Week Five - Online Raw Certifications
Raw Lifestyle Coach Segment
Introduction
As a Raw Lifestyle Coach you will be helping people to transition safely
to a raw vegan diet, to deal with the physical, mental and spiritual
challenges they may come up against, and to motivate people to stay on
the raw diet.
How This Certification Works With The Other Three
With this training you will help people transition to the raw-vegan
diet. Your Nutritionist, Chef, and Fitness Coach Certifications are
all crucial to making the transition successful. You will want to design
a diet and exercise regimen and teach your client how to shop for and
prepare the recipes you have learned. In addition you will also design a
schedule for transitioning safely to the raw-vegan diet with a minimum
of detox symptoms. And you will also provide valuable emotional support
and a wealth of knowledge about what to expect when going raw, from
managing detox, dealing with new levels of energy and health, emotional
issues, and social and family issues that inevitably become part of the
picture!
Different Raw Strokes For Different Raw Folks
Different people will have different dietary goals. Some may desire to
be 100% raw, some of them will just want to learn how to integrate more
raw foods into their diets, and many people will fall in-between these
two extremes. Although we do like to tell people about the benefits of a
100% raw diet we are also acutely aware that this is not for everyone.
Many people feel that a 100% raw diet can not fit in to their lifestyle
for social, work, or family reasons. And many people simply do not wish
to give up certain comfort foods. Some of these people will change their
minds after a time of becoming more familiar with and aware of the
delicious flavors inherent in living foods. Some will not. We do not
push past or condemn these very personal decisions. Eating even a little
bit more living food in your diet will make you a lot healthier. Eating
99% raw will make you a lot healthier. And eating 100% raw will give you
a level of health that borders on the supernatural! It isn't
supernatural though. It is just the natural state of health. But because
the un-natural (SAD diet) appears natural, then the natural (raw diet)
appears supernatural.
You can take raw foods to the level that you choose. To the degree that
you are raw, your health will generally improve to that degree also. So
the first thing to do is to speak about this with your client and
recommend a transition to 100% raw as the goal, but then set the actual
goal to whatever degree your client is comfortable with. If it is 100%,
75%, 50%, or 10%, as long as it is more than what they are currently
eating, that's fine.
If you are dealing with a client who's goal is anything less than 100%
raw, then what they leave out of the diet is just as important as what
they add. You will want to phase out heavy toxins such as alcohol,
cigarettes, meat, dairy, coffee, chocolate, refined sugar, white flour,
cooked starches, and heated fats as the diet moves to a greater degree
of raw.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RAW DIETS
There are different types of raw diets to have as your goal. Your goal
may shift often as you work out the best way to eat for you. It may be
necessary to experiment. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily
work for another. When you start moving towards a raw foods diet you
become increasingly aware of your body’s signals which tell you what
foods agree with you and don’t agree with you, and what foods you really
crave.
Your diet will evolve as you change your lifestyle, your age, your
activity level, your work, your family structure, your living situation,
etc… Your growth as a person is affected by your diet and your diet is
affected by your personal growth.
Here are some examples of different types of raw diets:
1.) The Fruitarian diet is a branch of the raw-vegan diet in which
people eat all or mostly fruit. For a time this is very healing, almost
like a fast. Being Fruitarian is more viable when you have been raw for
a long time and your body can absorb nutrients well. This diet is also
extremely wonderful to do for a season and has been documented as
beneficial for even up to three years.
2.) The Fruitarian diet including vegetables. The Fruitarian diet that
also includes vegetables is often also called Fruitarian, because
technically seed-bearing plants are fruits. And most vegetables,
including tomatoes, avocados, green leafy vegetables, cucumbers, etc….do
bear seeds. This is also the highest version of the High Raw diet. This
diet is also extremely wonderful to do for a season or up to three
years. (Although I have no evidence, I do suspect that it would be a
wonderful longevity diet if one were to adopt it after years on a high
raw diet).
