Vol 3 Issue 4 Summer 2006 £3.

95 The Truth About Raw Fats Foods To Feed The Soul

Get Fresh!
For people passionate about pure food, health and living life to the full.

Your Summer Exclusive Interview

Detox Plan
Lighten up with the season’s
Natalia Rose
most delicious foods

Infertility
The real causes

The
Perfect
Picnic
Food to be shared
in the sun

MORE: Reviews | Regular Columns | Raw food Recipes

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 Editor’s
Letter
W
elcome to the Summer 2006 issue of Get Fresh!, and my first issue as editor. Unless this

© iStockphoto.com/absolutely_frenchy
is the first time you have ever seen the magazine, you’ll have noticed that it’s looking
rather different! Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for the fabulous new image. That’s
down to the art direction and design of Mike Marshall, Leyton Edwards and the rest of the team
at eatsleepthink. It’s safe to say that they have exceeded all our expectations with this visual feast
of a magazine, and we look forward to bringing you more gorgeous-looking issues of Get Fresh! in
partnership with this wonderful company.

I’m thrilled to have taken charge of what is easily my favourite magazine of all time, and I
know many readers feel the same about it. That is in large part thanks to Karen’s hard work,
passion and dedication over the last six years – and so is Get Fresh!’s impressive list of contributors.
Thank you Karen, and thank you contributors! Without these experts – who are world-class
leaders in their particular areas of raw nutrition and its related subjects – Get Fresh! would not
be the magazine it is. However, I’m not stopping there. I am in the process of adding to that list,
and given the massive growth in all things raw on both sides of the Atlantic there’s no shortage
of candidates.

In this issue, we are privileged to be featuring Natalia Rose for the first time ever – our exclusive
interview with her begins on page 30. Natalia is a Manhattan-based clinical nutritionist who has
achieved great success putting all her clients on 70% raw or higher, and she is also the author of The
Raw Food Detox Diet. I’m a huge admirer of Natalia’s work and I’m sure you will be too when you
read what she has to say.

On page 42 we welcome another new face to Get Fresh! – Russell James, the Fresh Network’s resident
raw chef. Russell trained with ‘mother of gourmet raw vegan cuisine’ and Get Fresh! contributor
Cherie Soria at the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute in California. For this issue he has
written a special piece on how to prepare delicious raw picnics to enjoy in the (hopefully) glorious
summer weather.

On page 58 you’ll find our new feature A Day In The Life. In each issue a different raw expert
will provide a peek into their daily lives – what time they get up, how they spend their time,
what and when they eat, and a whole lot more. In this issue we feature the vibrantly inspirational
Alissa Cohen.

If I could I would go on and rave about every single article in this issue, but I am running out of
space. I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as I have enjoyed putting it together. All that
remains is for me to wish you a happy, healthy, fun-filled summer!

Sarah
Sarah Best
Editor

Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006 3

 Vol 3 Issue 4 Summer 2006
Published by The Fresh Network Ltd
Director Karen Knowler
Editor Sarah Best
Cover Image © iStockphoto.com/LiseGagne
Design eatsleepthink
Printer The Manson Group Ltd
Contact details
Get Fresh! magazine, The Fresh Network,
Unit 7, Orchard Farm Business Park,
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sarah@fresh-network.com
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unbeatable subscription package.
The Get Fresh! Philosophy
Get Fresh! is the international voice of the
raw food movement, featuring viewpoints,
teaching and philosophies from some of the
most prominent natural health authorities in
the world, and real life stories and interviews
with those living a raw and living foods
lifestyle. Its aim is to educate, motivate
and inspire, while retaining a rational and
realistic worldview of the issues surrounding
eating a raw and/or living foods diet in the
modern world.
The Get Fresh! philosophy, while focusing on
diet, acknowledges that true health is about
much more than food. It encourages each
reader to seek, learn and discover what works
best for them as an individual, on all levels
– mind, body, spirt and emotions. If you’re
interested in including more raw foods in
your diet, having more energy, living more
consciously, or are already living the lifestyle,
Get Fresh! is for you!
Disclaimer
All recommendations featured in Get Fresh!
magazine are for information purposes only
and not intended to replace appropriate care
from a qualified practitioner.
4 Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
Fresh News
I
t’s been no time at all since the
last magazine mailed, but we’ve been
really busy since then, working on the
Fresh Festivals 2006 and 2007! Enclosed
with this issue you should find a brochure
all about this year’s Festival – it’s such a
great event that we simply had to go all
out to bring it home to you how much you
need to be there! There’s nowhere else on
earth that you can meet so many raw food
fans in such a lovely, spacious, warm and
welcoming environment.
Next year’s festival, assuming all goes to
plan, will be taking place in July – yes,
we’re bringing it forward by three months
so that we can once again make it a
summer event rather than an autumnal
one, which is how we originally planned it.
Next year, we’ll be bringing over some new
big names who were unable to make it this
year but have already committed to next,
so hopefully in the Autumn issue we can
announce the final dates and location and
you can put it in your 2007 diary so you
don’t double book!
But for now, back to this year’s Festival…
As you will see from the enclosed brochure,
this year’s festival is slightly different to
the previous two, but all for the better we
feel. Although we found it a challenge to
improve on the first two as they were so
successful and life-changing, we believe
that we have created an even better
event this year with the introduction of a
pre-Festival social on Friday 27th October,
followed by two days of pure education,
inspiration and support around all things
raw-related, all laid out step-by-step so
that you can make raw food work for you
to any level you desire, all presented in a
venue that is stunning both inside and out.
This year we have some new names and
faces for you, who we just know you
are going to love. We are delighted to
welcome Paul Nison (USA), Matthew
Kenney (USA), Philip Weeks (UK), Trish
Tucker (Australia/UK) and Russell James
(UK) to the line up. Our other presenters,
whose names you’ll recognise from past
Festivals are: Jason Vale (UK); Elaine Bruce
(UK); Doug Graham (UK/USA); Rozalind
Gruben-Graham; Jill Swyers (UK); René
Archner (Germany/New Zealand); Jackie
Rawe (UK) and myself. Quite a line-up I’m
sure you’ll agree!
Take a look at the programme in the centre
pages of the brochure and you can learn
more about each of our presenters, what
each of them brings to the Festival and
why. Overall, this really is a must-attend
event, and the price this year is truly
excellent value for money – especially if
you book at the Early Bird rates before 1st
September 2006.
I so want to see you there!
And finally, what do you think of the new
magazine? Hasn’t Sarah done a terrific
job with it? With lots more feature ideas
and tricks up her sleeve, as well as this
great new design, I can tell you in advance
that you have so much to look forward
to, you’ll just have to take my word for it!
Bravo Sarah, and equal thanks to everyone
reading for subscribing and keeping the
magazine alive. Here’s to many more pages
(and years) of inspiring and enlightened
reading – oh yes, and don’t forget to tell
your friends; the subscription package at
just £25 per year (UK) for four magazines
and all the discounts and benefits is quite
simply unbeatable!
Karen
Karen Knowler
Director, The Fresh Network
Get Fresh!

Contents
Vol 3 Issue 4 Summer 2006

Features
16 The Real Causes Of Infertility
Dr Brian Clement on the natural approach to
a heartbreaking problem.
22 The Truth About Raw Fats
Yes, they’re healthy, but could you be getting too much of a good

© iStockphoto.com/photolace
thing? Sarah Best finds out what the experts think.
27 One Woman’s Triumph Over Cancer
Rhoda-Mary Bowell talks to Bernadette Bohan.
29 Summer Detox
Ideas for lightening your load on every level. By Nomi Shannon.
30 Interview with Natalia Rose
The author and raw food nutritionist tells Get Fresh! about her
life, her philosophy and her hopes for the future.
36 Top 10 Myths About Health
Frederic Patenaude on what not to believe.
42 Raw Picnics
Russell James with a summer spread to be enjoyed outdoors.

In this issue
8 Raw In The USA
22
Two correspondents report on the raw scene across the Atlantic.
12 Body Owner’s Manual

30
What you need to know to keep your joints healthy,
by Professor Rozalind Gruben-Graham.
14 Raw Detox
Sarah Best on a simple home remedy with astounding results.
19 Fighting Cancer The Natural Way
Pat Reeves shares the story of how living foods have helped her
defy the odds – over and over again.
20 Raw Coaching
Karen Knowler on why support is so important.
33 Raw Beauty
Not happy with how you look? Don’t go to the surgeon,
says Tonya Zavasta, go raw.
38 Nutrition And Peak Performance
The link between injury and what you eat. By Dr Doug Graham.
40 Equipment Focus
Karen Knowler on the ingenious gadget that allows you to turn
raw vegetables into spaghetti.
46 Foods To Feed The Soul
Raw chef Cherie Soria presents an Eastern European feast.
49 Raw Eating
Trying to convince friends and family of the benefits of
the raw diet? Delicious desserts are the answer, says
Debbie Walker.
50 Living Foods In Your Kitchen
Elaine Bruce on the reasons to make grains a part of your diet.
58 A Day In The Life Of Alissa Cohen
The raw food author and educator gives us a peek into
© iStockphoto.com/lisegagne
her world.

Regulars 42
3 Editor’s Letter 10 Transitioning Zone
4 Fresh News 13 Ask Alissa!
6 What’s New? 52 Consulting Room
27
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
 What’s new?
Get
Writing Dear Fresh Team,
Thanks for the latest Get Fresh!
magazine. I really look forward to each
new edition.
I love the recipes and general tips for
preparing fruit and vegetables and find
the articles very helpful and cheering.
But it seems to me that the raw food
movement really does need to sort out
its aspirations. Many people are attracted
to raw eating as much by the pictures
of gourmet raw food as by the health
claims. Yet I have been nonplussed to
read recently that fat should not be
eaten with fruit and that sweet fruit
should only be a small percentage of the
diet. In addition, ideally fat should make
up no more than 10% of calories.
As far as I can see, this is about half an
avocado per day for the average woman
and no extra nuts or olive oil to enliven
the piles of greens you are presumably
supposed to eat. If this is true about
fat and fruit, most of the recipes used
to attract people to the lifestyle are
in fact hugely unhealthy. We cannot
honestly go on promoting carob fudge
cake and coconut smoothies if they are
slowly killing their delighted consumers
with too much fat.
Karen Rodgers, Cambridge
Sarah replies – Thank you for your
letter, Karen. It is always a joy to get
positive feedback from our readers and
to hear what they most like about the
magazine. In addition to this praise,
© iStockphoto.com/Jamesmcq24/ ILLYCH
you’ve raised some questions we consider
very important. One is the issue of fat
consumption on the raw diet – a topic
addressed in detail in the feature on
pages 22 to 26 of this issue. The process
of researching this piece was, for me, yet
another reminder that viewing health in
‘black and white’ terms is substantially
less helpful than seeing it as a
lengthy continuum along which
lie an infinite number of points.
Optimum health is, of course,
dependent on many factors,
but isolating just the nutrition
component, at one end of the
scale is the ideal raw diet (which
is, of course, different
for everyone as we’re
6 Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
all unique individuals with unique life
circumstances) and at the other end is the
most toxic, synthetic, junk-laden cooked
diet. Few of us ever visit either of these
extremes; most of us live out our lives in
the vast grey zone in between. The key is
not to be static but moving – and in the
right direction!
Too much raw fat is challenging for the
body, there’s no question about it. Same
goes for combining food improperly. There
is also some evidence that eating a large
amount of sweet fruit is not an optimal
diet for the average person living in a
non-tropical climate (this subject will be
covered in depth in the winter issue in an
article exploring all the issues around raw
carbohydrates). But all each of us can do at
any point in time is make the best choices
we are able to given our current internal
and external circumstances.
As such, the question of whether carob
fudge cake and coconut smoothies and
other high-fat gourmet raw treats are
‘healthy’ choices can only be answered in
reference to who we are talking about,
and what the person in question would be
eating if they were not consuming these
things. A small minority of people have
reached a place where they can happily
eat a low-fat, highly mineralized raw
vegan diet and feel satisfied with that on
every level. The light, alkalizing, water-
rich foods such people have come to love
represent vastly superior choices to any
concoction of nuts, dried fruit, flavourings
and sweeteners, no matter how raw those
ingredients may be. (That said, there is
a place in every diet to enjoy such
creations as occasional ‘treats’, should
that be desired).
However, if we’re talking about someone
who would reach for a slice of ‘real’
© iStockphoto.com/jxpfeer
chocolate fudge cake or something similar
if the uncooked variety wasn’t available to
them, it’s the opposite scenario: consuming
this raw treat is for them a substantially
healthier alternative. After all, it’s
composed largely of natural whole foods
and doesn’t contain refined flour, refined
sugar, trans fats or synthetic additives of
any kind.
This magazine has always been aimed
at all with an interest in raw and living
foods, from the ‘100% for several decades’
veteran to the person who’s never tried
a high-raw diet but is interested in what
it could do for them – and everyone in
between. With our passionate belief in this
lifestyle for its potential impact both on
individuals and on the planet as a whole,
our mission is to attract as many people as
possible to the benefits of eating raw or
high raw. Some people will be motivated
by the health reasons alone, especially if
they are experiencing serious challenges
in this area. But the reality is that most
people will not deviate from the standard
diet unless the alternative tantalizes their
taste buds. It’s very hard for people to give
something up unless they have something
else to replace it with, and in this case
that needs to be delectable delicacies that
resemble the foods people know and love.
A few years down the line, the person
who was hooked in by that irresistible raw
banoffee pie is often to be found happily
existing on a lighter, simpler, more mineral-
rich diet – and as a result experiencing
higher levels of energy, vitality, and joy
– than they ever thought possible. The trick
is in each of us developing a continuing
awareness of how we are nourishing
ourselves on all levels and of whether that
is right for where we are now and where
we want to go. Thank you very much,
Karen, for raising these important issues.
Energy Bars
With A Difference

A
fter a hike in the Rocky
Mountains in Colorado, Lara
Merriken was in need of an energy
boost. Realizing that most so-called
‘energy bars’ are a misnomer and that she
was only going to gain real energy from
real raw foods, a mountain of an idea sh!
Get Fre
started to form in Lara’s head.
AD
Soon she was scouring the aisles of grocery MUST-RE
stores noting popular flavours of ice-

creams and cookies and experimenting
with recreating them using just fruit, nuts
and spices. After months of working her
blender over time, tampering with recipes
and testing her favourites on family and
friends, the LÄRABAR range was born:
delicious 100% raw food bars, all flavoured
and named exactly as they taste.
Varieties include ‘Cherry Pie’, ‘Apple Pie’,
‘Banana Cookie’, ‘Cashew Cookie’, ‘Cocoa
Mole’ and ‘Ginger Snap’. As well as being
all raw, LÄRABARS are also non-GMO, and
contain no gluten or added sugar – making
them possibly the healthiest energy bar
ever invented. LÄRABARS only recently hit
the UK and are available from a handful of
shops in the UK. The Fresh Network is the
first company to make them available by
mail order.
Order online at www.fresh-network.
com or call +44 (0)845 833 7017
Raw Coconut
Water…In A Carton!
Y
oung coconut water is an
extremely popular drink among raw
fooders as it is both delicious and
bursting with electrolyte minerals.
But for the many who do not have a
supplier of young coconuts in their
locality, this drink has always had to be
an occasional treat. Not anymore! After
years of research and thousands of pounds
of investment, raw coconut water is now
available in cartons. Dr Martins’ Coco
Drink is as close at it gets to drinking
fresh coconut water other, of course,
than cracking open a freshly picked
young coconut.
This product is now available from The
Fresh Network, who will also be stocking
Coco Cream from the same range. The
Coco Cream contains both the water and
the flesh of the coconut and is fabulous in
smoothies, desserts and a
host of other raw recipes.
Order online at
www.fresh-network.
com or call +44 (0)845
833 7017
The Choice
The Programme
AUTHOR: Bernadette Bohan
PUBLISHER: Harper Thorsons
PRICE: £10.99
ISBN: 0007225512
Six years ago Irish mother of three
Bernadette Bohan was diagnosed with
cancer for the second time. At age 33
she’d battled cancer of the lymphatic
system and 12 years later the cancer had
returned in her breast. This time she
started to ask questions about health,
disease and the role of nutrition. As her
doctors were unable to enlighten her
about why she had developed cancer
the first time, let alone the second,
she realized she’d have to find her
own answers. She soon discovered the
information she was seeking, and this
led to her developing a regime based
around copious amounts of organic raw
foods and juices. To her astonishment
it left her not only free of cancer but
also relieved of her arthritis, her bad
eyesight and her middle-age spread.
She recounted the moving story of her
triumph over cancer in her book
The Choice, published last year.
This led to massive demand from
readers who wanted to know
more about what Bernadette
had done to achieve the level
of health and vitality she now
has. In her recently released
second book Bernadette
Bohan’s The Choice:
The Programme, she
outlines – in her simple,
down-to-earth style
– the specific steps she
took. In essence, the
plan has four points:
juicing, powerful
foods, clean water and
non-toxic personal
care products. Each of
these four aspects has
a whole section of the book devoted
to it, explaining why it’s important and
how the reader can implement it in
their own life. In more detail, Bohan’s
recommendations are:
• especially
Drink plenty of vegetable juices,
green juices made with
a masticating juicer at low speed to
preserve nutrients and enzymes
• sprouted
Add ‘powerful foods’, such as
foods and raw, organic
fruits, vegetables, sea vegetables,
nuts and seeds and foods rich in
Vitamin B17 to the diet
• supplements,
Take easily absorbed food
such as essential fats
from seed oils, digestive enzymes,
blue-green algae, probiotics and
grape seed extract
• water
Purify all drinking and cooking
and drink plenty of water
between meals
• products,
Use chemical-free personal care
such as shampoo, deod-
orants, toothpaste and cosmetics
The second half of the
book is taken up with 75
fabulous vegan recipes,
many of them raw and all
of them centred on whole
foods. Included are juices,
smoothies, soups, salads,
main meals, snacks and
treats. This section of the
book was written in
conjunction with chefs
from Cornucopia,
Dublin’s number
one vegetarian
restaurant.
Turn to page 27
for our exclusive
interview with
Bernadette.

7
Special FEATURE | AMERICA
Raw In The
Two of our correspondents report on the raw scene
in the US, with an East Coast restaurant review and
a West Coast raw tour.
Pure Food And
Review Wine Restaurant,
New York City
By Diana Store
I
n New York, the raw food scene has
reached further into the mainstream
consciousness than probably anywhere
else in the world. There is literally a
restaurant, café, shop or party available
that caters to any particular style or
taste. What a pleasure it is to discover
the restaurant Pure Food and Wine in
Manhattan, which has raised the bar on
‘fine cuisine’ both without and within the
raw world. The surroundings are beautiful
and stylish with red furnishings, soft
lighting, attentive and relaxed service, and
the dishes superbly presented whilst being
varied and delicious.
© iStockpho
to.com/ssu
ni/Markanja
/Maxfocus
8 Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
The restaurant was opened in Summer
2004 by investment banker turned chef
and raw entrepreneur, Sarma Melngailis
and restaurateur Mathew Kenney. Nothing
was spared in creating the most exquisite
menu, the finest ambiance or in hiring the
most highly qualified chefs. The clientele
are a sophisticated crowd, and, as it was
explained to us, “on any average night,
nine out of ten of the people eating here
are not necessarily describing themselves as
raw foodists”. Pure Food and Wine is for all
people who love food.
Recommended is the five-course tasting
menu, for those wanting to become more
instantly familiar with what is on offer.
Items on the first course menu typically
comprise of fantastically composed multi-
textured bite size pieces each with its own
sweet, spicy or salty intensely-flavoured
sauce. Delicious examples include Spicy Thai
Lettuce Wraps with Tamarind Chili sauce or
Marinated Shiitake and Avocado Sushi rolls
with Wasabi Sauce and Pickled Ginger.
The second course dishes
include a Chanterelle, Olive
and Ricotta Ravioli with
Fresh Herbs, Pistachio
Oil and Macadamia Cream, and a Biryani
with Coconut Curried Cream Vegetables
on Cardamom and Coriander Spiced ‘Rice’.
The best selling item on the menu is the
Zucchini (courgette) and Golden Tomato
Lasagna with Basil Pistachio Pesto. This
lasagna is a particularly fresh version of
what has become a classic dish of raw chefs
everywhere, using fresh tomato slices and
an intense pesto sauce between the layers
of zucchini pasta, sun-dried tomato sauce
and pignoli (pine nut) ricotta.
The dessert menu includes Lemon
Semifreddo with Walnut Cookie, Cranberry
Sauce and Candied Cranberries, ‘Mint Trio’
Ice creams, Chocolate Hazelnut Terrine,
Apple Crisp Compote, and even Tiramisu.
The products from the young Thai coconut
(flesh, water and butter/oil) feature heavily
in the recipes, particularly in the desserts.
Other favourite ingredients used in many
of the dishes include cashew nuts and
almonds. The fresh produce is organic and
locally sourced as far as possible, and there
is not an animal product in sight.
In true restaurant fashion, alcoholic
beverages such as chilled sparkling or
still wine or organic sake are offered to
compliment the dishes. The extensive wine
menu includes bio-dynamic, vegan, organic
and ‘sustainable’ options. This last category
refers to wines which are produced in an
organic way but are yet to be certified as
such. The five-course tasting menu costs
$59, and is preceded by an amuse-bouche
which changes each night
Pure Food and Wine - Restaurant
54 Irving Place
New York, NY 10003
Tel: (001) 212-477-1010
www.purefoodandwine.com
Pure Juice and Take Away
126 E. 17th Street
New York, NY 10003
Tel: (001) 212-477-7151
www.purefoodandwine.com/purejuice.html
Takeout outlet around the corner from its
sister establishment Pure Food and Wine
Diana Store is the founder and
director of Raw Superfoods
(www.rawsuperfoods.com) based
in Amsterdam.
USA
Angela Stokes shares the story this message and make
significant changes to
of her raw tour of four western their health and I was
states – and her firm belief that delighted to participate
the wide range of restaurants as a catalyst in that
and products catering to the process. I love the feeling
of ‘planting seeds of
raw and living foods lifestyle consciousness’ in lectures
found in this part of the globe – often people would
are a glimpse of what we in the ask me after talks how
to pass on this message
UK have to look forward to. of natural, healthy
weight loss to an

S
pring 2006 will be forever etched into
my memory as the season I tasted my
first durian, sang and sweated and
released for eight hours in the company of
David Wolfe at my first ever sweat lodge.
On my debut lecture tour of the USA, with
the wonderful Matt Monarch of Raw Spirit
my experience of the raw food world was
blown open into exciting new territory
and I enjoyed every moment…
Matt set up an amazing tour for us
covering four states (California, Arizona,
Oregon and Washington) with a wide
overweight loved one.
It is not always easy to
convey the message
that there are other Angela Stokes
(left) with Davi
ways to lose weight d Wolfe and fri
ends.
than slimming pills,
starvation diets and surgery, unless
people are ready to hear, but the more the chef Ito, whose
message gets out, the more chance there is frozen chocolate cakes are simply
that people will be open to hearing. unrivalled. Made with pure love by this
extraordinary being who took a vow of
The enthusiasm and interest in raw foods silence five years ago, you can taste the joy
in the US really made an impression on in every delicious bite…
me. I was in awe of all the raw products

range of venues and audiences – from
an intimate event with a group seated
on floor cushions in a yoga society to
75 people packed into a hall at a health
food shop to potlucks in peoples’ homes
to catered events in raw restaurants. We
even hosted our own gourmet sit-down
meal and talk, catered by our friend and
outstanding raw chef, Lara Barge.
It was a varied and exciting schedule
and we were always met with a very
warm welcome – the enthusiasm of the
audiences was so inspiring, with plenty of
participation, questions and feedback. For
me, it was also such a beautiful experience
to meet people whose own health and lives
have dramatically changed as a knock-on
effect of reading my story and feeling
inspired to go raw. Meeting one woman,
for example, who just a year previously
had weighed about 7 stone (roughly
100lbs) more and had lost that weight and
transformed her own life after reading
my website was so humbling for me and
affirmed for me the value of putting my
work out there.
available and excited to realize that the
raw foods movement in the UK will also
expand in this direction over the coming
years. We have a lot to look forward to! I
found it extraordinary to see whole aisles
of raw products in health food shops,
including pre-packaged, ready-to-eat meals myself and thousands of others. I learnt
and cakes. I was amazed to think that
there’s so much demand for raw foods that a fantastic time connecting with many
whole chiller cabinets were stocked with
fresh ‘to go’ meals.
Visiting the amazing raw restaurants was
really exciting too – to have an entire menu
of dishes to choose from was such a treat,
rather than cobbling together a lacklustre
salad from other menu items, as often
happens in restaurants. I loved the vibrant
Café Gratitude restaurants in San Francisco,
where all the dishes go by names such as
‘I am JOY’ or ‘I am LOVE’ and diners eat at
tables topped with a transformative game
for friends to enjoy with their meal. Au Lac
restaurant in LA won my heart, however,
for the divine creations of master
© iStockphoto.com/ajphoto/ Westhoff
I feel so blessed to be on this path,
spreading this raw message of hope and
health, and it was an especially wonderful
experience to share this tour with Matt,
whose confidence in getting out there to
spread the word is such an inspiration to
a huge amount on this tour and had such
vibrant people on their paths to a
shinier, happier, healthier future.
Angela’s raw tour continues later
this year, with Florida, New York
and Texas on the agenda,
and a 12-day raw weight
loss retreat at Ronora
Lodge in Michigan
from November the
7th to 19th. See www.
ronoralodge.com and
www.rawreform.com
for details.

