The Raw Food
Solution
Your food shall
be your
remedies, and
your remedies
shall be your
food." --
Hippocrates
"Always take a
good look at
what you're
about to eat.
It's not so
important to
know what it is,
but it's
critical to know
what it was."
--Texas Bix
Bender, "Cowboy
Wisdom"
It seems a
particularly
Western idea
that in order to
attain a high
level of health,
it must be
something we
eat, drink or
otherwise
ingest. The
search for a
"magic pill,"
fueled by
unrelenting
pharmaceutical
media campaigns,
enforces this
belief. "Here,
take this for
your headache,
take these to
lose that
weight, and
smear this stuff
on your face for
everlasting
beauty," yell
the pitch
men--and we
obey, opening
our wallets and
in many cases
ignoring common
sense in doing
so.
Other cultures
focus on such
things as yoga,
breath, mantras
and karma. More
archaic
societies
focused on
spirits, gods,
ancestor
worship, and
shamanistic
blessings. Of
course, these
time-intensive
alternatives
would never do
for our
breakneck
lifestyles where
instant
gratification is
aim of most
daily or weekly
endeavors.
A fine
compromise
between these
two divergent
health
strategies is
the raw food
lifestyle. This
month we spoke
with raw food
advocate, Paul
Nison, who was
in town on yet
another tour of
the country
touting the true
health benefits
of eating raw
food.
Paul was led
inadvertently to
the raw food
lifestyle at age
19 via a
diagnosis of
ulcerative
colitis--one of
the most painful
of intestinal
disorders. "I
got colitis
flare-ups about
six times per
year," says
Paul. "Every
time I went to
the doctor, she
told me to stay
away from dairy
foods until I
felt better.
Then she
increased the
dosage of
steroids she was
giving me. When
I felt better
after a few
weeks, she said
it was okay to
eat dairy foods
again. After
that I began to
eliminate
whatever the
doctors told me
was okay to eat.
Eggs, meat, and
sugar to name
just a few. I
told my doctor I
felt better
without these
foods. She told
me food had
nothing to do
with my
condition. After
hearing that
from her, I knew
I was on the
right track."
As Paul
continued to
eliminate cooked
foods from his
diet, he also
continued to
research the
lifestyle, being
greatly
influenced by
Dave Klein
(Publisher/Editor
of Living
Nutrition
magazine), and
David Wolfe, who
had books and
radio programs
circulating.
Joining raw food
support groups,
and networking
with other raw
fooders, Paul
ended up with a
100% raw diet.
"Since going
100% raw, I have
completely
overcome
ulcerative
colitis. I feel
better than ever
and have become
increasingly
inspired about
life. I quit my
stressful job
and began
working as a raw
food chef in a
vegetarian
restaurant. I
organize
raw-food
potlucks every
month. I have
started a raw
food support
group, and I
give lectures on
the raw food
lifestyle to
help others that
have gotten
their wake-up
call."
Making the
transition to
raw food also
takes some
self-reflection
and an awareness
of habitual
patterns. "I
find that people
eat too much
sugar, too much
fat, too much
protein and too
little green
food," says
Paul. "Then they
switch to a
vegetarian diet,
but keep doing
the same thing,
and keep running
into the same
problems. Then
they switch to a
raw diet, but
continue to eat
too much sugar
and too much fat
and too little
green food, and
they run into
the same health
problems."
Just going to
Safeway and
rummaging around
in the produce
section, isn't
going to fully
accomplish
shopping goals
for raw fooding.
Several factors
come into play,
as Paul points
out: "The most
important thing
when eating raw
food, is we want
it to be the
highest quality
possible. That
would be raw,
fresh, ripe and
organic. Now,
it's very easy
in today's world
to get raw and
organic. Ripe
and fresh is
another story.
You've got to
work really hard
to find where we
can get ripe and
fresh foods. But
raw and organic
is everywhere.
Organic is so
important
because it's a
high quality
food, and when
it's not, it's a
low quality
food. Some of
the dirtiest
water we can get
comes from
un-organic
fruits and
vegetables."
Paul recommends
searching the
internet for
resources in
local areas, as
well as hooking
up with raw food
groups that are
springing up
everywhere.
Candida Support
New easy way to
fight Candida
http://www.candidasupport.com
