Cleanse raw food diet, check out www.coolercleanse.com.