3.) The High-Raw Diet. The high-raw diet consists of 100% fruits,
vegetables, and a limited amount of germinated seeds and nuts. People
who do this diet tend to need less food after a while, and often tend to
eat many mono-meals (meals consisting of only one food at a time), with
up to three foods combined carefully if a recipe is employed. Recipes
consist often of smoothies, salads, blended salads, and almond,
sunflower and sesame seed milks and patées. The high raw diet does not
include the use of salt, honey, oils, grains, dehydrated foods,
fermented foods, processed foods such as olives, or any kinds of nuts as
they are suspected of being heated or dried to prevent molding.
(sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds and filberts/hazelnuts or
freshly harvested nuts are the exceptions as these are generally not
treated with heating or drying)
4.) The Natural Hygiene Diet. This diet is similar to the High-Raw diet
but more restrictive in that it espouses not eating spicy foods
including garlic, onions, and hot peppers, fats including oils, or
sulphuric fruits such as Durian and avocado. We have not seen people
succeed in the long term on this diet, although it may be good to try
for a time.
5.) The Mucous-Free Diet: Similar to a 100% raw diet, but without raw
sprouted grains as these are believed to cause mucous in the system.
Grains seem to affect some people in this manner, while others find the
enzymes in germinated grains cause bloating, while still others
experience no negative effects and enjoy the feeling of fullness
obtained through eating these grains.
6.) The Fat-Free Diet: Similar to a 100% raw diet, but without any fats,
oils, or fatty fruits such as bananas, avocados, olives, and durians.
Again, this version of a raw diet is similar to the Natural Hygeine Diet
and does not seem to be viable in the long term due to the body’s need
for fat. However, this is just our opinion and personal experience. If a
client feels the need to cut out fats for a time, they should follow
their intuition and see if it feels right.
7.) The Fruit-Free Diet: Some raw teachers espouse not eating fruit or
eating very little fruit because they believe that modern day fruit has
been cultivated to be un-naturally sweet. This diet may be appealing to
some, but I would not recommend being without fruit in the diet for too
long. Many studies show that fruit is the main food humans were designed
to eat.
8.) The 100% Raw Food Diet: This diet is what it says. All raw foods
area allowed. No cooked foods are allowed. However, heating on low
temperatures at which you can still put your finger in the food without
pain is permitted. Dehydrating and Fermenting is also permitted. Any
kinds of combinations are allowed. Many believe that when you eat raw
food that food combining is un-necessary. (This may be more true on a
high-raw diet however). The 100% raw food diet consists of fruits,
vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouted legumes, germinated grains, raw honey,
raw soy sauce called Nama Shoyu, cold pressed flax, hemp and olive oils,
Celtic Sea Salt or similar untreated raw salt, and raw tahini (sesame
seeds) and almond butter. Grains that will germinate when soaked in
water include raw wheat germ, buckwheat groats, oat groats, wild rice,
quinoa, amaranth, and others. Untreated natural salt can be identified
because it usually has off-white, gray, or beige flecks in it that are
minerals. There are many sub-variations of the 100% raw diet that either
include or don’t include some of these foods. Some people even include
wine as it is a fermented food. We do not recommend wine. And we
recommend that Nama Shoyu, sprouted legumes, sprouted grains, and almond
butter (store-bought) be used only occasionally, in moderation.
9.) The 75%-90% Raw Food Diet: Usually all that is added to the 100% raw
diet here is brown rice and steamed vegetables. Some other foods that
will be included are manna bread, which is unleavened bread heated at
low temperatures, usually made out of sprouted grains. Others may
include cooked ancient grains (kamut, quinoa, amaranth and spelt),
home-made bread, goat’s cheese, beans and rice, and/or popcorn. This
diet is usually successful when only one to three different cooked foods
are allowed.
TRANSITION
Your client may want to transition slowly, transition quickly, or
transition immediately to their raw goal.
They may want a recommendation from you.
We recommend using the formula that for each year that a person has
eaten a toxic diet it will take a month to detoxify. The form of
detoxification will also depend on the level of toxicity of the client.
