Quantum
HEALTH
Issue 11 April 2011
I Chrissy White
Chrissy White is an inspirational speaker writer and broadcaster with a unique approach to natural rejuvenation through raw food nutrition. As an original franchise owner in The Body Shop she worked closely with Anita Roddick’s principles of plant based skin care for over twenty years.
n Los Angeles, the raw food capital of the world, there is a phenomenon sweeping the city among the young, beautiful, celebrity culture. Suddenly they are all eating raw food. Perhaps surprisingly, the raw concept has also taken root in the UK, Spain, Germany, Australia and New Zealand among other parts of the planet.
Raw means literally eating foods that have not been cooked or heated to more than 60° C/ 140° F. This preserves the foods full nutrition and makes it available to your body within a very short time. As a result, the digestive process is made easier as the food enzymes are readily available. They do not have to be manufactured by the body, thus avoiding the familiar state of fatigue after a meal.
Whether you approach the subject from a perspective of mild curiosity or avid interest, there is something for everyone in the raw food world. Less of a diet, more a way of life, eating raw is a simple principle with a wealth of benefits and rewards.
My own experience with raw food began in Hawaii, whilst studying Huna Healing on Kauai. I met a Hawaiian/Chinese raw food chef and several people who were already eating raw. They all looked so alive and vibrant. They had clear, sparkling eyes and radiant skin. I was intrigued and curious, not least because they all looked so much younger than their years.
I have always loved food, although I had no idea that there is a whole world of super-nutrition out there and that it is becoming much more readily available. Here was something completely new to me, when I thought that being a vegetarian was enough and that I knew all I needed to know about nutrition.
So after learning a few basic principles, I began my raw food journey. The transformational experience of Hawaii had been huge in itself, but adding this new dimension to my life filled me with a joy and optimism I had never experienced before. I ate fresh, fragrant organic fruits, succulent vegetables, naturally sweet nuts and
44 Quantum Health
sprouted grains, all in their raw state. Luscious avocados were available in abundance and so was local raw honey. I was in food heaven.
However, I eventually I returned to London, with its very different climate. I was determined to build the raw food principle into my diet here, although I had considerable concerns about the cold winter and my desire for comfort food. During the next two years, I kept the raw principle in mind even though my diet still included cooked vegetarian meals with too much wheat and heavy carbohydrates, which I found addictive and which made me feel exhausted.
It is easy to become complacent with food. As I was often working away from home and so could not prepare meals during the day, I soon established a pattern of eating the same foods too frequently. I would have pure detoxifying juices and fruit smoothies early in the day and then grab something on the run for lunch. By evening I was ravenously hungry and all too ready to devour the inevitable cooked food for dinner, often with potatoes, rice or pasta.
This pattern led to something of a low point, as I gradually became more and more stressed, tired and lethargic. My food choices were not supporting me, and I was nutritionally depleted, which I now see caused me to feel depressed and emotionally exhausted.
The human condition seems to dictate that we need a real crisis to create change in our lives. I finally had to admit that I felt unwell. So as the autumn chill began, I decided to detoxify my system and go completely raw.
I had heard about people who suffered with chronic fatigue syndrome experiencing rapid and dramatic improvements in their energy levels by eating a raw diet. However, I had no particular expectations other than to detoxify my system and support a more healed lifestyle.
What happened next changed my whole relationship with food. In a very short time, literally a few days after going raw, I began to feel mentally and physically energised and alive
www.quantumhealthmagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78