TO BE A 100% RAW, OR NOT TO BE?

One of the most common questions I get is, "Do I need to go 100% raw?"

In my opinion, not necessarily! It depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

For those who are dealing with an illness or disease, it may be necessary to intervene with a strict protocol to detoxify the body on a cellular level... to reverse the condition and heal the body.

For the majority of us, incorporating 50-70% raw fruits and veggies into our diet is optimal for long-term success.

The problem with trying to attain a 100% raw diet as a percentage, is that it’s easy to lose sight of whether or not the diet is balanced. Living on cacao, dehydrated crackers, and raw desserts is technically 100% raw, but is that healthy? For me, it’s less about the percentages and more about keeping my diet balanced.

The foundation of my diet is primarily leafy greens, in the form of green juices, green smoothies and green salads. I try to eat high water-content fruits and veggies in place of dehydrated foods. I also make sure to get in sea vegetables and micro-algae like spirulina and chlorella.

My non-raw staples include steamed/backed root vegetables, gluten-free grains, legumes, eggs and goat/sheep yogurt, etc. (Yes, I'm not vegan!)

The idea of all or nothing, or that all cooked food is poison is simply a thing of the past! It is far more important to focus on getting high quality, organic whole foods.

It is equally important to be at peace with the lifestyle we have chosen. If we're always stressed out about not eating perfectly enough or in a constant state of guilt, we've missed the point! I often see people struggle with raw foods thinking they have to be perfect 100% of the time, trying to live up to some unrealistic ideal. But it's not about perfection, it's about enjoying a healthy and balanced lifestyle... which is absolutely possible on a high-raw diet.

So before you jump in 100%, make sure to first lay down a strong, healthy foundation for your diet. If you do choose to go a 100% raw, I admire your courage. Just keep in mind that the raw food lifestyle is all about creating a healthy and happy life. And definitely remember to keep it balanced!

REPOST (10/1/2009)

HOW I GOT HERE

My family emigrated from the former Soviet Union when I was just a young girl.  As my parents struggled to make a living in a new country, my father often brought leftover pizza home from his delivery job.   

On weekends I remember exploring endless varieties of packaged foods at the supermarket.  I was very intrigued, as grocery superstores did not exist in our small Russian town.  Like many, we were drawn in by the convenience of cheap T.V. dinners.  

It wasn’t long before I started to develop addictive tendencies toward processed foods.  And sure enough, by my teens I found myself frequently binge eating and yo yo dieting. 

In my mid-twenties I began transitioning to a vegetarian diet, and even though I knew better, I ended up turning into a junk-food vegetarian.  I justified my eating habits thinking, "surely I'm healthier than the average person if I cut out meat, right?"

But I started gaining weight and eventually found myself in and out of depression.  I was overweight, in a relationship I wasn't happy in, climbing the corporate ladder – I felt trapped.

I had reached a low in my life, where even my closest friends found my negativity draining.  So I continued to mask my pain with the comfort of food, while deeply resenting my destructive eating behavior.

It felt as though food was at the center of everything that was wrong in my life.  If only I could release this addiction, I’d no longer feel tempted and manipulated by food.  I would slim down and feel comfortable in my own skin.  I would have the confidence to pursue the life I had always envisioned.  I blamed my compulsive behavior with food for not having achieved any of these things.

The final straw was when I looked up my Body Mass Index (BMI) and realized that at 5’2” and 170 pound, I was in the first stages of obesity.  I immediately signed up with the L.A. Weight Loss program but I strongly resisted their eating plan, which heavily focused on processed energy bars.  I was faced with the realization that I desperately needed a new start with a focus on health, not just another weight-loss gimmick.  

Food represented something destructive in my life, and I needed to change that relationship.  I had to associate food with something positive and healing.  More importantly, I knew that if I didn’t change the direction of my life, I would end up settling for a life I didn’t want.  I desperately needed to feel purpose and meaning again.