If a person is 30 years old and has eaten a SAD (Standard American Diet)
and has been moderately active all of their life, then it will take an
estimated 30 months (a year and a half) to detoxify. If they have been
sedentary it will take more time. If they have been active it will take
less time. There are many variables and this is not by any means without
exceptions. Some people have no detox symptoms at all. In some rare
cases, people don't start detoxing until years after they go raw. Quite
often, people will experience sudden detox symptoms after many years of
being raw, as toxins can be stored away in tissues and organs un-noticed
for a long time, deciding to come out as a health crisis for some
mysterious reason long after the designated detox period.
Perhaps these toxins might be processed when some deep emotional issues
are resolved. According to Chinese Medicine the body creates toxic
residues when we hold onto negative emotional states. Chinese Medicine
relates various emotional states to various organs. An imbalance in the
emotions or the body can affect the other. For instance:
-Excessive negative thinking relates to the stomach and spleen.
-Fear and anxiety relate to the kidneys.
-Joy relates to the heart.
-Depression relates to the liver and spleen.
-Anger and stress relate to the liver
-Sadness and worry relate to the lungs, stomach and spleen.
-Decision-making relates to the gall bladder.
-Emotional imbalances relate to liver and kidneys.
Chinese Medicine also believes that stuck emotional energy can result in
tumors. The prescribed cure is to let go of negative energy.
TRANSITION SCHEDULE
The reasons for a transition schedule are twofold.
1.) Transitioning gradually allows the body to deal with expelling
toxins more gradually, lessening somewhat the possibility of
experiencing uncomfortable or painful detox symptoms.
2.) Transitioning gradually allows a person to mentally prepare for each
new dietary stage on the way to a 100% (or other %) raw-vegan diet.
Importance of Exercise During Transition
Exercise during all phases is essential as this helps eliminate toxins
through the sweat and breath, and helps move wastes out through the
lymph, digestive and other elimination organs, preventing unwanted detox
symptoms that will almost surely arise if sedentary while detoxing.
Overview of Transition Schedule
1.) The first stage of transition is doing a certain amount of time on a
vegetarian diet (if coming off a SAD diet), and eliminating toxins like
coffee and cigarettes from the diet and lifestyle. A good replacement
for coffee is Yerba Mate, a Brazilian tea available in Tea Bags or loose
leaf in bulk from any health food store. It has a natural caffeine and a
rich flavor, but is extremely healing. Put a teabag in a glass in the
sun (or daylight) in the windowsill for about half an hour to an hour to
brew. Add raw honey to sweeten if desired. As raw honey is not runny,
put a spoon of honey in a little warm water to dissolve and add to the
cold tea. Chewing on a licorice root (available at herb stores and
health food stores) may prove helpful when quitting smoking. Processed
foods should be phased out during this time also.
2.) Next a period of time on the vegan diet is recommended, eating no
animal products, eating no processed foods at all, and integrating more
raw foods into the diet. Good meals to eat during this time are rice and
steamed vegetables, beans and rice, ancient grains, and manna bread, as
well as raw food recipes that use sprouted grains, dehydrated foods, and
fermented foods. Several glasses of water a day will help start
detoxification gradually. It is best to not drink any water for 1/2 an
hour before eating and 1-2 hours after eating so as not to dilute the
digestive juices.
3.) The next phase is Transitional Raw and should include first one then
two raw food meals a day, with the other meal(s) consisting of simple
vegan recipes. More simple raw food meals should be used and fewer
sprouted grains, dehydrated foods and fermented foods should be used.
This phase may be the final goal and lifestyle for some people.
4.) For others, after phase three they are ready to go 100% raw. At this
point exercise is highly important. Enemas may also be helpful to
eliminate the toxins that are being dispelled into and through the
colon. The body is now able to stop working as hard processing and
storing away the indigestible materials in cooked food, and is now able
to clean house. Using the fresh organic water content in the raw foods,
as well as the drinking water which should be taken in liberally, the
body flushes toxins from all the cells and eliminates them through the
elimination organs. If headaches occur during this time there may be too
much toxic waste in the colon being absorbed back into the blood steam
and an enema will help. Enema bags can be obtained at drug stores
complete with instructions.