America seemed like an ideal place to share

my message, being a land with extreme
overweight and obesity issues, coupled
with huge interest in raw foods. There is
so much potential there for people to take

Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006 9

 Transitioning zone
Enjoying the
journey
T
he Transitioning Zone’s aim is
to help get you off and running on
your raw and living food lifestyle
better than you would have if you had to
do it completely on your own – and in a
manner that initially doesn’t seem too far
away and too alien for you and prevent
you from giving it a bash yourself. It is my
hope that approaching the subject in this
fashion will inspire a larger percentage of
people to at least try it. I often get asked
what exactly is the Transitioning Zone and
how do you know when you have fully
‘transitioned’? Well, my current belief
is that we never stop transitioning and
that it is the journey that counts and our
approach to the journey itself.
“The road is better
© iStockphoto.com/timmy/TerryJ
than the inn.” Cervantes
The famous quote above, of which there
are many variations today, is the subject of
this particular Transitioning Zone. I think it
is very relevant for
10
Pete Vincent and the
no-nonsense approach
to raw and living foods
anybody embarking on a living food
lifestyle, which can, if you are not careful,
begin to take over your life instead of
enhancing it. This exciting, sometimes
confusing and occasionally frustrating
journey is a learning curve and involves
education and a certain degree of
personal experimentation. Although often
portrayed by the media as a new dietary
fad for people looking to get thin, we
should all remember that the raw food diet
if done correctly, has the potential to turn
around life threatening disease even when
the best that western medicine has to offer
has failed! It is not, however, a miracle
cure and the best way to approach it is as
a preventative diet that should be adopted
to some degree early on in life.
Initially one of the main questions people
have is what can they eat? When we
discover raw and living foods we come to
it from a place where we have either only
eaten foods that we have been given and
told to eat, or eaten food that we liked
and wanted to eat. Now we find ourselves
faced with the prospect of having to think
about what to eat and why, and also more
increasingly where it has come from, is it
fair trade and sustainable and so on. All
this takes additional effort and very soon
things can start to get pretty complicated
and overwhelming. If we forget about
the bigger picture, this can I
believe begin to have a
detrimental effect on our
health. Having been there
and made numerous weird
and wonderful dietary
mistakes myself,
here is what I
would suggest.
Firstly, before making any radical changes,
get clear with where your health is right
now. It is hard to set off in the right
direction if you do not know where you
are to begin with. We always recommend
a full body MOT with your doctor before
embarking on any major lifestyle change.
As well as that, check out other practices
such as Vega testing, live blood analysis,
bioterrain testing, iridology and so on. Try
them all. Begin to record your pH levels
throughout the day over a period of time
using pH Stix (available from The Fresh
Network). Just become more aware that
your body is a complex chemistry lab and
everything you eat, do and think affects it
in some way either positively or negatively.
The more information you gather, the
clearer the picture you will have of where
you are starting from and what your
own personal individual needs might be.
You are trying to highlight your body’s
deficiencies and points of weakness that
need working on.
Secondly, based on this and on the new
knowledge you read from books and
hear from tapes, CDs and lectures, start
to introduce gradual change and do the
things that seem to make sense to you. The
human body does not like sudden change,
so any change that is going to affect the
body chemistry should be done gradually
just to be on the safe side. It is quite
common when starting out on something
like the raw food lifestyle to suddenly
forget all the common sense you were
born with – like the lady on the BBC Radio
4 Food Programme who before trying the
raw food diet used to eat salad for lunch
but once she had started it, suddenly had
no idea of what she could or couldn’t eat
and overdosed on nuts and dried fruit and
wondered why she felt like rubbish. If in
any doubt whatsoever, start by adding
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
good foods in before
cutting old foods out. Cutting
everything out before you know
what to replace it with will get you
into a nutritional deficiency situation.
If you are adding in the right foods and
you slowly start to cut out the foods you
think are unhealthy, then gradually you
will start to notice differences.

Thirdly, keep a note of how you are feeling

and how different foods make you feel. If
you continue to keep a record of your pH
then you may notice visible changes there
too. This way you can start to see if there
are any patterns emerging, both positive
and negative, and adjust accordingly. The
secret is to persist long enough for things
to work but not carry on doing something
that is never going to work just because
you have been told it will. Fourth, keep
re-evaluating and remain aware that you
three) then you are not going to be getting
the full benefit and in some instances may
even be going backwards.
You will notice that I have not mentioned
raw food percentages. Although on a
© iStockphoto.com/dannyc23/Ljupco/grantgibson/urbancow/mgfoto
If you have any particular things you want
covered in future Transitioning Zones then
I would love to hear from you, e mail me at
pete@fresh-network.com

are always going through changes and
putting different demands on your body
and therefore your body is continually
demanding different things. It may mean
that just when you think you are doing
it right, your body’s needs change and so
suddenly doing the same thing means that
you no longer feel as good. Some people
are searching for that perfect diet that they
can eat forever, but it may not exist.
Another thing to keep in
mind is that you may think
you are doing the right thing
but may in fact be forcing
your body to delve into
emergency mineral
supplies at a
cellular level. You
may feel okay
for a length of
time but then you
will start to feel a decline in
health. The danger is to think that
it can’t be your diet because you were
feeling really good on it up to then. Does
that make sense? Fifth, at all times make
your own emotional happiness a priority.
I am positive that even if you are feeding
yourself the highest nutrition, if you are
sad, stressed or angry (or worse still all
Pete
personal level it is a good indicator of Have fun!
where you are at, I think being overly
obsessed with it is the single biggest reason
many people do not enjoy the raw journey.
And that is true whether the “Are you
100% raw?” question is being asked by Pete is co-director of The Fresh
aspiring 100% ‘raw foodies’ who feel like a Network and is passionate about
bit of a failure because they are ‘only’ 50% turning people on to the benefits that
to 80% raw or by adopting a more live-food orientated,
those who have healthy lifestyle can have on our
‘made it’ and health and the health of the planet.
feel somehow
superior. If you
are 100% raw and
it works for you
then great. If you’re
not 100% raw and
it doesn’t work for
you right now – for
whatever reason, be
it physical, practical
or emotional – don’t
stress, just find the level that
works for you. Your level may
change with the seasons, which is fine.
This is not about a percentage and it’s not
a contest. It is about the journey and doing
what is right for your health, whether that
be regaining it or maintaining it, to enable
you to do more of the things you want to
do for longer.

Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006 11

 BODY OWNER’S MANUAL
Your joints
Welcome to the fourth part of this collectable series designed
to provide you with a greater understanding of how your body
works and how best to look after it. In this installment, Professor
Rozalind Gruben-Graham talks you through what you need to
know to have healthy joints
T
he junctions where two or
more of your bones meet are known
as joints. Joints allow your body to
move. There are various designs of joints,
each intended to accommodate specific
ranges of movement. Ball and socket
joints, such as the hip and shoulder, allow
for a wide range of movement. Hinge
joints, such as the knees and elbows,
permit movement within one plane only.
Some joints are only slightly movable, such
as the junctions of the pelvis and sacrum
(bottom of the lower back). These joints
help to maintain stability of the body
while allowing for a degree of restricted
movement. Not all the joints in your body
move freely. The many different bones that
make up your skull, for example, complete
their formation during infancy and then
remain relatively immobile. Even these
joints, however, allow for some degree
of subtle movement, which is why cranial
osteopathy is possible.
The design of your joints
All freely movable joints are encased
within a special capsule (synovial capsule).
The purpose of this capsule is to provide
the joint with lubrication and protection.
In order to prevent bones from grinding
directly against each other, the ends are
covered with cartilage, a soft durable tissue
that helps bone surfaces to glide smoothly
on contact with each other. This cartilage
also acts as a cushion to absorb shock. It is
through the synovial capsule and cartilage
pads working together that joints are kept
healthy and functional. Each time joints are
moved, the lining of the synovial capsule
becomes stimulated to produce a lubricant
(synovial fluid) which is then soaked up by
the cartilage pads. Only when engorged
with fluid can the pads fulfil their role as
shock absorbers and properly cushion the
bone ends.
Ligaments are bands of fibrous tissue that
act rather like guy ropes, securing bone
to bone by attaching them where they
© iStockphoto.com/spxChrome
meet. Healthy ligaments allow for a slight
deviation of the joints’ naturally intended
ranges of movement, but they do not
accommodate more profound deviations.
Ligaments have minimal flexibility and a
poor blood supply, which means they take
a long time to heal once damaged.
12
The Ten Golden Rules for
Maintaining Healthy Bones
and Joints
1 Eliminate all flesh foods from the
diet. Purines are essential building
blocks of the DNA and RNA of cells and
are present with in the cell’s proteins. They
are found in all flesh foods, especially
fish, shellfish, poultry and beef. When
flesh is consumed, the liver breaks down
the purines within it. This process results
in the formation of uric acid, which is
then transported in the blood to the
kidneys from where it is excreted. Before
reaching the kidneys, much of the uric acid
forms minute sharp crystals that become
deposited in the joints, causing them to
become irritated and inflamed.
Eliminate all dairy foods and eggs
2 from the diet. Proteins that are
foreign to the body are known as antigens.
Once inside the body, antigens trigger the
formation of antigen-antibody complexes,
antibodies created by the immune
functions of the body to fight invading
substances. The result is any number of
what are known as autoimmune diseases,
including arthritis. Dairy products and eggs
are exceptionally high in antigens, and
the proteins they contain have a tendency
to permeate the wall of the human gut.
Dairy foods are the primary culprit in the
formation of arthritis and their exclusion
from the diet is established as the most
effective cure for arthritis. In societies
where animal products are seldom eaten,
arthritis is rare.
3 Eat your fruits and vegetables
raw – reason 1. The heat of cooking
causes enzyme resistant bonds to form
between the amino acids, rendering them
resistant to digestive breakdown. The
result is that, instead of individual amino
acids, long chains of proteins known as
polypeptides enter your blood stream. The
presence of these polypeptides triggers
the activity of prostaglandins, an aspect of
your body’s self defense. Prostaglandins
instigate inflammation, and their activity
can lead to arthritis and gout.
Eat your fruits and vegetables
4 raw – reason 2. In order to be
healthy your joints must receive sufficient
oxygen. The processes of oxygenation
are dependent upon the presence in the
blood of haemoglobin and red blood cells.
A major constituent of haemoglobin is
methionine, and cysteine is needed for the
formation of red corpuscles. Once subjected
to the heat of cooking, both of these vital
amino acids are damaged in such a way
that your body is crippled in its ability to
use them.
Move your joints many times
5 daily. A sedentary lifestyle leads to
inadequate stimulation of the synovial
capsule, and a consequent lack of synovial
fluid production. The consequence is that
the articular cartilage quickly becomes
dehydrated and eventually begins to
disintegrate. Once this happens, it is no
longer able to function as a protective
cushion for the bone ends, and so they
become damaged and painful.
Enjoy variety in your fitness
6 training. Excessive overuse of joints,
especially if this involves weight-bearing
and/or direct trauma, can also result in
degeneration of cartilage and damaged,
painful joints. For example, years of
regularly running long distances on hard
roads while overweight will be paid for in
joint health.
Partake daily in aerobic exercise.
7 Not only will it increase the blood
supply to your joints and improve your
overall health, it will also help to reduce
any excess weight that is placing an
unhealthy burden on your joints
8 Warm your joints up properly
before strenuous activities by
taking them repeatedly through their full
intended ranges of movement.
Develop the habit of a
9 comprehensive fitness regimen to
keep the muscles around your joints strong
and flexible.
10
Maintain correct posture. Poor
posture damages joints. Make a
point of observing your posture whenever
you get the chance: full length mirrors,
reflections in shop windows, and even
photographs!
This is the last installment of Bod
y
Owner’s Manual that will be
published in Get Fresh!
Future installments will be
available to download from
The Fresh Network’s website
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
Ask Alissa!
Alissa Cohen is an internationally recognized writer, speaker
and consultant on raw and living food. Alissa’s fans include
hundreds who have maintained successful weight losses, healed
themselves of a myriad of diseases and swear by her simple
and fun approach to fantastic health. Alissa is author of the
bestselling Living On Live Food book and DVD set. More info at
www.alissacohen.com
Dear Alissa, items that are fresh. I really only freeze
bananas, preferring to eat fresh food, so
My husband and I recently purchased I didn’t take having a lot of freezer space
land where we will be building our dream into consideration when deciding which
home. We don’t necessarily have a lot of appliance to buy. If there are raw kids
space, so for us the layout of the house is around, just make sure you have enough
very important! Since our diet consists of space for raw ice cream and yummy carob-
an abundance of raw foods, and we are banana pops!
custom building our home, would you be
willing to share your plans for your dream Whether you have a separate pantry or
kitchen? it’s included in the kitchen, lots of storage
space is essential. I like the look of shelves
Thank you! Diane and Bruce lined with nuts, seeds, sun-dried herbs,
agave, olive oil and spices in pretty glass
Dear Diane and Bruce, containers that display the colours and
textures of all the wonderful ingredients.
I would love to!! In any home, the kitchen I wouldn’t want to have these ingredients
has always been my favorite room, as I tucked too far away because when you’re
think it is for lots of people. We naturally excitedly preparing a raw feast for your
gravitate here, where hands are busy family or even just a quick snack for
chopping, mixing and preparing food as an yourself, you want these things fairly
act of love and nourishment. Knowing this, accessible. It just makes it that much easier.
I think it’s very important to build a space
that encourages gathering and sharing. People ask about whether or not to have a
In our recent move to an old farmhouse stove. If you and your family are 100% raw,
in Maine we have been doing lots of obviously you have no need for one. That’s
renovating so I was able to create my up to you. You will definitely save energy
dream kitchen space. With that experience and money by not putting one in. If you’re
in mind, I can share some things to keep in renovating an existing kitchen and don’t
mind when planning. want to remove the stove that’s already
there, it makes a great place for storage
I love lots of light, so having as many large and you can even custom-build shelves to
windows as possible was a definite must. rest over the top of an unused stove for
Fresh herbs (and my lemon tree) need lots added storage or food prep space. trays into, and then slides back under, out
of sunlight, so I have them growing under of the way.
the windows. For me, natural light coming Having enough counter space is really
through the windows while preparing important, as there is lots of chopping, Other little extras: fresh, filtered water
and enjoying food only heightens the peeling and soaking going on, plus you should always be available. Wooden bowls,
experience of the meal. want room for your food processor, juicer, for me, seem to accentuate the flavors of
blender and other appliances. my food, and sharp knives for chopping
My ideal kitchen has easy access to the are key.
garden for fresh greens and veggies, as A centre island with shelves built in was
well as a huge sink for washing them off. essential for me to add more prep space Making the space light, warm and inviting
A compost pile is also great to have and it makes a great place for people to is all part of my ‘dream kitchen’, but more
close-by for the pulp from juicing, and gather around and help or just hang out. important than pretty bowls, a rack of
fruit and vegetable peels. Dehydrators aren’t the smallest appliances sharp knives, or fancy appliances, is simply
and I didn’t want to use up counter space having a space where family and friends
Our refrigerator is large with easy, when setting mine up so I had a custom can gather, laugh, and make wonderful
accessible shelves: important because so shelf built for them to sit side by side, that tasting food that nourishes both body
much of the raw fooder’s diet is based on pulls out from the centre island to load the and spirit.

Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006 13

 RAW DETOX
A simple technique
with astounding results
Written by Sarah Best
Castor oil packs have been
used as a healing remedy
for thousands of years, and
© iStockphoto.com/abu
today many natural health
practitioners use them as a
simple and safe, yet powerful
detox aid.
14
H
ave you ever switched to a
lighter, healthier diet and been
amazed at how fantastic you were
feeling…and then, just a few days later,
found yourself equally incredulous for the
opposite reason? It is not unusual to spend
the first few days on a healthy new regime
feeling energetic and good as new and
wanting to share the wonderful news with
anyone who will listen.
But nor is it unusual for this happy interval
to end abruptly as you find yourself laid
up in bed with a splitting headache, a sore
throat, a streaming nose and/or a whole
host of other unpleasant detox symptoms.
For some people, just removing a few
offending foods from the diet (such as
meat, wheat and caffeine) can be enough
to set off the above pattern. So what is
going on?
Whenever you reduce your body’s
digestive burden in any way it will always
use the extra energy it has at its disposal
for detoxification. But if the volume of
toxins leaving the cells is too great for
the body to stay on top of, a backlog will
develop. Routes of elimination will become
overloaded and this is what causes
the unwelcome symptoms. Headaches,
colds, sore throats and so on are all
different manifestations of the same
thing – the body trying to get rid of
excess toxic matter.
Luckily, there are a number of simple home
remedies which aid the body’s natural
detoxification processes. Use of such
remedies not only makes detoxing much
more enjoyable. It can also speed things
up and therefore greatly enhance results.
We’ll be covering a number of these
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
remedies in this new regular feature, and
the one I want to hone in on this time is
one of the most effective of all: the castor
oil pack.
As DIY home detox techniques go, it is also
one of the oldest, easiest and cheapest.
To perform it you just lie down and apply
a piece of material saturated in castor
oil to your abdomen together with
gentle heat. It is that simple. Although
it may be hard to fathom how this could
possibly achieve anything in the detox
department, it is actually one of the best
ways of bringing energy to a liver which is
struggling to shift stagnation.
How does it work? There have been a
wide variety of theories throughout the
ages and there is no definitive answer
to this question. However, it seems that
the effect of the pack being placed on
the skin is to increase circulation in the
tissues and organs underneath. As the
liver is nearer the surface than many
of the other important organs, a pack
placed on the abdomen has an especially
stimulating effect on this organ. What is
the significance of the castor oil itself? It is
thought that the remarkable effects of this
technique are due in part to the unique
chemical composition of this oil. Almost
90% of its fatty acid content consists
of a substance called ricinoleic acid,
which is believed to have a number
Castor Oil Packs: A Step-By-Step Guide
What You Need
• cotton
A piece of unbleached wool or
material
• Cold-pressed castor oil
• A large bowl or pan
• A hot water bottle
• liner
A plastic sheet (a large plastic bin
will do)
• Old towels and/or sheets
• Old clothes and/or nightwear
What To Do
Place the fabric in the bowl or pan.
1Pour a liberal amount of castor oil
over the fabric and then wring it out – you
want it to be saturated with oil but not
dripping. When you have done this, fold
the fabric three times – you’ve now made
your castor oil pack.
Fill a hot water bottle with
2 boiling water.
3
Assemble the pack, the hot water
bottle and all the other items on the
above list next to your bed, sofa or other
place to lie down comfortably and
uninterrupted for at least an hour. Cover
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
of healing properties.
Other benefits
Castor oil packs are not only a great
general detox aid, but are also
wonderful for relaxation and pain relief.
Their soothing effect often has to be
experienced to be believed. Although I’ve
never been one of those lucky people who
can drop off to sleep as soon as their head
hits the pillow, it seems that whenever I
lie down with a castor oil pack ‘for an
hour’ in the evening, next thing I know
the morning sun is streaming in through
the window.
A castor oil pack can be placed anywhere
on the body where soothing is needed:
directly on inflamed or aching joints; on
the lungs to ease congestion there; on the
abdomen to relieve digestive disorders;
on the back and neck to release tension
– to name just a few possibilities. However,
it is best to always place the pack on the
liver for at least an hour first to ensure
that the body’s most important organ
of detoxification is ready to receive the
toxicity that will be released from the
troubled area.
It goes without saying that any oil that
enters your body either orally or through
the skin needs to be of the highest quality.
Check your local health store for cold-
pressed castor oil. Failing this, there are
the area you’ll be lying on with the plastic
sheet and place an old towel or bed sheet
on top of this.
4 If you are not already wearing your
old clothes or nightwear, now would
be a good time to change into them.
5
Lie down and place the pack over
your abdomen ensuring it goes up to
your ribs and round the right side of your
waist so that your liver is well covered (this
organ is located in the bottom of your
ribcage towards the right).
Wrap a towel over the pack and place
6 a hot water bottle on top of the
towel. This will not cook the oil! It will just
warm up the area in question, and that is
important for this technique to work.
Relax in this position for at least an
7 hour. Visualize, meditate or just sleep.
After an hour you can, if you
8 wish, transfer the pack to another
body area.
When you have finished, you can
9 wash the castor oil off if you wish,
though this isn’t necessary.
Try and rest for the remainder of the
10 day. If it is already evening and you
online suppliers of high-quality castor oil as
well as castor oil packing fabric. However,
the latter is simply a piece of unbleached
wool or cotton, so any piece of material
of this description that is large enough to
cover your abdomen when folded in three
will do the job.
You can do a castor oil pack any time of
the day, but due to its relaxing effects
many people prefer to do it at bedtime.
The main thing is to make sure that you
have a good hour (and ideally more)
when you can lie down without fear of
interruptions. It’s a messy business, so
ensure that you have protected the surface
you are lying on and the clothes you are
wearing to prevent them becoming stained
with this viscous oil.
How regularly you make this technique
part of your routine will depend partly on
your motivation and on how much time
you have at your disposal, and also on
what you are trying to achieve. A good
protocol for liver support is to do it for
three consecutive days followed by four
days off for three consecutive weeks.
So next time you are planning to lighten
your diet, make castor oil packs part of
your routine. And don’t wait until the
nasty detox symptoms arrive. Start with the
packs the day you start your new regime
– or better still, before.
can go straight to sleep for the night,
better still.
Some people benefit from following a
castor oil pack with an enema the
following morning. As the liver moves
toxicity to the colon, this organ may also
need some support.
You can re-use the same castor oil pack
a number of times as long as you store it
in a covered container in the fridge.
Remove it three or so hours before you
plan to use it so that it is at room
temperature when the time comes – if
you forget this step, placing it on your
abdomen will most definitely not be a
relaxing experience! You will need to add
a little more oil with each subsequent use,
but not much. It is important to discard the
pack before it becomes rancid. Opinions
differ about when this occurs, but around
a month seems like a safe cut-off point.
Although the pack needs to be kept in the
fridge, the oil is very stable so does not.
Safety precautions
Castor oil should not be applied to
broken skin or used during menstruation,
pregnancy or breastfeeding.
15
 HEALING AT HIPPOCRATES
Natural living
for natural
fertility
Dr Brian Clement, director of
the Hippocrates Health Institute
in Florida, tackles the modern-
day epidemic of infertility,
outlining the causes, the
solution and the results he has
achieved with his own patients.
I
nfertility is an ever growing
problem among young couples in the
Western world. One third of those
couples in the United States who are
attempting to have a child are unable
to and equal numbers are starting to
plague the West European population.
Fertility clinics, which are reserved for
the wealthiest members of our society,
are overflowing with patients eager to
conceive a beautiful baby of their own.
Sadly, most of their attempts, after
exhausting enormous funds and sacrificing
their health, are of no avail.
© iStockphoto.com/Kalulu
With this barrenness being relatively new,
we have no long-term research into how
physically and/or emotionally well these
scientifically-manufactured offspring will
be. We do know that their parents will be
16
exhausted, both financially and physically.
There is a Frankensteinian type of process
going on when we are trying to supersede
the natural biological function of creating
and carrying a child. How far will we go
before we realize that there is something
quite wrong with the way humans are
perpetuating our species? At no other time
has there been such inability for those
who desire children to have them. As a
matter of fact, it was only three or four
generations ago when the average family
had a hard time containing themselves
with less than ten children.
Further, there are additional abominations
occurring at alarming rates, such as
menstruation commonly beginning in girls
of 10 years and younger and menopause
commonly beginning at 45 when it
historically began in the mid-50’s. On the
extreme ends of these bizarre occurrences,
here at Hippocrates, we have worked with
families who have six year olds beginning
menstruation and often see young women
in their twenties and thirties beginning
menopause. Sperm counts among Western
men have dropped 25% on average over
the last thirty years and half the population
of 40-year old men regularly experience
erectile dysfunction. There are reasons for
all of these unwarranted and unnatural
biological fiascos.
We have established a clear understanding
that there are five major factors
contributing to infertility. We will explore
each of these concerns and suggest
remedies.
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
I. Environmental Oestrogens
Many of the poisonous elements that we
release from our manufacturing, medical
and technologically based corporations
carry a chemical formulation very similar
to oestrogen. Human bodies cannot
distinguish the difference between what
naturally develops within them and those
chemicals that have been synthetically
produced. When male and female bodies
are exposed to extraordinary levels of
this hormone (or its mimicking deviant), a
chain reaction occurs, sparking biochemical
havoc. It is thoroughly understood by
the legitimate scientific community
that the ever increasing occurrences of
cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, autism,
mental illness, chronic fatigue syndrome,
fibromyalgia, miscarriages, and many
other abnormalities are directly linked to
these fabricated elements. Why, then, is
it difficult for the fertility industry to take
the small step to note that infertility is also
directly linked to high oestrogen levels,
both in males and females?
Out of the five factors for infertility,
environmental oestrogens reign as the
chief saboteur. By being aware of all of
your exposures to it you can dramatically
reduce the amount of these frightening
chemicals in your body. Wearing natural
fibre clothes, such as organic cotton,
linen, flax, hemp, silk and wool will
limit the noxious oestrogens that come
from petroleum-based, man-made
fibres. Use organic and earth friendly
cleaning products, paints, and work/living
environment related products. Avoid
polluted areas and make sure that you
have good ventilation in your surroundings.
Additionally, for those who live in cities,
use oxygen filtration systems to purify your
air. There are many other factors; these are
just some primary examples.
II. Nutrition
Even those of us who embrace a living
foods lifestyle are subject to the potential
of nutrient deficiencies. Can you imagine
how much deficiency there is in the general
population that does not have a clue
about healthy choices? Working with these
people on a daily basis, I can assure you
that the depth of their problem is much
greater. As the years and decades pass, our
ongoing science continually reveals that
the amount of stress that we are all subject
to in our lives at best causes periodic
nutritional deficiencies. The specific
nutrient lacking can determine the fertility
or infertility level an individual or couple
possesses. Although there is little research
conducted on this vital subject, it is evident
that there are nutrients that promote or
detract from conception.
The very first consideration when it comes
to nutrition is making sure that your foods
and supplements are either organic or
wild-crafted. Protein is the next friend
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
or foe in this mix. Lack of protein, which
is actually more common among animal
food consumers, reduces the amount and
strength of red blood cells, the very core
of all skeletal and organ structure. The
greater this deficiency, the less chance one
has to conceive. Protein deficiencies are not
only isolated to meat and dairy consumers.
There are many poor eaters in the vegan/
living food arena. In particular, those who
believe they gain all the nutrients they
need from food alone and the many who
heavily rely on fruitarian type diets. In
either case, consuming enough protein
is essential in the process of developing
healthy tissue. Easy choices are sprouts,
fresh and seawater algaes, flower pollens
and some nuts and seeds. Many fresh green
plants also contain significant amounts of
amino acids.
B-12 is the next common deficiency when
considering fertility. It exists among
both good and poor eaters since the
gastrointestinal tract has structurally lost
an anatomical pocket that cultured these
bacteria in previous times. B-12 deficiency
not only affects the brain/memory, central
nervous system and neurology of an adult,
but also impairs the ability of the sperm
and egg to enzymatically transform into
a foetus. If a child is growing inside of
the womb of a mother deficient in B-12,
there can be serious long-term problems.
The best B-12 source is whole food B-12
supplementation.
Mineral deficiency also figures into
infertility. A lack of minerals is comm-
onplace and should equally concern
prospective parents since these nutrients
are at the center of how electromagnetic
frequency moves within and enters into
human cells. When attempting to become
pregnant, it is extremely important
to make sure that both parents have
adequate stores of minerals. Sprouted
grains and whole food supplementation
are excellent sources of this vital
nutrition. Sea vegetables, non-fructose
root vegetables, B vitamins, vitamin A
and vitamin E all contribute to fertility
and should be consumed with a whole
raw/living food diet and at times the use
of whole raw/living food supplements
including prenatal varieties.
There were some surprising studies
conducted on infertile bulls in the western
states of America. Consistently being
fed a diet of grains did not help them
to continue their fertile activities. It was
observed that when some of these grains
remained in the trough and it rained, they
naturally sprouted and in these seasons of
moisture the bulls regained their prolific
fertility. The same holds true with the
use of sprouted grains in human fertility.
It is one of the things that we ask
prospective parents to consume in the
quest to conceive.
Here at Hippocrates Health Institute, our
decades of experience have conjured up
an understanding that it is the hormones,
oxygen, phytochemicals and enzymes
(H.O.P.E.) within the raw/living organic
plant food that are most important in
the process of developing health. Each
of these beneficial chemistries builds
healthy cells which result in a strong
body. These components are even more
important than the essential proteins,
vitamins, minerals and trace minerals that
are abundantly found in the raw/living
food. They work together in symphony
to elevate all biochemistries and organ
systems to a higher level of functionality.
Time and again the body will renew
and regenerate itself when provided
the H.O.P.E. in the food. Nutrition is the
second most critical aspect in conceiving
a healthy child. Make sure that you are
consuming a comprehensive diet which is
all inclusive and not limited to a handful of
delicious delicacies. Avoid consuming too
much sugar from such things as carrot and
beet juice as well as fruits and their juices
and make sure that your intake of fresh,
organic greens greatly outweighs that of
other choices.
© iStockphoto.com/fotohorst
III. Chemical pollutants
Recently, the Food and Drug
Administration here in the United States
investigated the blood of 2400 participants,
all ages, races and geographic locations.
It was found that every person was
poisoned with thousands of different
chemical solvents, solutions and elements.
Universally, all of them had two hundred
chemicals that were all noted to be cancer
and disease causing agents. In and of itself,
this is enough to distort biochemistry,
17
HEALING AT HIPPOCRATES
causing a weakening of leukocytes (white
blood cells). These essential immune
system soldiers are at the core of building
both sperm and eggs. Further, those eggs
and sperm that do manage to manifest
are weaker and without the potency that
is required for fertility. We have observed
that these very noxious elements go
beyond the destruction of healthy cell
development and create a secondary issue
regarding organ function, including the
brain. The interaction between our bodies’
delicate endocrine/hormonal balance and
these manmade chemicals either prevents
or distorts cellular communication, a vital
component of mental and physical health.
One cannot possibly avoid all chemical
toxins since so many are beyond
our control. This makes it of utmost
importance that we avoid chemicals in the
realms where we do have control. Choose
health-promoting and earth-friendly
products from food and clothing to
furniture, appliances, cars and so on.
IV. Obesity
Obesity, with its wide array of causative
factors, constitutes the dark side and
perpetuation of infertility. Excess body fat
reduces oxygen counts (haemoglobin levels
in the red blood cell) and also harbours
toxic chemicals and environmental
oestrogens. Lethargy contributes to poor
circulation and organ malfunction leading
to fewer and weaker sperm and eggs.
When an individual is overweight it is
not acceptable within our current social
norms, making them less attractive to
the average person. Our general image
of sexuality is two beautiful, youthful
bodies coming together for romance and
then perpetuation. Certain hormones are
either vaguely released or absent in the
obese, and this prevents healthy sperm/
egg unification. Pheromones, the most
secreted sex hormone, play a central role
in the conception of a foetus. When the
overweight body taxes the glands these
powerful sex hormones are limited at
best. Exceptional weight causes vaginal
and penal malfunction making it very
difficult to participate in healthy and
fulfilling intercourse. The United Nations
has recently reported that from the tip of
South America to the top of Canada, 50%
of our children will be overweight and/or
obese by the year 2010. With this shocking
research report from just one part of the
globe, you can imagine how infertility will
skyrocket over the coming decades.
V. Mental Attitude
We all know of a story of a couple who
tried to conceive for years without
any success. They then wisely and
compassionately chose to adopt a child
and within short order, they conceived
their own infant, naturally. Questioning
why this is such a classic tale leads us
to the importance of mental attitude
18
in conception. We have mentioned
how important hormones are in the
process of producing a healthy infant.
Emotions have as much to do with the
release of these intricate biochemicals
as any other factor. Happy campers make
healthy chemistry and healthy chemistry
nurtures an environment for prolific
fertility. When one is stressed and secreting
additional adrenalin throughout the
system, the potential to conceive is diluted. © iStockphoto.com/webking
Your perception and focus is either the
gateway to a blessed child or the iron door People tend to believe that science will
blocking its fulfillment. intervene and rescue them from all of
their problems, whereas it takes personal
There is no doubt that the sacred act of responsibility to unveil the underlying
intercourse that persuades two bodies factors that are causing disturbances which
to manifest another human being is an can then be remedied by assertive, positive
emotional watershed that can create action.
a positive beginning to an infant’s life.
Many studies have shown that the foetus Some years ago, a young lady in her
surrounded by love and harmony in a body twenties went to a renowned medical
of health and strong immunity develops institution to see why she could not
more physical and emotional strength conceive a child. Days later, in her second
than one that experiences the contrary. meeting there, the doctor announced that
Although sex pacifies primal desire, in not only would she never have a baby, but
its larger spiritual sense, this hormonal she would be dead from cancer within
soup elevates the two loving souls to the six months. Fortunately, someone gave
highest level of human experience. In this her one of the Hippocrates books and
place we have a godly ability to provide she flew thousands of miles to attend the
the environment for creation. Many years programme. Not only did she heal herself,
ago, my wife Anna Maria and I wrote but two years later, she returned with
a book entitled: Children, The Ultimate her newborn infant. At graduation, the
Creation due to our own experience in time when we honor our guests, she had
this exciting and wondrous realm. Finding us all in tears when she announced that,
the appropriate mate and honoring “Hippocrates’ living food helped me to
pure, unadulterated love will render an heal my cancer, but more important than
unshakeable potential for you, as a loving that, it gave me my son.”
couple, to manifest the gift of life.
Brian Clement, CN, NMD, PhD, is
Success stories director of the Hippocrates Health
Although our work has given us the Institute in Florida. For over two
privilege to assist tens of thousands of decades Brian has been at the
people suffering from a wide array of cutting edge of living foods
diseases, the most rewarding highlight research and education. More info:
is not bringing people back from the www.hippocratesinst.com
dead, but helping to bring new life into
the world. Our passion in this matter is
displayed daily at the Institute’s living
food buffet where the shining faces of a
number of little ones look out at those
selecting foods. They are photos of the
precious ones who were finally conceived
after their parents embraced and lived on
the Hippocrates program.
A decade ago, a young couple arrived
from Quebec. For ten years they had
attempted to become pregnant. They
were clearly frustrated and were sceptical
that a lifestyle change could do what all
else had failed to accomplish. Not only did
their personal health begin to flourish, but
within a short time, they ignited life and
a year later had their beautiful little
girl, Annie. There is a dual benefit when
consuming living food. First, it has the
potential to make you fertile, but
then it also has the ability to bring
you and your future offspring
ongoing health and vitality. © iStockphoto.com/sjlocke
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
TRUE STORY | Fighting cancer the natural way