I sat down and reevaluated every aspect of my life.  Who was I living for, anyway?  Was I trying to please my family, live up to the expectations of my peers, or fit some ideal that our culture values?  As far as I could tell, the ideals I was trying to live up to were only suffocating me.  My life was headed down the wrong path fast.   

I had to create my own set of values to live by.  I needed a strong, positive belief system that would carry me through on a path to fulfillment.  So I defined how I wanted my ideal diet and lifestyle to look like, and what real health meant to me.  It was then that I realized I wanted to pursue healthy living.   

I felt liberated knowing I could finally start living my life on my own terms, for my happiness.  As soon as I made that decision, Life immediately embraced me with guidance. 

I was already familiar with raw foods when I attended a lecture that mentioned a book by Victoria Boutenko, author of Green for Life.  I picked up the book as it was being passed around.  To my surprise, I instantly recognized Victoria’s picture on the back cover.  

Victoria Boutenko, who founded the green smoothie revolution, is also a first generation Russian immigrant.  Years ago when Victoria’s family lived in Colorado she was acquainted with my mother.  She gave a lecture on raw foods for a few of my mom’s friends at our home.  I was only in my early teens but I remember her lecture   quite well.  This was long before “raw foods” was a commonly used term.  

What’s interesting is that 14 years later Life would bring me back to Victoria’s message – coincidence?  I think not!  Shortly after reading her book, I found out about the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute specializing in raw vegan cuisine.  By that point, I could no longer ignore the obvious.  I had to follow the guidance. 

So I did the unthinkable – I walked away from my life.  I called off the relationship, quit my 9-year career, cashed out my 401k, packed up everything into storage, and took off to pursue my passion for healthy living. 

I completed the Gourmet Raw Food Chef & Instructor certification at the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute, and since my return from completing the program I have maintained a primarily high-raw diet. 

Eating a clean, natural diet has connected me back to my body.  Food has taken on a whole new meaning for me.  But I recognize that it’s an ongoing journey.  I try to stay flexible as I continue to evolve and fine tune my diet and lifestyle.  I have learned to let go, and not get down at times when I’m not at my best behavior.  I give myself love and understanding every step of the way. 

Issues around eating, whether expressed through binging or starving, are a form of punishment and self-sabotage.  As I continue to love and accept myself, I find I have far less self-destructive tendencies.  Because after all, I have a choice, the choice to live vibrantly healthy!

SO MANY DIET TRENDS, WHAT IN THE WORLD SHOULD I EAT?

There is so much talk and confusion about what to eat and how to eat, it's crazy!  Some people swear by the macrobiotic diet, some swear by the raw food diet, yet others swear by the paleo diet. 

With so much conflicting information out there, how does one decide which approach is right?  And to confuse matters even more, you see people shifting their lifestyle overnight from one extreme to the next.  Whether it's from the standard American junk-food diet to 100% raw vegan diet, or from a 100% raw vegan fruitarian diet to an all meat-based paleo diet.  You may be asking yourself, what in the world is going on?  Well, here's how I've learned to stay balanced as trends change in the health movement.  

As different as each of these diets are (macrobiotic, raw food, paleo), there is one crucial aspect they all share, so lets look at that first.  What is the one thing these varying diets all have in common?  They ALL exclude processed foods!  So we can at least rest assured that processed foods are completely out of the question.  Okay, now that we've identified what we absolutely shouldn't eat, lets figure out what we can consider as healthy options.

The way I prefer to approach this delema is to look at what each diet offers and learn from each one - because there is truth in each one of them.  The macrobiotic diet, for instance, focuses on ancient whole grains.  I can see the value in that.  Does that mean the majority of my diet should only be grains?  Of course not.  But it does indicate that fiber-rich whole grains may be beneficial.  So I like to include some ancient gluten-free grains in my diet.

What about the raw vegan diet that everyone raves about? This lifestyle stresses fresh, living, chlorophyll-rich plant foods.  I completely resonate with that.  For this reason I like to load up on a ton of fresh fruits and veggies and leafy greens!  Is my diet exclusively raw vegan?  No, because again other foods have value as well.