Examples of Transition Schedules
Here are some general guidelines for detoxing three basic types of
people:
1.) The Very Unhealthy Person: If a person is overweight, has habits
such as coffee and smoking and/or had been eating a SAD diet all their
lives, then you will want to use the following plan:
- 3 months vegetarian
- 3 months vegan
- 3 months transitional raw
- then start on the 75%-100% raw diet, whatever the goal is, eating
transitional raw recipes or very simple vegan foods such as rice and
steamed vegetables for the balance.
2.) The Moderately Healthy Person: If the person is moderately healthy,
not overweight, doesn't smoke or drink coffee, is health conscious and
has been eating vegetarian, vegan or macrobiotic types of diets
including lots of fresh foods or if they eat a SAD diet but eat
moderately and exercise regularly, then you can use the following plan:
- 1 month vegetarian
- 1 month vegan
- 1 month transitional raw
- 100% raw for life (or whatever % raw the goal might be)
3.) The Very Healthy Person: If a person is already vegetarian or vegan
AND works out regularly, with no toxic habits, then they can safely go
100% right away (we call this The Cold Turkey). If they prefer, however,
they can transition for a couple of weeks from vegetarian to vegan,
vegan to transitional raw, and then go all raw.
UNDERSTANDING DETOXIFICATION (DETOX)
Possible Detox Symptoms:
flu-like symptoms - a flu is a time of cleansing, and a time of
cleansing can likewise bring on a flu or any number of flu-like
symptoms.
headaches - due to toxins being reabsorbed into the bloodstream from a
possible blockage in the colon.
diarrhea - another one of nature's ways of cleansing, done mainly by
fruit.
candida, yeast infections - this can flare up due to an abundance of
fruit sugars in combination with other sugars and toxins in the system.
Once you are 100% raw this usually goes away quickly, even if you eat
lots of fruit. In the meantime, if you have any cooked food at all in
the diet, you can help it by eating more vegetables and less fruit.
Severe or persistent candida may require up to three month's fasting to
cure.
skin rashes and break-outs - if these occur, working out can be helpful,
as can enemas.
aches and pains - this can be a direct result of detoxing, as toxic
deposits are broken up and eliminated from the body.
emotional ups and downs - As your body eliminates toxins, it is very
common for the mind and spirit to follow suit. This is a good
opportunity to deal with or face any emotional issues as they come up
and to let go of any negative emotions you might be holding on to.
Keeping a journal, can be helpful during this phase.
Supporting the individual through transition and detox:
Simply being there as an emotional support is extremely effective during
transition. Offering assurance that their symptoms are simply detox, and
being sensitive to whether there is actually anything seriously wrong is
important. There is no reason for anything to go seriously wrong.
However, sometimes people can worry themselves into a state of stress in
which things can go wrong. This is where you can be very effective in
helping to deal with stress and worry through working out, yoga, walking
in nature, recommending the personal journal practice, etc...Working out
will give the client a sense of strength that will make the transition
easier mentally as well as physically. If the client is unable to work
out then walking, swimming, or water aerobics should be done as much as
possible. If the client is very ill and unable to do even these
exercises, then enemas or even fasting may be in order. A supervised
fast at a fasting center may be recommended.
TangleWoodWellnessCenter.com is a fasting center run by a raw-vegan
fasting specialist.
Supporting the individual through initial stages of being raw:
Another problem encountered in the initial stages other than detox might
be the flip-side, - too much energy. A person unused to good health
might actually feel uncomfortable with the amount of energy they now
have. If the lifestyle is not adjusted to make use of this energy, it
can cause nervousness, sleeplessness, and a general feeling of
discomfort or not being able to relax. The best cure for this is to
increase the exercise schedule. Two hours of exercise a day can be a
wonderful thing at this time. Another excellent way to channel this
energy is in creative endeavors that demand *all* of us, such as
following our dreams and making them happen! Writing a book,
song-writing, doing a painting, volunteering - giving back in some way,
or starting a new business are wonderful ways to harness this abundance
of excess energy.
Supporting the individual in being raw in society and with family:
Often the most difficult part of going raw is the social aspect.
