WOODSTOCK, New York (AP) -- Lunch crush is coming and the deli crew is busy making burgers, lime tarts and pizza dough. Things are really cooking -- at least figuratively. In fact, none of the food being prepared at In The Raw will touch a flame or a griddle. None of it will encounter a temperature higher than a sweltering summer day. All of it, from the vegan cakes to vegan burgers, is served raw.

"No ovens," said owner Barbara Banfield. "Just dehydration. No flames." The recently opened organic vegetarian deli and juice bar in this artsy tourist town is another outpost marking the mainstreaming of raw food diets. So-called raw foodists can make vegetarians look like slackers. Devoted followers are vegans, meaning they eschew animal and dairy products. Just as importantly, they believe that heating food above the 110-115 degree range destroys enzymes in food and diminishes nutritional value. Healthy food is "living food," they say, organic, unprocessed and uncooked.

Eating raw food is nothing new -- it's basically humanity's oldest cuisine. But interest in raw food diets has been sprouting recently beyond the usual fad cradles like Manhattan and southern California.

Raw restaurants range from smoothie stands to fine dining establishments with wine lists and dishes like dim sum and "pasta" made from zucchini. People who have gone raw tend to be zealous converts, ready to gleefully testify about impressive weight loss and energy gains.

While nutritionists have little problem with people eating raw nuts and vegetables (as long as they're clean), many are dubious about basing an entire diet on the concept. It's true that some enzymes are inactivated when food is heated, but that's not important because the body relies on its own enzymes for digestion, said Dennis Miller, a professor of food and nutrition at Cornell University. Certain foods, like beans, become more nutritious after cooking, he said. "The claim that somehow raw foods give you better energy, are more healthful, improve your immune system and all of that is simply not substantiated," Miller said. "And moreover, it's not biologically plausible."

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CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- The health benefits of regular walking may include helping prevent mental decline and Alzheimer's disease, research in patients aged 70 and up has found, bolstering evidence that exercise needn't be strenuous to be good for you. There's plenty of evidence that mental exercise, such as crossword puzzles and reading, may reduce Alzheimer's risks, but previous studies on brain benefits from physical exercise had conflicting results.

The new findings, contained in two studies, clarify how much exercise might be beneficial and are good news for older people who want to avoid mental decline but "don't like doing all that awful, sweaty stuff," said Bill Thies, vice president for medical and scientific affairs of the Alzheimer's Association. "This just says, 'Go for a walk"' and bolsters evidence that what's good for the heart may be good for the brain, said Thies, who was not involved in the research.

"Keep eating your veggies, too" could be another mantra, according to a Dutch study, showing that Europeans ages 70 to 90 who ate a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and olive oil had a 23 percent lower risk of death during a 10-year follow-up than those with less healthy eating habits. A 65 percent lower mortality risk was found in those who combined the Mediterranean-style diet with three other healthy habits -- moderate alcohol use, no smoking and a half hour or more per day of physical activity, including walking.

"We were a bit surprised that something so modest as walking would be associated with apparent cognitive benefits," said study author Jennifer Weuve, a Harvard School of Public Health researcher. Thies offered some possible theories for how exercise might boost brain function. He said research in mice has suggested that exercise might reduce brain levels of amyloid, a sticky protein that clogs the brain in Alzheimer's patients. Also, Thies said, studies have shown that exercise boosts levels of hormones necessary for nerve cell production, and increases blood flow to the brain.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Balanced on one leg like flamingos, a dozen people older than 60 concentrate on staying upright, as they master the basics of tai chi. Some are in sock feet, some are barefoot and one wears black dress shoes with shiny gold buckles.

Once considered exotic, exercise programs like tai chi and yoga have become as routine at senior centers as bridge and shuffleboard. "Tai chi teaches balance and proper breathing -- two things seniors don't do well," said 72-year-old Harold Leach, a participant at the Donelson Senior Center and occasional instructor. Those benefits, along with others like lowered blood pressure and better sleep, have prompted seniors to try exercises they might have once considered too "new-agey" or "touchy-feely," according to Dr. Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise. "Now that they've become more accepted as mainstream physical activities, that's led to them going into older populations," he said.

Tai chi, a Chinese exercise that focuses on slow, fluid movements, is believed to have originated around the 12th century. Some scholars have traced the origins of yoga back 5,000 years. The idea that tai chi and yoga -- which promote increased flexibility, toned muscles and better concentration -- is particularly beneficial to older people isn't new. But it's taken a while to convince people to give it a try.

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"You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do."

- Henry Ford

Dear Flabby,
When I was 24 I lost 50 lbs and since then (3 years) I've really struggled to keep it off. Do you think some people are meant to be heavy?

Trai Lou . - Philadelphia

Dear T,

Actually I do think some people are predisposed towards obesity via genetics. So what? You don't have to be rail thin, just get healthy and exercise. As long as you have strength and muscle beneath the surface, that's what will sustain you, along with cardio to get your heart rate up every few days. Isn't this just common sense?

( send letters in confidence to dearflabby@prosnack.com )

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