I’m very proud to share Lauren’s wisdom here! Lauren is healing her Crohn’s disease naturally and doesn’t have to take over half the medication she used to be on due to her healing vegan diet and supplements. I found Lauren’s story over at the Crazy Sexy Life blog. (go ahead and read a little background on her, I’ll wait)

You mention you stressed and worried a lot. About being diagnosed with crohns or in general about other aspects of your life?

The worrying started before crohn’s. I originally thought it was what brought on crohn’s disease. I still feel it probably played a big part in the disease showing up. I’ve always been a worrier, worrying about things that didn’t even matter, like what I was going to do tomorrow instead of living in the present moment and really being there. Crohn’s opened my eyes to this and has made me a more relaxed person. I don’t stress of things I can’t change, nor do I worry about the future. I live in the now and that’s the best I can do.

What essential practices keep you from worrying too much and how does that affect your health?

My essential practices are definitely yoga and meditation and like I mentioned, staying present. I find that quieting my mind even for 5 minutes a day makes a world of difference. Everything that matters before I do that seems to not matter anymore. I also read a page from an affirmation book and try to apply it to my day or pull an Angel Card from some oracle cards I have. I always seem to open to a page or pick a card that can relate to the situation I am in.

What are your primary supplements you can’t go without?

For Crohn’s I find supplements are important. We have absorption issues so a little extra goes a long way. I take a few things, right now I am pregnant so I take a raw vegan prenatal, I also always take vegan vitamin D, iron, B12, calcium, DHA oil, probiotics. I am always adding goodies like hemp seeds, maca powder, spirulina, chia seeds and goji berries to my smoothies.. When I am not pregnant I also take aloe vera juice (a shot every day as soon as I wake up) and digestive enzymes.

What is your exercise regime?

When I am not pregnant I exercise a lot! I really enjoy it as a hobby! I have treadmill so in the morning I will walk about 2 miles 6 days a week and also do either an aerobic type of video, weight lift or yoga. I also make sure I get some form of exercise after dinner, either walking with my dog, riding my bike, going on a hike. Usually something outside, as long as the weather permits. Right now, since I am pregnant, I walk 2 miles 5 days a week and I also do prenatal yoga once or twice a week.

What advice do you have to those diagnosed with Crohns disease, who are afraid NOT to take all the western medicine approaches?

My advice to anyone with Crohn’s is to go with your gut, no pun intended! I knew that at times my doctor (my old doctor) would try to have me on as much as possible without just trying out one thing at a time. I usually paid attention to how I felt on the lowest dose, or least amount of medication and then would add or take away if needed. Of course, I told my doctor I was doing this and wouldn’t suggest anyone doing it on their own. My doctor now is very understanding and knows I want to me on the least amount of medication possible. Our goal is to one day be off of all medication, where my old doctor had once told me that I would be on medication for life. My crohn’s isn’t healed enough to be completely off of everything, but I hope to get there in the future.

Where do you think you would be at if you didn’t go vegan and took all the medications they wanted you to take?

If I didn’t go vegan and took all the medications the doctors wanted me to take, I would probably not be pregnant! I would be very sick, not knowing that food had any part of healing. I was lucky to always be a health food and natural health advocate so I was aware of a lot of things that I don’t think many with crohn’s know. Diet plays a huge part, and cutting out meat and dairy is essential, in my opinion. Meat is extremely hard to digest and dairy.. well, who doesn’t have problems with dairy? IBD or not, most Americans can not digest dairy. So if you are eating it and have something like Crohn’s you are not going to heal your gut, and I definitely wouldn’t be where I am now.

I’m assuming high acidic drinks like coffee and alcohol are off limits for you, how do you substitute them?