Friends, co-workers, and family may feel put-off, intimidated, or
insulted by your client's decision to go raw. This doesn't seem to
happen when people adopt the Atkins Diet or the Zone Diet. I believe
that like the vegetarian and vegan diets, the raw-vegan diet is an
*evolutionary* diet. The vegetarian diet makes a statement, whether you
want to make a statement or not, that you have evolved past the point of
killing and eating flesh. Likewise, the vegan diet makes the statement
that you do not use any animal products. And the raw-vegan diet makes
the statement that you believe that cooked food is toxic and that you
don't want to put toxins in your body. Even if you don't mean to
threaten people, you will. Their whole way of life may feel threatened.
This is because deep inside everyone recognizes the truth when they hear
it. The raw-vegan diet has the ring of truth. And yet it is
inconceivable to most people at this point to make such a radical
change. And yet, there is something within them that yearns for it, that
is leaning towards it, and this can be scary for them.
Responses to the Social Problem:
The client must be aware of this, and choose a response. There are many
ways to deal with this. If you want to be non-confrontational, you can
say that your doctor or nutritionist has put you on this diet, and that
will be usually be the end of the conversation. However you might want
to be ready to report a mysterious but not-dangerous condition incase
the questioner requires further information, or better yet an ailment
that you have really suffered from and are addressing with the raw diet.
If you enjoy heated arguments and challenging people, or you are driven
to spread the word about the raw-vegan diet, you can study all about the
scientific proof of the raw diet and facilitate lots of interesting
conversations. Or you can be humorous and self-deprecating and say I
guess I'm just a fanatic or a kook.
Special problems with Families and Parents:
Here is what you need to inform your client about regarding familly:
Family can be a lot more difficult. Parents have often sacrificed much
to feed their child what they thought was the healthiest diet. If this
child grows up and adopts a raw-vegan diet, this can send the parents
the message that the parents did not do a good job. The parents can
become deeply sad or angry or threatened and they may even withdraw from
the relationship with their raw child. Therefore dealing with parents
and family requires the utmost tact and skill. Be open and tell your
parents that you are grateful that they brought you up with a healthy
diet, and that this is why you have an interest in nutrition and are
exploring the raw-vegan diet.
Never use the phrase *cooked food is poison* with your family! Parents
don't like the idea that you think they poisoned you. And they can be
surprisingly quick to take this type of offense. If you introduce them
to the diet with a book, try Karen Curinga’s *The Greatest Diet on
Earth* rather than David Wolfe’s *Nature’s First Law*. David Wolfe’s
book is excellent and inspiring, but you want to work up to this type of
literature slowly with your parents. Curinga, on the other hand, has
written the most mainstream version of a raw-vegan introductory book
that I have yet seen.
COMMON PITFALLS ALONG THE WAY
Some common pitfalls that you may encounter when you attempt to go raw
are:
Social Problems:
Problems socializing
Problems with co-workers
People worrying too much about your weight loss
People concerned with pregnant mothers and nursing mothers going raw
People concerned with you feeding your kids raw
Problems with your spouse or house-mates
Worry and stress brought on by the above social pressures
Detox symptoms (temporary)
Excessive weight loss
Pain in various organs
Pain in teeth
Deficiency symptoms:
Weight gain (the body’s failed attempts to gain nutrients from food)
Hair falling out
Teeth rotting
Eyes sunken
To support a person going through social problems, do not belittle these
very real and sometimes crucial issues. Work with the client to resolve
the issues in any way possible, or if not resolvable then help the
client find a way to handle or live with the issues. A social network of
raw-vegans can be extremely helpful. Raw-vegan households are starting
to form. There is a lot of support online via forums on websites, many
of them listed below in the Resources section. However, you will often
be the main source of support for your client. How well you do your job
may determine whether this person is able to make the transition to a
raw-vegan lifestyle. Do not underestimate the importance of your work!
To support a person going through detox symptoms it will be helpful to
prescribe exercise or design an exercise regimen that you can do
together. To be understanding and sympathetic is essential. You must
also be aware of the detox symptoms that may be encountered and the
difference between the detox and the deficiency symptoms. Often if detox
symptoms persist it may be a sign of deficiency.