Beating The Odds

With Living Foods
Pat Reeves was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 1984, and
with bone cancer in 1994. Since then she has acquired 14 new
bone tumours and has dealt with numerous other serious health
challenges. With the help of a living foods diet she has defied
all odds. Despite ongoing illness, she celebrated her sixtieth
birthday last November and continues to break weight-lifting
records. Long ago inspired to use what she has learned to help
others, she has built up a thriving practice in nutritional and
functional medicine.

M
y journey with illness began
with the knowledge that I was
very likely to succumb to a
genetically-based cancer as this had been
the fate of so many of my family members,
all now deceased. I first became aware of
this in 1975 and spent many years studying
what I could do. In 1984 I was diagnosed
with a brain tumour, and in 1994 with
osteosarcoma (a form of bone cancer).
done during the three days I was ‘clinically
dead’, the medical and surgical team had
not expected me to regain consciousness.
Medics have acknowledged it was likely
the 24/7 prayers and support for me which
were eventually responsible for switching
my brain back to fight mode. My awareness
was of being bathed in the Love of the
Higher Power and then the certainty it was
not time for me to leave.

I was moved to write this article having
heard the very sad news of the deaths of
people I knew and respected over the years
of my ongoing battle. I have personally
derived enormous empowerment from
the many articles I have read on managing
horrendous health prognoses, and I am
continually inspired by people world-wide
who are dealing with situations similar to
mine. I sincerely hope this article goes some
way to furthering that cause and that it
brings a ray of light to readers, especially
at a time when we are constantly hearing
about cancer-related deaths in the media.
Since being diagnosed with osteosarcoma
I have suffered four heart attacks.
Orthodox medicine has always known
of a connection between this type of
cancer and compromised heart function.
Unfortunately, they can’t fully explain it,
though in my case it was due to bacteria
from the tumours affecting the valves of
my heart. In 2002 I experienced a blocked
artery to my brain at the original tumour
site and suffered a mini stroke. This caused
me to lose my sight for several days and
required some extremely deft surgery.
Unfortunately, my already compromised
right kidney completely lost function at
that time. This required kidney surgery,
during which I suffered heart failure.
There followed some very dark days
indeed. Although everything feasible was
During 2005, cancer further took hold
of my left kidney. I had no option but to
acknowledge I would likely not see my
sixtieth birthday in November. Reaching
and passing this milestone has fuelled me
into fighting back. Especially as every single
expert I have consulted – both orthodox
and alternative – believed this life
extension was simply not possible. Proving
them wrong has given me (and now most
of them!) enormous pleasure.
Partly as a coping strategy I guess, at the
beginning of 2005 I set myself the target
of leaving some power-lifting records to
be challenged in the future. Amongst
other achievements, I recently won titles
with both the British Weight Lifting
Association and the British Drug-Free
Powerlifting Association. Hopefully there’ll
be more to come!
I have followed a plant-based regime for
almost forty years now, during the latter
fifteen embracing a regime of live and
virtually raw foodstuffs. I credit this as a
vitally important healing tool. This year I
have done several ‘wheatgrass juice only’
weeks; with wheatgrass I can cleanse and
optimally provide the required nutrition
for my body to heal. I am also using a
combination of curcumin, astaxanthin
and piperine with intravenous vitamin C
and hydrogen peroxide, as just some of
ongoing procedures.
© iStockphoto.com/athorak
The objective of my treatment has always
been one of supporting the immune
system which is, ultimately, all we have
to win with. I have constantly adapted
my approach according to what has been
presenting at any given time, and to this
day I listen to my body and take cues from
it about what is appropriate.
Over the years one stark fact has remained
very obvious to me: there is NO single
answer, strategy, philosophy or treatment
that holds the key to success. But whatever
path is taken, there has to be an enormous
amount of gut-driven determination to
succeed, which needs to be consolidated in
a belief in a guiding Higher Power.
I remain forever intrigued as to why I am
still here! My instinct is that there is yet
more work for me to fulfill on planet Earth
and I am happy to devote whatever time
there is left to assist my patients in their
self-healing, and to the writing of my
inspirational new book.
Pat Reeves can be contacted by phone
on 01384 270270 or by email at pat@
foodalive.org. Her website is
www.foodalive.org

Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006 19

RAW COACHING
Part 4: Getting support
it? Yes – eventually, but to varying degrees
and only just enough to scrape through
Karen Knowler is The Raw with at times!
Food Coach and Director of And did it make all the difference? Yes,
The Fresh Network without a doubt, it made all the difference
in the world. Quite simply, if I hadn’t had
the support I did in those early days (and
Welcome to part four of this coaching beyond) then I wouldn’t be here writing
series about going raw. Today we’ll be this today, or eating the way I do, and life
looking at the importance of getting would be very different indeed.
adequate and effective support for your
raw journey so that life is more joyful and So…to get clear and take
rewarding for you, rather than lonely and things from the top…
awkward as it can so often be. In this issue, No matter where you may be now on your
we’ll be looking at why you need support, raw food journey, I am willing to wager
what kinds of support are available and that there have been and may always be
where you can get it. This is an important times when you either doubt yourself and
aspect of your raw life and not to be what you are doing, or your food choices
overlooked because when you feel are doubted by others. And, if that’s not
supported, you come alive, knowing that the case (rare but possible), then you will
the choices you are making are valid and at least have times when you think “What
to be celebrated, not just by you but by can I eat/make/create that’s a bit different
those around you. So read on, and prepare today?” or, “Where can I go out to eat that
to learn more about the myriad of ways will know how to feed me properly?”, or,
that you can feel plugged into something “Where can I learn first-hand how to make
bigger and much more exciting than simply this diet work for me?”, or, “I wish I had
the salad staring back at you! more people to share this lifestyle with.”
Are any bells ringing yet?
Support. Doesn’t the word itself just The truth is that “no man is an island”,
sound good and comforting? I know it’s and we all want to feel part of a group,
something I absolutely craved when I first no matter how big or small it may be,
ventured into raw foods – but could I find where we are accepted – raw food and
all! So we’ve made a food choice that is
different from the norm… does that mean
that we have to feel socially alienated
or lonely because of it? Well, it may do.
That is unless you create for yourself an
environment inside and out where your
© iStockphoto.com/diane39/bc173
need to feel accepted and understood
(and even better, celebrated) is fully and
completely met.
So where do we begin?
First of all, as always, we start within.
How well are you supporting yourself at
the moment? Are you buying the right
foods? Enough of them? Tooling yourself
up with new gadgets that make life more
interesting for you or reading books that
further educate and inspire you on your
raw food journey? Are you being kind
to yourself and ‘forgiving’
when you eat or drink things
you’d rather not? If yes, then
congratulations because this
is the biggest step – after all, if
you can’t lean on yourself through
this, then who can you lean on?
20
Step 2 is to take a closer look at who you
live, work or spend the greatest amount of
time with. It is often said that we become
most like the five people that we surround
ourselves with most of the time… so what
does this translate to for you? If it’s people
who spend their lunch break in McDonald’s
or Burger King, is this going to support
you in your food goals? Obviously not, or
at least life will be more difficult than it
might otherwise be – although that doesn’t
mean it’s impossible providing you have big
support in other places…but more about
this later.
It’s true that the people you spend most
of your time with could make or break
your resolve to choose raw – especially
when you’re new to it and fingers are
wagging and pointing! I think everyone
who embarks on a raw food ‘path’ has
encountered criticism or scepticism on
more than one occasion. It’s only natural
that people will be curious about what
you’re doing and why, and this comes out
as sarcasm or criticism more often than
genuinely interested enquiry. Naturally
it’s worse and more upsetting when the
negativity comes from those close to you,
so it pays to take a closer look at your
five or so people before you move on to
obtaining support further afield, because
those closest to you are those who are
going to come into your world day in, day
out, when the other forms of support may
not always be around.
I think it’s helpful here, seeing as these
five people are so critical, to take a look at
the three most common types of people
you may encounter in your daily life and
how you might ‘re-organise’ them so that
you get the support you so badly need.
Yes, it can be done, but it takes a bit of
know-how and you also have to be fully
up to speed with step one first, so that
you have the confidence in what you are
doing and can be consistent. Because if
you’re not consistent, have you noticed
how quick people tend to be to point that
out?! So unless you specifically ask them,
then they’re not likely to even consider
supporting you if they think that you’re
not taking it seriously yourself. So,
assuming you’ve reached some stability
at step one then let’s take a look at the
types of responses you’ll be ‘dealing with’
at step two.
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
The three most common
types of reaction
We humans are a funny bunch. And as you
start to make choices different from the
norm, you will come across those who are
completely against your raw food choices,
those who don’t really mind (although
they may raise an eyebrow or two) or those
who are slightly unusual, healthily-inclined,
positively excited and who will wrestle you
for the last piece of durian if you let them!
Now, obviously type three is the exception
rather than the rule, but if you’re lucky
enough to lay claim to such people in your
immediate circle, then lucky you! Spend
increasing amounts of time around them
and your raw food journey will be all the
more enjoyable for it, obviously.
Those of you who are close to those who
fall into category number two – again,
you’re lucky, feel blessed! While they may
not be peeling your grapes for you every
lunch time, at least their neutrality gives
you a hassle-free foundation on which to
build, and that’s almost as good as person
type three, actually (and you get to keep
your food!) There’s also masses of potential
here for educating or inspiring them
into becoming a type three, given their
willingness, your right approach and plenty
of time for the two to meld.
Now, with person type one (the type I’m
most familiar with!) you have two choices.
The first is obvious – simply spend less time
around them while you’re finding your
feet (later their concerns will not affect
you so much), or, if this is not possible or
you simply don’t want to spend less time
with them (and hey, if they’re great people
then why would you?), then you need to
ponder on what would open their mind a
little. Would this be a book, perhaps? Or
how about making them some delicious
raw food so they can see what all your
fuss is about? What about inviting them
to a lecture or lending them a CD to play
in their car? Or how about emailing them
a web address? Even better, if they’re
not happy with their own health, then
how about addressing one of their health
concerns with some information relevant to
them with a raw bias? It really all depends
on the individual, but you’ll know which
option is most likely to work because you
know them so well.
© iStockphoto.com/clu
Key things to bear in mind when adopting
any of these approaches:
People open their minds at different
1 paces and at different times – never
preach and never come across as if you
have just discovered the Holy Grail. It scares
people silly and besides, you’ve just learned
how to eat healthier, right?
2
If their concern for you is valid (like
you’re not looking well or have
dropped too much weight) then you
must also listen to them – they are in fact
supporting you with their concern, so do
not get upset with them for this; they’ll
respect you highly for this and later you’ll
thank them too if their concerns
are justified.
3
Do not push your beliefs or
philosophies upon them – if it
resonates with them then they’ll ask
for more, and if it doesn’t they won’t.
Respect that and you’ll keep or earn
their respect too.
4 If you encounter people who are
really giving you a hard time, take
this as a sign that they are insecure in
their own food choices. If they weren’t
they wouldn’t feel the need to defend or
attack as your choices wouldn’t ruffle their
feathers. In this case, tread lightly. Even
though they may be aggressive, you don’t
need to respond in kind. If you speak to
them calmly and confidently, maybe even
ask them about why they eat the way they
do, then very soon you may find their tone
change and their aggression change to
genuine fascination.
Once you have addressed your ‘inner
circle’, whether that be to re-educate them,
ignore any negativity or remove yourself
for a while, it’s time to look a little further
afield, which, in my opinion is often the
most exciting bit!
What support do you feel you most
need right now? Is it someone to talk to
about what you are going through? Is it
somewhere to go to meet new people or
to be able to go and meet friends at places
that will cater for you outside of your own
home? Or maybe it’s an event to re-inspire
you if you feel deflated or in need of a
little re-orientating?
All these needs and more may come up for
you at different times depending on where
you’re at and which need is most pressing.
Often the social issues can be quite painful
depending on how much of socialite you
naturally are, or how much you need to
feel a part of the group. There’s no right
or wrong with this, but you do need to be
clear early on about just how important
being with others in both camps is to you.
Ideas for making new ‘raw’ friends (or
at least people who are into health more
than the average person)
• Join a chat group online
• festival
Attend a raw food event, retreat,
or workshop
• buddy
Advertise yourself as seeking a raw
through Get Fresh! magazine
or on a raw buddy or personals site
• advertise
Start a ‘blog’ or web site online and
yourself to the world
– attract others like you from all over
the world
If the support you require is not so much
socially orientated but practical, then here
are some ideas to get you started:
• Attend an event, class or festival
• for
Come on one of my Raw Food
Beginners classes
(shameless plug!)
• consultant
Enlist the help of a raw food
or coach who you feel
drawn to
• Read as much as you can
• Join an online raw food forum
• Take a raw chef training
There really is so much available to you
now externally, that whatever you are
seeking, the support is there. The raw food
world is still small, though growing fast.
Most people into raw food are genuine
caring people who would love to get to
know you! Don’t hide yourself away when
there are so many great raw food fans
out there. Trust me, taking the big step
of attending my first ever Fresh Network
event back in 1994 was one of the best
things I ever did – I made some friends
there that have stayed friends forever, and
it’s a great way to learn lots of new stuff
that you might not elsewhere.
Unfortunately I’ve run out of room to
list what I consider to be among the top
resources for getting the support you’re
looking for, but if you’d like to visit my web
site, then you can find my full and ever-
increasing list waiting for you there.
Karen Knowler is The Raw Food Coach
and Director of The Fresh Network.
She is an internationally recognized
author, speaker and consultant.
Karen is author of the forthcoming
Raw Food for Beginners and co-author
of Feel-Good Food: A Guide to Intuitive
Eating. Feel-Good Food is available
by mail order from The Fresh Network.
Call +44 (0)845 833 7017 or visit
www.fresh-network.com to order.
© iStockphoto.com/ariusz/Deku
For more details about Raw Food
for Beginners Classes and coaching
see classifieds, email
karen@therawfoodcoach.com or
call 01353 723976. For free coaching
tips and recipes visit
www.therawfoodcoach.com
21
 SPECIAL FEATURE
FEATURE | FAT About Raw Fat
| The Truth

