Recently, I was asked “What is a raw foodist?” Larry and I are both what is considered ‘high raw’ foodists. Which means, that we are vegan, in that we don’t eat any animal products which includes all dairy, eggs, yogurt, cheese, etc. And about 80-90% of our diet is raw vegan food. I enjoy creating dishes that taste like some of our favorites such as raw tacos, raw pizza, raw lasagna, all made with nuts and vegetables, and other ingredients that pull it all together. You’ll find these recipes and more when you subscribe to my my weekly Raw4Healing recipes.

Now some raw foodists will disagree with me on this point: I do not feel it is necessary to be 100% raw all the time, in fact, often times it simply is not realistic for most people. But I definitely feel that the benefits of an 80% to 100% raw food lifestyle far outweigh any other dietary choices out there. We enjoy some things cooked, like yams, brown rice, black beans, Lima beans, whole grains, etc. Larry still enjoys eggs occasionally and I’m not super strict about what he eats.

Basically, after having gone through detox, colon cleanses, etc. it’s okay to ‘fall off the wagon’ so to speak once in a while. Sometimes it can’t be helped, like when we go to the kids’ house for dinner, or family and friends get together. And if that’s the case, we’ll bring something from our kitchen to share. People have to do what is right for them, what works best for their lifestyle, and their families. But bottom line, it is important to look seriously at what is in our food, the quality of it, the chemicals, pesticides, preservatives, food colorings, artificial flavorings, MSG, GMO, hormones, etc., etc., and how it affects our health after eating this way for 10 - 20 years. That’s why so many chronic diseases occur in the 40 and over age group. We’ve been programmed to eat this way, and society constantly tells us to eat these processed foods. It’s on TV, newspapers, billboards, magazines, everywhere.

I’ve been a health nut all my life, I learned a lot from my grandparents, who took vitamins and were considered ’strange’ in their day. They became vegetarians back in the ’70s after my grandfather read about how animals are inhumanely treated and slaughtered, and the hormones, and pesticides that are in the beef and chicken. This all ends up on the table or in a restaurant. He immediately became a vegetarian, I remember it vividly. I was in my 20’s and it was pretty radical for our family that always had traditional turkey for thanksgiving and roast beef for Christmas, and ham for Easter!!

But they both lived to be 93 and 94 and would have lived longer if the doctors and prescriptions had left them alone, thanks to medical intervention.

Both my parents died from medical intervention, my dad of leukemia, and my mom from a rare debilitating paralyzing disease. My dad’s cancer went into remission when he started doing some natural treatments, holistic and nutritional therapy. But his doctor said it wasn’t going to work and insisted he go back for radiation and chemo… he died soon after that. My mom had a stiff neck, and some tingling in her legs, and the doctor wanted to do exploratory surgery on her neck at the famous Stanford Univ. hospital. She almost died on the table there twice. When they sent her home, she couldn’t walk, was paralyzed on her left side, and suffered that way the rest of her life. She was only 30 at the time, and lived to be 71, much longer than any of us kids expected.

After my grandparents and parents died, I started to do a lot of research. I didn’t want to be another statistic… and I knew I had some genes to fight against. This was back in 2005 right after my mom died, and I became a full blown vegan, having already been vegetarian most of my life. Last year, in researching for one of my other health sites, I learned that raw food was the next best step toward optimum health and healing. Thus, raw4healing.com was born.

Since then, my husband has lost over 40 pounds, and I have lost 20 pounds… and so many little health issues that we generally attribute to getting old are gone. Gone are migraines, hypoglycemia, arthritis, skin rashes, sleep disorders, mood swings, went through menopause without a hitch, constipation, joint pain and stiffness, all gone… we both have increased energy, and feel like we’re in our late 20’s.

Before attempting a food switch, it is important to find some books to read about it, or articles, but I like Dr. Mercola’s books. I also like David Wolfe’s, and my other favorite is Gabriel Cousens, “Conscious Eating”. The internet is LOADED with tons of free info, testimonies, etc., just Google ‘raw food’ and you’ll find all you need to know, plus what I have too, but don’t stop there. Plus, I should add it is best to check with your doctor, preferably a holistic practitioner, or a nutritionist who knows you and your health requirements.

