Adventure Juice
How will you know if you never try?

Ingredients:
2 Swiss Chard leaves, stems intact
small handful of arugula
1 apple (preferably Granny Smith variety)
3 medium cucumbers
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and quartered

Run all ingredients through your juicer and serve in two fancy glasses. This is the way to drink a toast to a healthy day!

Cherimoya Smoothie
Just tropical enough to deserve the name. It is February after all. Mark Twain called the cherimoya “the most delicious fruit known to men.” Look for them in Asian markets. Often you will find cherimoya are sold not yet ripened. You should leave your cherimoya for several days in a paperbag at room temperature till it turns an almost brown color and feels like an almost ripened avocado. It should have some give but not be squishy when squeezed with your fingers.

Ingredients:
2 kiwi, peeled and halved
2 leaves of Swiss Chard, stems removed
1 cherimoya, seeded and fibrous center removed
water from one young Thai coconut

Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until very smooth and pour into two small smoothie glasses for a treat that makes a meal.

Cauliflower Couscous
How can a food named Couscous not be romantic?

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cup cherry tomatoes
handful of scallions, minced
1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted and chopped
handful of fresh mint, chopped (or cilantro)
juice of one lemon
dash of celtic sea salt
¼ cup raw olives, pitted, rinsed and chopped for garnish

Place the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the texture resembles rice or couscous grain. Pour into a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients.

Creamy Dreamy Dessert
All things smooth, creamy, sweet and colorful. I heart raw foods!

Ingredients:
2 cherimoya, seeded and fibrous center removed
1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted

1 Tbs. hemp seeds
dash of vanilla
dash of sea salt
dash of cinnamon
thinly sliced orange wedges

Blend all ingredients except oranges until smooth and creamy. