The
first half of my life was not a pleasant or healthy one.
Before I found raw food health, I was very overweight and prone to
headaches that would leave me writhing on the floor in pain. I suffered
from backaches and intestinal problems that left me dreading my days.
Frequent colds and other illnesses plagued me,and I was depressed and
withdrawn because of my troubles. I look back from where I am now and
wish that someone would have walked into my life, slapped me across the
face, and told me that there was a better way.
I didn't know then that my "good" diet, or good by the standards of the
overweight, sick society we live in, was not good at all. I looked at
my thin brother who ate far worse than I did and wondered what was
wrong with me.
Was
I cursed? Why did I get these genes? I, like many people, just saw
myself as a collection of genetic misfortune. I played sports, could
run fast, and yet I was still fat. My diet was relatively good by
American standards, so why was I overweight?
Discovering Raw Food Health
The problem, I see clearly now, was not my genes; they're serving me
well enough today. The problem was my lifestyle. The meat, dairy, eggs,
processed food, caffeine, and sedentary behavior was what was causing
my problems. All I needed to do was to bring myself in line with
nature's laws so raw food health could be mine.
Side Crow
Since age 17, I've gradually ratcheted up my health. I first
cut out junk food, greatly increased the amount of fruits and
vegetables I was eating, and started a regular intense exercise
routine. With only this my 6ft frame dropped from 220 pounds to around
190. I started to feel better, my headaches diminished, but there was
still a backbone of disease in my life.
There was blood and pus in my stool, and I was frequently constipated.
I still had periodic headaches, my energy levels were not that great,
and I still got sick two or three times a year.
By my sophomore year in college I had spent almost two years reading up
on the health benefits of a vegan diet. Books like Professor Colin
Campbell's "The China Study," made it clear that animal protein is a
major cause for most of the western diseases of affluence that affect
us, namely cancer, heart disease, obesity and type two diabetes. That
year I made the plunge and cut out meat, dairy, and eggs and took up
running daily.
I dropped another 10 pounds and started to feel more energy than I had
before. I was now only rarely sick, but my intestinal problems actually
got worse, probably because I had replaced many of the animal protein
calories in my diet with grains, which are high in gluten and
problematic for the body.
My Raw Success Story
I consulted with a number of cooked food vegan doctors, but none could
offer me a solution that worked. Finally I ran across a little book
called "Grain Damage," by Dr. Douglas Graham. Later I picked up his
"80/10/10 Diet" book.
I suddenly had my answers:
Cut out the cooked food and the unhealthy starches, treat my body to
delicious fruits and vegetables, and all will be well.
Dr. Graham was right. Adopting a healthy raw food diet cured my
intestinal/Colitis problems within months, gave me more energy than I
had ever experienced, and I haven't been ill since I adopted the diet.
Today I'm a trim 165 pounds, 55 pounds lighter than my all time high.
My running stamina has easily doubled, my mind is clearer than it ever
has been, and I just feel great. I have raw food health.
As a newspaper reporter, I'm used to writing articles that inform, and
I thought that maybe I should try providing information for people
interested in curing disease and finding health online. I hope to be
that person that walks into your life and gives you a refreshing slap
across the face, the same one that I was looking for all those years
ago.
Was
I cursed? Why did I get these genes? I, like many people, just saw
myself as a collection of genetic misfortune. I played sports, could
run fast, and yet I was still fat. My diet was relatively good by
American standards, so why was I overweight?
I suddenly had my answers:
Cut out the cooked food and the unhealthy starches, treat my body to
delicious fruits and vegetables, and all will be well.
