Ten Biomarkers of a Long-Term Raw Foodist

It’s my experience that over a period of several years, raw foods literally make you a different specimen. Just as there are biomarkers of “normal” aging, so, I submit, there are identifiable biomarkers of a healthy long-term raw foodist which you can recognize simply by observing a person who follows a truly 100% raw food lifestyle.

Before I present the list of visual characteristics I must clarify what I mean by raw foodist. Since in my mind raw foods and daily exercise are inseparable, by the term raw foodist I mean a person who eats no cooked food, lives almost exclusively on raw fruits, vegetables, greens, nuts and seeds, and who follows a regular exercise routine.

Years of observation in numerous yoga studios and during my lecture tours lead me to identify the signs I describe below. My sample is neither scientific, nor is it exhaustive, of course. I don’t claim that these biomarkers admit of no exceptions, but I have noted again and again these signs of a raw foodist.

Near-ideal weight. Usually, a long term raw food practitioner is very near his or her ideal weight. If you reach a plateau in losing weight, you need another upgrade in diet, moving toward a more simple raw whole foods menu or increasing your physical activity.

Graceful movement. A long term raw foodist has a certain youthful grace. He is lithe and limber. “Move like a young person”—a fuzzy concept, but you’ll notice it when you see it. It’s not the same as people in their 40s and 50s who are in relatively great shape “for their age.” There is a fundamental difference you simply can’t fake.

Golden skin tone. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables gives you a certain golden skin tone—even without sunlight, and better than any lotion or makeup can deliver. A study by Dr. Ian Stephen of the University of Nottingham, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, showed that people who eat several portions of fruit and veggies daily show a more golden skin color, thanks to carotenoids.

This change in skin color is most obvious in the palms of the hands and feet, even if you do not eat carrots. Carotenoids are present in most raw plant foods, not necessary orange in color, even in greens. If you regularly drink large amounts of carrot juice your skin tone can reach an almost orange appearance, so personally I stay away from carrot juice.

Sleek face, no puffiness. The raw food diet is a low-sodium diet. In the body, water follows salt. Get rid of that extra salt, and the extra water leaves with it. As a result, you get sleeker contours. And this becomes obvious first in your face.

Clear eyes. You’ll see in the long-term raw foodist none of the cloudiness often present in the eyes of “older” people. The eyes seem brighter, more alert, more present in the moment. To me, a raw foodist’s eyes can thus seem more “child-like,” possessed of a certain innocence and healthy joy.

Healthy, long fingernails. Nails are the reflection of your past health history. The body regards fingernails as rather less essential to survival than most of its other parts. Thus the nails are the last in line for nutrients, and get them, in effect, only when there’s a surplus. Genetics might alter this situation a little, but after age forty or so, this factor loses its impact and the foods you eat make all the difference.

Absence of liver spots on the hands. This is true even for raw foodists over 50. Liver spots are common at middle age and beyond. They occur most often on areas with the greatest sun exposure, especially the backs of hands. The pigmentation is initiated in damaged membrane material within the cells. The formation of age pigment takes place not only on the skin, but also throughout the whole body—liver, heart, skeletal muscles, and adrenal glands. But its build-up is most pronounced in the brain cells. And yes, age-related pigment accumulation is associated with Alzheimer’s. The fact that a long term raw foodist doesn’t have liver spots is an indication he or she is aging at a much lower rate.

Glowing skin. You’ll see in many raw foodists a clear, dewy complexion, usually the result of regular juicing. Unfortunately, this sign doesn’t always show itself, even for super-healthy eaters. Why? Old, dry, dull skin cells are not getting sloughed off the surface. Good skin care is essential to see this raw food biomarker shine for you.

No “opposite sex resemblance.” As men and women age—prematurely, more often than not—and certain hormones become imbalanced or deficient, a strange phenomenon often takes place. Men and women actually begin to strongly resemble the opposite sex. You’ve seen them…women whose broadening bodies and faces take on a vaguely masculine look…and men whose appearance loses its masculine edge, softening to a kind of vaguely feminine look. This, I believe, is one major reason that it’s challenging to find attractiveness in people over forty. They begin to lose those distinguishing feminine and masculine features so prevalent during younger years when hormones are at their peak. The raw food lifestyle is very beneficial for balancing your hormone levels and keeping you attractive.

No need for eyeglasses for up-close reading. This characteristic is prevalent, but not universal. Obviously, it can only be observed in people over 40. And a person might still wear glasses for other reasons, such as myopia (near-sightedness). The mainstream opinion is that presbyopia (age-related inability to focus on nearby objects) happens to all and cannot be prevented. We all know people who have never worn glasses and had perfect eyesight, but after age 40, they can no longer read small print. For a good many raw foodists this condition never sets in or is significantly delayed.