The
© iStockphoto.com/photolace/paulgeor

22 Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006

truth about raw fat
There’s no question that eating too much cooked fat is harmful,
but what about raw fat? What the raw nutrition experts say on this
subject may shock you: the average raw fooder is eating between
three and six times too much fat.
By Sarah Best
F
at. We all know it’s essential,
and we all know it can be harmful
– especially the cooked variety. But
how much raw fat is the right amount
and how much is too much? The rookie
raw fooder who was not so long
ago consuming fry-ups, pizza and
chocolate can be forgiven for getting
the urge to polish their halo each time
a dehydrated nut burger or cold-
pressed-macadamia-oil-drenched salad
passes their lips.
However, there is now a weight of
anecdotal evidence suggesting that the
average raw fooder would feel better on
every level if they ate less fat. I surveyed six
raw experts for this article; their responses
are overleaf. On the following point
there was unanimous agreement: raw fats
are healthy only up to a certain level of
consumption – and that level is a lot lower
than many people realize.
Fat in excess – even raw fat – places an
enormous stress on the liver and the
digestive system as a whole. Excess raw fat
will hinder the cellular cleansing process
the raw diet naturally initiates more
than any other raw food – and, more
surprisingly perhaps, more than a wide
variety of cooked foods. Excess fat intake
also has a negative effect on the oxygen
levels in the body and on fuel delivery to
the cells.
Many have fallen into the trap of thinking:
“As long as it’s raw it’s good for me.” And
it’s true, of course, that a raw burger, cake
or pie is always going to be healthier than
its cooked equivalent – and that if you get
the munchies, a bag of raw nuts is a much
better choice than a bag of crisps. However,
it’s worth being aware that if you’ve eaten
all the fat your body needs for the day
and you’re still craving dense foods, the
healthiest whole, organic, low-fat cooked
foods are better choices than more raw
fat. They will tax your body less and slow
down its cleansing process less than would
excessive amounts of nuts and oils.
The effects of overdosing on raw fat are
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
not always felt immediately – especially not
if you have only recently started eating a
large amount of raw food. Your body will
spend the first few months on a high-fat
raw diet thanking you profusely for what
is, after all, a massive upgrade from the
years on a standard cooked diet. But over
time you will achieve better results if you
get your fat intake down – and there are
many who will testify to this fact. Raw food
author and educator Frederic Patenaude is
one such person.
“When I was living on a high fat diet, I
would get ‘spaced out’ a lot,” he says.
“My energy was on a roller-coaster – it
wasn’t stable. Since I’ve cut down on fat, I
no longer experience these problems. But
this isn’t just me. As I am in touch with
thousands of people experimenting with a
raw food diet, I know that these problems
are very common in people eating a high-
fat raw-food diet. Other issues include lack
of energy, constant cravings, nutritional
deficiencies, and the inability to eat fruit
without running into candida problems.”
The facts about raw diets and fat
consumption are this: The majority of raw
nutrition experts agree that fat should
be no more than 20% of calories. Yet
anecdotal evidence suggests the average
raw fooder is getting a whopping 60%
of their calories from fat. Some experts
believe even 20% fat is excessive, and
echo the advice of renowned mainstream
doctors Ornish, McDougall, Pritikin,
Fuhrman et al, all of whom recommended
that for optimum health, fat intake should
be no more than 10% of calories. Dr
Gabriel Cousens, director of the Tree Of Life
Rejuvenation Center in Arizona, however,
disagrees with this latter view: “10% fat for
a cooked person eating junk food is a very
different thing from 10% fat on a raw diet.
Raw fats are immeasurably safer and better
for us than cooked fats, so 20% of
calories as fat seems safe.”
This debate aside, the experts are
in unanimous agreement that the
average raw fooder is overdosing
on fat – and in a big way. And
it’s surprisingly easy to do. An avocado, a
few tablespoons of oil and a handful or
two of nuts a day will usually be enough
to put a raw diet in the 60% of calories
from fat ballpark. It is much harder to eat
a low-fat raw diet than it is to eat a low-
fat cooked one and that is because there
is a wide range of dense cooked foods
(dense meaning that kind that fill you
up) which are low in fat, namely complex
carbohydrates in all their forms.
Raw foods, meanwhile, can be roughly
divided into two categories: there are
light foods (i.e. fruits, green leaves and
vegetables) which are very low in both
calories and fat, and dense foods, which
are largely high in fat and therefore
calories. In order to keep a raw diet low
in fat, the bulk of your meals need to
be made up of the former group. Such a
regime involves eating a volume of fruit
and vegetables that is so large it takes a
lot of getting used to. This is why many
raw fooders instinctively opt to quickly and
easily satisfy their hunger with fatty foods,
which can deliver more calories in one bite
than you’d get in an entire plate of greens.
The wisdom of taking it slowly
We have all been conditioned to expect
dense foods. We were taught from our
earliest days that they should be the
centrepiece of our diet, and in order to feel
satisfied without them playing this role, we
first have to override this conditioning with
new knowledge and first-hand experience.
That process takes time. It is a very rare
person who is able to switch overnight to
a low-fat raw vegan diet and feel well on
it. The average person would find such a
regime extremely challenging – not only
because it would feel so ‘light’ it would
fail to satisfy them on either a physical
or emotional level, but also because it
would initiate a rapid detoxification with
considerable amounts of waste leaving the
cells and entering the bloodstream.
So it pays to take it slowly, and one
passionate advocate of this is Natalia Rose,
a Manhattan-based clinical nutritionist who
believes anyone can eat 70% raw but that
most people need to take their time
23
SPECIAL FEATURE | FAT
Eight easy ways
to reduce your
fat intake
If your goal is to increase the amount
1 of raw food you’re eating, give yourself
time to transition at a comfortable pace. If
you find yourself continually craving dense
foods, choose the best low-fat, organic,
whole cooked food rather than reaching for
that bag of nuts.
Make use of sprouted foods, including
2 legumes and grains. This category of
food is unique in the raw diet as it is dense
and filling while being low in fat.
Experiment with lowering the amount
3 of fat you use in favourite recipes.
Instead of putting a whole avocado in that
smoothie, see what it tastes like with half or
three-quarters of an avocado.
Make it your mission to search out or
4 invent as many delicious low-fat raw
recipes as you can.
Remember that fruit-based fats such a
5 avocado, olives and durian are easier
on the body than nuts, seeds and oils
Soak your nuts and seeds overnight.
6 Not only does this make them more
easily digestible because it deactivates
the enzyme inhibitors and starts the
germination process; it’s also a good way of
keeping your consumption levels sensible!
We all know that when we reach for that
bag of nuts in a moment of hunger it can
be gone in minutes. If you get into the
habit of eating soaked nuts and seeds, you
give yourself the opportunity to decide in
advance how many you’ll eat during the
following day(s).
If you use oils, use them sparingly.
7 Oils are the single biggest obstacle to
eating a low-fat diet. From the unhealthiest
trans fat-laden fried oil to raw, cold-pressed
organic olive oil, all oils are 100% fat and
nothing else. Experiment with making
dressings without them, using ingredients
like lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and/or
blended fruits as the base and adding small
amounts of tahini, avocados, nuts or seeds
for creaminess.
Join the green smoothie revolution!
8 Raw food author and teacher Victoria
Boutenko discovered that the best way
of consuming large amounts of greens is
in smoothies mixed with fruit in a ratio
of about 40% greens to 60% fruit. If you
are among the majority who need to add
avocado, nuts and/or oils to greens to make
them palatable, try the low-fat option of
blending them with fruit.
© iStockphoto.com/photolace/pepbaix
24
getting to 100%. “Being a raw foodist
is one thing; being a person made up of
clean cells is another,” she says. “Those raw
fooders who are ‘scarfing’ on dense nut
and coconut fats are kidding themselves if
they think they are living in clean bodies.
Whenever I find myself overeating and
looking for external stimulation more than
normal I take this as my cue to fast. This
behaviour tells me my body is overloaded
and I need to get back into a space
where the thought of a bowl of fresh,
unadulterated strawberries is the height
of gourmet pleasure and gastronomic
satiety.”
That is great advice for more experienced
raw fooders but (as Rose would be the
first to point out) if you have only recently
started experimenting with this diet, it’s
more likely what you need to do is make
sure you’re not forcing yourself to be
more raw than you’re ready to be. As all
the other pieces of the health puzzle fall
into place for you, getting fat down to
the optimal level will become a lot easier.
“When someone has mastered the art of
vegetable juicing and sprouting and eating
more organic living foods, and has found
movement and strength training that
they love and crave along with stress-free
living filled with harmonious emotions,
they won’t be ramming five avocados
down their neck because their life will be
balanced and so will their nutrition,” says
Mike Nash, author of the book Aggressive
Health. “Let’s compare where we’ve been –
i.e. fast food, chocolate and trans fat – and
where we’re going: peak performance. The
question is where are you now and are you
willing to experiment?”
All this said, it’s important to be aware it
is possible to eat too little fat, and that it’s
not just a question of how much fat you’re
eating, but also whether you’re getting
the right kinds. Although the jury remains
out on exactly how much of the various
essential fatty acids (EFA’s) we need, there
is no doubt that many people today (on
cooked and raw diets alike) suffer from
an omega-3 fatty acid deficiency, and the
consequences for physical, mental and
emotional health can be severe if the
deficiency is allowed to become chronic.
“The fear of fat that was created by the
Pritikin-type diet has perhaps been a little
bit damaging to some people on live foods,
because cutting out all fats may create
an omega-3 deficiency, which has been
associated with depression, metabolic
imbalances, anxiety, nervous system
and skin disorders,” cautions Dr Gabriel
Cousens. “We’ve seen a lot of people who
have got into pathological states because
they had created omega-3 deficiencies by
trying to do a diet that is too low in fat.”
The experts are divided on the question
of whether it is necessary to make a point
of consuming specific omega-3-rich foods
(such as flax and hemp seeds and/or their
oils) in order to obtain sufficient amounts.
There is a lot that remains to be discovered
about this subject and no way of distilling
the vast body of contradictory evidence
currently available into a ‘one size fits
all’ recommendation. There are raw
fooders who enjoy excellent health on all
levels despite decades of not consuming
foods rich in omega-3s, meeting their
requirements for these nutrients by simply
eating a varied diet. But there are others
who experience serious omega-3 deficiency
symptoms on such a regime – and notice a
marked improvement in their wellbeing on
all levels when they start including a daily
dose of flax oil.
Not enough is currently known about why
some people are in the first group and
others in the second. Therefore, it pays to
be aware of this issue and if you have any
doubts about whether you are meeting
your needs in this area, to consider
either experimenting with adding
omega-3-rich foods to your daily diet or
consulting an appropriate expert.
Above all, it’s important to stay in the
happy zone – about this and any other
health issue. If you’re the kind of person
who likes to make use of numbers and
percentages as a way of measuring your
progress, a free online resource that will
help you is www.nutridiary.com You can
enter your daily food intake here and it
will give you a breakdown of your fat,
protein and carbohydrate percentages and
also tell you how much you’ve consumed
of a number of vital nutrients. For those
who have the time and motivation to do
this, it can be a helpful guide – especially
if you have doubts about whether you are
getting your diet right and would like some
science-based answers.
However, such an approach is not for
everyone and nor is it necessary. If you
are craving fatty foods and choose to eat
them, go ahead but pay close attention
to how you feel – physically, mentally and
emotionally. If you choose not to give into
such cravings, you may want to experiment
with gradually decreasing
the amount of fat
you eat (using the
healthiest low-fat
cooked foods to fill
the gap if need be)
and observe how
this affects your
wellbeing on
all levels.
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
Elaine Bruce is founder DR BRIAN CLEMENT
and director of The UK is director of the
Centre for Living Foods Hippocrates Health Institute
in Florida Foods
Raw Experts’
The Fats: View
The Experts Speak
In your opinion/experience,
how much fat is optimal on a
raw or high raw diet, and how
much is too much?
Elaine Bruce: 30 years on low
intake of nuts and moderate use
of avocados and seeds, with oils only as
a supplement to balance essential fatty
acids, has given me enough energy for
active sports and long-distance mountain
walking. Short periods using more fats
have led to sluggishness and weight gain.
Dr Brian Clement: Over my
decades of work and research, it is
clear to me that the majority of people
thrive on small amounts of plant-based fats
and oils.
Dr Doug Graham: The
studies concluding 10% fat as a
recommended dietary maximum are too
numerous to mention. To date, we do not
have sufficient studies on people eating
a raw diet to be able to cite concrete
conclusions about the effect on health of
various percentages of raw fat. However,
there is a mountain of practical and clinical
evidence to support the concept that
too much fat is definitely too much fat,
whether it be from animals or vegetables,
cooked or raw.
Karen Knowler: For sure 10%
or lower fat is the ideal, but people
need to start where they are and step it
back down gradually, finding more exciting
and rewarding ways to nourish themselves,
such as doing more of what they love and
spending time with people who inspire
them rather than drain them. Fat is a
great tool for blocking both the body and
emotions, so when the emotional gaps are
filled with other more interesting pursuits,
and outstanding life issues are dealt with,
the desire to quash the rising energy will
diminish massively, and so therefore, will
the desire to consume fat.
Frederic Patenaude: I believe
that eating the quantities of fat
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
Dr Doug Graham KAREN KNOWLER
is a leading writer and is director of The Fresh
speaker on raw nutrition Network and co-author of
and fitness Feel-Good Food
most people on a raw diet eat is harmful
and leads to health problems. I’m not sure
that there’s a specific magic number, but
I’ve found that in order to get the full
benefits from a raw diet, you definitely
have to bring the fat down below 20%. On
average I stay around 15%, although I feel
great if I have less than 10% fat in my diet.
Natalia Rose: Even the best fats
should be used carefully, as they are
dense and very difficult to break down.
This is especially true for women. I have
noticed among my female colleagues,
clients and personally that those women
who take in very little fat and are careful
not to mix fats (such as olive oil with
avocado or nuts with oils) do the best in
the long-term. Just because something is
raw does not mean it is ideal for human
consumption – particularly in large batches.
I would sooner eat three baked sweet
potatoes in a sitting with a green salad
than a pound of raw macadamias.
Please describe a typical
day’s fat consumption for
you personally in terms of
quantity and varieties of raw
fats eaten?
Elaine Bruce: I take a tablespoon
of flax oil every day and I eat a wide
variety of seeds, a few avocados a week,
a nut milk two or three times a week, and
a raw hummus made with a moderate
amount of tahini two or three times a
week. I never eat two fats in one meal.
Dr Brian Clement: We eat a large
amount of fatty-acid rich sprouts
every day. On occasion, we consume one or
two green coconuts in a week. Although
not necessary, at times we consume some
of our Lifegive Phys Neur Oil which is a
combination of cranberry seed oil, black
raspberry seed oil, hemp seed oil and flax
seed oil.
Dr Doug Graham: I only eat fatty
foods about 150 to 200 times per
year, and then in very small quantities.
Frederic Patenaude Natalia Rose
is author of several books is a nutritionist and
on raw foods and health author of The Raw Food
Detox Diet
© iStockphoto.com/leaf
Usually twice per year I abstain from eating
any overtly fatty foods for a period of
time ranging from four to eight weeks. I
consume about 3,500 calories per day but
rarely eat more than an ounce or two of
nuts or seeds in a day, or one avocado. My
overall fat intake averages a bit below 10%
of my total calories. There are no specific
fats that I attempt to limit, nor any that
I try to maximize, but I always use whole
food to fill all my nutritional requirements.
Karen Knowler: I use small
amounts of oil on certain salads (but
not all), I usually eat one small avocado
per day, I eat olives two or three times per
week, I use nuts or nut butters in milks
about three times per week, and eat a
variety of seeds, either loose in a trail mix,
sprinkled on salads or within dehydrated
crackers periodically. When I eat less fat I
definitely feel the difference – much lighter
in every way – and of course it’s much
easier in summer, when the need to eat
heavy, fatty foods lessens naturally.
Frederic Patenaude: I generally
only have fat once a day for dinner.
One exception might be a lunch of durian!
I eat avocados, nuts, seeds, and nut butters,
and I have more nuts during the winter.
Occasionally I might have some oil, but it’s
something I prefer to avoid. All raw fats
are good in moderation, so I see no reason
to exclude them over the long term if they
are eaten whole (not as oils).
Natalia Rose: I do best sticking
to raw goat’s cheese and avocados
for fat. I eat these at dinner, when I’ll have
six ounces of raw goat’s cheese or 1 to 2.5
avocados, but not both in the same meal.
I have found that nuts are not ideal for
human consumption (though they can
be your best friend through years
of transition).
25
SPECIAL FEATURE | FAT
Can adequate
amounts of all
of the essential
fats be obtained just
through eating a varied
raw diet, or do people need to
make a point of eating certain
foods to obtain these? Do you,
personally, eat specific foods
on a daily basis in order to
obtain specific essential fats?
Elaine Bruce: I take a flax
supplement and I would suggest this
for most people. Most people will find that
they have more sustained energy when
taking it and there is also the long term
insurance for brain health.
Dr Brian Clement: Essential fatty
acids are easily obtainable through
germinated foods such as sunflower
greens, flaxseed sprouts, hemp sprouts and
so on. In such foods, the fatty acids are
already broken into chains so that the body
does not have to go through the enormous
work necessary to do this. If one consumes
an appropriate raw food diet and is vigilant
about utilizing a wide cross section of
foods, fatty acids are easily obtained.
Dr Doug Graham: A diet
predominated by fruits that supplies
3-5% of calories from tender green leafy
vegetables provides sufficient quantities
of our various essential fatty acids in
proper ratios to each other. We in the raw
movement should know that issues with
omega-3 and omega-6 ratios are really a
cooked-food eater’s problem.
Karen Knowler: If people are
not sure that their nutritional needs
are being met in the EFA department it’s
better to be on the safe side and take small
26
© iStockphoto.com/LanceB/MrPants/
PhotoEuphoria/lushmedia/pepbaix/
canimedia/billyfoto/Elenathewise
amounts of flax seeds or flax oil,
hemp seeds or hemp oil (perfect
balance of Omega 3 and 6) and a
good oil that covers all bases is Udo’s
Choice Blend. Say a half to a whole
teaspoon of oil or a small handful of seeds,
depending on gender and activity levels.
It’s also a good idea to choose different
ones over the course of a week, and not
to feel that these must be taken every day
necessarily.
Frederic Patenaude: It’s
important to mention that
essential fatty acids such as omega-3’s can
be obtained in a wide variety of foods.
For example, green vegetables contain a
certain quantity of high-quality essential
fatty acids. As long as you have a good
variety of greens, fruits, and include some
healthy fat in proper quantities (such as
walnuts, Brazil nuts, tahini, avocado, etc),
there is no need to consume flax seed oils
or other concentrated sources.
Natalia Rose: There is no benefit
to taking in extra oils, flax seeds and
so on. They are difficult to break down and
the average aspiring raw foodist is going
to get more than enough good fat from a
day’s worth of raw meals.
Where do you stand on the
issue of the higher quality
oils, such as flax oil, olive
oil, or any of the cold-pressed
raw, organic oils? There are
three schools of thought on
this: that we need them, that
they’re optional extras, and
that they’re harmful. Where
do you stand on this issue
and what is the reasoning
behind this?
Elaine Bruce: We need a little oil
for essential fats.
Dr Brian Clement: At best,
minimal amounts of oils should
be consumed since all oils, even healthy
ones, displace oxygen within the blood
stream. Using a sprayer/mister reduces the
possibility of consuming too much.
Dr Doug Graham: Whole foods
are invariably more nutritious
than their refined counterparts. Oils are
highly refined foods. In fact, oils are pure
fat. Everything else that can possibly be
removed has been removed from oils.
People touting the benefits of oil have
missed the mark, preferring to focus on
what you get more of rather than on the
nutrients that are missing from oil. By this
‘logic’ we should never eat whole foods, as
they are not as concentrated with specific
nutrients as their refined counterparts.
Instead, we should rely strictly upon
isolated, fractioned supplements for our
nutrition. Obviously, this approach makes
no sense whatsoever.
Karen Knowler: I think it is
unrealistic that most raw fooders
won’t eat oils at least a few times per
week, especially for the first few years.
And so while I think the ideal is no oil, or
next-to-no oil, as always, it has to be the
case that first someone needs to remodel
their existing diet for the better, rather
than taking something out first and then
potentially failing to fill the gap. When it
comes to choosing oils, it’s important for
people to know that cold-pressed doesn’t
automatically translate to raw, so you
have to either be prepared to compromise
on this issue or actively seek out oils that
are definitely not heat treated, which is,
thankfully, much easier these days.
Frederic Patenaude: We
certainly do not need these oils,
as we can simply eat the whole foods the
oils come from and get better-quality
nutrients in a natural form. Oils are refined
and packaged foods and can in no way be
superior to whole fatty foods such as raw
nuts and seeds. Using oil simply adds too
much fat to the diet, as two tablespoons of
oil can contain as much fat as is present in
a whole avocado.
Natalia Rose: Oils should not
be used therapeutically outside of
massage and aromatherapy. Let raw oils
be what they are: helpful for creating
delicious salads. Let’s not turn them into
some kind of miracle food and encourage
the consumption of more dense fats that
will only slow you and your cleanse down.
In the next issue we look at the myths
and questions surrounding protein and
the raw diet.
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
INTERVIEW | bERNADETTE BOHAN
One woman’s
triumph over cancer
By Rhoda-Mary Bowell
B
ernadette Bohan believed she
was leading a healthy life when she
was diagnosed with breast cancer
six years ago. It was her second brush with
‘the Big C’; she had survived lymphoma
twelve years earlier. But this time, her
determination to live and her faith in the
healing power of Mother Nature inspired
this ‘ordinary woman’ to make choices that
would change her life forever.
“This is not a unique story, nor is it a story
of doom and gloom. It’s very much a story
of a mother who tried to reshape the life
I was so desperately trying to hold onto,”
says Bohan, author of two bestselling
books on her experiences of dealing
with cancer: The Choice and the newly-
released Bernadette Bohan’s The Choice:
The Programme (see review on page 7).
Looking slim, elegant and glowing as she
orders peppermint tea in the bustling foyer
of a Dublin hotel, it is hard to imagine
how close she came to losing the life she
cherished with her husband, Ger, and their
three children.
Bohan first encountered cancer at the
age of 33, when she was diagnosed with
lymphoma. As a young mother with a son,
Richard (7) and a daughter, Sarah (4), she
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
was terrified she would not live to see
her children grow up. Steroid treatment
followed. Pregnant at the time, Bohan
sadly lost the child she was carrying and
was told in no uncertain terms not to have
another baby, as her doctor feared the
hormonal changes of pregnancy might lead
to a return of malignancy.
It was advice she eventually ignored when
her longing for a third child became too
strong. She gave birth to daughter Julie at
the age of 40 and five years later found a
lump in her breast. “I had just joined the
gym,” she recalls, “and when I found the
lump, I thought I’d hurt myself in the
gym. I just never thought I could be that
unlucky again!”
Bohan now feels she learned very little
about cancer from having lymphoma; she
just “slipped back into [her] ordinary life”.
She was eating quite well at the time of
her second diagnosis, believing that with
a bowl of muesli, two pieces of fruit and
plenty of steamed veg per day she had
her nutritional bases covered. Though no
ardent junk food fan, she was, however,
under a great deal of stress. Her mother
had gone senile and her daughter Sarah
had developed a cyst on her brain. Bohan
put herself last to put her loved ones first,
grabbing a cup of tea here and a piece of
bread there as she visited her mother and
fretted over her daughter.
She believes the overwhelming strain may
have contributed to the development of
breast cancer. “When you’re stressed,”
she says, “you definitely don’t watch what
© iStockphoto.com/JackValley
you eat and I am such a believer that the
very first thing that makes a difference is
what you put in your mouth.” When she
found the lump, everything changed. “It’s
no good for your children if you don’t
put yourself to the top of the queue,” she
decided. “If you’re constantly taking
care of them and running yourself
into the ground, that doesn’t
work. It’s keeping a balance on
everything. Do for your children
but do for yourself also.”
Radiotherapy, chemotherapy
and surgery followed, leaving
Bohan feeling desperately
ill. Mindful of her own
mother’s deep faith in
the healing power of
nature, she began to read
everything she could
find on natural health
and nutrition, hoping
to uncover ways to
feel better and to
support her immune
27
INTERVIEW | bERNADETTE BOHAN
system through the crisis. No matter
how sick she felt she would drag herself
to seminars. “Juicing kept cropping up
everywhere,” she remembers. She already
owned a centrifugal juicer; it had been
living a tranquil life in the back of her
kitchen cupboard for 16 years. Concerned
about chemical sprays on raw foods, she
found a local source of organic produce
and began feeding it into the machine.
She also made gradual changes to her diet
by eliminating flesh foods, dairy products
and processed foods, adding uncooked
and sprouted plant foods to her daily fare,
purifying the water coming into her home
and replacing chemical-based cleaning
agents, deodorants and cosmetics with
safe alternatives. What happened next
astonished her.
“I couldn’t see the cancer but I could
see that my arthritis disappeared,” she
says. She was reaching for her reading
glasses less and less because she no longer
needed them. Her dentist remarked on
the improved state of her teeth and gums.
Her energy levels soared and her skin and
hair gave up their dryness as she added
essential fats to her diet. Her mind became
exquisitely clear. She also lost her middle
age spread, the flab on her face, arms and
tummy disappearing as the nutrient-rich
foods and fluids cleansed her system. “It
wasn’t that I lost weight,” she explains.
“It was just better distributed.” Having
struggled for most of her adult life to
squeeze into fitted skirts and jeans, she
now has the figure of a teenager. Her
husband claims it’s like being with a 20-
year-old again.
Pushed into an early menopause by
chemotherapy, Bohan had severe hot
flushes and palpitations. But as she
changed her diet, her menopausal
symptoms receded. She still gets the
occasional mild flush but they no longer
present a problem. Experiencing positive
changes she could see and feel encouraged
her in the belief that her new lifestyle was
helping her body fight cancer too.
28
Family members, friends and neighbours
watched in amazement as her demeanour
changed from worn out and sickly to vital
and luminous. As she shared her findings
with interested parties, informal kitchen
gatherings grew into packed lectures and
seminars on how to “change simply” – her
five-point plan for wellness as outlined
in her autobiography, The Choice, and
expanded upon in her new book,
The Programme.
When Bohan started on the road to
health, the information she needed was
available but scattered. She says she made
mistakes along the way and is keen to help
people avoid the detours. She credits
Brian Clement, director of
the Hippocrates Health
Institute in Florida,
with steering her
towards high-oxygen
green juices and away
from sweeter carrot and
apple juice, on the basis
that cancers love sugar
but hate oxygen. He also
told her the soya products she
thought were healthy were too hard to
digest. Digestion is paramount for health;
unless the body can break down food, it
remains malnourished. She also learned
about enzymes, the catalysts in raw foods
that help the body extract optimum
nutrition but which are destroyed by heat.
“I thought I had transformed things by
moving away from dairy, moving across
to soya products, and I had to go back
and change all that,” she says. “I did the
changes and then I learned!”
Her motto should be: “Just do it!” A self-
confessed doer, Bohan believes people
gather too much information at the
expense of putting changes into practice,
which is why she keeps her advice simple.
While the threat of dying is a powerful
motivator, she is emphatic that if she could
change her diet and lifestyle while on
chemotherapy and minding three children,
anyone can do it. She insists she is just an
© iStockphoto.com/Pleio/plasmatic-t2
ordinary woman and mother – with no
training in nutrition – who, when faced
with “looking over the abyss”, chose
to live.
It can be tough departing from the crowd
and she has experienced challenges close
to home. While she received “wonderful
support” from her husband and kids when
she was ill, she says they can be “funny”
about her diet. She sneaks sprouts and
other goodies into their food to try to keep
them healthy in spite of themselves. She
uses a food dehydrator to give a cooked
taste and appearance to food without
heating it to the point where nutrients and
enzymes are destroyed. But there
are signs of hope. Her husband
still raves about a raw meal
they ate at Juliano’s restaurant
in California. Her older children
enjoy teasing her about mouth-
watering Big Macs but have also
been known to polish off plates
of raw biscuits. Reading her new
book, they discovered they
had been eating millet-enriched
gravy for years.
Bohan is reluctant to share her own daily
menu; she doesn’t want to discourage
beginners from making changes to their
own diets by revealing an eating plan that
looks different from the norm. “It’s nice for
people to know that when I started out,
I only did the juicing. And then I dabbled
in the food and I was getting results.” She
believes the best way to transition to a
raw diet is to add juices, sprouts, raw foods
and foods rich in cancer-busting Vitamin
B17 – such as apple seeds, apricot kernels,
wheatgrass juice and millet – to the diet
before giving up comfort foods. That
way, change is easier and people do not
feel deprived. The more nourishment the
body receives, the less it craves junk and
the easier the transition becomes. “Being
Irish,” Bohan does allow herself a potato
or two, a scraping of butter on crackers
and the odd slice of sprouted bread. She
also has the occasional glass of wine and is
slightly more flexible on holiday or when
socialising with friends. But she becomes
very thirsty if deprived of her juices and
is keen to get back to her daily routine if
forced away from it by circumstance.
It appears her alternative prescription for
health is working. She has been cancer-free
for six years. She visits her oncologist every
four months for a check-up but rarely goes
to her GP. She never claims to be cured,
though. “They tell you you’re clear,” she
says, “but what I learned was that you’re
never clear. You stay vigilant and you
stay on your nutritional therapy. The one
thing I’d say to people with the disease is:
“Educate yourself.” Knowledge is power
and when you educate yourself, suddenly
you start to find out what’s going to work
and what is effective.”
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
FEATURE | detox plan
Lighten your load this summer
With summer in full swing, markets and gardens are brimming
with luscious ripe fruits and vegetables. If you have ever thought
about embarking on a cleansing program, now would be the
time to do it, says Nomi Shannon.
W
hat exactly is a cleanse,
you may ask? Simply put, when
your body does not have to
constantly attend to the complex tasks of
digestion, assimilation and elimination it
is able to more efficiently attend to some
of its other functions, the most important
being cleansing and healing. Drastically
simplifying your intake of food will
allow your body to expend its energy
on these tasks.
There are several ways to do this. Water
fasting is the most extreme method. At
one time I considered water fasting to be
foolhardy. But after experiencing several
water-only fasts, I have changed my
mind. Water fasting can be an extremely
profound and beneficial form of cleansing
and healing. However, bed rest is a very
important component of water fasting.
Since this would be impractical for most
people, it’s nice to know that wonderful
results can also be had with juice fasting.
Juicing extracts the liquid from the food,
leaving the pulp behind; thus allowing
your system to rest from the constant work
it does while still taking in nourishment.
A typical juicing plan would consist of
drinking as much freshly made juice
throughout the day as you want. Many
people use 100% carrot juice for fasting,
however I would recommend 50% carrot
juice and 50% juices from green sources
such as cucumber, celery, spinach, kale,
cabbage, sprouts or romaine lettuce.
Carrot juice contains a great deal of
sugar, but with the addition of greens the
blood sugar levels tend to remain more
even. Also, the chlorophyll in greens is an
excellent internal (and external) cleanser
and healer. Greens also contain protein: the
darker the green the higher the protein.
All raw fruits and vegetables contain
enzymes, minerals and vitamins, and along
with flushing out toxins, you are also
rehydrating with these high water content
foods.
It is wise to lead up to a juice fast gradually
by cutting out flesh, dairy and wheat
foods while adding more raw fruits and
vegetables to your daily routine two to
three weeks prior to starting your cleanse.
With a gradual lead up, you should be able
to maintain your normal daily activities
while on a juice fast. But it would be nice if
you could get more rest and sunshine than
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
usual during this time as your body is doing
a lot of cleaning out and resting would
assist the process.
You don’t own a juicer? Or, you have no
time to juice? That’s okay. You will be
amazed at the health benefits you can
obtain by setting aside anywhere from
three days to two weeks or more for eating
raw fruits and vegetables only. The simplest
approach would be to eat mono-meals,
which means one type of food at a time.
For example, breakfast could be peaches.
Just peaches. Eat as many as you like until
you feel comfortably full. Peaches are
cleansing for the kidneys and bladder,
plus they contain calcium, magnesium,
phosphorus, vitamin C, potassium and folic
acid. A large wedge of watermelon is also
an excellent way to start off the day, as it
digests rapidly, has alkalizing and diuretic
properties and contains beta-carotene,
thiamin, vitamin C and potassium.
For lunch a large green salad with a few
embellishments like red pepper, cabbage or
broccoli and a splash of lemon juice would
be good. Dinner could be another large
salad with different embellishments. But
you don’t even have to get that fancy. Eat
a red pepper, some celery sticks, perhaps
a pickling cucumber (they are not waxed)
and corn on the cob (raw) until you are
comfortably full. Snacks can be any fruits or
vegetables that you have in the house. Fill
a large bowl with fruit and leave it on your
counter for you to choose from throughout
the day, and load up your refrigerator with
lots of pre-washed vegetables. That will
help keep you out of the bread bin.
Blending some of your meals is another
option. Blending breaks the food down,
making it easier to digest. It contains all the
original fiber. Smoothies are an example of
a blended food. They taste wonderful, take
only minutes to make and all you need
is a blender. Use a base of any natural or
fresh squeezed juice, or water. Next, add a
variety of fruit. For cold, thick smoothies,
keep some in the freezer, cut in chunks
and ready to use. Bananas are simple, just
peel when very ripe, put in plastic bags
and freeze. Other fruits that are good to
have on hand either fresh or frozen are
strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries,
blueberries, mangos, papayas, peaches and
pineapple.
Fresh raw soup is a quick and easy
alternative to salad. For Summer Tomato-
Basil Soup*, place the following in a
blender and blend until smooth: 6-8
medium tomatoes, 1/4 lemon, peeled and
seeded, 1 avocado, a large handful of
sunflower or clover sprouts, 2 tablespoons
chopped fresh basil, 1 tablespoon chopped
onion, 1 small clove garlic. Pour into bowls
and garnish with basil or sprouts. Serves
2. Or, try Summer’s Bounty Soup*. In a
blender, combine: 4 red peppers, seeded
and cut up, 1 medium cucumber, cut up,
1 scallion chopped, 1 small clove garlic, 3
tablespoons chopped fresh basil or other
fresh herb, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, a
pinch of sea salt, and a dash of lemon juice
and olive oil. Pour into bowls and garnish
with chopped cucumber, red pepper and
sliced mushrooms. Serves 2-3. For dinner
you could have a salad, a blended soup or
just veggies or fruits as they come from
nature. How much simpler can life be?
How will you feel at the end of a cleanse?
Most people report feeling lighter in
body and mind, with clearer skin, clearer
thoughts, weight loss and either the
lessening or complete disappearance
of bothersome symptoms like sinusitis,
digestive disorders, mood swings, fatigue,
high blood pressure and much more. With
a new spring in your step and a flatter
belly, the results of enjoying summer’s
bounty will be well worth it.
*Soup recipes are from The Raw Gourmet,
by Nomi Shannon (Alive Books, 1999)
Author of The Raw Gourmet, Nomi
Shannon is a well-known proponent
of natural health and healing. Besides
writing books and health articles,
Nomi is a raw foods chef and a
© iStockphoto.com/aloha_17/Blair_witch
certified Hippocrates Health Educator.
As a Living Foods Lifestyle Coach, she
provides counseling and consultation
services for individuals and groups
the world over who wish to improve
their health – one bite at a time.
Contact Nomi at her website: www.
rawgourmet.com, or email: nomi@
rawgourmet.com
29
Special Feature