I haven’t had coffee since a few months after being diagnosed. I was still drinking it for a short period and I did once try to have it again and it was only 2 days before I got sick. Alcohol was different, I was still drinking here and there up until about 2 years ago (I’ve had crohn’s for 5 years). I got really sick and ended up in the hospital after a few weekends of drinking a little red wine and that was the end of it for me. Now I drink a lot of herbal tea. I also love Teeccino! It is an herbal coffee made from herbs, grains, fruits and nuts. Definitely a great substitute. For alcohol I like to drink Kombucha which is a fermented drink that has lots of probiotics (helpful for the gut). For some reason it reminds me of alcohol, almost like a wine cooler. I pour it in a wine glass when we have friends over and it gives you an amazing feeling from all the benefits it provides. GTS brand is my favorite!

Lauren Nastasi is a health enthusiast who has always had a passion for wellness. She chronicles her journey towards healing through a vegan diet on her blog Ginger is The New Pink. Numerous people living with and without diseases have contacted her in response to her candid account of life with her disease. Lauren enjoys creating healing meals, exercising, yoga, hiking, bike riding, reading and spending time with her husband and pug.

Photo by BurningQuestion

As spring has sprung I’m feeling a serious need to some spring cleaning, not just in my home, but my body! Dr. Sachi (A Doctor of Oriental Medicine- whom you may remember from our last interview: Fit, Fabulous, Over 50…and Sharing Secrets!!) runs many fasting retreats and shares some tips with us below:

In Dr. Sachi’s Words:

I’m often doing a detox- no one can avoid it now, especially children. ADD and autism are mostly due to deficiency and toxicity of our environment.

Children need to start eating detoxifying foods such as bitter greens that support liver function at a young age, otherwise it’s very hard getting a small child to eat such things!

The liver is the largest organ responsible for detoxification. Things that support liver function for example are:

• dandelion
• milk thistle
• broccoli rabe
• basically most things with bitter tastes

In Chinese Medicine, meals should have all 5 elements. Bitter is one of them!

Parasite Cleansing

After the importance of cleansing the liver we need to consider parasites in our intestines. We have a higher incidence of parasites due to travel and imported produce. It used to be we only dealt with our own parasites, but now we are getting world parasites.

things that combat parasites in daily use are spices such as:

• turmeric
• garlic
• ginger

These are great detoxifiers and help to kill parasites.

Fasting

Another important key to detox is fasting. I fast one month out of the year.

Either I do:

• Three 10 day fasts
• Two 2 week or Four 1 week fasts at each season- whatever my body tells me.

During my fast I just drink liquids with lots of raw vegetable drinks. No supplements or vitamins are taken at this time.

Please read more about Sachi’s Fasting Retreats and check out her interview Fit, Fabulous, Over 50…and Sharing Secrets!!

Eating too fast is a serious issue and has detrimental consequences to your digestive system! When you don’t take the time to fully swallow each bite before taking the next bite, that’s when you know you may be eating to fast! If you are a fast eater, you probably aren’t even aware that you are taking 4-5 fork fulls of food in the time it takes a normal paced eater to take one.

The whole digestion process starts in your mouth in the chewing phase. It is really important to actually chew! We should be chewing at least 20-25 times per forkful.

The following digestive problems occur when we eat too fast:

• We delay the feeling of fullness when we eat too fast. Therefore we tend to overeat.
• It is harder for our digestive system to function properly, resulting in poor digestion, including indigestion and heartburn.
• It increases the chances for experiencing indigestion and heartburn.
• Causes the gut to contract, sending you to the restroom almost immediately after eating, a sign of poor digestion, since it means you are not breaking down the foods enough to absorb the necessary nutrients.
• Weak digestion leads to a weak immune system, which leaves you susceptible to illnesses.

Improve your digestive health simply by eating slooowwweeeerrrrr.

Eating is supposed to be a mindful event. Fast eaters miss not only the nutrition in their food, but also the leisure of taking the time out to relax and improve their wellbeing. Perhaps not coincidentally, fast eaters are often guilty eaters, who feel that food is at fault for making them fat, and that they need to quickly sneak their meals because they are doing something wrong. Ironically, it may be the speed at which they eat it which is actually at fault!

