Raw: The Living Food Diet

Color, NR (nothing offensive), 95 min., DVD only $29.95

DVD: recipe booklet, DVD Chef feature, "detox" explanation

Street: Available now

First Run: DVD premiere

Director: Jonathan Shneidman

For those interested in joining the raw food revolution, this title is an excellent place to begin. Apparently, the movement has gone beyond cult status and is emerging into the mainstream with restaurants, caterers and books bringing attention to the benefits of eating vegetables and fruits that have not been processed or heated over 118 degrees. No sushi or tartar here, this is all strictly vegan fare, with a dollop of honey once in a while. Hosted by Julie Weidmann, the disc is in two sections. The first part consists of 45 minutes of pro-raw diet benefits from a spectrum of living foods proponents, including a physician, a cancer survivor and a free spirit named Elija Monkey Plant. The second part is a food prep show featuring affable chef Matt Amsden, whose Santa Monica, Calif., raw catering company has made him something of a celebrity in the raw world. A special feature on the disc that other cooking programs would do well to emulate is the DVD Chef segment, which has the recipe written in on-screen text with a picture-in-picture of the chef assembling the meal. The overall show is bright and engaging, but unless the health-conscious viewer is already of a mind to try something different to lose weight or improve general health, this isn't likely to generate a lot of converts to the raw ideology.