Interview with

30 Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006

Natalia Rose is a certified clinical nutritionist whose thriving
and cutting edge Manhattan practice grew out of her desire
to bring the benefits of raw food to the mainstream. Her
programme is comprehensively outlined in her book The Raw
Food Detox Diet: The Five-Step Plan For Vibrant Health And
Maximum Weight Loss.
By Sarah Best
Where are you from and how
many times have you circled
the sun?
I was born and raised in Encino, California,
but went to boarding school and university
on the East Coast. I’ll be 31 years ageless in
September.
Please briefly describe your
professional background.
While I have had clinical training in
nutrition, the type of nutritional healing I
practice is very much self-realized. I have
also had a great mentor in Gil Jacobs, the
colon therapy guru. What I practice is not
currently taught in nutritional and medical
disciplines at school and in text books.
This is all changing though. I sense a great
awakening is taking place which is very
exciting.
What was your diet like pre-raw?
Which foods were your dietary
staples then?
I would describe my former diet as that of
a typical health-aspiring American. I did
what was suggested in the media. I ate lots
of chicken and yogurt, treated grain as a
splurge and was just extremely conscious of
my calorie and fat intake. The deprivation
I felt weighed heavily on me. I also had
to work out strenuously to maintain my
weight which, even with all that effort and
deprivation, was still 30 pounds heavier
than I am today. So it wasn’t as though all
the effort was even paying off.
When and how did you first
discover the benefits of eating a
high-raw diet?
It was Paul Nison’s book The Raw Life. I
picked it up in a health food store one
day and set out to try it just as I had
other diets in the past. But this time, it
was really different. I loved the food and
the sweet treats. It was so much fun and
incredibly delicious. In the book, he had
an interview with Gil Jacobs and discussed
colon therapy. Once I combined the raw
food with the colon therapy at Gil’s New
York based colon therapy center, Chakra
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
17, my body morphed into the shape I had
always wanted. I had found the magical
combination and never looked back.
In your book, The Raw Food
Detox Diet, you place a lot of
emphasis on the importance of
transitioning at a comfortable
pace. Please describe your own
transition – how long it took you
and what the various stages were.
Transition is so key. The way I eat today
is a far cry from what I was doing when I
started. I could never have done then what
I do now or even imagined I would want to
eat at the level I do now when I was in the
first few years of my transition.
First of all the body is not clean enough
after decades of un-fit foods to eat purely
raw fruits and vegetables. Physiologically
you will have very uncomfortable detox
responses. Aside from the physical though,
there are the social and emotional reasons
for transitioning slowly. You need to eat
what you enjoy and not feel like you are
missing out or depriving yourself. This is
where the transitional foods come in. You
don’t need to give up bread if you’re just
starting out, but have sprouted grain bread
and save it for later in the day. You can still
eat cooked fish if you want to as it does
not interfere with detoxing for years in the
typical body. Once you get really clean, fish
is not going to feel good in your system.
But until your body is clean enough to pick
up on that kind of subtlety you can have it
if you want to.
When I was transitioning, I was careful to
stick to the ‘light to heavy’ concept from
my book and only eat cooked/transition
foods later in the day. But when that time
came, I would chow down! I could sock
away 4-6 slices of sprouted grain toast or
a whole pound of fish. But the beauty is
that even though these quantities seemed
huge, it was so much cleaner than the way
I was eating previously that my body was
responding with rapid weight loss and
vitality. If I ate those foods today, I would
feel heavy and lethargic but then my body
was improving on them. This is why you
must never compare yourself with anyone
else. Know your stage and stick with it. As
long as you are improving you can remain
at that level. Once you start to stalemate,
it’s time to step it up again.
At present, what does a typical
day look like for you food and
drink wise?
It varies depending on the season but
typically I don’t take in anything other
than water until between 2-5pm. At that
time I drink about 30-50 ounces of Green
Lemonade (green veggies, lemon, apple
and ginger, per the recipe in the book).
Before dinner I’ll eat some raw beets and
carrots and then when my husband comes
home we sit down to a candle-lit dinner
(the dining experience at dinner is very
important in my opinion).
Dinner is always an oversized raw
vegetable salad. Sometimes I add avocado
and other times raw goat’s cheese.
My salads are so mouth watering with
unbelievably yummy dressings that I find
it very easy to make them the focal point
of the meal. Sometimes I’ll have steamed
veggies or kombu (seaweed) noodles
topped with an organic marinara sauce.
The other thing I’ll eat cooked are baked
sweet potatoes. They make a really quick
exit from the body but provide that great
comfort food experience when you want it.
In the summer I’ll often juice during the
day and then do a great big fruit meal. I’ll
have watermelon followed by papaya or
any other fruit I’m craving and then dates
or raw banana based ice cream for dessert.
This is a feast of sweet, refreshing fruit and
it makes me feel great the next day!
31
Special Feature
What physical benefits have
you enjoyed as a result of your
raw diet?
These are too endless to name. In a
nutshell, the ‘before’ Natalia was always
struggling with her weight. I would get
the worst bronchial infections every year,
suffered from horrendous break outs, was
borderline depressed and had very little
energy for someone of 20. The ‘after’
Natalia is a completely different being. I
have the energy of a healthy kid. I have
not had a single bronchial infection in
nearly a decade and I feel naturally joyous
even in the midst of upheavals.
How has it affected you mentally,
emotionally and spiritually?
Over time, this way of living has changed
my way of seeing the world. First, I realized
that almost everything I had been taught
about life, spirituality, love, relationships,
and so on was wrong. Seeing myself as a
holograph of my world forced me to open
my eyes to what modern living was doing
to all sentient beings and mother earth.
I have found this type of awakening to
be very common among people who get
into this lifestyle. It’s near impossible to
comprehend the reasons for eating this
way without seeing the bigger picture.
Once you reconnect with truth, the truth of
everything around you starts flooding into
every aspect of your life and perception. So
it has not re-designed only the blueprint
of my body but rather the blueprint of my
life. This has such far reaching ramifications
– particularly as an author, teacher and
mother – because what I do, think and
teach directs others. We all do this in our
own immediate environments. So we have
to be really responsible about what we are
transmitting to others.
There is a great bit in the book
where you observe that clutter
on the inside (i.e. in our bodies)
tends to manifest as clutter
on the outside (i.e. in our lives/
environments), and that cleaning
up the inner terrain often leads
to a powerful drive to clean up
the external. So many have found
this to be true! How would you
explain this phenomenon?
Eating fresh foods is like shining a light
in the dark. When light pours into your
life and you start to see how great the
light is, you simply want the light to shine
everywhere in your life. It also shows
you where the darkness is – the clutter
in your life is a symptom of a deeper
disorganization and emotional turmoil
within. It also happens because when the
body becomes stronger and cleaner you
finally have the strength to deal with the
root of those things that you may not have
had before. You start to see the possibility
that every part of your life could be
renewed the way this part is. Cleaning up
32
your living space psychologically supports
the diet because if you’re not feeling
sloppy with your home and life, you are
less likely to be sloppy with your diet.
How old are your children, and
how do they eat?
My daughter is 5 ½ and my son is 3 ½.
They eat a lot of raw food and they eat a
lot of transition foods like sprouted grain
bread products, whole grain pastas and
spelt cookies. They do like organic eggs
and goat’s milk products as well. I nursed
them both for about a year and kept them
100% raw for their first year and a half or
so. They are very healthy children. I never
worry about them being exposed to sick
kids or getting dirty. Their internal terrains
are clean so they never ‘catch’ anything.
They have never had the need for
antibiotics and never had any ear, eye or
bronchial infections. Aside from educating
them about why we eat this way and why I
“What people need to
understand is that cooked
animal flesh is a damaged
protein so it is not a
good source of complete
protein to begin with.”
do not believe in killing animals for food in
the modern world, I am not militant with
them at all. If they go to a party they can
have the cake and pizza. They’ll usually
have a sore tummy and a runny nose the
next day as their healthy little bodies
quickly go to task pushing out the poisons
but they learn from it and they appreciate
the sumptuous, fresh food they get to
enjoy every day!
Although there are many reasons
people choose not to follow a
strict vegan diet and you make it
clear that this is not necessary
for success on your program,
have you seen any evidence that
some people have an actual
biochemical need to consume
animal protein? Or could any
human being theoretically meet
all their amino acid, essential
fatty acid and other nutritional
needs on a high-raw or raw
vegan diet?
I truly believe that unadulterated man/
woman was designed to thrive on pure
water, air, sunlight and love. But we are
not in this state today. Our cells and DNA
have devolved from all this unfit living. So
while there are a lot of people who feel
they need flesh products to sustain them or
their fitness lifestyle, I believe this ‘need’ is
psychologically based.
What people need to understand is that
cooked animal flesh is a damaged protein
so it is not a good source of complete
protein to begin with. Raw animal flesh
carries the vibration of death and the
adrenaline of the animal that was killed
which cancels out any benefit it could have.
We are vibratory beings (matter is light and
light is energy vibrating). Therefore in my
personal and professional opinion, animal
flesh, with its inharmonious vibrations is
damaging to the human field in all cases
and is unfit for our consumption.
You are a great example of
someone who is successfully
bringing the raw way of eating
closer to the mainstream. Can you
envisage a day when eating 70+%
raw is no longer a rare exception
but is a dietary choice adopted by
a significant proportion of the
population – and if so, how far
away do you think that day is?
Yes, I absolutely can. This is where the
modern world is heading. People are
hitting rock-bottom with their health
and are being forced to revise everything
they thought they knew about health and
weight loss. Pharmaceutical drugs are not
going to be an option one day as they
are revealed as a highly toxic death trap.
As this happens everyone will start to see
that if they want to look and feel well, not
to mention be fertile and virile, they are
going to have to eat and live this way.
What are your plans for the
future? Do you have any projects
in the pipeline that you’d like our
readers to know about?
I have a new book in the works which
is scheduled to launch in December of
this year.
© iStockphoto.com/pamelajane
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
RAW BEAUTY
Cosmetic procedures:
Beauty’s Friend
or Beauty’s Foe?
If you’ve ever been tempted
to resort to plastic surgery to
help you look younger, think
again says Tonya Zavasta. The
raw foods lifestyle will give
you better and longer-lasting
results with none of the side
effects or risk factors.
R © iStockphoto.com/czardases
ecently I spoke for over two
hours to a lively audience at a ladies’
retreat. My subjects were three: my
spiritual journey from being an atheist,
overcoming my physical adversity, and
never giving up on my dreams. The ladies
laughed at humorous stories of married
life, my Russian heritage and the culture
shock of coming to America. When I felt
I had their trust (and though they’d just
lunched on hotel-standard Chicken Kiev
and a sugar-laden dessert) I hit them
hard with my raw foods message. Their
response was great: Later, at dinner, I
heard a veritable chorus of: “Oh, just a
salad for me, thanks!”
Days later I received an email from one of
the retreat’s organizers. I’ve been asked
some questions, said my correspondent,
that I’d like you to answer in more detail.
Personally, I think you look fabulous and
certainly healthier and more fit than most
of us—I’m just quoting, folks, not boasting!
But someone said they thought you may
have had cosmetic facial surgery. The
person was, my correspondent went on,
concerned about how that would affect
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
the integrity of your testimony regarding
what the raw food diet has done for you.
Then came the forthright question: Had I
undergone cosmetic surgery? Please forgive
my asking, but it’s important that I affirm
the honesty of your proposed healthy
eating plan.
How was I supposed to feel now
– mistrusted or amused? Searching for
the words to reply, I decided to proceed
gently, and factually. Thank you for asking
about cosmetic surgery, my own email
began. I am flattered. I have NEVER had
any cosmetic procedures done. I have never
been in a cosmetologist’s office. I do not
even go for facials. I do them at home
myself. Externally, I only do what I discuss
in chapter 28 of my book.
I get these questions all the time. My
husband even jokes about it. “No, she’s
never had a face lift,” he likes to say. “But
if I miss one little job she’s told me to do, I
definitely will get some raised eyebrows.”
Women I interviewed for my second book
Beautiful On Raw all told me they’ve
been asked the same question – Have you
had something done? – again and again.
In fact, I consider these questions a big
compliment, a great testimonial that this
lifestyle works. Prove it to yourself. Do
what I recommend in my book. You’ll soon
have people looking at you and asking you
the same question.
You cannot fake the glow that arises from
the raw food lifestyle. It’s internal. It’s
what happens when a person goes on the
raw food diet. She begins to glow. In our
own local support group, we see these
transformations all the time. That glow of
health and vitality is a genuine miracle, one
that can happen for everyone – especially
you. Raw food will work this magic for you,
without the surgeon’s knife.
You do not have to worry about something
going irreversibly wrong. Nothing can go
wrong with anaesthesia, and there’s zero
chance of trauma from surgery when you
embark on your raw food adventure. You
needn’t worry your look will be spoiled
when a surgeon botches your face-lift or a
dermatologist leaves de-pigmented white
marks where age spots have been removed.
33
 RAW BEAUTY
What’s ‘natural’ by definition is what’s
produced by nature, not made by
humankind. Natural beauty is free and
easy, never forced nor artificial. Cosmetic
surgery is the very antithesis of natural.
Surgery perverts nature and produces
a ‘beauty’ that’s essentially artificial – a
simulation.
Women used to rely on their style of dress
to improve their appearance and hide
their body shapes. Wear this dress for that
shape, we used to say. And just let out this
seam a little, will you? Now, alterations
have gone to the bare skin. Now, instead of
private seamstresses, women have personal
surgeons. Cosmetic surgeons not only
have taken the seamstress’s job, they’ve
even usurped the tailor’s vocabulary. They
‘trim’ and ‘seam’, they ‘nip’ and ‘tuck’.
Cosmetic surgeons, even more than fashion
designers, scoop the credit for the beauty
of their clients.
We’re all fascinated by a person who looks
much younger than her age. If you look
pretty at 20, you’re just average. If you
look beautiful after 40, people think you’re
special. We get cynical about it, too. People
are often on guard to prevent others from
undeservedly joining the select group
of ‘special’ individuals. It is like a Gucci
handbag knock-off – it may outwardly
resemble the real thing, but it isn’t. And,
let’s be honest – everyone wants the
real thing.
© iStockphoto.com/cathyclapper2
If a woman is naturally beautiful in middle
life or later, she must be doing something
right. When we learn a woman is much
older than we expected, we’re usually
both amazed and fascinated. We see her
resistance to aging as a promising victory
over the ravages of time, and it gives
us hope. If she did it, I can do it
too. When we learn that the
youthfulness we see results
from cosmetic surgery,
we’re disappointed.
We were so intrigued,
but all for nothing. Our
fascination was wasted –
it was only the surgeon’s
skills we were admiring.
Now we judge: She’s just
another desperate victim,
dreading aging.
34
“At age 50, every man has the face he
deserves.” for the compliment – You look beautiful.
— George Orwell, author of 1984
Orwell knew his stuff. After 50, if you’re
still beautiful, no one but you can take the
credit. The older we get, the more truly
our appearance reflects who we really are
inside. The lifestyle we’ve chosen, the self-
discipline we’ve demanded, the illnesses
we’ve survived – they’re all carved on our
faces in bold relief. A healthy person looks
10 to 20 years younger than others in
their peer group. After 40, there is a direct
correlation between beauty revealed and
health concealed. If a lifestyle leads to
surgery, it’s a failure. A person who’s had
cosmetic surgery and now teaches how to
become beautiful is like the person who’s
undergone bypass surgery and now teaches
others how to have a healthy heart. If a
woman needs cosmetic surgery in her 30s
or 40s because she looks older, look at
her lifestyle!
Would you give anything to be beautiful?
There is one thing you must never sacrifice
to obtain it – your health. Health and
beauty are vitally connected vessels: steal
from one, and you’re robbing the other.
Your inner body and your outer body are
intimate friends. If the colours and forms
of your body are changing outwardly, do
not be mistaken – they are also changing
inwardly. If you need surgery outside, this
might hint at surgery soon to be needed on
the organs inside. Cosmetic surgery won’t
make you younger. Actually, given any
surgery, your body will age a great deal.
Biologically, you will get ‘older’. A washed-
out look and thinning hair will vividly
manifest that your body has been under
siege. Facelifts and associated procedures
do take years off your face temporarily, but
add years to your body permanently.
Still looking at surgery as a way of catching
youth’s tail? Your new, brief youthfulness
will still be only superficial. Consider…if
you feel you’ve aged a lot, even after
a facelift, you’ll still remain old – but
now with stretched skin and a slimmer
purse. You’ll fool strangers, but only for
a moment. At first glance, a person with
a facelift looks young, even handsome.
A closer look shows a subtle distortion,
something not quite right.
When different parts of one’s body suggest
different ages, they appear aesthetically
mismatched – like a new patch sewn on
an old dress. Even a little strangeness
in appearance invites more scrupulous
examination. People tend to stare at such
faces to see if they can discern what’s been
done. These aren’t admiring second glances
– they’re the kind of looks given to oddities
at a carnival. Now, they’ll look at many
other places that cry out your age – hands,
neck, hair, eyes, elbows... From that
moment, they’ll be impressed not by your
looks, but by the surgeon’s skills. You long
But you dread hearing What a great job
they did on your face.
When we hear about cosmetic surgery,
our mind’s eye sees images of the skin
separated from underlying tissue. Skin
lifted back and tightened. Excess skin
trimmed away. An ear-to-ear incision
closed with surgical staples. We’ll never
forget how the skin was torn or burned,
how fat was sucked up, how foreign
materials were implanted. The very notion
of beauty assumes no force or coercion.
But surgical procedures, in contemplation,
are so gross that it’s hard to see the final
result as aesthetic. Beauty and horror
are incompatible. No matter how widely
accepted cosmetic surgery becomes,
subconsciously it will never free the
observer from the picture of a torturous
ordeal endured.
Oriental diagnosis is the art of seeing the
condition of internal organs by observing
the body’s external features. Oriental
diagnosis says that the body’s entire state
of well being can be seen in any one of
its organs. For example, the face reveals
the condition of the digestive, circulatory,
and nervous systems. Thus outward signs
of deterioration become warning signs of
degeneration inside. To learn more about
this ancient medical art, I recommend an
excellent book: How to See Your Health by
Michio Kushi.
According to Oriental diagnosis, hollow
depressions running from the corners
of the mouth to the sides of the chin
indicate severe colon problems. But
instead of changing our eating habits,
we want to mask them with collagen
injections. A pronounced frown line
between the eyebrows is a sure sign that
the liver is in deep trouble. Yet we inject
Botulinum, a paralytic, into the muscles
of the forehead to temporarily paralyze
them, eliminating the body’s ability to
frown, forcing muscles into relaxation,
and smoothing a furrowed brow. Paralysis
– the very word is chilling. Childhood polio
paralyzed the hand of a friend. Her hand
looked lifeless, unnaturally pale. When
does a paralyzed, frozen forehead begin
to pass for beautiful? Botulinum is one
of the deadliest poisons known. In Botox
procedures, the poison is hugely diluted,
so it won’t kill you instantly. This doesn’t
change the fact, however, that you’ve put
into your body a substance which doesn’t
belong there.
One Botox advertisement says: “The
most common side effects are headache,
respiratory infection, flu syndrome, and
nausea.” These are all signs that the body is
trying to counteract poison. Doctors assure
patients that any screw-ups will eventually
disappear. But at what cost? The already
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
troubled liver has to work overtime. And
after months of the body’s heroic efforts
to rid itself of this deadly toxin, symptoms
of paralysis wear off. Time for another
injection!
Dark circles under the eyes signal that
the liver is struggling with an overload
of toxins and kidney malfunction. Bags
and puffiness around the eyes are signs of
fluid accumulation and poor circulation
in that area. Yet we are advised to use
Preparation-H to reduce the swelling.
Preparation-H brings additional poison that
the already overburdened liver and kidneys
must work to eliminate.
“As goes the liver, so goes the body!”
— Anonymous
For cosmetic purposes, we treat varicose
veins with sclerotherapy – a concentrated
solution of saline injected directly into
the vein. This is irritating enough to
cause obstruction of the blood vessel and
connecting branches, with a permanent
closure of dilated capillaries. Afterward,
varicose veins seem to vanish. Of course
they do – they can’t carry any blood! We
forget that the network of capillaries and
veins deliver oxygen and nutrients to the
cells. Sclerosis of the blood vessels affects
circulation in the legs. As less blood flows
to the lower extremities, the oxygen-
deprived tissues become painful. The
body will shift the work of closed veins to
neighboring vessels. It is only a matter of
time before more veins will bulge because
of this additional overload – a vicious cycle
that cannot end well.
We try to get rid of age spots on our hands
by using hydrogen peroxide, peeling with
trichloroacetic acid, or freezing them
with liquid nitrogen. Those blotched
areas of dark pigmentation with distinct,
irregular edges, which seem to appear
out of nowhere, are also called liver spots.
The pigment originates in the damaged
membrane material within the cells. The
formation of age pigment takes place not
only on the skin, but also throughout the
body, in the liver, heart, skeletal muscles,
and adrenal glands. But its build-up is
most pronounced in brain cells. Spots
surfacing on the skin are only the tip of an
iceberg. Since age pigment accumulation is
accelerated in Alzheimer’s patients, these
spots everyone wants to mask should call
for action – senility might be waiting to
strike.
There’s always a tradeoff with cosmetic
procedures. You might look better for
your age, but at some point you’ll end
up looking worse. A first facelift wants a
second, then a third…in the end your face