Enjoy your food slowly and stay healthier. Here’s how:

• Stop and take a deep breath before eating a meal. Be mindful and remind yourself to pay attention to your breathing and the pace at which you eat.
• Eat at a table, away from the TV or computer (which tend to contribute to overeating.)
• Eat in a quiet, relaxing environment and never eat when you are upset or after (or during!) an argument.
• Make sure you chew and swallow your food before putting the next bite in your mouth. Set your fork down between each bite to train yourself.
• Make sure you are actually tasting the food. Try to notice how the taste changes during the eating process. What is the aftertaste? How is the initial taste? Focus.
• Take smaller bites. Try to count to 30 while chewing.
• Try to figure out why you speed eat and / or overeat. For example, many fast eaters grew up competing with a sibling for food. Eat it now, or it’s gone later. Many carry this with them into adulthood.

Some Benefits of eating slower:

• You will begin to enjoy and favor healthier, whole foods as most commercial and processed foods are engineered in such a way to only taste appealing in the first few bites.
• All the stomach aches and things that “didn’t agree” with you may disappear.
• A trimmer waistline.
• Stronger body from better absorbed nutrients

Eating slower is a simple, healthy habit that can be easily learned, improving health and disease prevention factors tenfold. If you are recovering from life as a fast eater or could use a little help in your digestion, Probiotics are a very valuable supplement for your digestive aid.

For those suffering the consequences of fast eating, some healing can be brought on by blending your food with a high powered blender such as the Vita-Mix. This type of blender allows you to receive ALL of the nutrients from your food whether you chew or not! due to the fact you can make a smoothie out of ALL of the parts of the vegetable. This type of blender does not separate out all the “good” stuff like a juicer does.

What's next? Uranium enriched Bread?!

Bread is everywhere! We can’t escape it, it creeps into our diets daily. However, I try to keep it to a minimum. Here’s why:

If you ask me (which you did, right?) I’ll tell you that most “Whole Wheat Bread” is poison too! I’m talking about commercial processed breads – most of which (among other undesirable ingredients) – include bromide (more on this evil chemical soon). Oftentimes, sadly enough, if its a typical highly processed commercial bread, the fact that it is whole wheat doesn’t make it much better than choosing its white brother.

So…Why is bread bad for you?

There are different schools of thought at work here. Some say that even whole wheat commercial bread is better because it is loaded with fiber and its glycemic index is lower. However, what I’m concerned about in processed bread is a pretty nasty ingredient- bromide- and the fact that all the naturally occurring nutrients have been stripped out in the factory process.

I don’t buy the argument that commercial/processed whole wheat bread is still healthy because all the vitamins and minerals (calcium, iron, vitamin E, etc) are added back to the flour as part of the process. Its still no match for the naturally occurring nutrients that were there in the first place! Also, the companies are using them in their synthetic form, which are not able to properly adapt to our bodies.

Processed bread is treated with a variety of chemicals from the ground to production in order to “bleach” the flour and prevent it from sticking- such as:

• insecticides
• fungicides
• benzoyl peroxide or chlorine dioxide (known to cause cancer)
• methyl bromide
• nitrogen trichloride
• alum
• ammonium carbonate
• nitrogen peroxide

Yuck!

These “hidden ingredients” can cause:

• allergies that manifest as bloating, diarrhoea, eczema, asthma, headache or general malaise or lack of energy
• leaky gut syndrome
• growth of unfriendly toxin generating bacteria in the gut
• slowing of bowel transit time, so toxic substances are in contact with the bowel for longer

It sure makes me crazy that someone would buy a refined, processed “whole wheat plus fiber” bread at their grocery store, hoping it is what they need to support the gastrointestinal tract and help flush out toxins. When they are getting the opposite!

This somewhat dated video of Dr. Mercola in the grocery store describes this scenario:

So…What’s Bromide?

Bromide is a dough conditioner found in most flours as potassium bromate. It came into use in the 1960’s as an “improvement” on potassium iodate.

I’ll cut to the chase: Bromides disrupts the endocrine system and slow down the metabolism. Because bromide is also a halide (Any organic compound that contains a halogen atom can be considered a halide) it competes for the same receptors that are used in the thyroid gland (among other places) to capture iodine. This will inhibit thyroid hormone production, resulting in a low thyroid state. This throws your metabolism out of whack.

