What now makes up the mainstream understanding of what a raw food diet is has its roots in a century-long history of alternative healing and lifestyle movements, coming from European fasting spas to Californian “Nature Boys”, the Natural Hygiene philosophy, the Living Foods lifestyle developed by Ann Wigmore in the 1960s, to the present-day burgeoning Raw culture, with an abundance of high-quality resources, including books, superfoods, retreats, festivals, films, and restaurants, all with a focus on a Raw and Living Foods Diet and Lifestyle.

As a growing number of people have become interested in this diet and lifestyle in recent years, it was found that the teachings being disseminated from the disparate corners of this still-young movement did not always correspond with each other. A lack of consensus among teachers often created confusion for individuals seeking to get onto the best dietary path and claim the promised benefits. The differences of opinion became so incredibly obvious at one international gathering (The Fresh Network Festival, UK, 2004), it was decided that the leading raw food teachers would come together and discuss, from a scientific basis, what the main and essential points of a nutritionally sound raw-food approach to diet should be.

The first International Living Foods Summit took place in January 2006 at West Palm Beach, Florida, attended by 25 teachers from eight different countries, with a combined personal experience of over 434 years following a vegan or raw-food lifestyle. This meeting and a second Summit the following year produced a Statement of the key principles for an Optimum Diet for Health and Longevity. This Statement represents a consensus of agreement between all the teachers who participated in creating it.

The aim of Raw Food Works is to offer a more elaborate explanation of all the points covered, to present the different facets of a successful raw-food diet in a balanced way, and to present via a collective effort a state-of-the-art document about what WORKS.