To support the person who is deficient, if the person is eating a well
rounded raw diet and is not absorbing the nutrients, deficiency will
result. Deficiency could be due to a colon that is lined with plaque or
toxins that make the colon inefficient at absorbing nutrients into the
body. If enemas don’t seem to help the situation, then colonics, a
cleanse such as the Rise and Shine Cleanse, or a fast may be
recommended. Deficiency can be recognized most often through the list of
deficiency symptoms above.
EMOTIONAL EATING
A common result of the stress of going raw is Emotional Eating. This is
a problem when it results in overeating. Overeating is another common
cause of deficiency. When we overeat we overtax our body and it must
spend more time processing and digesting food, healing overtaxed organs,
and eliminating the waste products generated through digestion. Because
of this extra work, the body is less efficient in doing its more
important work of nutrient assimilation.
Emotional eating can be a vicious cycle, as any addiction, causing the
eater to have poor self-esteem which can lead to further emotional
eating. The cycle can be broken by addressing either the self-esteem
issue or the overeating issue or both. It is beneficial to be easy on
oneself and speak kindly to oneself, which can be accomplished through
being conscious, in-the-moment, and observant of oneself. Or it can be
accomplished through journal writing. Keeping two journals is
recommended for this problem. One journal for a record of the food you
eat. The other to explore the emotions that you are feeling and to
practice speaking kindly to yourself in writing.
Many emotions and issues may come up as you start out on and progress on
the Raw Diet. Anger, sadness, hurt, resentment, fear, love, and other
emotions may come up for short or long periods of time. Sometimes the
emotions may be more extreme than you have felt before when you were too
busy just surviving to explore these deeper issues.
Many people experience major shifts in their values, goals, dreams, and
the way they see the world. These are usually very positive. However
sometimes they can be negative, as one sees more of the truth and can be
angered greatly by the state of the world. Remember that these angry and
negative feelings can create negative states of health even if you are
eating all living foods! Practicing acceptance while also channeling
your anger into positive actions that will change the injustices you are
angry about are ways of healthfully dealing with these emotions.
The emotional eating habit can be extremely difficult to break. Perhaps
a self-destructive streak is just part of human nature. But perhaps if
we recognize and accept this fact then we can more easily move past it.
How one can transition from self-destruction to self-care is a mystery
and a very personal matter. Perhaps essential is a spiritual practice.
Prayer and meditation have been helpful for many people to make major
shifts in their way of being. The process can be lengthy. But it is a
worthwhile journey and not one to give up on lightly! As long as you are
still fighting, you haven’t given up. As long as you haven’t given up,
you haven’t lost. Sometimes a break in the fighting is needed. But never
give up on yourself.
Major life changes may be appropriate, such as changing careers, living
spaces, and even the people you surround yourself with. But often the
work that can be done on the inner level is more powerful. Alone time,
time in nature, writing a journal, creative expression, yoga,
meditation, prayer, giving back, loving, self-care, inspirational books,
making your living space beautiful, doing things you love, and having a
support person or network are all helpful in fostering wholeness.
Overworking is another self-destructive tendency that can be dealt with
similarly.
EATING WITH CONSCIOUSNESS
Also essential to conquering Emotional Eating, and to general health, is
eating consciously. A temptation with raw food is to eat on the go. This
can also lead to stress, emotional eating, and poor nutrient absorption.
Food should not only taste good but also look good and be served in a
nice environment. Taking a deep breath before eating can focus you on
your food. Sit down even if you eat alone and don’t do anything else
while you eat. Eating in the sunshine is always my preference, as the
raw food lights up as it catches the rays of the sunlight. Breathe while
eating. Focus your attention in your mouth. Think about the place where
the food was grown. Keep a positive attitude while eating. Visualize an
inner smile along the latitude of your stomach stretching from one of
your sides to the other. Keep good posture. Your home is where you eat
often, so make it nice. Any space can be made beautiful with some care,
attention, and imagination.