As far as the paleo diet, the main focus here is to eat locally and wild – much in the same way tribal cultures eat.  That makes sense.  Okay, so I draw inspiration and wisdom from this view and start incorporating more local and seasonal foods, along with wild edibles when available.  

I may even consider introducing wild game into my diet at some point.  If and when I'm ready to make that transition, you can bet I'll find a local, sustainable farm that raises their animals organically, ethically, and pasture-fed.  Does that mean I'll be eating meat every day?  Absolutely not, but I may consider trying 4-6 oz once a week.  (This is something I intuitively feel would be a wise step for me in preparation for a pregnancy, when the time is right.)

What I'm hoping to achieve ultimately, is a balanced diet by drawing on the wisdom of different views.  I never understood why so many of us feel like we need to adhere to any one extreme.  Why not get the best of all worlds and find a happy medium that includes a little bit of good from everything?  

So if you're trying to make sense of all the confusion out there, my best advice is to take what resonates with you (and what actually works for your body), and leave the rest out.  Create a custom lifestyle plan that honors your body and soul.  For me personally, I never cared much for restricted diets.  If you've ever read any of my previous posts, my primary aim has always been to create a healthy balance.  And that's what allows me to stay grounded, even in the face of changing trends.

If you're still unsure and would like to hear what the experts say, check out The Great Health Debate.  This is a FREE online event going on RIGHT NOW!  Some of the leading health experts in the field debate the question of plant-based versus whole-food diets.  Find out what they have to say as they go head to head, with some serious research to back up their claims!  Just go to TheGreatHealthDebate.com and sign up for FREE.

I'M NOT VEGAN... WHAT?

I've noticed in recent months a dialogue has opened up about whether or not a strict 100% raw vegan diet is healthy long-term.  I'm happy to see more people sharing their experience and keeping an honest, open-minded approach to healthy living.  If something isn't working, we have to be willing to let go of any attachment we may hold to a particular philosophy, and focus on what's optimal for our health.

For myself, I never felt a strong desire or calling to jump in 100% into the raw food lifestyle. I suppose I never really felt the need for it (although you may already know this, and know I'm not a vegan from previous posts). But I did go 100% raw for 31 days in January of 2008, right after I completed my certification on raw food nutrition with Drs. Rick and Karin Dina, D.C.  I was so happy to finally immerse myself into a vegan lifestyle, I even bought and read Becoming Vegan to get a better understanding of how to effectively transition.  But I have to say, my experience was somewhat disappointing.

About a week in I started to experience intense cravings for meat, which was completely unusual for having already been vegetarian for over two years with no cravings whatsoever.  And by the end of my 31 days on a strict vegan diet, I intuitively felt my body was lacking something.  But what concerned me the most, was that I started to experience hair-loss (literally clumps of hair falling out in the shower), not to mention my iron and vitamin D levels dropped. Just to be clear, I maintained a clean diet with nothing gourmet or dehydrated.  I focused on alkaline foods including a ton of dark leafy greens.  

Was it just detox?  About six months prior I had experienced symptoms of so-called detox (dizziness, loss of appetite, nausea, body aches and cramps, etc).  But hair-loss and a drop in nutrient levels? Clearly there was more going on! The term "detox" is often thrown around loosely without much of an understanding of what that really means. At what point is something no longer just a symptom of detox, but a sign of deficiency? It seems there is no clear definition, so a little common sense goes a long way!

I honestly think that my hair-loss was largely due to a lack of sufficient protein.  Once I incorporated some cooked foods and animal products back into my diet (lentils, quinoa, an occasional soft-boiled egg, raw goat and sheep yogurt, wild-caught salmon), my hair-loss improved and the cravings all but vanished. 