becomes a mask. It will matter—even when
you’re 70, 80, or 100. As long as you’re
a woman, your appearance will matter
to you. First lured into cosmetic surgery,
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
we become its slave, and then we’ll be
blamed for having done it in the first place.
Cosmetic surgery is just another fad, but
unlike torn jeans or big hair, there’s no
going back.
You might fool a few eyes. But you’re still
aging. After skin is stretched, the overhang
is cut off, and you will have to get away
with thinner skin for the rest of your life.
If you keep this up, in time you’ll be down
to the last couple of dermal layers. Finally,
the day comes when your skin can’t be
stretched further. You’ll then look worse
than your peers who’ve have had no
cosmetic surgery. There’s nothing sadder
than an elderly woman whose surgically
stretched face cries out how desperately
she wanted to look young.
As cosmetic surgery techniques improve, so
does our eye for spotting an altered face.
No one wants to be fooled, especially on
beauty. The more people resort to cosmetic
surgery to reverse signs of aging, the more
they’ll recognize natural beauty in the
mature woman. Nowadays it’s seen as a
sign of an open mind to resort to surgery.
But as real beauty becomes rarer, it will
grow in value. Celebrities boast about
surgical transformations because they’re
still expensive, even prestigious. But when
even a person on welfare is able to have a
facelift, the practice will lose its glamour.
We’ll be back where we started. Cosmetic
surgery will be seen for what it really is
– the invasion and mutilation of the body
– and routine cosmetic surgeries will be
condemned. This shift has already begun.
The evidence comes from a curious corner:
The men’s magazine Perfect 10 goes to
great lengths to verify their models have
had no surgical work done.
I do not condemn cosmetic surgery as a
practice. I’m against it only as a means of
addressing aging. Get to your optimum
natural health and youthfulness first. Then,
© iStockphoto.com/Danijelm
if something still wants correction—some
folds of the skin that still bother you, say—
then consider surgery. Your less-involved
procedure will cause your body much less
trauma, and you’ll emerge looking more
natural. The positive results of a facelift
cannot last forever. And the negative
effects can’t be completely undone. I am
asking you to give the raw foods lifestyle
a try. You might be surprised how few if
any faults will be left for even the most
zealous surgeon to correct. The results may
astonish you. And you’ll like yourself the
way you are.
When people learn my age, they begin to
stare at my face. I feel relaxed. “Look as
much as you want.” I can’t imagine how
insecure I’d feel if I’d had something done.
The shame and guilt that can accompany
cosmetic surgery gives way to the pride and
dignity that come with my lifestyle. Beauty,
health, and youthfulness are all intimately
connected. Taken together, they’re your
guide for deciding whether what you’re
doing is right – when you achieve one, are
the other two in danger?
Tonya Zavasta is the author of Your
Right To Be Beautiful: How to Halt
the Train of Aging and Meet the Most
Beautiful You and it’s sequel Beautiful
On Raw: Uncooked Creations. In her
books and seminars Tonya takes a
stand as an ambassador for plain-
looking women in their quest for
physical beauty. If you have a beauty
question or would like to share
your testimonial of physical
transformation, email tonya@
beautifulonraw.com More info
www.beautifulonraw.com.
Tonya’s books are available
from The Fresh Network. Call
0845 833 7017 or visit
www.fresh-network.com.
35
SPECIAL FEATURE | tOP tEN HEALTH MYTHS
Is that so?
I
t seems like every time you turn
your head, you hear confusing and
misleading information from every
corner of the health movement. First,
you have mainstream ‘experts’ who
rely on outdated and inaccurate data
to advise us on the subject. And then
there’s the raw food or health movement
itself, within which most people seem
to disagree on what constitutes the
healthiest diet. In this article, I will
review 10 wrong assumptions about
natural living, the first five being spread
by conventional ‘experts’ and the
second five being spread by various
raw-food advocates.
Five False Assumptions
About Natural Living...
From the Mainstream
You have to make sure you eat
enough protein
Without a doubt, the issue of ‘getting
enough protein’ is the number one concern
of anyone switching to any kind of diet
for any reason. Even though decades
of vegetarian and vegan traditions and
36
Frederic Patenaude
busts some popular
health myths
associated research has proven that our
actual protein requirements are fairly
low and easy to meet – as long as you eat
enough food – most people who advise you
about diet make protein a much bigger
deal than it actually is. Bodybuilders go
beyond all extremes known to humankind
by consuming upwards to 350 grams
of protein per day, an amount that is
completely off the chart and only possible
through the consumption of refined
protein powders. At the same time, most
people on the planet get by on less than 60
grams of protein a day, and many of these
cultures possess wiry and explosive strength
that would put most gym-goers to shame.
In the end, the evidence is still conclusive:
as long as you eat enough calories to meet
your needs, you will at the same time
consume enough protein, even if all you
eat are fruits and vegetables. There is no
reason to make protein more important
than it actually is.
You need to eat a balanced diet.
According to our nutritionists, a ‘balanced’
meal is composed of carbohydrates,
protein and fat in the right proportions.
A meal of bread (carbohydrate), with
cheese (protein), and a salad containing
a dressing of olive oil (fat) and a dessert
(carbohydrate) would be, in their opinion,
a balanced meal. That meal might be a
digestive disaster for most people, but that
aside, we don’t find any evidence that
our bodies need to receive nutrition in such
a manner.
If we look all around the world, we see
different cultures that have enjoyed
excellent health eating far from ‘balanced’
meals. In China, rice with vegetables is a
meal. In the Great North, the Eskimos have
lived on almost nothing but meat. The
Hunzas regularly ate meals composed of
vegetables and some chapati bread. If we
look at wild animals, we also see that they
do not eat ‘balanced’ meals. A meal for an
orangutan might consist of nothing more
than rambutan (a tropical fruit) or durian
(another tropical fruit). As long as we eat
a large variety of food from week to week,
it doesn’t matter if our meals are not
composed of carbohydrates, protein and
fat.
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
 You can’t sustain yourself on
© iStockphoto.com/nano/zibistanczyk/winterling/PhotoEuphoria/blackie
just raw foods
Most nutritionists look at the raw food diet
and claim that it’s ‘impossible’ to sustain
ourselves on only fruits, vegetables, nuts
and seeds. Letting alone the fact that
hundreds of thousands of people are doing
just that and are still alive to tell about it,
there is no scientific reason to believe that
we can’t live on raw foods. Nutritionists
will claim that it would be “very difficult”
to eat enough fruits and vegetables to
consume enough calories. The problem
is that they are still stuck with the view
of cooked nutrition and its ‘balanced
view’ and can’t think outside the box and
realize that it is actually possible
to consume enough fruits and
vegetables and get
the calories you need.
It just is a lot of food!
The truth is, eating
a raw food diet will
mean that you’ll be
consuming more
fruits and vegetables
in a day than some people may
consume in a week or even in a
month. But as you learn to eat
this way, you’ll find that this
‘huge’ amount of fruits and
vegetables is actually the right
amount.
You should never
expose your skin
to the sun
Although we know that too
much sun isn’t good for us, the
advice we get from dermatologists
these days defies all reason. Apparently,
we should never expose our skin to the sun
unless we are fully protected by chemical
lotions. Did we forget the important fact
that sunlight is essential to our well-being,
and that regular sun exposure at safe
periods of the day is actually beneficial to
our health, even in 2006? We need the sun.
The question is just how much!
If it’s natural it’s good for you.
The word ‘natural’ has been abused more
than any other term in the food industry.
We now have ‘natural potato chips’,
‘natural coffee’ and ‘natural beer.’
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
The fact that these foods come from a
factory should make it obvious that they
are definitely not natural, nor healthy.
The truth is, even if a food were natural,
it wouldn’t automatically make it healthy.
There are plenty of plants and mushrooms
that grow in the wild that are not only
‘perfectly natural’ but also deadly! Let’s be
clear: for a food to be healthy, it has to be
a lot more than ‘natural’.
Five False Assumptions
About Natural Living...
From the Raw Food
Movement
As long as it’s raw it’s okay
When I first got into raw foods
almost nine years ago, the
general advice was: “Eat
as much of anything as
you’d like. As long as
it’s raw it’s okay.” That
led me and others to
some abuse, especially
in the fat department. The fact
that a food is raw doesn’t mean it’s
necessarily healthy, just like a ‘natural’
food isn’t necessarily a healthy food.
In my experience, the ‘raw foods’
that people generally tend to go
overboard with are: dried fruits,
nuts, oils, avocados, seeds,
and dehydrated foods in
general. The foods that
should be emphasized
in the diet are the obvious but
often forgotten fruits
and vegetables.
The less you eat the better
off you’ll be
Although this one is less common, there’s
definitely a tendency in the raw food
movement to recommend extremely frugal
eating. The idea is that since the food is
‘alive’, it’s not necessary to eat as much or
even eat foods with calories. This advice
leads a lot of people to go on repeated
fasts, cycles of restricted diets followed
by binges, and generally fail to thrive on
a diet that simply doesn’t give enough
energy and nutrients. Although calorific
requirements may be a little smaller on
a raw food diet, the basic principles of
nutrition still apply and therefore it’s
necessary to learn to eat enough fruits and
vegetables in the right balance to provide
us with enough calories and nutrients.
Fruit is dangerous
There’s a tendency in the raw food
movement to discourage the consumption
of fruit and recommend instead a diet
of vegetables and fat (avocados, nuts,
oils, etc.). Fruit is often accused of being
too high in sugar and overly hybridized.
Some people go as far as accusing fruit
of ‘causing cancer’, which has led many
to think twice before adding another
banana in their smoothie. I won’t go into
that entire
discussion here,
but let me just
say that I’m of the
opinion that fruit is an
extremely healthy food and
there is no reason to limit its
consumption as long as your
diet is healthy and low in fat. If
you would like to read more, I’ve
written a “shocking report” on the fruit
controversy, which is available for free at
www.fredericpatenaude.com/articles.
You can have as much raw
fat as you’d like
Along with the idea of: “As long as it’s raw
it’s okay,” there’s definitely a widespread
view that: “You can have as much fat as
you like and it’s going to be healthy for
you as long as it’s raw fat.” In my years of
involvement in the raw food movement,
I’ve seen many people end up in a worse
state of health than they were before by
eating large quantities of raw fat on a
regular basis. I’ve had raw-foodists confess
to eating up to a jar of almond butter a
day, or mixtures of coconut butter and
honey by the tablespoon. For the record,
let’s say it again: too much fat is not
healthy, whether we’re talking about raw
or cooked fat.
Diet is the most important
factor in health
Although not limited to the raw food
movement, a common factor of people
switching to a new diet such as vegan or
raw is that they tend to focus on diet alone
as if it was the only important factor in
health. The same is found in fitness maniacs
who think that more exercise is going to
make them healthier no matter what.
Health is a little more complicated than
that. There are so many factors that can
influence it, including emotions, fitness,
relationships, environmental factors, sun
and air, spirituality and life purpose. Do
yourself a favour and view diet as only one
aspect of a healthy lifestyle.
Mens sana in corpore sano — a healthy
mind in a healthy body.
Frederic Patenaude is the author of the
book The Raw Secrets: the Raw Food
Diet in the Real World. He is currently
giving away free access to his private
library of over 100 exclusive articles
along with a subscription to his
newsletter Pure Health & Nutrition.
Visit www.fredericpatenaude.com
for more information.
37
 Nutrition and peak performance
Nutrition and Injury
In the first of a two-part series,
Dr Doug Graham looks at
how what you eat can affect
how quickly your body heals
from injuries of all kinds.
I
t is easy to lose focus on the
importance of nutrition when it comes
to prevention and care of injuries.
There are so many other aspects of health
maintenance and recovery to consider. The
direct, immediate influence of nutrition is
not always visible. Yet the role of nutrition
is as important as any other facet in your
lifestyle program.
If you were building a wagon wheel with
sixteen spokes, you would want each
spoke to be exactly the same length as the
others or else the resulting wheel would
be out of round. Whether a spoke was too
long, creating a high spot in the wheel,
or too short, resulting in a flat spot, it
would adversely affect the balance and
overall functioning of the wheel. The same
concept can be applied to prevention and
care of injuries; no one aspect is more
important than the next, and the total
program is only as good as its weakest link.
The interesting thing about this idea is
that we often fall into the trap of thinking
that strengthening our strengths will make
our total program better, but this is simply
not true. Once again, picture the wagon
wheel. If you had one spoke just slightly
longer than the others, the wheel would
already be out of round and would not roll
© iStockphoto.com/kati1313/chloeclogs
smoothly. If you were to extend the length
of that long spoke by developing your skills
in that specific area, it would only serve
to distort the wheel even further. In this
sense, nutrition is no more important than
any other part of your recovery practices
and it certainly is not ‘everything.’ People
who think, “I eat well, therefore I will not
get injured,” or, “I am all raw, therefore I
should recover faster than everyone
else,” are mistaken, and
are likely missing
other equally vital
components of their
health program.
38 © iStockphoto.com/nano/zibistanczyk/winterling/PhotoEuphoria/blackie
It is by using this ‘weakest link’ concept
that you can make the most recovery
progress with the least amount of effort.
If the weakest link in your prevention and
recovery program happens to be nutrition,
making small improvements in this area
will help tremendously. You can never go
wrong by improving your nutrition, and
most people eat a diet that leaves plenty of
room for improvement. Fortunately, dietary
changes can be made in extremely small
increments, literally one bite at a time, and
should therefore pose no threat to anyone.
Nutritional Prevention
and Care of Athletic Injuries
The nutritional keys to preventing inju-
ries and speedily recovering from them,
should they occur, include:
• for
Creating as little work as possible
your digestive system in
processing the foods you eat
• toEating
the foods that come closest
mimicking our nutritional needs
in their nutritional make-up
• Remaining well-hydrated
• Avoiding foods or other substances
that exert a negative influence
upon our nutrition, our ability to
focus our mental attention, or any
other aspect of our physiology
Fruits, and to a lesser extent, tender
vegetables, best satisfy all of the above
considerations. Let’s look at some of the
issues and concerns that led the Director
of Nutrition for the United States Olympic
teams to say, “Fruit is like magic food for
an athlete.”
Glycaemic Concerns
The glycaemic index is perhaps one of the
most misunderstood and hence misin-
terpreted of all scientific indices. Simply
stated, the glycaemic index lists the rate at
which a specific quantity (50 grams) of car-
bohydrate from different foods enters the
bloodstream. This is commonly viewed as a
simple but relatively accurate assessment of
the food’s impact upon blood sugar. In real-
ity, it is not an accurate assessment because
glycaemic index does not take into account
the amount of sugar that is found in a par-
ticular food, only the quality of the sugar.
Regularly overlooked when evaluating
glycaemic response concerns is glycaemic
load. Glycemic load is calculated as the
percentage of carbohydrate content (by
weight, minus any fibre) multiplied by its
glycaemic index value. Due to the fact that
the weight of fruit is derived primarily from
water, the glycaemic load is incredibly low.
As you can see in the chart below, fruits
that have the highest quality of sugar and
ability to form blood glucose, (glycaemic
index) also have the lowest impact on our
blood sugar (glycaemic load). This is due
to the high water content and high fibre
found in fruits.
A Quick Comparison of
Glycemic Index/Load in
Common Foods
Glycemic Index Glycemic Load
Strawberries 40 1
Watermelon 72 4
Peaches 42 5
Bananas 52 12
Cous cous 65 23
Sweet potatoes 61 27
Spaghetti 42 20
Glycemic Index: Low (1-55)
Medium (56-59) and High (70+)
Glycemic Load: Low (1-10),
Medium (11-19) and High (20+)
Quite a few other factors affect how
quickly sugar enters the bloodstream,
including but not limited to: current
blood sugar level, emotional state, level
of restedness, hydration, and other issues
unique to the individual. A certain food
may elicit quick and extreme blood
sugar responses in one person, while
the same food has but minor effect
upon another person.
Fruit is often given a bad reputation
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
because of its status as a supposedly ‘high-
glycaemic index’ food. This is an unfair
assessment, as can be easily viewed in the
above glycemic index/load chart. Not all
carbohydrates were created equal; fruits
are far superior. Fruit is the best choice for
maintaining homeostasis in blood sugar
and many other aspects of performance
and recovery.
Your Fuel Supply
No one would drive a car without
checking the fuel gauge now and then.
Learning to monitor and control your
fuel supply is an essential aspect of every
health programme. When fuel levels go
through dramatic ups and downs, you can
experience symptoms that make you prone
to injury. Also, sustained high or low fuel
levels (blood sugar levels) inhibit healing
and recovery of every type.
Simple Carbohydrates Are
The Preferred Fuel
Carbohydrates are split into two categories:
simple and complex. The complex sugars
in plants are known as starches. Humans
have several starch-splitting enzymes, the
most well-known of which is ptyalin, the
salivary amylase produced in the mouth.
We do not produce much ptyalin, however,
certainly not enough to digest raw complex
carbohydrates, such as grains or tubers.
Many starchy foods, including unripe fruit,
are in the carbohydrate group known as
oligosaccharides, for which humans have
no digestive enzymes at all. This makes the
digestion of most complex carbohydrate
foods literally impossible.
Heating Complex
Carbohydrates
The nutritional value of complex
carbohydrates is adversely affected by
exposure to heat. Several of these changes
can exert profound negative influences
upon human health and delay recovery.
© iStockphoto.com/lisegagne
Cooked Carbohydrates
and Our Bodily Systems
Listed below are just a few of the ways
that cooked carbohydrates contribute
to deteriorating health.
• Adrenals: Phosphorous is leached
from the adrenal glands as a
response to the fermentation that
often follows the consumption of
complex carbohydrates, causing
them to alternate between states
of hyper and hypo-activity.
Headaches, foul body odor,
lethargy, and excessive mucus
production are four of the
symptoms of adrenal malfunction.
• Thyroid: The by-products of
fermentation, alcohol and acetic
acid, are each toxic to human cells.
One of the responses of the body
to acetic acid is hyperactivity of
the thyroid. After a period of time
the thyroid eventually ‘burns out’
and goes hypo-active. Hypo-active
thyroid is a common problem in the
western world today.
• Acrylamide:
When complex
carbohydrates are heated in the
presence of fats, a toxin known as
acrylamide is produced. Acrylamide
is a known carcinogen, meaning
that exposure to it or consumption
of it has been linked to cancer.
Mental acuity and all aspects of recovery
are compromised when complex
carbohydrates are consumed. Complex
carbohydrates often pose an extremely
high digestive demand and have the high-
est glycemic index rating. What we want
instead, are middle- or low-glycemic foods,
such as fruit. Most complex carbohydrates
also contain chemical compounds known as
opioids that adversely affect our thinking
and other physiological processes. All the
cells of our body are fueled by the simple
sugar known as glucose, which is found in
abundant supply in fruit. Approximately
90% of the body’s cells will also accept
another simple sugar found in fruit, known
as fructose. Neither glucose nor fructose re-
quires any digestion. They can be absorbed
directly into the bloodstream from the
small intestine and are immediately ready
for use by the body.
Requiring no digestion is a huge plus
when it comes to fuel efficiency. Directing
fuel to your brain function and recovery
requirements instead of digestion results
in greatly enhanced prevention and care of
injuries. Easing the digestive demand can
often mean the difference between a full
daily recovery and over-training.
Dehydration
Dehydration essentially means ‘not enough
water.’ Toxic chemicals in the body increase
the need for water, because when it
comes to body chemistry, ‘the solution to
pollution is dilution.’ Excitotoxins, salt,
food additives, cooked foods, and many
natural and artificial flavors and colors
must be heavily diluted in order to be
tolerated, increasing yet again our need for
water consumption.
The double-edged sword of not enough
water or too many toxins can be effectively
and safely handled. Stay well hydrated,
regardless of the toxic load. Minimize the
toxic load by reducing toxin intake and
always supplying the body with sufficient
recovery time and appropriate conditions
so that it detoxifies at the maximum
achievable rate.
Negative Influences
It is relevant at this juncture to point out
that the flushes, cleanses, nutritional
support regimens, supplements, super-
foods, and the various detoxification
programs available in the marketplace
are not effective tools for reducing the
toxic load of the body. Some function as
stimulants, others as irritants, and most
also tend to dehydrate the body. All living
organisms are self-cleansing, as well as
self-monitoring, self-healing, and self-
controlling in every way. Supply healthful
conditions and your body will run itself
as perfectly and as cleanly as is humanly
possible. Flushes, cleanses, refined isolated
nutrients and so on simply increase our
state of fatigue and enervation.
Take A Fruit Break
After you have completed any type of
physical exertion, the best food to consume
is fresh, whole, ripe, raw organic fruit.
Fruit is the best source of the water, simple
carbohydrates, and the wide range of
micronutrients that are needed for
post-physical activity nutrition. Fruit
contains the lowest level of toxins of any
food group. If you wish to have a clear
mind and experience rapid recovery from
exercise, allow yourself to eat all the fruit
you care for at each meal of the day.
We will look more closely into dehydration
issues and at the effect of cooking on
injuries in Part II of Nutrition and Injury in
the autumn issue.
Dr. Doug Graham is the author of five
books on health and nutrition. His
latest book, The 80/10/10 Diet, will be
released this summer. He has spent
over 25 years helping people regain
their health and coaching world-
class athletes to reach their peak
performance. Dr. Graham is available
for telephone and email consultations
on all aspects of health restoration.
He can be reached at:
foodnsport@aol.com.
39
EQUIPMENT FOCUS

All you need to know about…

the Spiral Slicer
Also known as a ‘saladacco’ or ‘spiralizer’, the spiral slicer is
Written by Karen Knowler
a small kitchen gadget that almost effortlessly enables us to
create ‘angel hair spaghetti’ from raw vegetables and thicker
‘pasta’ twirls (also known as ruffles) from (raw) hard fruits
and vegetables. Commonly found in most raw food enthusiasts’
kitchens, the spiral slicer has also been hailed by Dr Gillian
McKeith of ‘You Are What You Eat’ fame as her new favourite
gadget, as she’s found it a brilliant way to reduce processed carbs
and increase intake of fresh raw vegetables.

