I recently attended a raw (vegan) food festival in Sedona, AZ called
Raw Spirit. I went, as a favor to a friend, with an open mind to learn what I could and have a good time. I never thought I would be advocating a raw food diet but now I am. All of the "raw people" I met were healthy, glowing, toned, energetic, clear thinking and happy. Many I spoke with said they turned to eating raw because they had serious health problems like cancer or diabetes. All of the ones I spoke with had been completely cured and don't even get common illnesses like colds or the flu anymore, nor do they experience typical aches and pains associated with their age or life in general. There were "less healthy" raw people there but they would always confess to not being 100% raw or having had relapsed into an unhealthy diet for one reason or another.
I attended some seminars on fighting cancer and diabetes and was absolutely amazed. I listened to doctors who cure people of cancer and diabetes in days or weeks without chemo or radiation unless absolutely necessary. So if you know of anyone with these health problems or any others, please encourage them to look into raw foods. It could save a life. There are "healing centers" across the country. It is worth some research time online to find a legitimate place near you or a sick loved one. I am not going to bash "traditional" doctors in this blog but I will say that they are just not trained for this kind of stuff so they can't guide you in this direction. I wouldn't ask my dentist advice about open heart surgery, so why ask a traditional drug prescribing doctor advice on natural cures?
Another thing I never knew is that cancer feeds on sugar. A friend, who is overcoming her cancer now, was told by her raw food nutritionist that everyone with cancer has
Candida, which causes cancer and other lovely health problems. A quick google search of the terms "candida and sugar" produced several websites that said the same thing. This is not a plug for artificial sweeteners, they are also bad for us. But if sugar causes candida and candida causes cancer - lay off the sugar!
Superfoods are also
extremely important. Superfoods provide high concentrations of the minerals and vitamins we need making it less important for us to eat large quantities of food to thrive. Most raw foodies say they don't even eat 1/2 of what "normal" portions are because they are getting what the body needs already. Although Superfood is not an "official" term, even sites like
WebMD are hip to their power.
I don't have all the answers after one weekend but I can say that I have lost weight and feel better after eating raw for just a little over a week. And I'm not even 100% raw (maybe 75-80%).
I encourage anyone interested in feeling better than they ever have, being healthier, stronger and maybe even smarter than they have ever been, to look into the raw food lifestyle or at least Superfoods. I won't say that it is easy, raw foodies all own food dehydrators, cookbooks, blenders and buy organic veggies. But I will say that after a few days I could feel a difference. So for me, the extra work and ridicule from my "cooked" friends and family is worth it. I got sick when I ate meat after a week of eating raw - of course fast food wasn't really a good choice. I won't be giving up my sushi anytime soon but I also don't want to go back to feeling how I did before (which I thought was pretty good at the time). Some of the raw food is really really good. And some of it isn't so great. But you can say the same for cooked food.
Take a raw food challenge for your health - read up on it, download some recipes and try it for a couple of weeks. Start out gradually. It's very hard to jump straight into 100% raw. Just like you can't go from being a couch potato (cooked or not) to a marathon runner in one day. Eat happy, eat healthy.