Overall, long-term raw foodists look different. People always want to take a second glance. So here you go—ten more reasons to go raw!

A 2005 study conducted by Dr. Luigi Fontana and his colleagues is a typical, relatively recent yet still quite rare example of research performed specifically on the raw foodist population.

Fontana and colleagues studied 18 experienced raw foodists, average age of 54, two-thirds of them women. The researchers compared the test subjects to a group drawn from the general population, matching for age and gender, of “normal” eaters. Among several related factors that they looked at: bone density, vitamin D, and potential for osteoporosis. Bone density and bone mineral content surprisingly proved lower among the raw foodist group. Generally, low density and mineral content in critical areas such as the spine suggests a higher risk for osteoporosis. However, the study revealed that while raw foodists’ bones were of lower density, those bones weren’t weaker. Nor did the raw foodists suffer from any vitamin D deficiency. Message: It’s not just bone mass that matters, but bone quality. And there, the raw foodists shone.¹

A 2007 study by Fontana and colleagues looked at populations of raw foodists, non-raw endurance runners, and “normal” eaters, all carefully matched for many factors the researchers wanted to keep out of the equation. Most interestingly, the two groups other than the runners were both sedentary—yes, there are raw foodist couch potatoes too!—so that any effect of vigorous, diligent exercise could be taken off the table, so far as raw versus non-raw diets were concerned.

Bottom line: As compared with the “normal diet” group, the raw foodists fared vastly better, meaning lower levels, in such factors as blood pressure…blood concentrations of lipids, lipoproteins (fatty proteins), glucose…and arterial plaque. Indeed, the raw foodists—sedentary—performed in these categories comparably with the distance runners. What’s more, the raw foodists, astonishingly, had lower blood pressure than the runners—likely, the researchers said, thanks to lower salt consumption. Who’d have thought that just diet alone could produce health comparable to that of the distance runner?²

Again studying three similar parallel populations, the Fontana team looked at specific risk factors for cancer. Their findings in a nutshell: The distance runners, and those eating a low-protein, low-calorie diet, both showed significantly lower risk factors than did those consuming “normal” diets. Moreover, results for those who had only adjusted their diets, without adding endurance exercise, were remarkably similar. Once again: not only lower risk for heart disease, but lower risk for cancer!³

My fellow raw foodists and vegans will understand when I say: Thank you, Luigi! thank you, science! At last—you’ve provided scientific evidence for what the raw food community has known for a century or more! Thank you to that small but growing group of scientists who see merit in what we do, see in it ground for fertile research and a better opportunity to understand what genuine health really is.

1. Low Bone Mass in Subjects on a Long-term Raw Vegetarian Diet. Luigi Fontana, Jennifer L. Shew, John O. Holloszy, Dennis T. Villareal. Archives of Internal Medicine 2005;165:684-689.
2. Long-Term Low-Calorie Low-Protein Vegan Diet and Endurance Exercise are Associated with Low Cardiometabolic Risk. Luigi Fontana, Timothy E. Meyer, Samuel Klein, and John O. Holloszy Rejuvenation Research, Volume 10, Number 2, 2007.
3. Long-term low-protein, low-calorie diet and endurance exercise modulate metabolic factors associated with cancer risk Luigi Fontana, Samuel Klein, and John O Holloszy. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2006;84:1456–62.

My Personal Experience

On average, one burns 750–850 calories in a 90-minute Bikram yoga class. Since I often take two classes a day, I may well burn 1500 calories a day just from yoga classes, before we begin counting up everything else. I consume approximately 1200 to 1400 calories daily, and my weight stays constant. This might seem impossible to a nutritional scientist. Some nutritionists would calculate that I must be wasting away. However, in the words of Mr. Churchill, “The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.” I’m not only living but also thriving on a calorie-restricted diet.

Those who practice yoga (especially hot yoga) know they derive a good deal of energy just from doing yoga poses, not from food specifically. Literature on meditation reveals that meditators regularly experience a decreased need for food. In fact, the longer one is in a meditative state, the less food one will need. It might seem inconceivable to a nutritional scientist that someone is getting energy just from “sitting in a lotus pose.” Yet it’s true, and these people are living that truth. The inescapable conclusion: Not all energy comes from food.

Science May Not Come to the Rescue

Some things cannot be proven scientifically—at least not yet—but must be experienced. Take the thinking of a nutritional scientist. He’s intellectually skilled. He knows how proteins are formed, how fats are conserved, how carbohydrates are used in the body. It is possible to come to a conclusion, based on scientific research, that CR is beneficial or that raw food diet is good for your body, but it’s extremely hard to be certain, scientifically, about that conclusion’s correctness.