What is a spiral slicer? pasta alternatives, or if you just fancy

The spiral slicer is a small handheld
machine, made primarily from plastic,
which requires no electricity, and is very
simple to use. It stands just 9 inches high
and 7 inches in diameter (it is a circular
machine), and comprises of 3 main parts:
The lid (with turning handle), the cutting/
slicing disc which sits half way, and the
base, which acts as a bowl. On the side
of the machine about half way up sits
a tiny lever which is flicked left or right
depending on which thickness of pasta you
wish to create.
How does it work?
A simple design top and bottom, the real
work goes on between the manual turning
of the fruit or vegetable and where it hits
the blades. The two blades are set within
the central white mount, and, according to
which way the lever has been flicked, the
second ‘blade’ – which is really a set of tiny
metal spikes on a small plastic stick – will
become active or inactive depending on
the switch setting.
The first blade, the fixed one, is the first to
be hit, and this thinly slices the vegetable,
the other – the one with the small spikes
on it, affects whether that slice is then
more thinly sliced into the fine spaghetti,
or goes through uncut and retains its newly
formed ‘ruffle’ state.
Either way, as the vegetable is cut, it
falls down into the bowl below, where it
collects safely and hygienically. Once full,
you simply empty the bowl and carry on.
When should I buy one?
If you’re starting to get bored by
uninspiring salads, want to get yourself,
your partner or children onto healthier
adding another texture or dimension to
your raw fare, this machine will fit the bill.
And while the ruffles are attractive and the
gadget is therefore versatile, being able to
make spaghetti in this way, and create a
great tasting sauce like the ones opposite,
can add new and interesting meal options
to your menu.
How do I get started?
Although very easy to use, many people,
on first use at least, think their machine
may be faulty! This is because the
instructions inside the box are not
brilliantly clear, and also there is
a technique, albeit simple, which
needs to be applied to get the slicing
action right.
First of all, you need to select the
right fruit or vegetable for the
task at hand. If you are aiming
to create the thin angel hair
spaghetti, then only hard vegetables
will work, and they must
have a decent width
to them, but not be
too wide either! The
ones which work best
for this are: carrots, yams, sweet
potatoes, courgettes (zucchini),
marrow and beetroot. If you’re
aiming for the decorative ruffles,
then any hard fruit or veg seems to
work well.
When you’ve chosen your
vegetable, the next step is to top
and tail it so that it stands about 3
inches tall and is cut in such a way
that the top and bottom edges are
both completely flat – just like a
tree trunk.

40 Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006

Next, position your chosen vegetable so Raw Bolognaise Sauce
that the bottom edge is placed firmly and
Serves one large portion or 2 small
centrally on top of the single white spike in
the middle section, then lower the domed
lid down so that the plastic spikes (set on 3 cups diced tomatoes Blend all ingredients together until quite smooth (a
the circular white disk) push down onto the 2-4 dates for sweetness few chunky bits can be good!). When blended, pour on
top edge of your vegetable, thus wedging top of spaghetti and top with some pitted and halved
1 tsp. Celtic sea salt (optional)
it firmly between the lid and the middle black olives and some chopped basil. If you do not have
section. 1 Tbs. Italian seasonings (dried) a Vita-Mix blender you will need to soak the sun-dried
1 handful fresh basil tomatoes in water before blending to soften them.
Next, twist the lid until it clicks into place, 11/2 cups sun-dried tomatoes
thus sealing the unit.
1 tsp. minced jalapeño pepper
Finally, with everything secure and your (optional)
veggie standing firmly upright, place 1 medium clove garlic
your palm flat on the circular part of
the handle and move it in a clockwise
direction around and around, gently
pressing down so that a gentle pressure Green Pesto Sauce
is continually applied. Assuming you’ve
Serves one large portion or 2 small
got it right, you’ll then start seeing your
pasta fall into the bowl below.
1 cup pine nuts or macadamias Blend all ingredients together until smooth. According
If you find that you’re getting the thicker (or a combination) to your personal taste, add more nuts for a deeper/
pasta ribbons when you want fine creamier flavour, more oil for an oilier texture,
spaghetti, then simply flick the lever and 1 cup olive oil
more basil for a stronger flavour, or more water if
watch the next batch come out as spaghetti Half a handful of basil
it’s too rich. Pour onto your spaghetti and toss well
– and you’re away! 1 clove garlic for even coverage.
Water to taste
Where to buy
Spiral slicers are available from The Fresh
Network for £24.99 (5% discount on all
kitchen equipment for those with the Fresh
Discount Card). See www.fresh-network.
com or call 0845 833 7017 to order. Price
correct at time of going to press.

My personal favourite vegetables for

using in conjunction with a sauce is either
marrow or courgette as both soak up
flavours very well and have a very mild

© iStockphoto.com/PaulCowan
flavour themselves which doesn’t interfere
with the flavour of the sauce.

Here are recipes for the two most

commonly used dressings for veggie
spaghetti, the classic bolognaise sauce
and a delicious green pesto sauce.

For both recipes, to make the spaghetti

simply take your spiral slicer and set it on
the fine spaghetti setting.

Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006 41

Special FEATURE | PICNICS

Raw Picnics
How to create the
perfect summer spread,
by Russell James

© iStockphoto.com/lisegagne

I
f there’s one situation that lends itself to eating raw © iStockphoto.com/jsnover

food, it’s being outside in warm weather. What could be better

than eating your favourite food with the sun on your face and
a cooling breeze in the air? Now, I know that if you’re in England,
the opportunities to experience warm whether can be few and
far between but with summer now upon us, it’s the perfect time
for a raw version of that English institution – the picnic!

The probable origins of the word ‘picnic’ are thought to have

come from ‘picking’ food during the early outdoor social
gatherings in Europe dating as far back as medieval times. The
French word ‘piquer’ means to pick at food and ‘nique’ means
something small of no value. There are also references to picnics
that evolved from meals eaten indoors, where everyone present
had contributed some food, not unlike the raw pot lucks many
people will be familiar with.

Wherever picnics evolved from, they provide an excellent setting

to enjoy a variety of simple, organic, raw, fresh food with no set
courses and with the emphasis on simplicity and fun!

42 Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006

 Sweet Potato Crisps
Spicy Garlic Flavour
Makes enough for 2-3 dehydrator trays

3 cups sweet potato, sliced thin on a mandoline

2 teaspoons garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1½ teaspoons Nama Shoyu or Tamari

1 In a small bowl mix Nama Shoyu, garlic powder, cayenne and

water to form a paste.

2 Place the sweet potato slices in a bowl and add the paste. Mix
well by hand to make sure every slice of potato is covered.

3 Lay out slices on a mesh dehydrator tray.

4 Dehydrate at 110 degrees F. for approx 6 hours or until crisp.

The timing will depend on how thin you sliced the sweet
potato.

© iStockphoto.com/ronen

Salt & Vinegar Flavour

© iStockphoto.com/matka_Wariatka
Makes enough for 2-3 dehydrator trays

3 cups sweet potato, sliced thin on a mandoline

¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons tamari
2 tablespoons Celtic sea salt or Himalayan crystal salt

1 Marinade sweet potato slices in vinegar and tamari for

2 hours.

2 Remove sweet potato from bowl and lightly sprinkle with salt,
ensuring an even covering.

3 Lay out slices on a mesh dehydrator tray.

4 Dehydrate at 110 degrees F. for approx 6 hours or until crisp. The

timing will depend on how thin you sliced the sweet potato.

Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006 43

Special FEATURE | PICNICS
© iStockphoto.com/diane39 Lemon &
Coriander
Houmous
2 cups sprouted chickpeas
½ cup almond butter
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup fresh coriander
1 pinch cayenne
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon paprika
2 cloves garlic
¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 soft date
½ teaspoon Nama Shoyu or
Tamari
Chunky Sun Dried
Tomato Houmous
2 cups sprouted chickpeas
¼ cup almond butter
¼ cup lemon, peeled and pips
removed
¼ cup sun dried tomatoes
¼ cup red onion
Water as needed
Process all ingredients in a food
processor and add enough
water slowly until a creamy but
chunky consistency is achieved.

Process all ingredients in a food © iStockphoto.com/jsnover

processor. Add filtered water

whilst processing to achieve a
creamy consistency.

Sandwiches
Sweet Mediterranean Bread
Makes 18 ‘slices’

1/2 cup olive oil 1 Process the olive oil, sun dried tomatoes, courgette, apple,
1 cup sun dried tomatoes lemon juice, avocados and dried herbs until thoroughly mixed.

3 cups almond flour (almond
pulp from almond milk,
dehydrated and ground into
flour)
1 cup flax meal
500g peeled courgette, roughly
chopped
500g apple, cored and roughly
chopped
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 Add the almond flour and process again until a batter is
formed.
3 In a bowl mix the batter with the flax meal by hand. The
reason you do this separately (not in the processor) is that
you are likely to have too much mixture for the size of the
processor at this point, and when you add the flax meal it will
become quite heavy and sticky and overwork your machine.
4 When mixed, process the whole batter in the machine again, in
small batches to achieve a light fluffy texture.

2 avocados 5 Divide the mixture in two and place on Paraflexx sheets, on

3 tablespoons Herbs de dehydrator trays.
Provence
6 Use a spatula to spread the mixture evenly to all 4 sides and
2 tablespoons marjoram
corners of the Paraflexx sheet. If mixture is too sticky you can
wet the spatula to make things easier. With a knife score the
whole thing into 9 squares.

7 Dehydrate for 2 hours and then remove the Paraflexx sheets by

placing another dehydrator tray and mesh on top and invert
so that your original sheet of bread is upside down. That will
allow you to peel the Paraflexx sheet off and continue to
dehydrate the underside of the bread.

8 Dehydrate for approx 8 hours more (do this overnight so you’re

not tempted to eat it before it’s ready) or until bread feels light
in your hand. If the pieces don’t fully come apart where you
scored, use a knife to cut them.

© iStockphoto.com/micheldenijs

44 Summer 2006
Fillings Now you have the bread recipe, you can let your imagination run riot
on your favourite fillings. Here are two of my personal favourites…
Cashew Cheese
Avocado Salad & Tomato
1 Half an avocado, roughly mashed with a fork to leave Cheese & tomato sandwiches
some chunkiness. were a staple of my childhood.
My Dad used to make rounds
2 Some fresh organic rocket leaves of them for my mates and I as
we’d play on my computer for
3 Slices of tomato
hours on end!
4 Olives (raw, of course!)
Fresh organic rocket leaves
5 A drizzle of lemon juice Avocado spread thinly on the
bread as ‘butter’
6 Some of Cherie Soria’s
The freshest, deepest red, juicy
cashew mayonnaise
tomatoes you can find!
(see page 39 of last issue of
Get Fresh! for recipe) Lashings of cashew cheese
(recipe below)
© iStockphoto.com/danveld

Cashew Cheese
1 cup cashews
¼ cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon Tamari
Water as needed
Process all ingredients in a food
processor, adding water in small
amounts through the top chute
until cheese is creamy.
© iStockphoto.com/Maica

Summer Punch
Makes 1.25 litres

1/2 a watermelon
2 oranges
1/3 of a pineapple
2 nectarines
125g raspberries, strawberries
or blueberries
2 mangoes, peeled and removed
from the stone

1 Juice the watermelon,

oranges, pineapple,
nectarines and berries.
2 Transfer juice to a high speed
blender with the mango
and blend!

Summer 2006 45
 Foods to feed the soul
A Taste of
Eastern Europe
Mushroom Stroganoff
Serving size: 6
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
1 1/4 cups water
Marinated Mushrooms
1 1/2 cup crimini mushrooms,
sliced 1/4” thick
2 tablespoons red onions,
minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon wheat-free tamari
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
© iStockphoto.com/FOTOGRAF-77/Plus
46
Chef Cherie Soria on how
to enjoy borscht, stroganoff
and latkes the raw way
Cream Sauce
1 cup reserved mushroom
soaking water
1 cup almonds, soaked for 8 to
12 hours
2 cups zucchini (courgette),
peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon dark miso, diced
1 teaspoon shiitake powder
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon crystal salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper, ground
Zucchini Noodles
9 medium zucchini (courgette),
peeled whole
1 teaspoon crystal salt
1. Soak the porcini mushrooms in 1 1/4 cups water until soft,
about 1 hour.
2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the onions, olive oil, tamari,
and garlic powder. Add the crimini mushrooms and toss until
all the mushrooms are thoroughly coated. Set the mushrooms
aside to marinade for 30 minutes.
3. Using a mandoline outfitted with the fine blade, slice the
zucchini lengthwise, forming thin planks. Stack several planks
on top of each other and cut long strips resembling wide egg
noodles. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Gently toss and set
aside for 30-40 minutes.
4. Drain the water from the porcini mushrooms and rough chop.
Retain the mushroom soaking water to use in the recipe.
5. Put the almonds and the mushroom-soaking water in a blender
and blend to form a smooth thick cream. Pour the cream into a
mesh bag and gently squeeze the mixture to remove the pulp.
Only the strained cream will be used. Refrigerate or freeze the
pulp for another recipe.
6. Drain the liquid from the crimini mushrooms and put half
the mushrooms into a high powered blender, along with half
the cream, all the soaked, drained porcini mushrooms, 2 cups
chopped, peeled zucchini, the dark miso, shiitake powder,
nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder, and pepper, and blend
until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining almond cream
and pulse to blend. Do not continue blending the gravy once
the remaining cream has been mixed in, or it will become
frothy. It should just be mixed in.
7. Gently squeeze the zucchini to remove the salt and excess
moisture, and toss with the remaining sliced mushrooms and
cream sauce.
8. Put the stroganoff in a glass baking dish and place it in the
dehydrator set at 135 degrees F. for 1 hour. Serve warm.
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
Parsnip Latkes
Serving Size: 6
Latkes
1 cup parsnips, peeled and
shredded
1 cup cauliflower, chopped fine
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup cashews, soaked,
drained
2 tablespoons ground golden
flax
2 tablespoons dried onions
1 tablespoon parsley, minced
1 tablespoon chives, minced
1 tablespoon flax oil
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon light miso
1 teaspoon crystal salt
pinch nutmeg
pinch white pepper
Cherie Soria of the Living Light
Culinary Arts Institute.
Cabbage Apple Salad with Mustard Lemongrette
Serving Size: 6
Mustard Lemongrette
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red onion,
minced
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons light miso
1 teaspoon sucanat
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon crystal salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh pepper
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
Garnish
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Applesauce
2 apples, cored and chopped
1/8 cup seedless raisins, soaked
15 minutes (or 2 tablespoons
evaporated cane juice)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Sour Cream
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup cashews, soaked
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon light miso
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 dash white pepper
1 dash nutmeg
1 dash crystal salt
Salad
1 apple, julienned
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 head cabbage, finely
shredded
1/4 cup parsley, minced
3 tablespoons pine nuts, for
garnish
1/2 head radicchio, for serving
bowls
1. To make the latkes, remove 1/4 cup of the shredded parsnips
and set aside. Put the remaining parsnips, along with the
remaining ingredients for the latkes, in a food processor
outfitted with the “S” blade, and blend until creamy. Put the
mixture into a bowl and stir in the shredded parsnips.
2. Form the latkes into patties about 3/8 inch high, using 1/4 cup
of the potato latke mixture. Sprinkle the patties with paprika
and place them on a non-stick dehydrator sheet. Dehydrate for
1 to 2 hours, turn them over, and dehydrate for another 1 to 2
hours before serving. Serve topped with applesauce and sour
cream.
3. To make the applesauce, combine the apples in a food
processor and process until it forms a smooth sauce. If the
applesauce is slightly chunky, add a few drops of raisin-soaking
water to smooth it. Store in a sealed glass jar for up to 2 days.
4. To make the sour cream, combine ingredients in a blender and
puree. Adjust seasonings to taste. The leftover sour cream may
be stored in the fridge for up to one week.
1. To make the dressing, combine the ingredients for the
Lemongrette, and blend.
2. Toss the julienned apples in lemon juice and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, parsley and dressing.
Add the apples and toss again, gently.
4. To serve, mound the salad into radicchio bowls and garnish
with pine nuts.
47
Foods to feed the soul

Creamy Borscht
Yield: 3 cups (2-3 servings)

Borscht Cashew Crème Fraiche

1/2 cup almonds, soaked for 8
hours, rinsed, and drained
1 cup water
1 cup beet juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon light miso
1/2 tablespoon ginger juice
1 rib celery, chopped
1 teaspoon onion powder
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup cashews soaked 1 to 3
hours and drained
1/4 cup purified water, or as
needed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon solar-dried sea salt
1 date, pitted
Concasse
1/2 cup finely diced apple
1/2 cup finely diced cucumber
1 tablespoon minced
green onion
© iStockphoto.com/Stepanoff
1. Put the soaked almonds and water in a blender and blend
to form a smooth batter. Put the batter in a mesh bag and
squeeze out the cream. Reserve the almond pulp for another
recipe, if desired.
2. For the borscht, combine the almond cream and all the
remaining ingredients specified as Borscht in a high-powered
blender, and blend until completely smooth. Chill for at least 2
hours.
3. For the crème fraiche, blend all of the ingredients specified.
4. For the concasse: combine the finely diced apples and
cucumbers with the minced green onion.
5. Prior to serving, top the borscht with the apples, cucumber
concasse and one or two tablespoons of the crème fraiche.
6. Store in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to one day.

Beetkraut
© iStockphoto.com/ra-photos
Serving Size: 8
8 medium beetroots, peeled
1. Shred beetroot and place them in a large jar or small crock.

2. Pour 1/4 - 1/2 cup water over the top.

3. Cover with a clean dry towel and place in a dry cupboard for 24 hours.
Cherie Soria is the author
of Angel Foods: Healthy
4. After 24 hours, add a few tablespoons of water to the top, replace the
Recipes for Heavenly Bodies
cloth and return to the cupboard.
and co-author of Comiendo
Pura Vida (Eating Pure Life).
5. After another 24 hours (the third day) remove the cover, stir well (it will In 1997 she founded Living
rise as it ferments) then add a little more water to the top, cover with Light Culinary Arts Institute,
the cloth and return to the cupboard. known internationally as the
top raw chef school in world.
6. On the fourth day: check to see if the beetroot have become soft, sweet, Cherie pioneered gourmet
and sticky. If they have, you may stir well, then place the kraut in a jar raw vegan cuisine and
and store it in the refrigerator. Otherwise, repeat until it is soft, sweet, has personally trained many
and sticky. of the top raw food chefs
today, which is why she is
7. Beetkraut will remain fresh for several weeks if stored in the considered the mother of
fridge in a tightly covered glass container. raw gourmet cuisine.
For more information about
Cherie’s workshops, food
presentation videos, books,
and raw vacations call (800)
816-2319 or e-mail info@
rawfoodchef.com. Also, check
out www.rawfoodchef.com
for additional information
about Living Light
Culinary Arts
Institute
workshops for
individuals,
chefs, and
instructors.

48 Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006

RAW EATING
Make Pies
(and influence people)
The way to a person’s raw heart
is through their eyes and their
stomach, says Debbie Walker.
W
e’ve all had those moments
when you start explaining to
someone that you eat raw food,
watching their faces reflect how they are
negatively thinking about it. No matter
how delicious the food is from that
point onwards, they will be much harder
to convince that it will be enjoyable.
People are far more easily influenced
in their understanding about raw foods
when they see something that they either
recognise as being an old favourite, or
looks so delicious that it really would be
hard for them to turn down. I find pies or
tarts come firmly into this category. When
something looks and smells delicious we
all know how our minds and bodies tend
to react. Pies are one of those quick and
easy winners, and to be honest I never tell
people they are raw; I just say if they ask
“I’ve not cooked it”!
So now, where once I would watch a
football match and eat a cheese and onion
pie at half time, now it’s mixed vegetables
dehydrated on a macadamia nut crust with
nutritional yeast and tahini cheese on top.
Half times have never been so healthy, and
unlike in the old days, if I’m staggering
home after the match its because I’ve eaten
too much!
I find raw pies really come into their own as
desserts, and let’s face it, who wants to eat
dinner when they can have dessert instead!
I have always loved desserts. My mum
made the greatest cakes and crumbles but
© iStockphoto.com/Mosaicmouse
when I first went raw I would only eat fruit
as it was, I didn’t know what else to do
with it. I really missed eating cake, but now
I have become the fruit pie queen even my
Mum is asking me for recipes! The great
thing about making a pie is that once the
nut, seed and dried fruit base is made in
the food processor, there is nothing that
can’t become a great pie.
To my friends’ pizza evening I took
banoffee pie – no one even realised it was
raw! And it was far easier to make than
the real thing. Tahini or almond butter
blended with vanilla and bananas poured
over a nut base with sliced bananas on top.
For our tropical party I made a mango pie:
mangos blended with lime and coconut,
with strawberries sliced and layered. All of
my friends went wild for that one...
This year’s birthday pie for me was Alissa
Cohen’s chocolate torte. I made two so
that I had one I didn’t have to share!
Everyone thought it was chocolate soufflé
and it disappeared quicker than the actual
birthday cake my friends had brought. I’ve
got to the age, though, when I only have
one candle. Nowadays if I put them all on
there I would have to call the fire brigade
in to help me put them all out, and I didn’t
make enough to share with them as well!
I’ve been taking my favourite which is pear
pie to work for my lunch for the past week.
© iStockphoto.com/redmal
Pies are great for sticking in a little lunch
box with a spoon; they are filling and a
slice will probably take you through the
afternoon. Or as in my case take the lot
and share it with everyone in the office. All
the women will take the recipe, and you
will have influenced people to be a little
bit raw without even trying.
One of my friends is always complaining
that his kids eat nothing healthy, so
when he brought them to visit me in
only ten minutes I had them eating
blueberry cheese cake. He rolled his eyes
when he saw it telling me I shouldn’t be
encouraging them, then proceeded to help
himself! With only blueberries, manuka
honey, and cashews in the topping how
bad is that? I probably managed to get
more fruit and nuts into them in the half
hour they were round at my house than he
had managed all year!
By making things that people easily
recognise and that look amazing, you can
far more easily convince your friends that
being raw is a delicious pursuit. Often
actions speak louder than words!
Debbie Walker is a coach for Direction
Coaching, and assistant HR Business
Partner, and an NLP practitioner.
Contact her at:
debbie@directioncoaching.co.uk
www.deborahwalker.co.uk
49
 Living foods in your kitchen

Get to know: Your grains

Elaine Bruce
Bruce investigates
Elaine Elaine the
the many
Bruce investigates
investigates thebenefits
many many
benefits
of grains and explains how they can
of grains and explains how they can behow
benefits of grains and be
explains
incorporated into
they can
incorporated beaaincorporated
into living
living foods
foods diet
into a
diet

G
rains have been cultivated
for thousands of years for their
nutrient value. Our ancestors kept
the seeds from wild grasses, and these
gradually became the grains we know
today. From brown rice and barley to rye,
buckwheat and wholewheat ‘berries’ these
complex carbohydrates, when thoroughly
chewed and digested, aid a balanced
metabolism and provide a complete
range of necessary nutrients. Technically,
all grains are seeds, but the ones we
refer to and use as grains are in the main
those which are complex carbohydrates.
However some such as millet and quinoa
are sometimes described as seeds and
further to confuse things are used as
protein foods. Quinoa, named the mother
grain by the Incas, has a high protein
content as does amaranth, which was used
by the Aztecs.
Why we need grains
In general they are part of a balanced
diet for everyone, aiding blood sugar
metabolism, reducing sugar swings and
banishing cravings. Amaranth and quinoa
can supply all protein requirements with
no need for animal foods. Quinoa provides
a better range of amino acids than meat
(and so does amaranth combined with
wheat). Quinoa and amaranth are also
good sources of calcium; in fact quinoa has
more calcium than milk. Both these grains
are therefore especially useful for pregnant
and nursing women and for anyone doing
heavy work. Whether cooked, or sprouted
and eaten raw, this makes amaranth
and quinoa invaluable long term sources
of protein and calcium for vegetarians
and vegans.
To sprout or not to sprout?
The general logic behind sprouting grains,
and seeds also of course, is to increase
their food value and their digestibility.
The sprouted grain or seed is at its
greatest vitality. Vitamins and enzymes
increase many times, the starch content
is broken down into simple sugars while
the protein is converted into amino acids
and fats are broken down into fatty acids.
© iStockphoto.com/Sveta
One size fits all?
To cook or not to cook?
However as always when choosing
foods and their preparation methods, it
is essential to consider the individual’s
metabolism and bodily type. Quite simply,
though this goes against the grain (sorry)
for some hundred-percent-raw-food-for-
all-no-matter-what pundits, the fact is that
not everyone thrives on a complete raw
diet at least not all the year round, and
particularly not in a cold climate.
If you are not very strong, are often cold,
and have a weak digestion, these can be
indications to have more cooked food of
all kinds. If you are robust and resilient,
you will get on well with lots of raw food
including sprouted grains and seeds. The
Chinese system of physical types which
includes conditions such as coldness,
dryness, heat and damp, illustrates this
principle, which can be helpful in deciding
how often to eat raw and sprouted grains
and seeds, and at what times of year.
But can I cook sprouts?
Why not? Lightly steamed sprouts added
at the last minute to a stir fry are delicious,
and if preparing them this way suits your
digestive system, at least in the colder
months, then go ahead. However don’t
be tempted to go for the conventional
vegetarian and vegan recipes which use
whole grains or kibbled grains or even
flours, cooking and baking them in large
quantities and for long periods. Light
steaming or brief cooking, or better still
the gentle ‘cooking’ in a dehydrator
regulated to 40 degrees centigrade, will
help your digestion while maximising the
nutrient quality of your grains. Whether
you are planning a raw dish or a cooked
one, all the grains you use will be more
nutritious and more easily digested if
sprouted first.
But I thought grains were
acid forming…
Yes, most grains are acid forming. The
exception is millet which is alkali forming.
However they can be made less acid
Grains build the blood
The B vitamins and protein found in
grains are essential for long term health,
particularly for vegetarians and vegans.
They also help to utilise the iron found
in the grains themselves and in the
vegetables, nuts and seeds which are vital
ingredients of any well balanced diet. The
important principle to follow is to use
these foods in their unrefined state, when
enough protein, copper, and vitamin C will
be available to ensure absorption of the
all-important iron.
So it is clear that whatever your
constitution is, whether you are blessed
with a strong digestion or need to take
care of a weaker one, unrefined grains
(preferably sprouted, and if cooked, as
lightly as possible) are essential for all of us.
However, it is also clear that grains need to
be eaten in moderation, as in moderation
they are an important part of a long-term
balanced diet. They are most useful to us
when balanced with fresh raw vegetables
and salads. The proportion of raw to
cooked food is a matter for the individual.
Using unrefined grains
to help in diabetes
In adult onset diabetes, insulin is
produced but not utilised because the diet
contains too much fat. This applies less to
vegetarians, however anyone with a sugar
habit is in the same position, as excess
sugar converts to fat. The answer is to use
complex carbohydrates such as unrefined
grains, vegetables and legumes, and reduce
excess fat. If you already eat vegetarian
high raw this will be no problem, as long as

Altogether, these processes make a strong
case for always sprouting our grains and
seeds. They become much easier for us to
assimilate, and it is noticeable that people
with sensitivities to a whole grain may well
be able to use it when sprouted.
forming when thoroughly chewed, and
mixed with the alkaline saliva. This makes
them also more easily digested and
assimilated. It is essential for those with
weak digestion to chew grains well.

