Niles’ Squeeze Juice Bar will play host to author and chef Adam Graham Monday for an inside look at the raw food movement.

Graham will sign copies of his latest book, part of The Complete Idiot’s Guide book series, a guide to raw food detox, take part in a question and answer session with attendees and show off his raw cooking skills.

“It’s an entry level book that guides people through the basics of raw food detox,” Graham said of his book in the popular series. “So the magic of this program is basically just integrating fresh, chemical free foods back into your diet.”

The raw food movement has been gaining in popularity.

Susan Sakara, owner of Squeeze, scheduled the signing during the juice bar’s regular raw and vegan potluck, something she said is drawing plenty of participants.

“(For) my pot luck, I had about 20 people last month, which was really great,” Sakara said. “And then I do a 21-day juice detoxing and a lot of people are jumping in to do that.”

So just what is it about eating raw that has so many people interested?

Graham, who runs Camp Rawnora, a retreat in Watervliet that provides a kitchen and classroom space to teach raw cooking classes and private raw and vegan events, said the idea of eating raw brings a focus back to natural foods as opposed to heavily processed food that can include a variety of chemicals.

“Most people have moved toward a diet dominated by processed, b-natured, chemically saturated foods, which in essence once you’re consuming food that’s heavily processed, bantered and full of chemicals, you almost can’t call it a food,” Graham said.

Recipes included in the book are specifically simple, he added, opposite of what he said could be some misconceptions that eating raw means added expenses or complicated cooking.

“There’s no specific science in the recipes I chose except they’re very simple and they’re going to be most accessible to people,” Graham said. “Since 2005 I’ve been exploring raw foods, integrating it into my personal life … people are fascinated by this whole process.”

Sakara said she’s noticed health benefits from a raw food way of eating.

“They’re seeing much more energy, some people have had a lot of sinus drainage, allergy problems, those are going away … emotionally (they’re) feeling better,” she said.

Weight loss, she added, is an additional bonus.

It was when Graham stopped into the downtown Niles juice bar that Sakara said the two began talking about a book signing.

Graham will be at Squeeze on Aug. 1 from 5 to 8 p.m. For more information visit Squeeze on Facebook or learn more about Graham and Camp Rawnora at http://www.rawnora.com.