To me, on the other hand, the question is not whether a low-calorie lifestyle passes scientific muster or not. This position is right for me because it works, because I am living it. Should my raw food, calorie restricted lifestyle suddenly receive the science community’s seal of approval one day, that fact won’t make me any more right. At the same time, even if nutritional science “proves scientifically” that this lifestyle is wrong, I won’t move from my position.

Now, our nutritional scientist—if you can prove to him that the 100 percent low calorie raw food lifestyle is “wrong,” scientifically, he will move. The difference between him and me: I have personal experience to back me up. And, in most cases, he doesn’t. Living the truth does make a difference.

Try it for Yourself

I encourage you: Try a fully raw food lifestyle for yourself, just for a while. Stop eating at night, but try calorie restriction ONLY if you are over 40. Create your own experience. Then judge for or against. You may decide that it’s not for you. But let your own experience be your guide.

Nutritional science is notorious for changing its opinions. And, so often in this field, we see one dead firm opinion replacing another. I keep reminding myself that, where I’ve already formed a conclusion, I cannot learn anything. It is far better to withhold our judgment on something we do not understand than to condemn it. Try discovery first—leave understanding until later.

We can only hear what we are ready to hear. Sometimes it is very beneficial to re-read a book, mine included. Often, in re-reading, we see some things we’ve missed before. Take a look at Quantum Eating again, now in it’s 2nd Edition!

Some raw food leaders are “coming out” that they are a little non
vegan here and there or a bit “cooked” during the winter. I have
been trying this too. I am very happy with the couple of needed
pounds I put on and with my new level of energy. I would be
interested to hear if you have treated this ground as well, Tonya.
I will still love you if you have!

My correspondent seems to be doing very well. Yet, I’m aware that
some of you have grown disappointed and confused as a result of
following leaders who have in some ways altered their own 100
percent raw paths to address their immediate, individual needs.
Good, this confusion will lead to further learning. Very good!
This is the time to re-evaluate your position. You should not have
followed anyone in the first place. I’ve written about this in my
books, and I want to repeat it again here: Learn from everyone,
but follow no one.

Please, keep this in mind while reading what comes next.

Since the summer of 1997, not once knowingly did I consume cooked
food. After some adjustments, and even some step retracing, I’ve
developed a raw food plan that works very well for me.

I believe the raw food lifestyle is the best for shedding unwanted
pounds.

With every passing year I’ve gotten trimmer. During the twelve
years I’ve been following the raw foods lifestyle, I had to resize
my wardrobe downward and get alterations done three times! After an
initial loss of about 30 pounds, it’s surprising I’ve been quite
stable all along since then at about 110 pounds. But due to
practicing hot yoga, my weight and muscles are continually being
redistributed more effectively. When I stand next to healthy 18
year-olds of my height in hot yoga class, I have similar body
proportions.

The raw vegan lifestyle has been working for me. That said, I have
no dogma and no religious zeal when it comes to a 100 percent raw
vegan diet. The adjustments a person makes for his or her own
circumstances will be–must be–completely individual. Those
adjustments may also be temporary. In addressing a deficiency, you
may try one method, and then abandon it in favor of something else if
you find that works better.

There are people leading raw food lifestyles who have to make adjustments if
they develop a deficiency or find they’re simply not experiencing
the full measure of vibrant health they know is possible. This
doesn’t happen to everyone. It hasn’t happened to me. But it does
happen to some, and for a variety of reasons.

Deficiencies or imbalances may occur if someone starts out with a
severely compromised digestive system. I’ve found this to be one of
the main reasons people develop deficiencies over the long term. In
this case, a person’s digestive system might never–even on the best
diet in the world–be able operate to perfect capacity without a
little extra help.

Some people with digestive issues have a hard time absorbing
nutrients. They may make a personal choice to augment probiotics,
animal products, or other dietary additions that give them what
they need, whether these additions be raw…vegan…or even outside
the vegetarian camp altogether.

I have perfect digestion. I never use any digestive aids. My
problem is different. I have hips that were seriously damaged at
birth. I experimented with many methods until I found my ace in the
hole–Bikram yoga–and that works for me. I embarked on a 60-month
challenge of doing hot yoga 1½ – 3 hours every day. This, in my
estimation, is what was needed to make my hips “normal” again. Do
you have to emulate this “out there” practice? No. Absurd. To keep
your body flexible and fit, all you’d likely need is three or four 90-minute
sessions per week.

During our trip to Russia this summer, my mom (who hadn’t seen me
in ten years) told me, “You look as if you have taken a mold and
reshaped and sculpted yourself!” No mold required, I assure you.
Your body, when optimally nourished, is the best architect available.
It can make some pretty fabulous improvements all by itself–if you
give it the right materials to work with.