Why on earth do they use it, then?

Some commercial bakers claim they use bromated flour because it yields dependable results, and it makes more elastic dough which can stand up to bread hooks and other commercial baking tools.

The UK banned bromate in bread in 1990. 
Canada banned bromate in bread in 1994.

Back in 1999, the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the FDA to prohibit the use of potassium bromate, charging that the FDA had known for years that bromate causes cancer in lab animals, but had failed to ban it.

Who’s not using it?

I prefer non baked breads, known as “live bread”. Not only are the enzymes, minerals and vitamins (all the “goodies”) in it, but no bromide is added and it is more filling, energizing and nourishing.

There are many brands of live bread, my personal favorite being Ezekial Sprouted Bread. I’ve also heard that some manufacturers are starting to advertise their bread as “Bromide FREE.” Look for these!

The healthiest option, though, is to look for “Sprouted Bread”. This is bread that hasn’t been baked but still retains a very bread-like state. It’s packed with all the naturally occurring nutrients and enzymes that processed bread strips out. Other healthier options is to make your own bread from grains such as spelt, quinoa, rice, etc.. (You can easily make your own at home with a Vitamix blender. View this link for a closer look.)

Cast thy bread upon the waters, friends. Let it drown.

References:

Is Whole-Grain Wonder Bread Really Good for You?

The Little-Known Secrets about Bleached Flour…

Iodine and Chelation, Heavy Metals and Halogens, International Medical Veritas Association

The mainstream advice out there for boosting your metabolism levels is generally all the same: Exercise!

Well, I’m going to tell you there are other pieces to the puzzle. There is much more you can do (in addition to exercise) to get your metabolism levels up. Stuff that takes up less time and is easier on your joints.

Read my 5 Tips for Metabolism Magic.

1. Eat 5-6 times a day not 3. Not only is it easier on your digestion, it keeps your metabolism going and your energy levels up! No more food coma.
   
   

   All About Habits explains how to do this correctly. Here is a breakdown of how to do this right so you avoid getting hungry and learn which amount of calories should be right for you.

2. Eat Breakfast. Eat a piece of fruit or smoothie within the first hour of waking and/or eat a good breakfast before noon. Don’t be afraid to make it a more hearty meal… I’m not saying fry bacon or eat a bagel with cream cheese! I mean perhaps eggs, scrambled tofu, or a grain like millet or quinoa. This brings you lots of energy to help keep you full and boost your metabolism levels.
   
   

   Refer to my healthy meal plan post for more breakfast ideas.

3. Bring your metabolism up with herbal stimulants such as:
   • ginger
   • garlic
   • cayenne
   • cloves

   These jumpstart your circulation, breaking up anything which blocks the normal flow of blood, lymphatic fluids, or nutrients. Taking these stimulants warms up your body and creates a higher rate of metabolic exchange.

   Use caution not to overdue stimulants on a daily basis – too much may cause pain when eliminating, or skin irritation. Try introducing a spicy Thai or Indian dish just once or twice a week. Or toss the above ingredients into your smoothies.

4. Start the day with a glass or two of water with lemons instead of coffee, and drink several glasses of water throughout the day… but just not any water. A good brand of mineral water you can trust is much preferred, and Ionized/Alkaline water is best. Water not only supports a feeling of fullness, it also helps your body to digest your food.
5. Take a stand…on your shoulders:
   
   Photo by: gbSk

   The shoulder stand yoga pose pushes your chin into your chest which stimulates your thyroid which in turn, you guessed it!- regulates your metabolism.

   Before doing the shoulder stand, you should start by relaxing in corpse pose for 5 minutes, practicing deep yogi breathing in (to the count of 4) and out (through the nostrils, to the count of 8 ) while mentally scanning your body and telling it to release tension.

   Then do at least two sun salutations before moving on to the shoulder stand. Refer to my beginner’s yoga post for instructions.

I hope these metabolism tips have helped you learn to burn – without stressing your schedule or your muscles.