I know we often say that Americans eat way too much protein, and yes we eat way too much of the wrong protein.  But good quality protein (amino acids) are essential.  They are the building blocks of life after all. Getting adequate amounts of high quality protein is something that I feel many raw foodists overlook.  Some of them swear by the all-or-nothing approach, but I often wonder how many routinely check their B-12, iron and vitamin D levels.

To be fair, I do think it is possible to succeed on a 100% raw vegan diet, when following a careful regiment that includes plenty of sprouts, wheatgrass, sea vegetables, algae, dark leafy greens, omega-rich nuts and seeds, a vitamin B-12 supplement, adequate amounts of calories, fats and protein... along with a routine blood test to monitor nutrient levels.  But you can't just wing it!

Of course we should all be incorporating these foods anyway, but it's not to say that we can't achieve optimal health on a high-raw diet with some cooked foods or animal products.  Quality is what's going to make or break it.  Organic, whole natural foods (preferably local) is a must.

As for me, I'm not attached to the label "raw foodist".  These days I'm far more flexible than when I was first introduced to this lifestyle.  I often enjoy cooking in the evenings using lots of fresh veggies from a local, organic farm (CSA).  And I always make sure to include a big RAW green salad with a cooked meal.  If you're curious about what I typical eat during a given week,  you can see My Way!

I am very sincere when I say this – the more we can open up and speak honestly about what's working and what's not, rather than keeping secrets and judging one another, the more we can help each other and help others on this journey of health and well-being ♥

With love, 
Mila

FOOD, SEX AND PLEASURE

I keep coming across this strange idea that food is not something to be enjoyed, but rather something to be consumed strictly for caloric needs. Food is perceived as nothing more than fuel for the body - not a means to entertain the mind or amuse our taste buds.

But I have to ask, is it really so wrong to enjoy a beautiful, healthy meal while still feeling comforted and nourished on more than a purely physical level?  And is it productive to suppress our natural desire to experience pleasure from eating?

Like sex, food is an inherent drive for pleasure. This biological mechanism is built in for a very good reason.  It is nature’s way of reminding us not to forget to nourish our bodies, ensuring our survival.  Nature calls us to eat through desire, and rewards us with pleasure!  What a brilliant and beautiful concept.  (Not to be confused with the behavior of using food to reward ourselves.)

The pleasure experience is biologically designed to reinforce and encourage repeated behavior.  This is true as it relates to both sex and food.  Otherwise there would be little incentive to procreate or to take time for sufficient calorie replenishment throughout the day.

Why else would nature create such a variety of vibrant, colorful and flavorful foods, if not to delight the senses and keep us coming back for more?  Nature intended for us to enjoy and take pleasure in eating by biological design.  It’s all very beautifully orchestrated to lure us in for nourishment.  

We enjoy food outside of simply satisfying our hunger, much in the same way we enjoy sex outside of just procreation.  Cravings for food and sex are natural; we shouldn’t be so quick to suppress these desires!  If anything, we should embrace them with admiration, as they serve a very unique biological purpose.  

To say that eating for pleasure and comfort is somehow wrong is like saying that sex is a sin.  The trick is not to engage in these behaviors in access or in a destructive way.  Giving ourselves the freedom to express and enjoy these desires in a moderate, healthy manner is what makes or breaks it.

As long as the foods we indulge in are healthy, who says it is wrong to feel pleasure and comfort?  Sure, pizza and chips don’t count, but a healthy, comforting bowl of raw chili, minus the guilt, certainly does!  If we can stay present, why not soak up the pleasure and comfort?  It only turns destructive once we start eating out of boredom, or to fill an emotional void.  Seeking healthy alternatives for cravings is far more productive to our overall well-being, than living in a constant state of self-imposed deprivation.

Ideally, we should aim to enjoy healthy foods that also satisfy our taste buds and desires.  One way this can be achieved is by embracing nature's infinitely delicious variety.  In doing so, we naturally start to gravitate toward whole, natural options as we create a positive association with food.  

