Jon Dale ate a typical Western diet mainly comprised of meat, dairy and grains for a long time before being turned onto Juicing and Raw Food by a friend while traveling through Indonesia. The first thing he did when he got home was an 8 day juice fast, and he hasn’t looked back.

He immediately started eating about 2/3 raw, with dinner being the lone cooked meal daily. After slowly making his way up to 80% raw, he then tried out 100% for 3 months. He loved it, and only re-introduced cooked food into his diet because some nights he had so much energy he couldn’t fall asleep when he wanted to! Now he hovers around between 85% and 95%.

Feeling healthier than he had in a decade, he knew that a high raw diet was right for him. He studied entrepreneurship in university, and after his travels he was looking for business opportunities when he happened upon an advertisement for a dormant raw food website based in Bali, www.RawFoodBali.com, on a online business forum. He viewed this as serendipity incarnate, was on a plane a week later to meet the former owner, and sealed the deal after a month. 

His site is a portal to everything raw and organic on the magical island that draws millions of visitors annually, many for health, healing and spiritual reasons. He teaches raw food courses and workshops in Ubud, the cultural capital of Bali.

1. What got you interested in raw foods and eventually leading you to where you are now?

My friend that introduced me to juicing and raw food was someone I strongly identified with. He had a similar lifestyle to me, except that he ate healthy and I didn’t. He had so much more energy than I did. It showed me that eating healthy can be cool, and can support your true purpose in life, regardless of what that may be. When I happened upon the advertisement for Raw Food Bali I was researching opening a hostel in Kuta. That would’ve been the worst idea ever! It was a sign to me that I was destined to spread the power of healthy living through a high raw food diet. 


2. Whats the biggest misconception people have about raw foods?



That it doesn’t have enough protein, bro! A vegan diet can easily provide humans with more than enough amino acids to support any athletic endeavours they pursue, let alone the sedentary lifestyle of the average person. 

3. What is your favourite raw dish to wow any newbies or skeptics with?



Chocolate. It’s so easy, delicious and fun to make, plus it instantaneously takes a food that many people feel guilty about eating and turns it into a superfood once they learn about its powerful nutritional properties. 

4. What secret ingredient or special vegetable or fruit are you loving right now?



Galangal. I’m experimenting more with making raw versions of Indonesian food so I can make it more appealing to the locals, and they use galangal in a lot of sauces and pastes. It has a really unique, fantastic taste and possesses some of the same incredible health benefits of its rockstar family members ginger and turmeric. 

5. How do you see the future of raw foods shaping up?



It’s blowing up like you thought it would. The word uncooking has officially been retired because it’s whack and the new word for making raw food is Freeshing, which is 1000 times cooler and is going to help us spread this awesome cuisine throughout the planet.  

6. What do you think are the biggest issues facing us right now on this planet?



A preference for fashion over function. People seem to me to be more concerned with the appearance of things than the functionality of them. The attitude that it doesn’t matter if something works as long as it looks good on the surface is spreading through the world like a virus, and it’s leaving people, places and organizations without a solid foundation on which to build positive things. That’s how you end up with Honey Boo Boo being a revered celebrity. 

7. Any favourite eating spots you have in Ubud you want to share with us?



My kitchen  I rarely eat out anymore, though when I do my favorite spots are Soma, Alchemy and Down to Earth. Also, for some of the best cooked Indonesian food I’ve ever had check out Coffee Studio Seniman. They’re well known for their coffee but people are sleeping on their food. 

8. What exciting things are happening in Ubud for raw food and raw foodies alike?



Our little town has become a magnet for raw food superstars. Elaina Love, whose raw chef certification course I took, just moved here, a couple new raw food restaurants are set to open in the next year, and my boys Alex and Jon from Sacred Scoops are starting to put their world class Raw Ice cream in restaurants. 

9. What do you love the most and maybe not love so much about being Ubud, Bali, (ie. are you missing some creature comforts of home?)



The Best thing about Ubud is easily the fresh, local, organic produce. I can drive 10 minutes and then literally pick my veggies off the plant by hand whenever I want to. Having my power cut out in the middle of a class is not fun. Also, when American Football season rolls around I miss my big HDTV. They don’t show the NFL on TV here often enough for it to be worth getting a new one. 

10. Any advice for people who are travelling and want to stay raw? (How to stay raw in transit is a biggie for travellers!)



 Buy a mini-blender. There’s fresh produce almost everywhere, there’s just not that many people freeshing it. Being able to make my own smoothies whenever I’m feeling unsatisfied with cooked food is my saving grace. And I also make my own makeshift coconut milk simply by blending fresh young coconut meat with the water, which I use to make a raw cereal with fresh fruit, nuts and seeds, which can be found in most places. Also, ask people to use their kitchen. Especially in South East Asia, where I’ve done the majority of my traveling, the local budget guesthouses and homestays are often run by friendly families that are more than happy to share their facilities.

Transit is a whole ‘nother beast. After my recent trip back home to see family and friends I realized just how little real food there actually is in airports. There’s usually one place that sells fruit though. I usually prepare a big bag of trail mix as well. My friend also said that in Asia you can often find freeze dried durian in airports, though I have yet to find it.

 

You can check out Jon here: //rawfoodbali.com/