Organic, vegan, raw – is it time to rethink your diet?

Green seems to be the colour du jour, whether you’re making an effort to recycle more, riding your bike instead of driving to the shops or incorporating more natural, fresh and wholesome foods into your diet. There are many benefits to eating a raw food and plant-based diet, and though Brussels lags behind some of its European neighbours when it comes to non-meat lifestyles, the times are starting to change.

Gone are the days when the terms ‘raw’ or ‘vegan’ conjured up images of dreadlocks, sandals and a heavy-handed approach in converting omnivores to the plant-based way of life; instead we are shifting away from junk food indulgences and starting to take better care of ourselves. And this can only be a good thing. Ingesting more plant-based food and less animal products has been proven to help reduce heart disease and cholesterol and help with digestive issues such as IBS, as well as having a positive impact on general health, wellbeing and the environment.

For vegans or vegetarians who have moved here from the UK, US or Germany, for instance, the streets of Brussels, with their chocolate, mussels, steaks and beef-dripping frites, may not seem particularly welcoming. Indeed, in a more traditional restaurant it can be tricky to request a meat-, dairy- or gluten-free meal. Ghent, however, is a pioneer in alternative diets, with its Thursday Veggie Day initiative set up at the end of 2010 just one example of shifting attitudes. And slowly but surely, things are changing in the capital, as new vegan shops, bio stores and vegetarian cafes open to cater for the minority.

Of course, you don’t have to go the whole hog and convert to veganism or vegetarianism to incorporate more fruit and vegetables into your diet, and there are plenty of places to get your greens in Brussels if you don’t fancy paying premium prices.

Though eating out with a special diet is potentially challenging, the key is to be prepared. If you’re eating with people who follow a standard western diet, it helps to have a few places up your sleeve. Good luck finding a traditional restaurant that will make you something fancier than a bowl of vegetables (but if you do, please let it be known!). Vietnamese and Thai places will usually have several veggie options, but just make sure to ask for them without fish sauce, as it seems to sneak in as a seasoning, even to vegetarian dishes. In Brussels, Da Kao II (19 Rue Van Artevelde) offers big portions, with special mention for the tofu curry. Brussels also has two very good Ethiopian restaurants (Kokob, 10 Rue des Grands Carmes, and Toukoul, 34 Rue de Laeken) with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, as well as meat.

Tan and Yag were certainly, until recently, the two best options for eating meat-free food in Brussels. Their menus aren’t 100% vegan or raw but you can always find something suitable on their menu. And at the time of writing, pop-up restaurant Moonfood was offering 100% organic, vegan and gluten-free food prepared by Leonardo Di Caprio’s dietician, no less.

A great website and app is happycow.net, which filters suitable restaurants around you by using your location; perfect for a surprise meal out. You can also see reviews and filter by the type of cuisine you’re searching for.

If the smell of waffles is getting to you, pick up some 100% raw ice cream from Lily o Hanna. The creamy texture is created from coconut oil and cashew nuts, with no white sugar used at all; instead, nectar from the coconut flower adds its own sweetness. There are no additives or animal products used, so you can indulge without guilt. It’s available at Bio Planet and Sequoia stores around the country; see the website for other stockists.

Finally, if you’re reducing meat or dairy from your diet, it’s important to ensure that you take vitamins if needed. The most common of these is B12, as it can be difficult to get this from plant food alone. But monitor your iron intake and up your leafy greens before heading straight to the tablet form. 

The naturopath’s view

Nathalie Jacobs lives in Beersel, just outside Brussels. She grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has also lived in Costa Rica. In 2014 she studied at the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida, one of the oldest complementary health centres in the world.

I have always been curious about food. A few years ago I became even more aware that food can not only can keep us in good health but can also ‘cure’ us. From that awareness, my journey has been so rewarding. I started to look in more depth at different types of diet. The more answers I got to my questions, the more questions I had. It’s a never-ending quest, but what an adventure.

At the beginning of 2014, I became a Hippocrates health educator and since then my desire to explore the world of raw food has been growing. I am open to answering any questions, to give any advice when asked, though I never try to convince anyone about my own dietary choices. When a non-vegan tries a plant-based dish and enjoys it, it makes me happy. When someone realises that raw cuisine is not just a salad, it makes me happy. What they do after that is their own path, but it’s a joy to have silently opened a door.

A raw food diet will be 80 to 100% fruit, vegetables, sprouts, seaweeds, nuts, grains and seeds that are not cooked and not heated above 45°. We choose nutritionally dense and unprocessed organic foods. To make them more digestible, nuts, grains and seeds are soaked to get rid of the enzyme inhibitors. Cooking destroys the live enzymes that help us maintain optimum health and causes chemical transformations in food that lead to free radicals, carcinogens and mutagens that are linked with diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

There are variants among the raw food movement: it’s not a boring cuisine, it really can be varied, original, sophisticated or simple, but always tasty, colourful and so energising. Whether it’s for health reasons, environmental reasons or ethical reasons, I believe it’s a positive worldwide change that is taking place. 

Feed your habit

Färm: An organic supermarket with a massive selection of fresh produce, right in the city centre. 43 Quai au Bois à Brûler.

Efarmz: A website that lets you pick organic items from farmers all over the country and delivers it to you. Bread, cheese, drinks and meat – you name it.

Natural Corner: In the Sablon area, this place meets all your gluten-free, dairy-free and meat-free needs. Not the cheapest, but good for an occasional trip for something special. 1 Rue de l’Escalier.

Midi market: If you’re looking for a bargain, Gare du Midi is the place to head. Turn up with €10 in your pocket and leave with bags of goodies, and even a little bit of change. Try and get there towards the end, when the stallholders want to get rid of as much as possible and there are some great deals to be had. Sundays until 14.00.

Sainte-Catherine organic market: More expensive than the no-frills Midi market, but perfect if you want some fresh organic produce and you don’t fancy the supermarket. Wednesdays until 15.00.