Health is not just about how we fuel the body or the calories we take in; it is equally about creating a beautiful, healthy and sacred experience.  It’s about enjoying and savoring the moment, rather than punishing ourselves with strict dietary rules and guidelines.  So give in to nature's sweet perfection, and indulge once in a while.  It really is okay!

For thoughts on how this relates to emotional eating, see my article Emotional Eating in Purely Delicious Magazine, Spring 2010 Issue!

IN MY OWN WORDS

In the following video I wanted to share with you my thoughts on how beautiful and vibrant I find the raw food lifestyle to be.  

How could you NOT want to live in nature's sweet perfection?  If you ask me, a greasy dead pizza can NEVER taste as vibrant as the foods nature creates so abundantly and so masterfully!  

I hope my words inspire you to see just how beautiful living foods really are! ♥

A DOSE OF LOVE FOR MAGIC & FLOW

As some of you know, I've declared 2010 my year of infinite LOVE. And I'm not just talking about romantic love, although there's plenty of that in my life, but love as a state of mind!

Choosing to live in the mindset of love is like flowing downstream along the current of Life, rather than struggling up against it, as Abraham-Hicks would say. This is the best way I can think to describe what this feels like.

I find that the more I step into love, and act out of love, the more synchronicity shows up in my life! It's as though I no longer have to force things in my life to fall into place, they seem to just conveniently happen. I can't explain it, things just flow! Now who wouldn't want that?

Luckily, none of it is a mystery. It's actually rather simple! Here's what I've come to understand about love. There is only one energy field, with love on one end of the continuum and fear on the other... but it's all the same energy field, just expressed in different frequencies. Love, of course, being expressed at a higher vibration.

Love is an infinite expansion of light energy, while fear is light energy contracted. And we know this to be true... notice how love makes us feel light and free, while fear leaves us feeling tense, as though everything inside of us is contracting.

So when you open your heart to love, you shift and transform fear into the frequency of love and expansion... which just so happens to be of a similar frequency of magic and flow! So the more we align with the vibration of love, the more we align with synchronicity.

But the secret to flow is not just in a loving state of mind. A clean, natural diet must accompany your new found love. Why? Because you need a clean body, free of toxicity and stagnation, for love to flow through freely. Together in sink these unlock a world of magic!

So as you love your body with beautiful nourishing foods, give your heart and mind an extra dose of love, and watch the magic unfold! Play and have fun with it, and treat yourself to a beautiful, loving Valentine's Day! ♥

ON MY JUICE FAST MENU

As some of you may know, today is my second day of a 10 day liquid fast I'm doing to kick off the New Year. It's a variation of Shazzie's 10 Day World Juice Fast, check it out Shazzie.com/blog

I'm loving this cleanse so much I thought I'd share with you my menu for the next few days. By the way, it's not too late to join in! Visit us on Facebook.


MORNING
10 oz water w/squirt lemon juice
1 quart (4 cups) low-glycemic green juice (see recipe ingredients below)
2 oz coconut water kefir

MID-AFTERNOON
Juice of 1 young Thai coconut
10 oz savory raw V-8 juice (see recipe ingredients below)

LATE AFTERNOON
10 oz water 
1 quart (4 cups) low-glycemic green juice (see recipe ingredients below)

EVENING8 
oz nut/seed mylk (see recipe below)


*LOW-GLYCEMIC GREEN JUICE
Wheatgrass, purple kale, dinosaur kale, chard, collard greens, dandelion greens, beet greens, romaine lettuce, spinach, parsley, cilantro, broccoli, fennel, celery, cucumber, carrot, apple, lemon, LOVE


**RAW V-8 JUICE
Celery, tomatoes, red bell pepper, broccoli, carrot, cucumber, parsley, cilantro, spinach, romaine lettuce, lemon, red onion, garlic, ginger, pinch Himalayan salt, LOVE


***NUT/SEED MYLK
4 cups water
1 cup almonds (soaked overnight)
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (soaked overnight)
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp flax seeds
1 Tbsp hemp seeds

Blend well and strain through nut bag. Make sure the nuts/seeds are raw and organic!