WHY THE NEED FOR RAW LIFESTYLE COACHES AND THE RAW VEGAN NETWORK
All of us have heard the silver bell of truth and have answered the
clarion's call. This is why we have stopped putting our food in the
fire. But it is not that simple. Very few people are able to
successfully transition from cooked food to raw food and stay raw with
good results for a long period of time. It is maybe different for each
person. So we have formed this network because we feel that something
big is afoot. Some might call it the evolution of the species. Since the
first man put his food in the fire and reduced it to a state of toxic
ashes the human race has been in a state of decline. And now that
decline is reaching critical mass. And finally more of us are saying
that maybe it is not such a good idea to put our food in the fire after
all. However, this sets us into almost completely uncharted waters!
What we are hoping will come from this Network is a critical mass. Our
aim is for anyone who wants to go raw to have access to people who are
trained to make the process smooth, pleasant, and a little easier. We
believe that when people are able to call upon a Raw Lifestyle Coach
that this will give them the emotional and spiritual support also needed
to stay on the raw path after the initial excitement wears off. Raw
Lifestyle Coaches are there to help more people go raw, stay raw!
I think that the way we eat and what we eat is one of the biggest issues
of our time. It is going to determine weather we degenerate as a species
and drown in our own sludge or rise above it all and take our rightful
place in the Universe.
If you give a healthy man a wish he may take his time and think of a
hundred things that he wants. But if you give a sick man a wish he will
answer you without hesitation that he only wants one thing – to be
healthy.
Our Vision For the Raw Network
What we would like to see happen with this Network is for people to use
the Internet to locate local raw resources. As the movement grows a lot
of people will want to try raw food. But there will be very few
resources available in their areas. They might not have the skill to
create a meal for themselves. But if they could call a number in the
area where they live and have a raw-vegan meal delivered to them much
the same way as a Domino's Pizza, then I think that this will make it
easier for people to go raw. I think that in the beginning a lot of
people will avail themselves of this service and that more and more
restaurants will also open up across the country to serve this
fast-growing movement.
Another thing that I envision happening is that people who are really
sick will turn to raw food as more and more people are cured of chronic
debilitating diseases through raw foods and the word spreads that many
illnesses which were once thought to be hopeless are in fact curable by
1.) removing the cause (toxins in cooked food) and 2.) balancing and
nourishing the body with raw foods.
As a raw lifestyle coach you will be called upon to answer many
questions whose answers lie in an intangible region. We do a lot of
counseling and we are always finding ourselves in a position where we
have to do a lot of research or call upon different people who have
experience in different areas of specialty. As a part of the "Raw Vegan
Network" we hope to be able to provide you with the resources that you
will need to be able to supply people quickly with the information that
they may need to avoid the pitfalls inherent in starting out on a new
uncharted diet.
On a practical level here are some of the things that we are working to
bring about.
1. We are going to rely extensively on the Internet to establish our
main international communication for the Raw Vegan Network. But we will
also send you videos and DVDs. The first video is about the Circular
Movement Workout, by Storm Talifero (you will receive this with your
post graduate material). We feel that one of the critical parts of
being raw is that you have a workout system, and since the raw diet is a
low protein diet a lot of people lose weight and have low muscle mass
and tone. This can all be corrected by working out correctly.
2. We also have an open consultation policy for our Raw Vegan
Network. So if you have any questions at all about different things that
you or your clients are experiencing then you can contact us via the
Internet and we will either help you or refer you to someone who can
such as a Raw MD, specialist, or Naturopath.
3. We also would like a special website of recipes and juice formulas
solely for the use of The Raw Vegan Network. This list will grow as time
moves on. This list of tried and proven recipes will enable you to offer
people a variety of different meals so that they can find fulfillment in
their eating patterns. One of the main reasons that people go off of the
raw diet is that they just get tired of eating the same things day in
and day out.
4. We would like to create a two-way bulletin board where people who are
interested in finding a raw food counselor in their area can just look
it up on the board and where we can post the services of people in our
Network.
RESOURCES
Books:
Shazzie - Shazzie's Detox Delights
Parasites-C M Hawker
Online Support Groups:
http://rawfoods.com Raw Vegan Bulletin Board
http://www.therawworld.com Raw Q & A Forum
http://www.thegardendiet.com
28 Day Transition-to-Raw Program (a 100% raw vegan transition menu) and
The 21 Day Raw Cleanse