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Todd Ewen: Vegetarian Produces a Healthy Lifestyle

Posted on: Saturday, 19 February 2005, 21:00 CST

Remember Euell Gibbons? The 1970s spokesperson for Grape Nuts cereal and naturalist who foraged for wild hickory nuts for his supper?

Todd Ewen isnt subsisting on wild foods yet, but hes getting closer all the time.

Ewen, organic produce buyer for The Heritage Health Food Store, has been a vegetarian for 22 years, a vegan for 15 years and has eaten 100 percent raw foods for the past four years.

Thats right: nothing fried, boiled, sauteed, microwaved, baked or steamed.

Ewen eats mainly fruits and vegetables in their natural state and occasionally mixes a salad, blending a dressing of herbs, fruits, nuts and seeds.

However, he can get fancier. He makes a raw pizza with a dehydrated nut or seed crust, a blended tomato sauce, vegetables and cheeses of macadamia or pine nuts.

I have a pizza recipe that is pretty complex; a lot of people tried it and said it was the best pizza they ever had, he said.

He catered an all-raw wedding meal for 100 people. It included a cold cucumber bisque soup, savory flax crackers and an elaborate watermelon boat.

Ewen became a vegetarian at 19 for ethical reasons concerning animals. He says he would never go back.

It has been great, health-wise. Theres a stronger spiritual connection, too, if your body is cleaner.

Ewen has been in the produce business for 23 years. He explained how organic vegetables and fruits are grown differently.

Our suppliers are not using any kind of man-made chemicals to fertilize or pesticides or herbicides, he said. The soil normally has more nutrients and is irrigated with clean water.

Its more of a caring partnership with the Earth rather than most farming, he said. The more we support healthy alternatives, the more they will become available, eventually, at a cheaper price.

Full name: Todd Kenneth Ewen

Hometown: Freeport, N.Y.

What neighborhood do you live in? Linkhorn Park

Age: 41

Nickname: Rawboy

Marital status: Single

Children: None

What is your idea of a perfect day off? Sleep in, meditation, yoga, a day of exercise, play in the sun at the beach, deep spiritual discussion and picnic of fresh tropical fruits as the sun goes down, all done with a very special lady

If you could invite three famous people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be? Jesus Christ, Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr.

Favorite movies: Ghandi, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Titanic, Contact

Hobbies: Reading, listening to music, rollerblading, biking, beach volleyball, weight lifting, meditation

If I won $1 million, I would: Search for a tropical island I loved and create a health retreat and organic farm where people could come and learn to live in harmony with nature.

Guilty pleasure: Adventure. I love anything fast or exciting

Favorite restaurant: Caravan of Dreams in New York

Favorite night on the town: Going to a great reggae concert and feeling the loving vibes all around me

Favorite television shows: Nature and educational shows, CSI, South Park and Monster House

What song describes your life? One Love/People Get Ready by Bob Marley and Curtis Mayfield

Favorite sport or sports team and why: The New York Mets. I grew up watching them with my family.

Dream vacation: Visiting tropical islands all around the world

Pets: My cockatiel, Rinkydink. She chose me at the pet store versus the other way around.

Worst job: I dont regret any experiences, but if I had to choose one, it would be working as a busboy in a seafood restaurant.

Of what achievements are you most proud? Being a good friend and an example of healthful living, not being afraid to follow my own path outside of the main stream, providing a great selection of wonderful organic produce to the Hampton Roads community, organizing many vegetarian and raw foods events in the area.

Source: Virginian - Pilot

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