LOVE IS THE WAY WE ROLL IN 2010

I love this time of year... what a perfect opportunity to dream and create a new vision for the year we welcome ahead.

It's become a tradition at the end of each year to dejunk and declutter my life, letting go of all negative energy, opening myself up to beautiful new experiences. I usually take this time to give thanks for all the wonderful opportunities of the previous year, and create a new theme for the year to come. What's my theme for 2010? Love.

The theme of love represents a mindset in which we can choose to approach life. It is the highest vibration at which we connect to all the beauty and magnificence of life. Love after all, is the heartbeat behind the natural flow of life!

To kick off the New Year, I'm also taking part in Shazzie's 10 Day World Juice Fast that starts tomorrow Jan 3rd. A juice cleanse is a lovely way to hit the reset button on our health, for a clean new start.

You can check out Shazzie's 10 Day World Juice Fast and join in on the fun at Shazzie.com/blog

With a cleanse and lots of love fueling my New Year, some of my goals for 2010 include getting creative in my raw food kitchen, advancing my yoga practice, signing up for a local organic CSA buy in, and now that I'm getting ready to move into a new home with lots of windows and natural light, I plan on doing some indoor gardening with fresh organic herbs and sprouts. ♥

EATING FOR PLEASURE

I am happy to announce that Raw Radiance is an official contributor to the Raw Epicurean blog. The lovely Ingrid of Raw Epicurean has kindly featured my article Eating for Pleasure. It's such a treat to be among her other contributors including Ani Phyo and Matthew Kenney.

Raw Epicurean recently made Sarma's list of the Top 10 Raw Food and Raw-Related Blogs, so you know it's a worthwhile read. Be sure to check out the blog at RawEpicurean.net

Eating for Pleasure

We know that eating a raw diet is healthy with all its nutritional and healing benefits, but how often do we actually take the time to enjoy eating our veggies? Ever think to yourself, “If only I could just get used to the taste of greens”? Luckily, there are many wonderful ways to delight our senses and satisfy the palate eating a healthy raw diet!

Adding a dose of love and pleasure to the foods we eat can really complete the experience! Here are a few ways to start enjoying healthy eating. Read more...

A NEW LOOK ON THE HORIZON

As some of you may already know, Raw Radiance is getting ready to launch a new look! I am taking Raw Radiance in a slightly new direction with a modern vibe for a mainstream audience.

Why? It seems that many young adults are put off by raw foods when the lifestyle is presented as something that's too extreme or "out there". Many of the 20 and 30-somethings I know resist the idea of all or nothing, not to mention the fact that a raw lifestyle is often associated with a "hippie" movement.

I truly think that getting raw foods out into the mainstream means getting people to relate to healthy living in a way that's not foreign to them. We've got to speak to them in a language they can relate to.

So I'd love to bring a fresh new perspective on what raw foods is all about... with the message that you don't have to seclude yourself from the modern world to embrace this lifestyle. I'd love to see young professionals take on raw foods as something fresh and contemporary, and dare I say sexy! So stay tuned in the weeks to come as Raw Radiance will have undergone a makeover!

Additionally, I am working on releasing my first ebook called SpaFusion Cleanse Program, with super easy recipes for a seasonal cleanse.  More details to come!

A DAY ON LIQUIDS

One of the most beautiful gifts we can give our body is an occasional day of rest and rejuvenation!

About once a month I like to take a day off from eating to hydrate my body on a deeper level with a liquid fast. It's a lovely way to recharge and reconnect back to healthy living!



















On my Liquid Day menu:

Pure clean water with lemon juice. Medicinal organic nettle & horsetail herb tea. Fresh coconut water (from young Thai coconuts). Raw organic nut & seed mylk (unsweetened, no added salt). And lots of organic low-glycemic GREEN JUICE! Here is my typical liquid day's breakdown...

