For author and organic culinary guru Renee Loux, "you are what you eat" is more than an adage - it's the mantra of her daily life.
A picture of health, with blonde hair, clear skin and a perfect figure, Loux has traveled with her husband to Buffalo exclusively to see the Dalai Lama.
Last week, her second book, The Balanced Plate, hit bookstores. Printed entirely on recycled paper, it focuses on simple concepts about organic eating and living, popularly known as "going green."
Loux also works as a consultant for hotel chains, spas and restaurants, helping them to switch to organic products with her company Euphoric Organics. The work has lead to a connection with many celebrities, including her best pal, fellow vegan and environmental activist actress Alicia Silverstone.
"We're very much like peas in a pod," Loux said.
Among her other celebrity cohorts are Helen Hunt, Owen Wilson, and Anthony Kiedis from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Actor Woody Harrelson, best known for his part in the sitcom Cheers, wrote an introduction in her first book, Living Cuisine.
When Loux was married a year ago in Houston, Texas, the Dalai Lama, who was there at the time, gave her and her husband a special blessing.
"It felt like a truly auspicious union to be blessed by him," Loux said. "When I think about it now, a year later, it kind of gives me a head rush."
Loux's husband Shep Gordon is a UB alumnus and is the manager of the Alice Cooper band. Additionally, he is a director for the non-profit organization Tibet Fund, which is dedicated to aiding the Tibetans in improving their lives and preserving their culture and heritage; he is also a board member of UB's Media Arts department. Loux said he was a part of the group that made the Dalai Lama's visit to UB possible.
Food and healthful living has been a lifelong career for Loux. She attended the University of Vermont as an undergraduate, studying nutrition and comparative religions, before picking up and moving to Maui where she has resided for the past 12 years.
There she worked at a resort as a chef for a year before developing enough culinary prowess to open her own restaurant in 1996. It was one of the first in the country to serve vegetarian cooking.
"I think it was either bravery or foolishness," she said regarding opening a restaurant at such a young age. "What better time than when I was sprouting my wings? (Life) is so short and precious, why not go for it?"
Since that time, Loux has perfected the art of organic living, free of harmful carcinogenic chemicals. She has adopted the raw food approach to cooking, which is the theory that precious vitamins and minerals in food begin to break down and lose their potency when cooked above 115 degrees Fahrenheit, especially vitamin C, which is water-soluble.
"It's a very different approach to preparing food," Loux said. She emphasized that consuming organic foods, and substituting protein with soy based products such as tofu, tempeh and edamame, has phenomenal overall health benefits, including increased immune function and better digestion.
"Some people really say it's like the fountain of youth," she said.
Although organic is admittedly more expensive than their chemically mass-produced counterparts, Loux said it is possible to shop smartly and splurge on the most important items.
"When I was a broke college student, it was my priority," she said. "I see clearly it's an investment. It's the rest of your life. Food is our primary fuel."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