Dr. Simm Gottesman is an Acupuncture Physician from Florida in possession of vibrant health and youth, a great niece (me!), and much wisdom on natural health secrets.

Simm was the first one to influence me to change my eating habits. I have never been the same since she shared her health secrets with me, more than a decade ago. She is over 50 years old chronologically, but physically, much younger. Her face barely has a crease and she’s maintained a perfect weight for her height for years.

Simm received her acupuncture license in 1982, one of the very first people in the USA to become a licensed Acupuncture Physician (#36 to be exact!). Since then, she has inspired many other people to become practitioners, and there are now almost 2,000 licensed Acupuncture Physicians, in Florida alone.

I asked Simm some frequently asked questions …

Q: What are your main healthy habits to keep off weight and prevent aging?

Qi gong

Qi Gong (Ancient Chinese form of exercise involving gentle movements)- It’s a way to keep you in touch with your body and is a kind of moving meditation to calm mind, body and spirit. It moves the energy, or Qi, in your body, improving your metabolism.

Connecting with nature

Every day, take a walk outside. Hug a tree! Stand on soil- not just on concrete.

I am blessed to have wild life in my back yard. Wild Iguanas, along with an array of ducks and water birds, graze through my back yard everyday. Whenever I have leftovers I always share with my animal friends. I grow plants and herbs like rosemary, lavender, and sage. I also grow milkweed, the only plant that monarch butterflies need to stay on the planet, so that I can be mother to the Monarch Butterflies! I’m always checking on their eggs and caterpillars and making sure they have enough to eat.

Some of the new plants I’ve recently met are stevia and the “dragon fruit plant.”

Eating Healthy

I don’t always eat the same way (eg: just vegan or just vegetarian or just omnivore.)
If you eat the same way all the time I believe it just can make you feel bored and crazy! I believe that variety is the spice of life.

• I alternate between eating 60-70% vegetarian and 60-70% raw, and I switch between them.
• I suspect that one of my other health secrets is dark chocolate! at least 70% dark.
• I also make raw smoothies – about 1 a day, or at least 4 times a week. Click here for Dr. Simm’s smoothie recipes
• I love a cup of coffee in the morning! (I drink Organic coffee because I like the idea of supporting the small farmer co-ops.) Research has proven that coffee has many health properties, and 1 cup a day can have medicinal properties such as:
  • excellent antioxidant
  • prevents Parkinson’s
  • prevents Alzheimer’s
  • prevents Bladder Cancer
  • helps Diabetes
  • excellent antioxidant

I also add soy milk and honey! not sugar and milk! I love to see the confused looks on people’s faces when I ask if they have honey for my coffee and the questions I get about that one.

As mentioned above, I like variety. Forgive yourself if you have desert once in awhile. You deserve it, as long as you know how to balance it with the healthy diet I outlined above. Don’t beat yourself up; think of it as an opportunity to practice forgiveness! We have to remember to treat ourselves like our own best friend!

Q: What form of exercise do you do and how often?

I start off every morning with my morning meditation for about 10 minutes. I play my morning meditation music do some ohming chants and some conscious breathing techniques with silent prayers. Then I move on to my Chi machine. This is a way to get the lymphatic system moving. It is a device that lets you rest just your ankles in it and it gently rocks your legs to and fro while you lay on your back relaxing. Then I do a somersault and a headstand.

I also practice Qui Gong (see above) regularly.

Q: What are your core supplements?

I’m actually not a big believer in supplements. Too many supplements can clog the colon. I used to give colonics and actually saw all the gel capsules that didn’t dissolve and were lodged inside people’s colons there! My suggestion is that if there is a supplement that you want to take, test it out by putting it in a glass of water and see how long it takes to dissolve.

Here’s what I do believe in:

• Alkaline water
  (Also called ionized water.) It hydrates you more than regular water. The alkalinity of the water creates an alkaline environment in your body that cancer can’t live in.
• Probiotics
  Not necessarily just those tablets that are from a bottle! You can also get other probiotics that you need, from the food that you eat – such as things like sauerkraut and yogurt.
• “Holy” basil
  This herb has been revered by holy men in india for thousands of years as an outstanding anti-inflammatory.