Personally, even for gaining weight, I would not go for cooked
grains and stir-fried vegetables. If you are having a difficult time
with the 100 percent raw vegan diet, consider an alternative that I
discuss in great detail in my book Raw Food and Hot Yoga. If you
need to rekindle your passion for raw foods, read or re-read my
books. I stand behind every argument I made there.

If incorporating some cooked foods works for someone, who am I to
throw stones? For myself, I can’t imagine it. Not an option for me.
But it may be just the thing to bring someone else back into
balance. And once again I say: So be it! The point is to be
creative in our approach to health…always willing to learn…to
adapt…to try new things as our needs evolve. So long as we have
free will…and so long as our needs, goals, ambitions–not to mention
our bodies–are individual…so are our choices. May you make yours
wisely!

Here is an email I’ve just received and felt compelled to share with
you:

Dear Tonya,
I’m glad you’re addressing the matter of 100 % raw. I find cooked
food so wildly unaesthetic and ruined, I never want it. …It’s so
important to understand that doctors don’t study health. They study
medicine. Would a patient continue to visit his doctor if the
doctor had taught him how to be healthy? I’m so grateful to be
living free of doctors and their tests for the past 40 vegan years.

Amazing rejuvenation has happened since I no longer eat at night
since last February. It’s been a whole year. I’m more secure than
ever in the knowledge that healing happens if we just give it a
chance instead of eating and digesting at all hours as I used to
do. And I used to think that if it was raw, that was good enough.
Exclusively raw during the day is a thousand times better.

It was a lump. Small—about the size of a soybean. I was a young Russian girl, about thirteen, when my breasts  developed. And it was then I discovered it, there in my left breast. I never told any doctor. Years passed before I even mentioned it to my mother. We came to America in 1991. I was thirty three and that’s when I had my first mammogram. My doctor became very concerned about my lump. She kept insisting I repeat the test again and again. Then she suggested an ultrasound.

This was my first and last mammogram. Since I knew I’d be sent for re-testing again and again, after that first time, I avoided mammograms. My thinking: The lump had been there for years—even if the cancer were there, mightn’t all that vigorous squeezing only tend to spread it?

What is Fibrosis?

Fibrosis, or fibrocystic breast condition, is common in women between 30 and 50, though some women experience it earlier. More than half of all women experience this non-cancerous condition sometime during their lives.

Collagen is a natural and necessary substance in most of your organs and tissues. Fibrosis sometimes arises when there is an excessive collagen in one area. Symptoms of fibrocystic breasts may include cysts (fluid-filled sacs), lumpiness, areas of thickening, pain and tenderness, and the formation of scar-like connective tissue called fibroids.

Though fibrocystic breast lumps may occur anywhere in the breast, they most often appear in the upper, outer quadrant of the breasts, nearest the armpit. Fibrocystic breast lumps tend to be smooth and round. They can move freely, being unattached to other breast tissue. Some may have a thick, irregular feel. Fibrocystic breast areas are often tender to touch and may increase or decrease in size during the menstrual cycle.

There’s some good statistical news, here. Having fibrocystic breasts is not in itself a risk factor for breast cancer. But a fibrocystic breast condition can sometimes make it harder to detect hidden breast cancer with standard techniques, due to the thickening and abnormalities associated with a fibrocystic condition. The conventional medical community encourages routine mammograms as a means of early detection and reducing the risk of breast cancer’s developing undetected.

Radiation Risk

What about the radiation risks? Most women consider mammograms to be radiation like any other X-ray, with similar limited risks. Women tend to look on mammograms as a necessary evil to be put off as long as possible. But the real picture is actually darker: We now know that routine mammograms can actually raise the risk of radiation-induced breast cancer. Cumulative effect is the culprit. Each mammogram itself may not contribute much radiation. But ten mammograms over ten years can add up.

A small percentage of women carry a gene called the A-T gene. The gene carries high sensitivity to radiation. As many as 20% of breast cancer cases, some believe, may be linked to the A-T gene.

A mammogram is “just a little dose” of radiation, we tend to think. So it must be safe—right? Radiation isn’t the only worry, however. Even more insidious than the radiation factor is the procedure itself. Rough handling and the pressure and squeezing involved can cause cancerous cells to be disseminated. This has been a concern since at least 1928. Burton Goldberg, in his Alternative Medicine, states (page 588) that, beyond the risk of radiation exposure, the mammography procedure itself “may help spread an existing mass of cancer cells. During a mammogram, considerable pressure [is] placed on the woman’s breast, as the breast is squeezed between two flat plastic surfaces. According to some…practitioners, this compression could cause existing cancer cells to metastasize from the breast tissue.”

False positives are also common in premenopausal or postmenopausal women who are on estrogen therapy. These false positives lead to unnecessary biopsies, further dangerous testing, even to unneeded mastectomies. Imagine my surprise when I learned that even low-dose radiation could cause breast fibroids!