Also, most people eat the SAD (standard American diet) and as a result, need to first go through a detox program. If constipation is a common health challenge, then ‘juice feasting’ helps to regulate elimination. This is what killed my mother. She was always constipated, trying all kinds of laxatives and in time, the toxins in her blood reduced her immune system, causing her heart to work harder, and she died of a heart attack. Part of it was because she was unable to be active due to her partial paralysis… but she almost always complained of constipation and I didn’t know enough at the time to help her.

So I started my detox program with fresh wheatgrass juice and carrot juice several times a day. This was before I learned about ‘juice feasting’ (consisting of fresh fruits and greens, like spinach, kale, romaine lettuce), which I also recommend but it requires a high speed blender, OR a food processor, then transferred to a regular blender. Two quarts a day for a week, to two weeks, or more and drink plenty of filtered water. Some people are very toxic and during the detox will experience headaches, cramps, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, but usually for only a few days… Then transition over to solid food, but only organic all natural fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Preferably 100% raw for a few months… after that, it becomes a personal thing, you learn what works for your own body. Like I can tell right away if something I ate is going to agree with me or not.

People complain that it is hard to give up the foods we grew up with, often times considered comfort foods. Dietary changes are a personal thing, each person needs to do their own research, and do what works best for them. Many people cannot or will not give up their favorite foods, but refuse to face the fact that they may actually be addicted to them. Thanks to scientific food engineering, they have done an excellent job of brainwashing and hooking the masses for profit, and certainly not for health!

What keeps me on the natural, vegan and raw path are the major conspiracies in our government and secret world organizations that control the quality of our food and water, and that our food is processed without any regard at all for our health, in fact it is designed to make us want it all the time, with artificial flavorings, colorings, etc., (consequently we have an extremely HIGH obesity rate nowadays) and also designed to destroy our health so that the medical INDUSTRY and pharmaceutical industries, and the major food corporations (yes, they are all in this together), can stay in business - stay rich… because if people get healthy, then they don’t make any money… and our government, the FDA, etc. all support this scheme. I urge people to do their own research about what is really happening behind the scenes with regard to the deliberate contamination of our food and water supply.

Many people reject what I say about our food being ‘designed’ to make us sick, either because they trust their government (after all we’ve been programmed to believe them, right?), or they feel helpless and powerless, which isn’t true. There are many activist groups that are more public and out in the open about these issues, marching in the streets with signs to protect our health freedom, before the cops come and take them away… and you won’t hear about it on your evening news.

A long time ago, I studied to become a nurse, only to drop out after learning that much of the training is about how to treat with drugs, etc. No nutritional training, and that is true for doctors, too. My sister in law is a charge nurse in a hospital, and she agrees with me 100% - we have great discussions. She said it is true that pharma reps come in with stacks of pizzas for the doctors and nurses, and they are trying to ’sell’ their drugs and literature to the nurses - and if that doctor or hospital ’sells’ enough of their drugs, they get kickbacks and dinners, and vacations, etc.

Needless to say, the raw vegan lifestyle is so much more than a dietary change. First, I feel it is following what God ordained in the beginning, in Genesis 1:29: “And God said, “See, I have given you every herb (vegetables) that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.” And second, it’s more than just improving our health; it involves every aspect of our lives, our relationships, our families, our environment, and what is going on behind the scenes that is never allowed to be made public. News and information that never makes it to the national TV networks, or newspapers. If you want to know, you have to dig, and be ready for surprises.