MORNING

Glass of water w/squirt lemon juice
12 oz green juice (Juice of Radiance recipe w/wheatgrass, broccoli, parsley)

MID-AFTERNOON

Juice of 1 young Thai coconut
Glass of nut/seed mylk (almonds and pumpkin seeds soaked overnight, sesame seeds, water)

LATE AFTERNOON

Glass of water w/squirt lemon juice
12 oz green juice (Juice of Radiance recipe w/wheatgrass, broccoli, parsley)

EVENING

Cup of nettle & horsetail tea
Juice of 1 young Thai coconut
12 oz green juice (Juice of Radiance recipe w/wheatgrass, broccoli, parsley)

CELEBRATING MY 29TH

My first year of many celebrating 29

Not that there is anything wrong with aging! On the contrary, with so-called age comes experience and wisdom. Believe me, I wouldn't give up the hard lessons of my twenties for anything. 

In fact, it is truly a beautiful thing when we live into the many seasons of our life. And if we hope to age gracefully and live a full life, how we choose to live and experience each of those seasons is key.

I don't know about you, but I plan on living a long and healthy life! We know that biologically we should be living well into our 100's with strong, vibrant health and sharp mental acuity. But why aren't we?

Let's be honest, it's not like most of us don't already know what a healthy lifestyle should look like. (Hint, lots of fresh fruits and veggies, exercise, stress management, etc.) Yet we pretend that healthy living is so complicated. Why? I honesty think it is because we don't honor ourselves enough to do what we know is beneficial for our health.

One of my greatest and dearest lessons thus far has been learning to really love myself. In my journey to overcoming compulsive emotional eating and weight control, I have often asked myself why I sabotage my health even though I know better. For me, it had to do with self-sabotage and self-punishment. But learning to love myself enough to honor my health has been by far my hardest and most rewarding lesson.

Although I really do believe that age is just a number, where you're only as young as you feel... if we're not taking time to honor ourselves and prioritize healthy living, how can we possibly feel young and vibrant?

When we truly honor our health, we lovingly nourish our body with only the purest foods nature has provided us. We take time to care for ourselves with diet, fitness, and time for reflection.

Yes diet and exercise are important, but if we don't start with self love and appreciation we will find it hard to follow through.

So as I live into another year and season of my life, I've decided to renew my commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Not so much because I feel the need to hold on to my youth, but because I want the quality of my life to reflect my truth and values.

RAW FOOD MAGAZINES GALORE!

www.rawfu.com

www.livingraw.com.au

www.fresh-network.com
www.funkyraw.com

www.detoxyourworld.com
www.hippocratesinst.org

www.purelydelicious.net

GOT SUNSHINE IN YOUR DIET?

In connecting back to nature and natural living, one has to acknowledge a simple truth... that life on earth is fed by the sun! Sunlight is the love that nourishes the living essence of life.

Yet as I sit and write this under florescent lights, I can't help but ask myself, how often in our busy modern culture do we feel the healing warmth of sunlight on our bare skin? And how can we take in more of this essential light, this living essence?

A wonderful way to experience more of nature's love and sunshine is simply to add more of it into your diet. Fruits are full of living sunshine nutrients in the form of phytonutrients and antioxidants. They are a wonderful source of natural, healing sunlight! Why? Because fruit trees soak up more hours of sunlight than any one of us do in a year's time.

Think about it...

At an average of 10 hours of daylight each day, oranges can take up to 10 months to grow and fully ripen, absorbing nearly 3000 hours of direct sunlight per fruit. That is a lot of sunshine!

This is nature's gift to us in it's purest form, so colorful and sweet. Fruits are truly nature's candy, full of living nutrients and sunlight. This also holds true for sun kissed leafy greens that use chlorophyll to take in the energies of the sun via photosynthesis.

So have yourself a tropical fruit picnic on a sunny afternoon, add a few greens and indulge in your bowl of sunshine!

AFFIRMATIONS FOR EMOTIONAL EATING

The following affirmative prayer is something I try to do on a daily basis. I have found it to be very helpful in staying connected, in the flow, and in the right mindset on my raw food journey! I truly credit this practice for helping me cope with emotional eating!