Lump Gone with Raw Foods!

My raw foods journey began in 1997. Often my mother, calling from Russia, would remind me to check the lump in my breast for any changes. Now, after self-testing and following the 100 percent raw food lifestyle all this time, I have to my delight discovered that after following Quantum Eating for several years my lump has gotten smaller and smaller. And now, it is gone!

Tumors may be malignant or benign. Mine, luckily, was benign. When cleansing and healing, your body will always take care of the most important things first. I believe that’s why it took years for it to resolve my fibrosis. My body had more important things going on—bigger fish to fry, if you will. Read more on this topic in my book You Right to Be Beautiful.

Now that I have reached a higher level of health, thanks to the raw food diet and hot yoga, my body was able to take care of this issue as well. That’s the clincher for me. I no longer fear breast cancer or tumors or have to deal with fibrosis.

Do, please, keep in mind that, by the time a tumor reaches a size that can be detected, it’s probably been growing ten years or more. “Early detection,” laudably enough, is what the medical community pushes. But it misses the mark by emphasizing early detection above all else. Shouldn’t our real aim be not getting cancer in the first place? Let’s concentrate on prevention instead.

I highly encourage self-breast exams. If ever you find anything you’re uncomfortable with, be sure to see your health practitioner immediately.

If you actually have the condition known as fibrosis, chances are you have already been examined and the condition has been confirmed. By keeping a watchful eye, doing regular exams, and nourishing the body with the raw food diet, your chances of overcoming this painful malady are as good as mine!

There is a big difference, however, between cooked and raw forms of oxalic acid. When cooked, it is not actually a nutrient in the body, so the body naturally processes it into the most convenient form to be excreted, usually through the urine. Oxalic acid will combine with other substances during this process and forms a salt known as an oxalate. Oxalates are believed to contribute to the formation of kidney stones. They combine with calcium to form calcium oxalate. Kidney stones are 70-90% calcium oxalate.

These stones accumulate and get lodged in the urinary tract. Consumption of animal protein and an acid producing diet is also associated with oxalate production, because they cause the blood to become too acidic.

Since calcium is an alkaline mineral, the body will leech it from the bones to equalize the pH balance in the blood. The remaining calcium is eliminated through the urine in the form of calcium oxalate. If levels are high enough, the calcium will crystallize and form small clumps that become stones. A raw food diet can be an invaluable aid to alkalize the blood.

Addressing this subject from his book “Conscious Eating”, Dr. Gabriel Cousens says “Organic oxalic acid, defined as that which occurs in nature in its raw form, can actually be beneficial to the system.

Once foods containing oxalic acid are cooked, according to the dean of juice therapy and author of Raw Vegetable Juices, Dr. Norman Walker, the oxalic acid becomes dead and irritating substance to the system. He feels that in its cooked form it binds irreversibly with the calcium and prevents calcium absorption. An excess of cooked oxalic acid may also form oxalic acid crystals in the kidney.

Dr. Walker claims that in the live organic form oxalic acid does not present any problem. Oxalic acid stones and calcium blockage do not occur because the organic oxalic acid can be metabolized appropriately. According to Dr. Walker, oxalic acid in its raw form is one of the important minerals needed to maintain tone and peristalsis of the bowel.”

If kidney stones are a concern to you, first of all, be sure to work with a natural health practitioner that you trust, preferably one who is familiar with and supportive of the raw food diet. Secondly, eliminate salt, even Celtic sea salt, from your diet as much as possible! Salt is a constant irritation to the renal system.

Also, make sure you are eating a wide variety of alkaline foods, which you will accomplish quite easily simply by adhering to a raw foods diet.

Be sure to rotate your greens in juices, smoothies and other recipes to make sure that you are not taking in excessive amounts of any one substance, but rather moderate amounts of a wide variety of nutrients.

Alternate between raw foods that are high in oxalic acid, and those that aren’t. When you have eaten and enjoyed one type of green for a while, switch to something else. This is not only healthy, but has the added benefit of keeping your diet interesting, too. Of course, these suggestions are not just for those concerned about kidney stones, they are valuable to everyone who practices the raw food diet.

Variety is the spice of life….enjoy!

“Vitamins are essential nutrients that act to maintain health and prevent vitamin deficiency,” Pamela Mason, spokeswoman for the London-based Health Supplements Information Service, said in a statement. “They were never intended to be used to prevent chronic disease such as cancer. Indeed, it would be asking a lot of a vitamin pill to expect it to prevent cancer.”

On the other hand, for former smokers, there is compelling evidence that vegetables high in carotenoids, such as carrots and sweet peas, decrease the risk of lung cancer.

