My Personal Rawvolution

Sorry for the length of this post. I needed to do it to bring family and friends up to date. I promise that future posts will be more condensed. Get a big raw snack before diving in ...

As some of you know, I took a dietary adventure that began a year ago to a new level on January 1st. Because many of you have contacted me with concerns that I’d either grown a second head or lost the one I have, I thought I’d take time to share information about my new lifestyle, why I chose it, how it works, the scientific support, etc. In a nutshell, on January 1st I began eating a 100% raw, vegan diet. My diet consists of raw vegetables, fruits nuts and seeds. My reasons for adopting this lifestyle were partly spiritual and partly because I was seeking healing from diabetes and other health concerns.

Eight years ago, I was mostly bedridden and was on 16 different prescription medications. Through God’s grace, mercy and healing, my illnesses, including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Hypertension, Insomnia, Depression, extreme food and environmental allergies, and potential Multiple Sclerosis (I was diagnosed three times), were completely healed through the use of herbs, moderate dietary changes, and natural supplements. However, I still had to take insulin for Diabetes (I was diagnosed at the age of 2), and a natural prescription for Hypothyroidism because my Thyroid gland completely died in 1994. I believe with all my heart that God does not desire us to be sick and that He created our bodies to heal themselves. After all, when you get a paper cut, you trust your body to heal itself and probably don’t bother doing much to it. Doesn’t it make sense that our all-powerful God designed us so that all our health issues heal the same way? I’ve spent several years studying healing in the Bible and believe that God DOES desire us to be healthy. I also believe He wants to heal all illnesses, but that our personal lifestyle choices prevent or even reverse His perfect healing.

I first heard of the raw food lifestyle several years ago from a man who had experienced miraculous healing from Congestive Heart Failure, debilitating anxiety attacks, Eczema, and many other health conditions. Although I was amazed at the healing he shared, I have to admit that I dismissed him as a total lunatic and complete fanatic. In the months that followed, God bombarded me with new information about the raw food lifestyle. I did some preliminary research and decided to "go raw" about a year ago. I failed miserably because I wasn’t adequately prepared mentally, hadn’t prayed about it enough, and hadn’t done enough research. I stayed about 50% raw and 50% Standard American Diet (SAD). Although I was continually experiencing improved health from the use of supplements and wiser food choices, my body was still plagued by hypothyroidism and diabetes. Convinced that my food choices were preventing God from healing me, I began researching raw foods in much more depth. I later received a link to a movie called, “Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days.” The movie follows six diabetics who go raw for 30 days. Every one of them (minus one who drops out) is able to be off insulin and all other prescription medications at the end of the 30 days. They also lose a considerable amount of weight and have truly miraculous healing from a variety of health ailments. Watching the video was a very emotional experience for me. I decided this was the answer I’d been seeking. I decided to be a total glutton during the holidays—which I did very successfully—and to go 100% raw on January 1st.

On January 1st I started a six-day juice fast and wound up I extending it to eight days to ensure a thorough detox. I'll spare you the gory details, but my body got rid of a lot of toxins during my juice fast. My skin was a mess, I was frequently dizzy, and my digestive system was working overtime. I was so excited to know that my body was beginning the healing process! Since then I’ve been 100% raw. I don’t eat anything cooked and I’m not starving. I also don't' eat any meat, eggs, dairy, or wheat in any form. My diet consists of veggies of every color, lots of leafy greens, and small amounts of raw, soaked nuts and seeds. I won't eat fruits 'til I've been off insulin for at least six months. I also fast one day per week. I use my dehydrator to make raw breads and crackers and have a supply of sprouted grasses and grains going at all times. I actually eat a wider variety of foods now than I did when I ate the SAD (standard American diet). It's so delicious! I’m consuming FAR more vitamins and minerals through this diet and no longer need to take handfuls of supplements.

Since going raw, I’ve experienced the following healing:

-My insulin usage has dropped from 70 units/day to around 10-15 units per day. It also only takes about half as much insulin to correct a high blood sugar (which almost never happen now) or counteract carbs I eat (which are very few). This means my pancreas is producing insulin on its own, which is miraculous after 42 years of diabetes! Praise God!!

