Raw foodism was first advocated in the late 1800s by a German doctor who found raw apples cured his jaundice.

Followers of the diet, including Woody Harrelson, Demi Moore and Ben Vereen, eat mostly fruits and vegetables and never heat anything above 112 degrees.

Good and Raw is a fairly small operation. Since it opened 4 years ago it’s made only two products, kale chips and granola

Keith Jordan, a chiropractor, is the CEO of Good and Raw, and most of its employees are his patients. The company is located in a spacious Clifton Boulevard townhouse, along with Jordan’s infrared sauna, steam detoxification room, and sensory deprivation tank.

Jordan’s been a holistic health practitioner since 1996. When he opened the Optimal Wellness Center in 2003 he offered nutritional supplements. But 5 years later he took his practice to a new level.

 “I wanted people to eat the food that gave them the nutrients that the supplements gave them. Not that I don’t think supplements are necessary, but I think it’s a good thing when people connect nutrients with the food they eat and that it’s not something you get from a bottle, it’s something you get from the ground. “

Jordan says he’s no fanatic:

 “I am simply someone who is a proponent of eating raw foods. I simply realize that these foods grow and are most biologically-active in their most natural state.

We have been scared, though, about food poisonings with raw produce, everything from lettuce, to berries, to sprouts. What about germs and microbes?

“ We have all our products tested professionally and ironically our bacteria counts are extremely low.

As for raw meat…

“ I’m not a proponent of eating raw meat. I think sushi would be an occasional exception.”

Other raw food proponents consume raw milk and cheese made from it. In March the Centers for Disease Control issued a warning about how that can cause E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella.

One German study of long-term raw foodists showed blood levels of Vitamin A and carotenoids high enough to prevent chronic disease.

That same study, though, showed low levels of the anti-oxidant, Lycopene. It’s thought to prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes, and tomatoes are a great source.

Cooked tomatoes, that is.

Lycopene content is much lower in raw tomatoes.

Jordan will admit that cooking does improve some foods:

 “In terms of kale, it’s high content of flavonoids as well as the carotenes which are the anti-oxidants and the anti-inflammatories; these are very preventative for chronic degenerative disease syndromes. If you’re looking for kale to have even a greater cholesterol-lowering effect, lightly steaming it has been shown to increase its effect on the bio-acids and the bio-salts in the body which means that it can actually help to lower cholesterol a little more when it’s steamed. How about children? Are raw foods good for kids? I feed them to my own children and I can tell you there’s nothing more satisfying than finding a way to get green vegetables into a child, especially one of the most nutritious green vegetables on the planet.”

Jordan says food is medicine and he’s glad he found out it doesn’t have to taste like it.

You can find Good and Raw kale chips and granola at Heinen’s, Whole Foods, EarthFair, and Mustard Seed Market and Café, and soon in the cafeteria of University Hospital’s Ahuja Medical Center in Beachwood.

And that’s this week’s Quick Bite. Next Friday we’re in for a slurpalicious feast at Noodlecat.