Sure enough, vitamin supplements won’t protect people against lung cancer and taking vitamin E may even heighten the risk, a new study finds. The survey covered the supplement-taking habits and lung cancer incidence of almost 78,000 adults in the state of Washington over a four-year period. Dr. Christopher G.

Slatore, a fellow in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Washington, said: “Indeed, increasing intake of supplemental vitamin E was associated with a slightly increased risk of lung cancer.” Every increase in vitamin E of 100 milligrams per day was associated with a 7 percent rise in lung cancer risk — translating into a 28 percent increase in risk over 10 years for someone taking 400 milligrams of vitamin E daily.

A group of Danish researchers analyzing the available evidence on antioxidant supplements found that several of them may be responsible for premature death. Read more in Quantum Eating.

There are cases of deficiency when supplements can be very beneficial. Some supplements, such as those in the ‘super foods’ category, have been praised highly for their health benefits. I will not tell you not to use them–just do not tell me they are better than the real thing. Health is a state of mind that guarantees that the thought of ‘popping’ a supplement will never cross your mind. Health is energy with no ointments, potions, or poultices.

No supplementation is needed for the healthy body to feel great. If you are not energetic, you are not healthy–taking a pill is not going to change anything permanently. Long term health must be earned. There are no shortcuts. No magic pills. Everything that promises quick and easy ways to energy is an artificial stimulant Stimulants are like bank loans, the body always pays interest.

Supplements you take for a long time will always throw your body out of balance. When it comes to micronutrients, more is not necessarily better, because too much can boost your risk of potentially dangerous side effects. We trumpet the benefits of supplements in uniform tablets, capsules, and potions and we praise science for its ability to squeeze numerous nutrients into them. But the initial fruits and vegetables they used are left without glory. They are spectacularly simple miracles. Take nutrients on their terms, not yours, and you will discover their incorruptible goodness. When you eat raw foods you do not have to worry about any of these problems. You will get the most benefits by going straight to the real thing.

Your answer is simple: green smoothies and puddings made in a top quality, purpose-made blender—one that has served me well is the Vita-Mix.

Some new comers ask: What is a green smoothie? A green pudding? A few think they know, but don’t. For those who may not know, a definition—a green smoothie or pudding is a mixture of about 60% fruit and 40% leafy greens blended together into a delicious, nourishing beverage. The difference between a smoothie and a pudding is basically water content. You drink a smoothie, while you eat the more viscous pudding with a spoon. The fruit masks the flavor of the greens, and the greens buffer the sweetness of the fruit. A perfect combination!

Here are just a few important reasons to begin consuming green smoothies and puddings regularly…
Green Smoothies and Puddings are a delicious way to eat more greens without adding salt and oil. The most common way people eat greens is in salads, which usually takes a dressing of some sort. Smoothies and puddings offer a change of pace, a different texture, and need no dressing.

Preparation and cleanup are remarkably quick and easy—if you have the right equipment. Some people are put off by the time juicing takes them, especially in the mornings, and find the cleanup a total hassle. But you can cut your time to just minutes, making green smoothies and puddings made in a high-powered blender. Want a way to get even more benefit out of your smoothies and puddings? You can add flax seed meal to make it an even more nutritious concoction!

Get your preparation and cleanup done in a matter of minutes—just blend, rinse and go.
Green Smoothie and Puddings are high in easily digestible fiber. A high quality, purpose-made blender does precisely what you want…It ruptures cell walls, releasing nutrients for easy absorption, but retains fiber. For a great discussion of how this works, see Victoria Boutenko’s revolutionary book Green for Life.

The importance of chlorophyll. Liquid sunshine! That’s what chlorophyll really is. A molecule of chlorophyll is strikingly similar to a molecule of human blood. Dr. Ann Wigmore likened consuming chlorophyll to getting a blood transfusion. Chlorophyll also carries a lot of oxygen. It is healing, cleansing, and effective against many harmful pathogens and fungi. Greens and wheatgrass are full of chlorophyll.

Greens are alkalizing. The high mineral content of greens makes them alkalizing to our bodies, helping keep our bodies at the proper pH. In fact, it’s not possible to maintain a proper pH balance without consuming greens. Besides their alkalizing effect, greens also are filled with amino acids, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and enzymes—all easily available to your body in the form of green smoothies or pudding.

Amino Acids are abundant in greens, making them a great source of protein. Since our bodies manufacture proteins from the amino acids we consume, just two or three cups a day of green smoothie or pudding can deliver plenty of nourishment of a sort more easily assimilated than other forms of protein.

Children adore them. Usually, anyway. Mouth-watering flavors and bright colors offer kid-friendly, agreeable ways to get children eating healthier. And face it—grownups like kid-food, too! Get a big blender so you can quickly and easily make enough green smoothies or pudding for your entire family.