-My Thyroid gland has completely regenerated itself and I no longer need to take the natural prescription medication I was on

-My blood pressure consistently stays around 90/70

-My resting heart rate has dropped 25 beats per minute, which means my heart will beat 13 MILLION fewer times this year than it did last year

-Frozen shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis) in both shoulders has completely disappeared

- Tendon damage in both thumbs which the docs said was permanent and couldn't be “fixed” is completely gone; I no longer have pain or limited range of movement

-My total cholesterol is 100, and my LDL (the one you want really low), is 40 … almost nonexistent

-I only need about six hours of sleep per night to feel rested

-My mental clarity is sharper than it’s been for many years

In summary, I feel FANTASTIC!! Although I actually tried not to lose weight, I’ve lost about 12 pounds since going 100% raw. My body will reach its perfect weight on this diet, so I’m not concerning myself with weight loss or gain. My husband, Terry, has seen such dramatic changes in my health that he has gone raw! He's already seeing amazing improvements in his health and can fit into jeans that he hasn't been able to wear for several years. We both feel such a passion for helping others find health that we are devoting ourselves to teaching and coaching others about the Living Foods Lifestyle.

Ok … I know you’re wondering how I get enough protein, right? That’s everyone’s first question. The answer is that: 1) Americans eat FAR more protein than we need. The ideal amount of protein is about 1/3 our body weight in grams of protein per day, or your body times .36. Most of us eat three times that amount. Eating excess protein puts a huge burden on our kidneys which can lead to kidney damage when combined with hypertension and other health issues. 2) Vegetables have far more protein in them than you’d realize, but those proteins are destroyed during the cooking process. I eat such a broad variety of vegetables every day that I do not need to worry about getting sufficient protein. 3) I eat plenty of nuts and seeds and at least one avocado per day to ensure I get enough protein. I’m NOT anemic and I’m not losing muscle mass. I’m healthier than I’ve been in years!

Why does a raw food diet allow the body to heal? Mainly because it eliminates toxins and poisons from the body and allows the body to cleanse and detoxify itself. The SAD (standard American diet) bombards our bodies with toxins and poisons that sap the body of energy and create pollution in our cells. The body becomes so bogged down by these toxins that it ceases to function the way God intends it to. Raw foods cleanse the body in a way that allows it to return to the health God wants us to have. Raw foods also provide live enzymes. Every chemical reaction in the body is initiated by or requires enzymes. Recent studies have proven that our bodies have a limited supply of lifetime enzymes and that most of us become enzyme-depleted around age 40. Eating cooked food requires our body to provide extra enzymes for digestion, thus depleting the body’s store of enzymes. When we eat raw, live food that’s loaded with natural enzymes, our body can use the enzymes it would have used for digestion to heal and regenerate areas of the body that need it. Finally, eating a raw food diet provides an almost complete array of vitamins and minerals that our body requires to function and to heal itself of the damage caused by daily living. These reasons are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to explaining the physiological reasons that raw foods allow the body to heal. There are many others, and over 100 years of scientific studies exist that prove a raw food lifestyle is far healthier than what we have come to consider "normal." Please contact me if you'd like more information about those studies.

One final, although most important, reason for going raw is that it is the diet God originally intended us to eat. In Genesis 1:29, God told Adam and Eve: "Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.” (TLB) Although we might wish God had built KFCs and Taco Bells in the Garden, He instead gave Adam and Eve a purely vegetarian, vegan diet. It stands to reason that Adam and Eve ate their food raw since there would have been no reason to cook it. God did not give man permission to eat meat until he opened the Ark after the flood, and then did so only because there wasn’t enough plant life to sustain Noah and his family. God “coincidentally” shortened man’s lifespan from over 900 years to around 125 years at the same time He gave permission to eat meat. Coincidence? I think not.

In conclusion, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that this diet is allowing God to heal me in ways He hasn’t been able to before. Words truly can’t describe how wonderful I feel. My research has revealed testimony after testimony of people who were healed of cancer, AIDS, arthritis, heart problems, Multiple Sclerosis, obesity, diabetes, psoriasis and eczema, and many other health issues after adopting the raw food lifestyle. I'm in for life! God bless!