We Like It Raw - Raw Food Goodness

Raw Raisin Cookies by Raw Nirvana

Related

• Official Raw Nirvana Website

Raw Food Right Now Podcast

Heidi and Justin, from Raw Food Right Now, have just launched their first podcast. The premier show features Tera Warner and Amy De Wolfe from The Raw Divas. Heidi interviews the lovely ladies about "how they found raw food, and how raw food has positively affected their lives." The Divas also talk about the challenges of eating raw while being pregnant, which I found truly fascinating.

You can list to the podcast from the site, but you can also subscribe via RSS or iTunes.

Mad props to Justin for producing a sweet podcast intro.

Related

• RFRN: Fall in Love with Raw Food All Over Again!
• WLIR Post: What's cooking at Raw Vegan Radio?

Lucy Before, Lucy After

Oooohh yaaa! Doesn't the new Lucy look amazing?! Man, stuff like this gets me excited. Excited that someone out there, someone looking for answers, might just end up Goggling and stumble upon Lucy's story. And hey, maybe you didn't get here by Googling, but you're here and now here is your change to be inspired by Lucy's story.

And a beautiful story it is. In her transition to raw foods (at the age of 52), Lucy picked up a whole new life and had the chance to drop off the following:

• 45lbs of excess weight
• daily migraines
• thyroid problems
• prescription medications

Here's Lucy in her own words...

I am 53 have been Vegetarian for 26 years, Vegan for 2 and have had horrid migraines my entire life. Six years ago I was diagnosed with a non-functioning thyroid. No migraine medicines would work for me. The meds for my thyroid were constantly being changed – increased to help “regulate” its function. I was totally at my wit’s end until www.alissacohen.com was plopped into my lap.

I have been 100% raw for over a year now and have not suffered ONE migraine – NONE!

AND my thyroid is now functioning properly and I am totally off all medication for that. I have and continue to do extensive reading all that I can regarding raw foods. I am living proof that eating raw IS healing and does work. I drink a 34-36 ounce green smoothie in the morning (loaded [heaping tablespoon each] of kelp, dulse, spirulina, Alissa Cohen’s Green Food Powder, and maca), greens (lots) of my choice, fruit, and a tablespoon of coconut oil. Lunch is whatever fresh fruits and/or veggies are available and a dip or a dehydrated “something” like crackers, breads, or “burgers” and a dessert, such as brownies, fudge, super candy, etc. Dinner may be another green smoothie or fruits or veggies. I am not deprived of any foods by any means.

I also get up and “move” every day; some form of exercise. I have eliminated about 45 pounds. All this in less then a year! How amazing! I truly believe Alissa Cohen is an Angel sent to me – to heal and cure me. I will remain raw the rest of my time on this circle of life called EARTH.

Philip Before, Philip After (must see)

My buddy Philip, from lovingraw.com, has produced a fantastic video on his transition to raw food. Philip, at his max, weighed in at 400lbs! Over the course of 1 1/2 years he lost 125lbs and has never felt better. There's more to the story than that, but Philip does a better job telling it in his own words. Press play!

Is there someone you know that could be inspired by this clip? Hey, sharing is caring! Spread the word and help transform our world - one person at a time.

• More Raw Food Before and Afters
• Philip's MySpace Page
• Philip's YouTube Videos

Weekend reading?

Looking for some inspiring, and sometimes funny, weekend reading? Check out We Like it Raw Quickies.

We have raw friendly links, notes and videos that will keep you busy for hours!

Seeing is believing!

It's one thing to read about raw food, it's another thing to see actual results from everyday people. That's why we made it a little easier for you get inspired.

Last week Nirav Sheth, a fine member of the WLIR Squad, cleaned up the Raw Before and After Photos page to make it a little easier to find and share great stories.

This small change is part of a group of changes we'll be making over the next few weeks. Hope you enjoy!

Related

• We Like It Raw adds Quickies
• Nirav's Hip Hop & Soul Blog

Spreading the Green gospel in Delaware

Today's Home & Garden section of the Delaware News Journal featured a nice series of stories about how locals are going Green. The feature, titled Spreading the Green gospel, include couples who've given their house an eco-makeover, composting tips from backyard gardeners and a sweet little write-up about yours truly.

When it comes to the "green movement", most news outlets tend to focus on energy, transportation and green buildings. I'd like to thank journalist Gary Soulsman and photographer Emily Varisco for highlight the 800 pound gorilla in the room - our diets.

From a United Nations report released November 2006:

In a groundbreaking 2006 report, the United Nations (U.N.) said that raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined. Senior U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization official Henning Steinfeld reported that the meat industry is “one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems.” Via GoVeg.com

And that doesn't even include all the packaging used to ship processed food and energy it takes to cook  them.