Those who wish to consult with Simm Gottesman, Acupuncture Physician, may do so by contacting her by email direct: acusimm(at)aol.com. She is available for acupuncture treatments in the South Florida Area.

Read more here on Dr. Simm’s natural healing advice.

I’d like to thank Dr. Simm, Acupuncture Physician, for taking the time to do this interview with me. She is an Inspirational person who is staying young, thin, and disease-free and over 50 too! I thank her for all her wisdom and natural health secrets and sharing it here!

If you enjoyed this interview you may also enjoy my interview with Dr. Sachi

What does it mean to “Alkalize” your body? Well, it’s the opposite of having your system be Acidic. Remember those litmus papers from high school lab? You can actually use those to test our urine or saliva to see what your pH level is. We ideally want to score at least in the 6-7 range because this means we are not too acidic (which can lead to health problems).

What causes an acidic pH level?

These foods, for starters:

• coffee
• meat
• dairy
• beer
• aspartame
• chocolate
• vinegar
• soda

What creates an alkaline level?:

• leafy greens
• lemons (tricky because before entering your body they are acidic)
• olive oil
• most fruits and vegetables
• herbal teas
• fish

Why is it bad to have an acidic pH level? (Or: Why is it good to be Base?)

It is now known that a more alkaline pH level is most desirable in order to loose weight and keep it off, and to ward off disease. Obesity is actually linked to an acidic pH level. This is because acid is a waste product of our body after it uses energy. If we are fueling our body with acidic foods and liquids, we can not get rid of it properly and the acid builds up as fat.

Download a free Alkaline food chart here

Watch this fascinating Video about alkalizing!

Some other undesirable effects of acid buildup are:

• weak immune system
• chronic fatique
• speeds up aging process
• higher likeliness of cancerous mutations
• digestion/elimination problems
• diabeties

Some benefits of alkalizing your body are:

• thin body that keeps the weight off
• disease free body
• youthful appearance slows down the aging process
• promotes healthy cell growth (non mutated)
• feel energized
• digest and eliminate properly

What’s your pH level right now? find out.

What you can start doing TODAY:

• Add fresh squeezed lemons to your water
• Cut back on coffee (no more than 2 cups a day)

So….Drop the acid and get base…pronto!

Like many people these days, you might be searching for an alternative to antibiotics. It always seems any little infection we get, the answer from doctors is always the same: Antibiotics!

It is foolish to always rely on antibiotics as the quick fix to any infection, since they can have so many different causes, and every time we take these meds, our bodies build up a resistance to them…meaning that antibiotics often cause more problems than they ultimately fix!

But there is an alternative…. GSE – Grapefruit Seed Extract. Seriously!

This “liquid gold” is made from the pulp of the grapefruit seed. GSE is a bitter, yellow-tinged liquid. Just a few drops mixed in water or juice is the usual method of usage. Here’s my favorite: Nutribiotic – GSE Liquid Concentrate, 4 fl oz

The seeds of grapefruits, when processed into the liquid, unleash their plant chemicals (or, scientifically speaking: Polyphenolic compounds). The plant chemicals released from the grapefruit seed happen to be extremely anti-microbial , meaning they fight against bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites and disallow them to thrive. GSE doesn’t stop there. It also strengthens the immune system and naturally aids the body to rid itself of toxins, and to neutralize free-radicals (making it an excellent antioxidant.)

It has so many other uses…here are just a few of them:

Internal uses

• Sore throats: gargle with it a few times a day to rid you of your sore throat.
• Alkalizing substance:It is known that alkalizing the body (or maintaining a healthy pH level in the body that is not too acidic) is the key to health disease prevention. Fungi, bacteria, and parasites can’t survive in the alkaline environment created by GSE.
• Intestinal problems: Stomach pains, digestive problems, and diarrhea can all benefit from a shot of water with 6 or so drops of GSE.
• Vaginal yeast infections: A douche with GSE can clear up a yeast infection.

