Everyone has their own reasons for giving the raw food lifestyle a try. I decided to try the raw food lifestyle years ago because of chronic pain, and two serious brushes with death. At first, I wasn't all that impressed with the food because I was still attracted to my old lifestyle and new to preparing delicious meals. After one month of being raw, the weight I always had a hard time dropping, started to came off effortlessly, I noticed I was feeling energized by what I was eating, and I started looking younger too. After about two months being raw, I could taste everything! That is the most vivid thing I recall about my transition to raw food. The intense flavor melody of living food is sensational! The flavor of living food is so fresh and amazing because it is as nature intended, full of enzymes, (our life force). It's packed with nutrients, and water. When we clean our palettes of the Standard American Diet, a whole new world opens up. Foods once thought of as boring, all of the sudden burst with flavor! This intense flavor sensation led me to become a Certified Gourmet Chef. Everyday, I looked forward to creating a new dish in my kitchen. Once I had created a line of foods, I started selling my tasty delights at events. I watched as people's faces lit up. The surprised look on their faces always amused me. Then came the remarks like, "Wow! That is so intensely flavorful!", AMAZING!, or "I can taste everything you put in that!" This from people, who were also transitioning. I had put it to the test and realized it was true for everyone. The cleaner your palette becomes, even the taste of green juice will be a mouth watering event.
My son Ian has been a vegan his whole life and went 100 percent raw in July of 2003. My hubby went 100 percent raw last July, so we are referring to our raw family as San Diego's Premier Raw Family! Molly and Bunker, our two dogs are 100% vegan raw food dogs (raw vegan food I developed for them) and have been for close to five years. They were 100 percent vegans before that. They are nine years old and actually appear to be getting younger every year.
I used to take an arsenal of vitamins, minerals, and various other supplements, but dropped them after the first month of being raw. I simply didn't need them anymore. I felt better than I had ever felt just eating fresh, vibrant, alive foods. A well balanced diet of raw plant foods contains the full compliment of vitamins and minerals necessary in human nutrition. After all where do you think the Supplement Manufacturers get the idea for their supplements? From Nature of course! By the time you get the supplement, there's a big question as to whether or not it is even from nature. There are many fillers used and most of the time, the supplements are synthetic. Even if it is 100% Natural, it isn't fresh, many times it is missing it's whole component, rendering it useless by the body. Perhaps, in the beginning stages of going raw, it might be necessary for some to take supplements. I just didn't feel I needed them and still don't. Jinjee and Storm, long time raw foodists and owners of the Garden Diet, also believe that supplements aren't necessary when one consumes a vast array of living foods.
In a society where many individuals are constantly dehydrated, it makes sense to not only drink more water, but also eat more fruits and vegetables, which are wonderfully watery foods, so it makes sense to eat these particular foods to keep the body properly balanced and hydrated. Water is extremely important for the body. We are made up of 80% water, so it seems reasonable that our bodies continually need water to function properly. I personally drink distilled water, which I feel is the best choice because it allows our bodies to simply hydrate without having to involve the liver in flushing out what it doesn't need. Distilled water can be energized with a pure crystal, making the distilled water come alive!
Raw foods are loaded with enzymes, the elixir of life. Enzymes are responsible for cellular repair, digestion, and so much more. Eating living foods literally FLOODS your body with enzymes. Edward Howell has this to say about enzymes, "Life could not last long without enzymes. They convert the food we eat into chemical structures that can pass through the cell membranes of the cells lining the digestive tract and are absorbed into the bloodstream. Enzymes also aid in converting the food into new muscle, flesh, bone, nerves, and glands. Working with the liver they help store excess food for future energy and building needs."
Consuming enzyme rich raw food enables the body to practically digest itself, freeing your enzymes to repair past damage, create new cells and slow down the aging process.
When you begin to eat raw, living, organic foods, you start to feel so alive and healthy, that's usually enough to keep you motivated to change your eating habits permanently. Going raw over two years ago, has profoundly changed my life. My energy and endurance have increased. I am able to climb the mountain behind my house without huffing and puffing and sometimes I climb it twice a day! I didn't feel like doing that on a cooked Vegan diet. I am never ill or lacking in energy. Headaches, bloating, constipation, weight gain are all things of the past. I've noticed my features have changed right along with my body. Every time my Birthday used to roll around, I would get stressed and depressed. Now, since I have discovered "Youthing", I look forward to my Birthday. People say, "Wow!, You are glowing." I love to hear that. I never heard those words before going raw. I believe, we are what we eat, so why not treat your body like a sacred temple and feed it alive, vibrant, sexy foods?
Animals in the wild never cook their foods. They eat their food the way nature intended and as a result, live mainly disease free. A Gorilla lives on a diet mainly of greens and has exquisite muscles. Can you imagine any wild animal going to a store and buying canned, bagged, or boxed foods and then inviting all their friends over for a barbeque? That would not only be hilarious, but a disaster healthwise for them. Their bodies aren't designed to eat denatured foods anymore than ours are designed for it. Living foods like vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts make sense because they are the most abundant foods on the planet. They are easy to digest, easy to grow, good for you and good for the planet.
Why not give it a try and see for yourself? For more information on the Living Food Lifestyle, please visit www.celestialrawgoddess.com.
--Angela Elliott is the owner of Celestial Raw Goddess ® & Nut Free Cuisine ®