But let me be clear, my primary reason for eating a raw food diet isn't the environment. My primary reason for eating the way I do is because I feel ridiculously amazing. Raw Food is superior nutrition that creates health abundance, it just so happens that it is the most ecological diet out there. Isn't it so perfect that the most healthy thing you can do for your body is the most green thing you could do for the planet?

If you're from Delaware and are interested in learning more about raw food, I'd highly recommend the following local resources.

Newark Natural Foods
Address: 280 East Main Street, Newark, DE 19711
Phone: 302.368.5894
Description: Tons of organics produce, raw food books + snacks, and the best Sunday farmers market in Delaware. Ask for Mr.Nature Love (local celebrity).

Harvest Market
Address: 7417 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin, DE 19707
Phone: 302.234.6779 
Description: Great produce and even better raw snacks

Related

• Post: Global Warming and Food

Raw Food, the fad diet

Beanie babies were a fad. Hula hoops were a fad. The Russian Air Force, Cabbage Soup and Atkins diets were fads.

Here's why Raw Food / Live Food is not a fad:

1. Not about losing weight:
Fad diets are first and foremost about losing weight. All the marketing behind the fad is focused on dropping dress sizes quickly. There is no larger purpose beyond weight loss and the deception that fuels the growth of fad diets tries to convince people that this diet is a quick fix. Comparatively, the focus of Raw Food is superior nutrition and health abundance. Sure, a lot people have amazing weight transformations while eating primarily Raw Food, but consider that a side-effect of feeding your body exactly what it needs.

2. Raw Food is Holistic
Anyone eating a Raw Food diet for more than 3 months will tell you that the reason raw food works is because it isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle. Raw Food's holistic approach encompasses physical, mental, and spiritual transformation. Pick up almost any Raw Food book and you'll find at least some pages focused on the importance of exercise and meditation. Read the blogs and forum boards and you'll notice that "food" is only part of the conversation. When you deal with the root cause in one area of your life, you can't help but to deal with the root cause in other areas of life. Even if you want Raw Food to only be about what you eat, just know know you're in for a surprise!

3. Organic Growth
Most fad diets can trace their source to a sole author or organization. They grow quickly in recognition and use a top-down approach to convince the masses that "everyone's doing it". Compare that to the Raw Food community and you'll find that most people hear about "raw" through their friends. You'll also find that the Raw Food community is growing organically and is not dependent on any one teacher, author, coach or restaurant. Everyday new enthusiast are contributing to the growth of the community by writing books, opening eateries, starting blogs and twittering. No one man owns Raw Food (hah, although David Wolfe comes close) and therefore no one person can monopolize or stunt its growth. This also means that the community continues to become relevant to the modern times.

4. A return to our roots
I'm not going to get into how long humans have been cooking, but what I will say is that we've never, in our history, had less Raw Food in our diets. And, not only are we eating less Raw Food, but we are eating more processed foods than ever. This "diet" isn't something new that some hippie invited while smoking up in the back of a tie-dye bus, Raw Food is a return to our roots. But why has it become so popular in the last 10-15 years? Well, for the first time in our recent history, it is finally possible for a large number of people to eat this way with no where near the effort it took previously. The birth of the internet, advancements in food technology, massive eco-education and the rise degenerative diseases have created a perfect storm where it's not only possible for more people to eat Raw, but it is absolutely crucial to our evolution, (unless you want to depend on Medicare).

Health, Depression, & the Psyche

Related

• Loren Howe's YouTube Videos
• Loren Howe's Book: The Real Story of Money, Health, and Religion

She Likes It Raw: Debbie

Name: Debbie Took

Location: Reading, UK

Interests: Family, garden, running, dancing, meeting raw people
Wish:  A walnut tree for my birthday

Loves: Kale & Avocado Salad, Virgin Classic Soul and Disco, Lost.
Other than loves: Coriander (cilantro) – we can’t be meant to eat this…surely?

Words of Inspiration: ‘If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and every day you have the opportunity to write a new page’ (Mark Houlahan)

More about Debbie: Inspired by Essene Gospel of Peace, and the angels Hovannessian, Shazzie and Anastasia. Moderator of the Raw Food UK Forum. Went raw Feb 07. Told family not to worry – ‘I’m not going to turn into a raw foodist!’  Two days later…raw for life.

Want to be featured on WLIR? Send in your reader profile by filling out the information above and emailing it to rawfood@gmail.com

Related

• More reader profiles
• MySpace Buddies & Raw Foodies (Round 2)
• What are we doing? Raw Food twitter buddies
• Dhrumil's MySpace | Sarma's MySpace