External uses

• Jock itch
• Thrush
• Skin fungus
• Insect bites
• HPV and herpes

Nutribiotic – GSE Liquid Concentrate, 4 fl oz is an essential on any backpacking trip. I traveled all over the world and it came in very useful for every little off stomach in third world countries.

Best of all, you don’t build up immunity to it…and you don’t need a prescription. You just feel….clean inside. Thank me later.

So whenever you are looking for an antibiotic alternative, reach for the GSE! This anti-microbial “liquid gold” has over 100 uses to ward off fungus, bacteria, viruses and even intestinal parasites!

The Raw Food Diet (totally vegetarian – no worries!) stems from the belief that all food we eat should be “alive.” All processed junk foods are “dead”, and raw foodists go on to say that by cooking or baking food we “kill” it – so that any vegetable cooked, or any bread baked, is “dead.” What they really mean is that all the good enzymes that keep us disease-free are missing.

It makes sense to me! Bread and pasta, for example, convert into sugar when you digest them… and not the good sugar, either. Bread also has bromide, which is a toxin to humans said to be a cause of cancer, and also causes the iodine levels in your body to go down. We need the iodine for normal thyroid function (metabolism), so low levels are destructive. It is no longer a secret that we become obese and diseased if we eat too much white bread, flour and sugar.

And weight control aside, a Raw Food Diet has been known to help cure or prevent Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, Acne, Migraines, Back, Neck and Joint Pain, Asthma, High blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Hypoglycemia, Colitis and Diverticulitis, Candida, Arthritis, Serious Allergies, Depression, Anxiety and Mood Swings, Heartburn, Gas and Bloating, SkinDiseases, Obesity, Menopausal Symptoms, Chronic Fatigue, and Cancer!

Yes, I know: it sounds radical that raw food can tackle that star gallery of diseases…but think about it. Cancer, for example, is caused in part by free-radicals causing cells to mutate. Abnormal cells=cancerous growth. Raw vegetables, especially when blended with the VitaMix, release all their Phytonutrients (plant- or fruit-derived compounds that are anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-cancerous). We don’t get a lot of these when we use a normal juicer or when we cook foods -we kill them!



I admit, I don’t do the Raw Food Diet full force. However, I try to do it at least 30% of the time. I was suffering for a time from food allergies and toxic buildup. I went on a good raw food kick – which is what I do when I hit my wellness bottom – and it worked. This is probably how I’ve stayed the same 120lbs weight for years!

Ready to go Raw?

Well you will definitely need one of these babies:

Check out the Vitamix and try out the high power blender absolutely free on a demo basis. OR Read about How to get the most out of a Vitamix

Your’e also going to need a good raw food recipe book:

The recipes in this book are delicious and someday soon I want to invest in a food dehydrator to take it to the next level, and make the more interesting things (and save money!) making items like raw bread and crackers myself.

In our modern times, highly processed foods, new methods of genetically engineering our food, and large amounts of chemicals and pesticides haunting our favorite fruits and vegetables are all increasing the bad bacteria in our intestines. This is making America diseased – causingIBS, obesity, yeast infections, weak immune systems , and more.

Today’s altered vegetables are inferior to their grandparents, missing the HSO’s – Homeostatic Soil Organisms – actually helpful to humans. These organisms live in soil, and were traditionally left intact with our crops. They help eat all the bad bacteria and toxic build up on the walls of our intestines, the ones that make us sick and not digest / eliminate food properly. These bad bacteria also cause food allergies and make us more susceptible to picking up colds and flu’s that are going around. Unfortunately, our ultra-germ phobic society has thrown out the good with the bad.

There is something you can do: Put back the good bacteria

Garden of Life – Primal Defense, 180 caplets has all the HSO’s you need to fight the bad guys in your gut.

When I was on these products, they really worked to strengthen my immunity and digestive health. I even traveled through Mexico, and my stomach was way stronger than my boyfriend’s (who ended up vomiting and diarrhea, like most tourists.) I really believe the HSO’s protected me: It’s probably what the Mexicans have that we don’t!