Interview with Melissa Roby ~ by Jinjee Talifero, Editor, The Raw Vegan Times, 12/31/03

Jinjee: What is the raw-vegan diet, to you?

Melissa: Technically raw food is enzyme rich and heated below 108 degrees. A Raw Vegan diet includes fresh organic, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains. The possiblities for a meal are truly endless and always bursting with a taste uncomparable to modern day recipes. Though my definition is more varied. To me the raw-vegan diet is a life giving and life promoting choice that is made for the body, mind, and spirit. The choice also takes a high regard for Mother Nature and the fellow living entities that we share Earth with. Through a raw-vegan diet one can truly experience the raw life! A raw body, mind, and spirit connect with the infinite possibility and potential of the universe and life begins to flow in harmony more than ever imaginable!

Jinjee: What is it you do in the field of raw foods exactly?

Melissa: I provide Nutritional Consulting, Personal Fitness Training, Raw Food Preparation, and Living Foods Lifestyle Coaching to assure that one can succeed on the raw Vegan diet. It is very important to attain proper knowledge to assure your success and health on the raw vegan diet. I help to guide through confusion and the many questions that arise from this transition. I am at service to those who wish to transform their energy, body, and the future of their health.

Jinjee: How did you get interested in the diet?

Melissa: In the year 2000 I weighed 227 lbs at 5'4". As you can imagine I was miserable eating junk, fast-foods, and a diet consisting entirely of processed foods. I suffered from depression (how could I not! My body possessed no movement), fatigue, many dis-eases, over-fat, under exercised, over fed on nutrient robbed 'food' and starved of vital nutrients from fresh and living foods. I dieted for the following year and lost weight but I didn't reach the level of health that I knew that I could acheive. Through a transformation from Vegetarian to Vegan I inevitably found the knowledge of Raw Foods and I experienced a revolution in the health of my body, mind, and spiritual connection. I now have a level of energy, health, and connection to my body that I have never in my life experienced. It is surely growing steadily. I feel a vibrant electricity running through my body! I also don't have to worry about my weight ever as it stabalizes around 115.

Jinjee: What do you eat in a day typically?

Melissa: Upon finishing my morning exercise of jogging, walking, yoga, or pilates I wait 45 minutes to break the night's fast. I then consume 3-4 pcs. of fresh juicy fruit.
A few hours later and up until my final meal of a salad with an avocado I eat 3-4 pcs. fresh fruit interspersed at 2-3 hour intervals. I generally eat at least 6 lbs of fruit a day along with a salad of fresh vegetables and an avocado.

Jinjee: How can people benefit from your services?

Melissa: I can introduce and educate about the benefits of raw foods if one is not familiar with the program. Also I am at service to those familiar with the Raw Vegan diet and wishing to further their health or have delicious raw food meals delivered to them for breakfast, lunch, or a delicious dinner. There are countless reasons to choose this way of life. By incorporating more and more raw foods into your diet thus enabling the body to heal itself one will see commonly accepted ailments such as back ache, head ache, common colds, flu, overweight, decreased energy, indigestion, depression, disconnection, and other various forms of toxemia become a thing of the past. Instead you will be in constant company of energy, flawless digestion, natural body weight, sense of well being, and health!

Jinjee: Where can people get more information about what you do?

Melissa: You can see my website at www.thegardendiet.com/RawExperience, email me at rawhealth@aol.com or call to schedule a consultation at 541 684-7748