50

you watch your intake of oils and nuts and
seeds, but for meat eaters this is the area
to cut down. A change in this direction
should enable you to reduce insulin greatly,
but don’t do it without getting your
doctor’s assessment of your reduced need
for insulin.
Grains to help a sluggish liver
and gall bladder
An overworked liver can result in sediment
or stones in the gall bladder, causing
indigestion and flatulence, chest pain,
shoulder tension and a bitter taste. To
correct this gradually and naturally, avoid
heavy meat and dairy products. If you
are already vegetarian, vegan, or high
raw, avoid peanuts and either reduce
consumption of other nuts and seeds or cut
them out altogether for a while. For all, eat
just unrefined grains, vegetables, fruit and
legumes for at least two months. Add some
specific foods which dissolve gall stones,
such as radishes, and take flax oil daily.
Whole grains for your heart
Whole grains contain what you need
for a healthy heart, especially rye, oats,
amaranth, rice, buckwheat and sprouted
wheat. These give you the niacin which is in
all grains, particularly brown rice. Vitamin
E is also in all grains, especially in sprouted
wheat, while the rutin in buckwheat
strengthens the arterial walls.
Some other benefits
from using grains
Some grains, especially whole wheat, oats
and brown rice, have a gentle but definite
effect in calming the mind, and help
insomnia. For best effect use a very simple
diet for a while. Avoid alcohol, sugar,
complex meals with many ingredients, spicy
and rich foods, coffee and eating a large
meal late at night.
Recipes
Tabouleh using raw sprouted quinoa
Wash and rinse a cupful of quinoa, and let
it sprout for 24 to 36 hours. Keep an eye
on it. In hot weather the shoots can grow
very quickly and they are not so good to
eat when they grow long. Soak them in
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
lemon juice and just before serving toss
with generous amounts of fresh parsley
and garden mint, both chopped or minced
very finely. You can drizzle with olive oil or
flax oil if you wish. It makes a deliciously
refreshing starter.
Sprouted Essene Bread
Soak 4 to 6 cupfuls of wheat berries
overnight and let them sprout until the
shoots are the same length as the grains.
Grind them in a food processor, and spread
the paste on dehydrator sheets. Dry at 40
degrees until crisp. Store in an airtight
tin. If you prefer a sweeter and chewier
version, mix with 2 or 3 cupfuls of finely
grated carrot before drying. You can also
add a few raisins. This version will not keep
so long and is best stored in the fridge.
Millet with squash
This recipe is wonderful with summer
squash fresh from the garden. Soak and
drain 2 cups of millet then cover with cold
water, add a piece of kombu seaweed for
flavour and for the minerals, and gently
bring it to simmering point. As soon as it
simmers turn off the heat, fit the lid and
leave it to absorb the liquid. You have the
option to slow roast the squash and serve
it hot in chunks on a bed of warm millet,
or to grate it raw, dress with a squeeze
of lemon juice, heap it on top of
the millet and serve at once.
Whether raw or roasted drizzle
with olive oil and serve with a
side salad of dark green tasty
leaves such as rocket, mizuna
greens or watercress.
Your checklist of grains
• Amaranth
• Barley
• Buckwheat
• Corn
• Millet
• Oats
• Quinoa
• Rice
• Rye
• Wheat
• Spelt
• Kamut
For more recipes and for therapeutic
uses of the Living Foods Programme
refer to the book Living Foods for
Radiant Health by Elaine Bruce.
Available direct from the UK Centre
for Living Foods. www.livingfoods.
co.uk. Mention this article for a
postage-free copy. Also available from
The Fresh Network. Elaine Bruce is
the founder and director of The UK
Centre For Centre For Living Foods.
An experienced naturopath, Elaine
has lived and taught the Living Foods
Programme for 25 years. She runs
experiential and detox courses and
also practitioner training.
51
Consulting Room Special

Should we
worship the sun?
Prof Rozalind
Gruben-Graham

This column is designed to provide you with an opportunity to

pick the subject and have your own questions answered. Rozalind
is one of the world’s leading experts on raw nutrition, healthy
living and fitness. She has also been trained in counseling and
specializes in women’s issues, fitness, and helping people heal
from disordered eating.

I’ve heard that sunscreens A lack of natural light disrupts the

are very unhealthy
substances to apply to the skin,
but I’ve also heard that the sun is
very damaging. Is exposure to sun
healthy or dangerous? If I don’t
use sunscreen how do I protect
myself against rapid aging and
skin cancer?
Sunlight is as necessary to your health as
air and water. Your body is affected by full-
spectrum sunlight in far more ways than
you might realize. Insufficient exposure
to it will disrupt your physiological
functioning. Your bones, libido, appetite,
emotional health, cellular normalcy,
cleanliness of skin, blood and lymph, as
well as your ability to utilize nutrients
from the foods that you eat are all
affected by sunlight.
The rays of the sun are needed to keep
your bones strong because calcium is
a major constituent of bone and your
body cannot process calcium without the
presence of sufficient vitamin D. Sunlight
enables your body to synthesize vitamin
D, which is why it is referred to as the
‘sunshine vitamin.’ Vitamin D is also
needed for the absorption of phosphorous,
an important mineral that your body uses
for many things including the assimilation
of niacin (vitamin B3). Niacin is essential
for orgasmic sexual experience. When
your exposure to sunlight is insufficient,
the consequent reduction in phosphorous
absorption can result in your experiencing
severely diminished, or absent libido.
functioning of your hypothalamus, a small
region of your brain situated between
its two hemispheres. The hypothalamus
enables communications between your
central and autonomic nervous systems to
take place. It also connects your nervous
system to your hormone producing glands
and plays a major role in the switching on
and off of your appetite. During times of
sunlight deprivation, you may experience
disrupted eating habits that either
manifest as overeating or a diminished
desire for food. Due to the influence of
sunlight on your body’s production of
melatonin (a hormone) and serotonin
(a neurotransmitter), your mood will
be adversely affected by a lack of full-
spectrum sunlight entering your eyes. This
is one of the reasons why the wearing of
sunglasses is not recommended, except
when you need to protect your eyes from
the glare of reflected sun (such as when
skiing) or to shade your vision for safe
driving.
The ability of your body to protect itself
is yet another aspect of health that is
dependent on sunlight. Full-spectrum
sunlight enables your body to increase the
production and activity of its defences.
A person who is sun deprived has poor
immune functioning. The sun’s ultraviolet
light is nature’s natural sanitizer. Its
ultraviolet rays function as anti-fungal
agents on your skin. The sun also disinfects
your skin, blood, and lymph. If your skin
is deprived of sunlight, it will not be truly
clean regardless of how much you wash
it with soap and water. The circulation of
fresh air around the body is also a basic
requirement for cleanliness.
Anything that is good for you is only good
in appropriate amounts. The ‘more is
better’ motto, within any aspect of health
care, is unhealthy. Exposure to sun is no
exception to this rule. The detrimental
effects of excess sun exposure have been
distorted, however, and heavily marketed
by the manufacturers of topical sunscreen
applications.
Skin Cancer
It has become popular to consider the
sun as a primary cause of skin cancer.
This assumption has many flaws. The
development of cancer cells is dependent
upon certain conditions being present
such as toxicity, excess fat in the diet,
compromised immune functioning, a lack
of oxygen, and a negative emotional state.
The cells of your body actually depend
upon sunlight in order to fully utilize
oxygen. In the absence of adequate sun
exposure, the oxygenation of your cells
is impaired. Cancer cells thrive in oxygen-
starved areas while, in contrast, they
cannot survive where oxygen is present
in abundance. It has been discovered that
when established cancer cells are exposed
to high concentrations of oxygen, their
growth and division slows down and
eventually stops altogether. This is just
one of the reasons that sunlight is now

52 Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006

“The ability of your
body to protect
itself is yet another
aspect of health
that is dependent
on sunlight. ”
known to be vital in the prevention of
cancerous changes. Other reasons include
the sanitizing qualities of sunlight and its
role in nutrition.
It is interesting to note that amongst
cultures where the diet is based on an
abundance of raw fruits and vegetables
– with little or no consumption of animal
products and zero consumption of free
vegetable oils – skin cancer is unknown.
Researchers have concluded that there is
an unquestionable connection between
the consumption of a high-fat diet and
the incidence of skin cancer. According
to research literature, it appears that
the consumption of refined plant-based
oils is even more likely to result in skin
cancer than the ingestion of saturated
fats. Oils like corn, olive, and cottonseed
each produce a high incidence of cancer
when habitually included in the diet. The
increased use of refined oils has been
connected to an increase in cases of
malignant melanoma.
Sunbathing lotions and creams are chemical
cocktails containing highly toxic ingredients
capable of poisoning the skin and, in doing
so, predisposing it to cancerous changes. It
is true that skin cancer can result from the
exposure of unhealthy skin to sunlight. Skin
cancer does not, however, occur in the skin
of healthy individuals. It is thought that
there are three primary factors present in
the development of skin cancer:
Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
Guidelines for Sun Exposure
Maximise the exposure of your skin
1 and eyes to full spectrum sunlight as is
appropriate for your skin type.
Maintain your awareness at all times
2 when exposed to sun and avoid
burning.
If you are in the tropics, stay out of
3 the sun between 10am and 4pm,
unless you have dark skin, or cover up
with clothing.
Consume a natural diet of raw
4 organic fruits and vegetables.
Avoid all refined and processed oils
5
© iStockphoto.com/fabiopb/ManicBlu
including those of plant origin, and
including ‘raw’ oils.
Avoid using sunscreens in the form of
6 creams, oils or lotions. Instead, cover
your skin with breathable clothing to
protect it from too much sun. Wide
brimmed hats are a useful form of
additional protection.
Free radical damage to the Avoid becoming dehydrated.
1 mitochondria of the cell, rendering 7
it incapable of processing its Do not use tanning beds of any
nutrient needs 8 description. They do not provide full-
spectrum light, and they are made of
Clumping together of red blood cells materials that are toxic to both you
2 resulting from excess fat in the diet, and the environment.
leading to an inability of the blood
to adequately oxygenate the cells Wear clothing made from natural,
9 breathable, fibres when in the sun
Exposure to sunlight on top of these to accommodate your body’s cooling
3 two events mechanisms.
In the case of healthy skin, the only danger Avoid exposing yourself to strong
posed by excessive exposure to sunlight is 10 sunlight in especially polluted
the possibility of burning, which is never environments, such as cities.
healthy. It is burning your skin that will
cause it to age prematurely, not simply Enjoy daily aerobic exercise,
exposure to sunlight. When sunburn occurs, 11 appropriate for your current level
free radicals are formed. The amount of of fitness.
free radicals formed in a person’s skin
when it is exposed to sunlight is directly Choose organic food to the degree
related to how easily their skin burns. In 12 that availability, your budget, and
other words, by preventing free radicals circumstances allow.
from forming, sunburn can be significantly
reduced. This has been shown in various Do not use skin lotions or other
different experiments. There are two 13 cosmetic chemicals on your skin.
primary approaches needed for you to
minimise the formation of free radicals: Avoid immersing yourself in
14 swimming pools containing chemicals,
Minimize your exposure to especially in conjunction with
1 environmental pollutants exposure to the sun.
2 Consume a healthy low-fat (10%) raw
vegan diet that is naturally high in 15
Remember that to tan your skin
is healthy but to burn your skin is
anti-oxidants always unhealthy.
53
CONSULTING ROOM
When I was staying with my
grandmother she read a
copy of Get Fresh! magazine that I
had with me. To my amazement she
expressed great interest in trying
a raw diet. I am delighted but very
concerned that perhaps at her age
(72) it would not be good for her.
Can you please advise me?
Congratulations! To have inspired your
grandmother you must be a good example
of the benefits of dietary improvements.
Healthy living is never contraindicated
and a raw organic vegan diet with the
proper ratio of caloronutrients (80%
carbohydrates, 10% protein and 10%
fat) is ultimately the healthiest choice for
everyone. You are wise to seek advice with
regard to your grandmother adopting such
a diet, as there are certain factors that
need to be taken into consideration with
older people.
If a person has been eating a diet that is
low in fibre for an extended period, it is
probable that the musculature of their gut
will have undergone significant atrophy.
This means that they will be limited in
their ability to process fibre and eating
of high fibre foods can result in intestinal
distress and dyspepsia (indigestion). Many
older people have compromised teeth
and so have reduced ability to properly
masticate their food. Poor chewing further
burdens the intestines from a mechanical
perspective.
It is therefore generally best for an older
person to transition gradually to a raw diet.
Increasing the fibre content of their meals
over a period of months is appropriate.
The softer fibre of fruits is generally better
processed by the older gut than the more
challenging fibre of vegetables such as
cabbage and broccoli. In the early stages,
salads should comprise of soft lettuce and
cucumber. The latter can even be peeled
until there is sufficient evidence that
digestion is taking place effectively. The
older person can then progress onto celery
and other more fibrous foods. Thorough
chewing should be encouraged at all times
and the simplest of combinations utilized.
It is important to be aware that fruit will
ferment in the gut if its passage through
is delayed by a slow transit time (the time
it takes for food to pass from the mouth
down the entire intestinal tract). To
minimize the likelihood of fermentation
occurring, lettuce or lightly steamed
vegetables with no added fats are the best
foods to base the diet on for the first few
days. This will also allow time for any excess
fat (an inevitable result of a standard
diet) to exit from the bloodstream before
a healthy supply of glucose and fructose
(fruit) is consumed.
54
Due to the fact that most older people in
the westernized culture have eaten meals
that are small in physical size but high
in fat and calories for most of their lives,
their stomach capacity will have become
restricted. As the body ages it is prone to
a gradual reduction in the elasticity and
pliability of its soft tissues. This means that
a full return to a healthy stomach capacity
is unlikely. Smaller, and more frequent
meals than the standard three times per
day approach may therefore better suit an
older person. I applaud your grandmother
for her openness to making changes at this
stage in her life – she is an inspiration!
My fifteen-month-old son
has become very defiant
about sitting in his high chair at
meal times. He will only sit and
eat for a couple of minutes before
he starts crying and trying to get
out of the chair. I have tried to
insist that he remain sitting there
for just five minutes, as I know
that he must learn that he cannot
always have his own way. But I
find it very distressing to fight
with him. Help!
You are right to be concerned about this
situation. This is the time when your son
is creating a relationship with food and
developing eating habits that can last a
lifetime. It is therefore very important
that mealtimes are peaceful and happy
occasions. At fifteen months old, he has no
concept of having his own way. Toddlers
are commonly accused of having such
defiant intentions, which are, in truth,
way beyond their cognitive capacity. They
simply are not that devious. His distress is
© iStockphoto.com/PhotoEuphoria
an attempt to communicate to you that
his needs are in some way not being met.
Children of his age explore and experience
their world primarily through movement.
It is also a time when they are discovering
and developing their will. I suggest that
you encourage your son to be physically
active for a minimum of 20 minutes prior
to each meal. Activities such as crawling,
walking or running to retrieve a ball,
climbing stairs, pushing a cart, or tumbling
with you on the bed would all serve this
purpose.
This will quench his need to move before
being expected to remain relatively
motionless for some minutes. Physical
exertion prior to eating is also an excellent
lifetime habit to develop. During this
time of activity, I recommend that you
encourage your son to also exercise his will.
This is best done by allowing him to choose
the nature of his movement play, how he
wants to move and in what way he wants
to move any objects involved in his play. If
this is facilitated, your son will then be far
happier to sit in the enforced confinement
of his chair. His need for movement will
have been met and his right to express
preference will have been affirmed. As a
result he will more readily permit you to
dictate where he sits.
Please email your questions directly
to Rozalind at rozgruben@aol.com
marked ‘Ask Rozi Graham’. Please keep
your questions under 50 words long.
If you wish to consult with Rozalind
personally, she will be happy to arrange
a private consultation with you.
She can be contacted by telephone
on 01903 746572.
GetFresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006
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Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006 57

A DAY IN THE LIFE

A Day In The Life Of…

Alissa Cohen
Alissa Cohen is an internationally
recognized writer, speaker and
consultant on raw and living
foods and the author of the
bestselling Living On Live
Food book and DVD set. She
lives in Kittery, Maine with her
husband Dennis.
changes to be made and curriculum.
Recently we have begun to brainstorm
about ideas for my recently purchased
Bed & Breakfast that we will be using for
our new programs and retreats. So many
exciting ideas swirling around!
At some point in the day I call my best
friend Christine, as I believe we all need
people in our lives that support our true
selves and that daily contact with her is so

I
n my 18 years as a raw fooder, I
can tell you that no two days are alike,
but here is a somewhat typical ‘day in
the life of Alissa’!
I wake up at 5am to the sound of my
husband Dennis coming back from
rollerblading and we meditate together for
45 minutes to an hour, then spend a few
minutes talking as the sun starts to pour
onto the bed.
We just moved cross country from
California and bought an old farmhouse
in Kittery, Maine with a huge barn that we
use for shipping products. We’ve converted
part of it into a gym, so I spend 30 minutes
on the elliptical cross trainer and 30-45
minutes lifting weights and using the cable
machine. After working out, I take a steam
shower and emerge to a fresh glass of fruit
juice Dennis has made for me. I love my
morning ritual, getting up early and using
this sacred time to ground and focus.
I jump onto the computer, energized and
ready to check messages, connect with my
assistants in their various locations, check
invoices and print labels and orders for
our shippers. I plan everyone’s itineraries,
return phone calls and as my morning
progresses into early afternoon, I’ll take a
break to make a smoothie in my new raw
food kitchen. We completely renovated it
when we moved here so we could make it
more conducive to raw food (for details,
see the Ask Alissa! column!) My favorite
one lately is a mix of spinach, sunflower
sprouts, macadamia nuts, dates and
bananas – so yummy!
While enjoying that, I call Elaine, my
co-teacher for my Living on Live Food
Certification Classes that we are teaching
worldwide. We talk about upcoming
certification classes, logistics, sign-ups,
necessary in my hectic schedule.
In the afternoon I run errands, pick up
fruits and veggies at the health food store
in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, chat with
people along the way, do some work
at the Bed & Breakfast and our rental
house we are furnishing for our raw food
employees, one of whom is moving here
from Montana! While in the beautiful and
historic town of Portsmouth I also check
out the spaces available for the possibility
of opening a raw restaurant (Dennis
doesn’t know that this is my next project
though so lets keep that between us for
now until I break the news to him!)
Back home and to the computer: always
more phone calls and emails to return. I try
to get outside for a walk to enjoy the quiet
rambling road we live on, especially now
the trees are in full bloom. I munch
on fruit or my new addiction: jalapeño-
stuffed olives! Every day I try to create
something new, whether it’s a recipe for
the new book I’m working on, a new
programme, or a completely different idea
– one of the many streaming through my
head constantly!
As the day is winding down, I talk to Elaine
or Christine again to flesh out these new
ideas and have a sounding board for them.
I usually then make a salad, an easy paté
or quick recipe for dinner like angel hair
pasta, seaweed salad, mock salmon or nori
rolls. In the evening, Dennis and I sit in the
sunroom for an hour or so and eat and talk.
This is my favorite time of day, just being
with him as the sun sets. If we are leaving
on a plane the next day, as frequently
happens, I’ll make some raw fudge to take
with us, usually munching on some for
dessert as I prepare it!
The last thing I do each day is check the
computer again – work is never done!
When Dennis falls asleep (which is usually
pretty early since he gets up at 4:00
am!), I usually find my way back into my
downstairs office for a few hours until
10 or 11 pm. In addition to updating and
tracking my website, and making sure I’m
caught up on writing projects similar to
these in Get Fresh! I also check the two talk
forums on my website.
The forum for teachers makes me smile
because it’s filled with the people who
have dedicated their time and energy to
teaching others about Living on Live Food,
and they work really hard to spread this
healthy message to as many people as
possible – very inspiring! The other chat
site is www.rawfoodtalk.com, which I set
up for people to share their journeys and
post questions and thoughts for other
raw fooders all over the world. I check
this site almost every day, and am truly
inspired by the thousands of people who
connect there. It is fun to see the questions
answered and the bonds that are formed.
By the time I make it to bed, I’m exhausted,
but in the best way possible, as I truly love
what I’m doing and am nourished by the
best food possible! And lingering in my
head are the stories and words from
others that inspire me to get up and do it
all again tomorrow!!

58 Get Fresh! Volume 3 Issue 4 | Summer 2006

 Events Listings
Would you like to meet fellow health seekers and raw food
enthusiasts? To learn how to prepare raw foods or have them made
for you? To hear some of the world’s top health authorities speak to
you live in beautiful and inspiring surroundings? Then look no further!
Fresh Network events run throughout the year and come in all shapes and sizes, with
the Fresh Festival being the main event and simply not to be missed (see enclosed
brochure). Full details of all of our events, including our festival, can be found on our
web site at www.fresh-network.com or call 0845 833 7017 to be sent a flyer.

September Raw Food for Beginners

The Weekend Experience with Karen Knowler
Saturday 9 September – Sunday 10 September 2006
(6 places remaining)
Saturday 25 – Sunday 26 November 2006
(7 places remaining)
Day 1: 10:00am – 8:00pm
Day 2: 9:00am – 5:15pm.
Location: Ely, Cambridgeshire.
A weekend packed full of teaching, sharing, hands-on prep, tasting, menu planning and
more. £275 per person. Maximum of 8 people. Advance booking only. Investment includes
Karen Knowler 45 minute pre-course coaching call, 2 days of teaching, 5 meals, refreshments, tasters, notes,
recipes and binder. Accommodation not included. These weekends are life changing!
Book today to avoid waiting until 2007! To book or find out more call Karen on
+44 (0)1353 723976 or visit www.fresh-network.com.

Raw Food Leader Teleclass: Dr Brian Clement

“Fruit, Weakness and Disease”
Wednesday 15 August, 8pm-9pm UK Time
£10 per person, including free bonuses.
More info and to book: +44 (0)845 833 7017
Dr Brian Clement
or visit www.fresh-network.com

Raw Food Leader Teleclass: Matthew Kenney

(co-author of Raw Food, Real World)
Wednesday 20 September, 8pm-9pm UK Time
£10 per person, including free bonuses.
More info and to book: +44 (0)845 833 7017
or visit www.fresh-network.com

October The Fresh Festival 2006 Matthew Kenney

Friday 27 – Sunday 29 October 2006
Rookery Manor, Edingworth, Near Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset. See enclosed brochure.

December Fresh Network Open Day

Sunday 10 December 2006
10:00am – 4:00pm. Ely, Cambridgeshire.
Free to Discount Card Holders + 1 guest, £5 to Non-members. Pre-booking required
for catering reasons.
More info: +44 (0)845 800 7070 or visit www.fresh-network.com

Visit www.fresh-network.com or call 0845 833 7017 to be sent a flyer.

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