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Water Fasting

Dear Tonya,
Thank you for making our world beautiful. I am reading your books and very encouraged to become 100 % raw food eater. I have been looking for a long time for the book that seems right to me. I heard about raw food eating before and start switching slowly, but I did not realize how many benefits it can bring. When my friend gave me your book, I found all the answers and a very interesting story of your life. I bought your books for myself and will definitely recommend them and your products to my friends.-S.

10/26/08
Dear Tonya

I have recently read your earlier books and have just finished reading Quantum Eating. Congratulations and well done on producing one of the most inspirational an well researched books I have ever read. I do not say this lightly as I am a nutritionist and health professional in Edinburgh, Scotland and have ready countless text books over a long period of years. I hope you will continue to offer more of the same. We do visit the United States regularly so perhaps I can see you at one of your seminars sometime. Thank you once more for all the motivation and inspiration. Wishing you continued optimum health and beauty. With warmest wishes, Lillian

10/18/08

Tonya, this newsletter was an exceptional one because of the way you responded to the question about the schedule for eating. Your answer was easy to comprehend and the advice to try and test things for oneself shows your dedication and sincerity in helping others. Keep up the good work. –Theresa

10/13/08

Hi Tonya, You are such an inspiration! My sister and I met you last month in Salt Lake City when you spoke to our raw food group. I have been on a high ever since! I just finished reading “Quantum Eating”. What a marvelous book! You are genius in this area! I’ve been spending this morning reading all of your articles on your web site. So beautiful, inspirational and feels SO RIGHT! I’ve also started going to Bikram Yoga classes for the past two weeks. Wonderful compliment to raw. Thank you for that suggestion also. You are a jewel!- Elizabeth Haverstock

10/13/08

I’m loving your book Quantum Eating! Also, I REALLY like that you are unabashedly sharing your opinions (the +s and -s) on the ideas of Bikram, Graham, Nison, Wolfe etc…. It confirms what I concluded from the festival- some experts have some great advice but watch out for their tangents and their need to confirm that what they have invested or trusted in for a length of time must be “healthy” or “the right way.”

Your honesty and ability to share your thoughts in your book are highly valued- please be encouraged to keep going like this! This is the type of book where I find myself hoarding the chapters because I don’t want it to be over. Finally, I just want you to know that you have some readers who CAN understand the important factors of intuition and personal responsibility in this delicate health adventure. Therefore please keep being brave in writing about things like dry fasting even when the information could be misused with ill-effects.
Your little encourager,

Jane

10/07/08

I have been busy with the roller and love it!!! I am now 1 year and 10 months raw and love it. I just completed your Quantum book and wow is that a stretch but you are living proof that it can be reality. You certainly provide food for thought!

Thanks, You are such an inspiration!!!

Darlene

10/07/08
Dear Tonya,

I have been meaning to write you to thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming to speak to our small group. What you had to say was so important and inspiring to those of us who were there, and you performed a very generous service for us, and we will always be very grateful to you for helping to get our local group started. I heard nothing but positive feedback, … I got a real kick out of watching my in-laws there, nodding their heads to everything you said, like they were saying “Amen” in church!

My husband thought there was no way his parents would ever have any interest in the raw foods diet, but my mother-in-law is reading your first book now, and they are curious and definitely interested. Our group is having its 2nd potluck tonight, and I believe there is enough interest that it will thrive. Thank you so much for what you did for us, and thank you so much for being such a wonderful inspiration! It was truly a pleasure to have the chance to spend that time with you. – Kim Cormier, B.A., J.D. Little Rock

10/02/08
You are such an inspiration Tonya. I am European myself, born and raised in Croatia but have lived in Australia for 33 years now. So when I read of your Russian background I can so relate….the fact that you broke away from that culinary culture gives me hope………I still have very strong emotional attachments to European food which I am trying to overcome….it’s more mental than physical though, I am a raw foodist at heart….

But among all the raw foodists I admire you the most and aspire to be like you, especially beauty wise!- C.

08/31/08

Thank-you! I am not currently 100 % raw but plan to be before the end of the year when I have completed my research. I must tell you that your book is poignant, concise, informative, and inspirational. And if one knew nothing of diet and food and their correlations to each other they certainly would after reading your book. It is such an eye opener! You are a profound woman and I thank-you for your tenacity, hard work, determination, and insight. -Yolanda

08/31/08
It was such a pleasure to meet you and hear your presentation. You are truly a beautiful and healthy person inside and that emanates from you externally. Your skin is like porcelain and you have given me much inspiration as a wonderful example of the level of health that is possible to attain.