Set aside a few moments each day, create a calm space and really feel the words you speak. Feel free to change the text around so that the words resonate with you. And remember, the journey to radiant health must integrate mind, body and spirit!

I take this moment to quiet the mind. With each breath I allow my body to soften and relax. I release all emotional stress from my mind and body. I open my heart to love, embracing the living essence of Life within. 

I thank the Divine for all the good in my life. I trust my inner strength, for I own my power. I am inspired by love and guided by truth. Life is always here to lovingly support me. I am always safe and taken care of. Only love is in my path. 

I create a healthy, delightful world for myself. I give myself the gift of genuine love, welcoming laughter and good health into my life. 

I nourish my body with a vibrant, living cuisine that sustains my beauty... giving me a healthy, natural, radiant glow. I crave only the foods that bring nature’s love and nourishment to my heavenly body. 

My body is sacred, I treat it with love and respect. I am nature’s perfection, I am healthy and whole. It is my destiny to live vibrantly healthy.

I enjoy a healthy lifestyle, keeping my body nourished and fit. I trust my body’s wisdom and intelligence to lovingly slim my figure naturally, with ease and grace. I trust my body’s wisdom to heal from within. 

Eating clean, healthy foods brings vitality and healing. I love and deeply appreciate my beautiful, magnificent body. I honor and thank my body for maintaining balance, harmony and good health. I am my most radiant, healthy and beautiful self. 

I open my heart and mind in receiving all the good of the world. I choose to experience and embody perfect health. I lovingly accept a happy, abundant, healthy reality.

I am a beloved child of this beautiful world and I deserve all the beauty of the world. Thank you for my vibrant health. Today is a new day… and each day to come brings forth more beauty, joy, and vibrant health! 

These are my beliefs! I allow all levels of my being to fully accept and integrate these beliefs.

With love and gratitude I release this truth onto Life!

And so it is.

MY NEW BEGINNING!

Journeying into the New Year takes me back a couple of years ago when I was faced with the realization that I desperately needed a new beginning.

I was overweight and in the first stages of obesity. I was in a relationship I wasn't happy in, with a man I had very little in common with. I was in banking, climbing the corporate ladder working on another promotion, but I absolutely despised my job. I was miserable and felt trapped in every aspect of my life.

I knew that if I didn’t drastically change the direction of my life, I would end up settling for a life I did not want. Beyond that, I felt I really needed to do something that had meaning and some importance in the world.

So what do you do when you’re faced with a quarter-life crisis and you desperately need a new beginning? You risk everything for the chance at happiness, for the chance at something real. So I did the unthinkable, I called off the relationship, quit my nine year banking career, cashed out my 401k, packed up everything I owned into storage, and took off to California to pursue my passion for healthy living… not really knowing where I was going to end up when I got back. I just knew I had no choice!

I enrolled into the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute specializing in raw food cuisine, and began my journey to a healthier and happier life. Since my return from completing the program I have lost a little over 35 lbs, and I'm happier than I’ve been in a very long time.

Today I hope to inspire others with the message that there is a better way to live. That you don’t have to settle for poor health, depression, or obesity. Nature is magnificent and when we begin to live in the perfection of nature we unlock the secret to radiant health. After all, we do have a choice… the choice to live vibrantly healthy, enjoying and embracing every moment along the way.

Change is inevitable with new beginnings, where you find yourself giving up so much in exchange for so much more. The comfort of your past and everything you have ever believed in must be let go of, in order to make room for the new.

But I can honestly say that life opens up the most beautiful opportunities when you finally make the decision to open your heart, stay true to yourself, and begin to live with integrity. My decision to embrace a raw food lifestyle has given me a new appreciation for the healing power of nature, while taking my health to a whole new level of radiance.

BEFORE

1oo% CookedFAT & Miserable

AFTER80% RawHappy & healthy!