The Beginning

My friends Monika and Michale were going raw for a while before I actually committed to my own raw journey. Monika is the executive director for Raw Network of Washington and she invited Josh and I to Raw NOW's first fundraiser. When I was first invited I was supportive of the raw food lifestyle, but still not entirely convinced it was something I needed to pay attention to.

The auction was fabulous and well-attended (there was a waiting list!) and I heard Victoria Boutenko speak about the history of raw food and the health benefits of eating uncooked foods. Monika's mom also spoke about healing from cancer and added a very personal touch to the event.
The food that night was delicate and delicious, but I was still put off by the work involved in preparing it. Not everyone can have their own personal chef!

I planned on writing about the event for the local alternative/sustainable magazine, Conscious Choice, because I wanted to help Raw NOW reach more people. The raw community in the Puget Sound was active but small and I simply wanted to provide some media coverage.

Once I was asked to write the feature for Conscious Choice on raw food, I started interviewing all these awesome, inspirational, and all-around great people!

• Rod Rotondi of Leaf Cuisine in Los Angeles
• Kokopaulli, raw activist from Chicago
• Jan St. John, PR person for Cafe Gratitude
• Max O'Neil, enthusiastic customer of Cafe Gratitude
• Natalia Rose, author of The Raw Food Detox Diet
• Karyn Calabrese, of Karyn's in Chicago
• Lisa Persico, owner/operator of Amazing Starr Barr in Chicago
  
• Monika Kinsman, executive director of Raw Network of Washington

Each person I interviewed encouraged and inspired me to go further in my pursuit of health via raw foods. The article was a nice way to talk to each of these folks and really get to the heart of why, how, when, what about raw food.

By that point I was hooked. I had already started noticing big differences in the way I felt, how I looked, what I wanted to eat, and the way I lived or wanted to live my life.

I'm an avid reader and I've been reading as much as I can about the raw life, while also keeping up on several blogs, websites, podcasts and the movement in general.

I hope to review the books I've read so far, so that others have some more resources to consult.

Now We Dive In

Let's not forget the purpose of this blog. The inner work. The stuff that happens in between banana smoothies and dehydrated meatloaf (which is so YUM by the way!).

My desire for spiritual connection was obvious. I knew that the Higher Power I had been in previous contact with wanted me to hear more, but I was too busy, tired, bored, or preoccupied to hear it.

As I started to incorporate more raw and living foods into my diet, I started to feel more energetic, lighter, and clearer. When I meditated, it was easy to sit for 20-30 minutes without the urge to leap up and go do something. I didn't feel like I needed to be or do anything special to hear the still small voice within. I just had to sit down and be quiet.