I’ve been a fan of your moisturizer and mask for a while and I used my roller for the first time last night and really loved it! I appreciate the time that you’ve put into bringing these products to market and making them available to us.- Sally

08/29/08

Tonya I have seen many sites on net for raw foods but yours is the best so far. I have already gone thru all of your books and am highly impressed with them. I am already 60-70% raw for the last two years and have never felt better as compared to before. I am 42 years old , short built of 5 ft height and weighs around 45 kgs. I have been doing dry brushing and can say that it has given me excellent results. Now my rolling bed of pins is also arriving soon so I hope to gain further.-B.

08/25/08

Hello Tonya;
I am writing to let you know that I received my order for Quantum Eating. It is a very inspiring book, I am very stoked to learn about your experiences as I discover my own way to Rawsome Awesomeness!!!
You have an incredible gift for sharing on a personal level as well as a scientific. Thank you so much. I also Love the Bed of Pins roller! -S.J.

08/25/08

Hello Tonya;
I am writing to let you know that I received my order for Quantum Eating. It is a very inspiring book, I am very stoked to learn about your experiences as I discover my own way to Rawsome Awesomeness!!!
You have an incredible gift for sharing on a personal level as well as a scientific. Thank you so much. I also Love the Bed of pins roller! -S.J.

08/23/08

Tonya,

I just want to tell you first how much I love your face cream and mask. This is coming from a woman who use to use all her paycheck on very expensive creams (instead of food). I’m so happy I gave your products a try because I really do enjoy using them. I am interested in how this violet ray contraption works. What are the benefits, How do you use it,and how often do you use it?

I also enjoyed your lecture at 14 Carrot in Columbia, SC. I do hope that you will come back to share more of your wisdom. -K. L.

08/15/08
I have just finished reading your book Your Right to Be Beautiful and really enjoyed it – I am about to start on Quantum Eating. Thank you for sharing so generously of yourself. You should go on Oprah to raise awareness about this lifestyle! My husband and I are raw food newbies – we live in Little Rock, Arkansas and would really like to connect with some other raw food people in this area.-Kim Cormier, B.A., J.D.

08/13/08

I just had to share with you something I did that I read on your website. I didn’t eat after 3:00 yesterday and not only was I not hungry this morning, I woke up full of energy and very clear headed!! After a small breakfast at 8:00 after working out, by 2:00 I still wasn’t hungry! I realize now that I can go much longer without eating and not be hungry. Can’t wait to get your books!! Best Regards- C. Y.

08/11/08
I’m now reading Quantum Eating, and finding it fresh & creative, original & courageous, enlightening & challenging. I expect to have more comments on Quantum Eating after reading it. I really appreciate having it, and think it is a goldmine of healthy lifestyle information.

I’ve looked over Your Right to Be Beautiful, and although it’s targeted primarily for women, I see that men can learn some valuable things from it, too. I’m making it available to my other sister, Lois, and to both Ruth’s and Lois’ friends. — Owen Green

08/06/08
Hi Tonya,
I always enjoy your newsletters and really enjoyed listening to you speak. Your lectures and newsletters are packed with solid information and inspiration. I really enjoyed the letter that you shared concerning what your friend feeds her kids. Wow, to be able to start out your life with such health. My kids didn’t have sugar the first 10 and 12 years of their life and we either juice or do a green smoothies everyday but I’m always striving to do more for them. -R.

08/04/08
Aloha Tonya,

Been thinking of you a lot as I go through “100 Days to Raw” and also reading “Green for Life,” finishing “Quantum Eating,” and starting “Your right to be Beautiful.” I realize 2 things: 1) I really know a lot already and was doing much better than I realized, (for example, I went to Texas and fasted at Dr. Shelton’s in 1974!), and 2) there is SO much more to learn and everyone has a unique spin and something to offer. Which of course leads us back to determining our own best path. But most of all, thanks to your visit, I’m now more connected to the great big world of raw foodists, where before I was on my own. I thought the movement was more extreme than it is — now I’m grateful for the network and educational links. I didn’t realize how much diversity there is within the movement.

The reason I invited you to Kaua’i is because I wanted to honor your work, and also to honor the part of myself that “hungers” for the best way to live. Peeling away the layers and getting to the essence of what truly serves us so we can truly serve. Before meeting you, I really didn’t personally know anyone who continues to walk the walk; now I do. And it makes a difference. -Wendy

08/01/08
Hi Tonya,

I was at your seminar on July 10th in Cobb Mountain, California. What a rawsome experience. I bought two of your books (now I wish I had bought them all) and the face cream and mask. Your husband (forgive me, I can’t remember his name) said I would be eligible for the e-file 100 days of 100% raw. I am looking so forward to getting started on this.

The smoothie your husband made that night was fantastic. I have read your recipe book and am experimenting with the juices. My husband loves them too. Thank-you for getting me back to a healthier lifestyle. I hope you’ll come back again. I feel like my health is going to only get better thanks to you. -J.F.