I think of John Lennon’s famous song: “Imagine”. Imagine world peace. Imagine global health. Imagine if everyone followed a high raw vegan diet. There would be no sickness and disease. No need for doctors and pharmaceutical drugs. Babies would be born healthy and grow up to be healthy and high functioning adults. People would be at peace with each other, there would be no wars because they would not be consuming foods that contain excitotoxins and high amounts of sugar and other chemicals that cause mood swings, aggressive behavior or mental health issues. There would be no need for raising beef and chicken, or for slaughterhouses, or dairies. The land would be cared for and fed organic natural compost fertilizer and used for growing crops that feed people, not cows or other animals. Our air quality would improve if we didn’t have methane gas that come from cattle farms. There are at least a hundred human and environmental benefits if everyone followed a high raw, vegan lifestyle. Maybe someday I can research that aspect of it and post it here.

Blessings!
Larry and Lauren

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This is from Raw Family monthly news letter for March/April 2008

Ode to Organic Farmers

Dear Friends,

We like shopping at stores that carry organic foods. The organic industry is a fast- growing industry in the United States. We’re not the only ones who notice that - large corporations do too. Recently I ran across a unique website created by assistant professor of Michigan State University, Philip H. Howard, PhD. From this website I learned that my favorite frozen fruit company, Cascadian Farms, is in fact owned by General Mills. I contacted Dr. Howard and he graciously gave me permission to publish his research link.

You will find out many more connections:

Odwalla - owned by Coca Cola
Naked Juice - owned by Pepsi
Spectrum Organics, Garden of Eden, Celestial Seasonings and others - owned by Heinz
Boca Foods and Back to Nature - owned by Kraft
Dagoba Chocolates - owned by Hershey
Morningstar Farms - owned by Kellogg
Horizon and White Wave - owned by Dean
Nature’s Farm- owned by Tyson
Annie’s Naturals- owned by Solera Capital
Maranatha- owned by American Capital Strat. Ltd.
Power Bars- owned by Nestle
Seeds of Change- owned by M&M Mars

You may see for yourself; look for your favorite companies at this link:

http://www.msu.edu/~howardp/organicindustry.html

One can imagine how difficult it is to maintain small organic food factories. A lady I knew once ran a raw food bakery with piroshkis and scones and was only able to survive four weeks before they got stuck in debt and had to close down. Since learning of her experience I consider all organic farmers and health food companies to be heroes, as they are competing with those who sell sugar and white flour products. Even though the prices of organic products seem high to us, very often they earn as little as a charity.

I completely understand how the smaller companies often feel forced to crawl under the wing of larger corporations. The good news is that we have a way to support small corporations: by buying locally grown food.

Below are two amazingly comprehensive websites that will help you find organic sustainable farms, stores and restaurants in your area.

http://www.localharvest.org/… and http://www.eatwellguide.org/

We have a weekly farmer’s market from the end of April till the middle of November. I go every Saturday and depending on the season, purchase anywhere from $40 to $80 worth of produce. Then I don’t have to go to the grocery store for my fruits and vegetables. I receive great benefits in buying from local farmers:

~ I save quite a bit of money
~ My produce is of the best quality
~ I support my local organic heroes
~ I receive the enjoyable experience of communicating with the people that grow my food
~ I help save gasoline and the environment by buying food that wasn’t shipped thousands of miles
~ I feel connected to nature and the seasons, even though I spend my life in front of a computer.
~ It tastes so good!

To better understand what it takes for small farmers to make a living, I invite you to watch this heroic video, in which Jaime Jones, owner of The Date People (www.datepeople.net), climbs a 60 foot ladder, to reach the tops of high date palms.

Turn on the volume, listen to the funky music and enjoy!

Check out this Youtube video of The Date People.

The Date People

I hope you’ll be inspired to get to know and support your local heroes.

Part of the raw food lifestyle is going green in every other area of your life besides the organic food you eat. From recycling your garbage wastes and composting your veggie trimmings, to using low energy lightbulbs and hanging your laundry on the clothesline in the summer. There are so many ways to cut down on energy consumption, but what about the fuel you use in your vehicle? With gas prices rising to over $4.00 a gallon, is this even possible?

Well, there is a new technology that allows you to run your car on water in your gas tank instead of gasoline. Incredible sounding, I know!

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