Adventures in raw & vegan food in Sacramento: The Green Boheme

I’m allergic to wheat, corn, and dairy.  I not only know how hard it is to eat healthy, I know how hard it is to eat in public with friends while avoiding the foods I’m allergic to.  I hate being “that customer” who inevitably has to ask what’s in every dish so as not to contaminate my meal.  And you know what?  Most of the time I don’t ask anymore, just suffer silently hours after I get home from this social meal.  It stinks. 

Enter The Green Boheme.

I have to preface this by saying I’m a meat eater.  I’m blood type O and frankly feel fantastic when I eat meat.  I’m not vegan, nor do I eat raw very often because my stomach is pretty finicky.  I love the environment, and I love meat.  I think I can have my cake (meat) and eat it too.

I have to admit, I was most excited to try their desserts. After all, I am a dessert first kinda gal and there are so few desserts left in the world I get to enjoy.  To my delight, there were several desserts to choose from, but I chose the berry something er other pie.  It was like a creamy pie with berries on top.  De-lish.  No dairy, no wheat, no corn, and definitely satisfied my sweet tooth.  I would come back for dessert alone.

Probably my biggest gripe about restaurants is that they either have good food or good dessert, and when they have good dessert they do not have anything I can ingest.  Problem fixed- go to The Green Boheme! 

I take it from our visit though, that they often improvise on ingredients and don’t always have the dish you ordered last time.  If you’re worried, call ahead to check. 

Our group also ordered the tostada, veggin’ out pizza, the pesto pizza (it’s been years since I had pizza!), and a lasagna dish.  Most dishes had a greens mixture on top, which was really fresh, and had some similar flavors.  I loved the sauce on the lasagna, and being able to pick up a “pizza” and eat it had been a thing of the past!  Others loved the sun-dried tomato flavors, freshness, and unique ingredients.  I’d pass on the hot chocolate next time.  It was overwhelmingly filled with cayenne pepper.

The end result was a rarity for me when I go out to eat: no stomach pains upon arriving at home. Due to my many food allergies, going out to eat usually ends in pain, no matter how careful I’ve been.  I will say that not everyone in our party had the same experience.  If you’re not used to eating raw, it can be challenging on the gut, which reiterates the fact that health and diet are not one size fits all.  My belly was pleased, my taste buds were tantalized, and the atmosphere was relaxed.

A week or so prior, Dr. Monroe was asked by The Green Boheme's owner and head chef, Brooke Preston, to try out the restaurant, which incited the repeat visit:

“She spent some time with us, sharing her knowledge and expertise of raw and vegan food.  She was extremely knowledgeable with different health conditions and foods that could be ingested for those conditions. 

The food was good, the flavors, the different textures.  I absolutely loved the blueberry crisp.  I couldn’t believe there was no dairy in anything, I had to keep asking!  The only thing I had to watch out for was corn in an occasional dish, but otherwise, everything was great!  I was really impressed with her knowledge and quality of the food.  Thank you for your hospitality and time, Brooke!”

I guess I’m my mother’s daughter with the blueberry crisp.  We’ll do dessert first next time.

They have several other offerings to the community: a 30-day raw food challenge, “cooking”classes, and lunchtime delivery service for those office folks who can’t get out for a healthy lunch.

If you've been to The Green Boheme or have any raw or vegan food suggestions, recipes, or comments, please share!  I’m especially excited to start preparing some raw desserts now that I’ve had a little flavor, love baking, and am experienced with alternative baking ingredients.  Maybe that will be a future post.

I will end with a quote that I thought particularly fitting, found framed in the bathroom of The Green Boheme (yes, I notice things like this):

I Am 

I was regretting the past
and fearing the future.
Suddenly, my Lord was speaking.
"My name is I Am."

He paused. I waited. He continued.

"When you live in the past,
with its mistakes and regrets,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not "I was."

When you live in the future,
with its problems and fears,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not "I will be."

When you live in this moment
it is not hard. I am here.
My name is "I AM."

By Helen Mallicoat

Have a wonderful weekend and try some vegan or raw food and let us know what you think- Comments welcome!  Questions can be sent to drmomnaturopath(at)gmail.com.

Briana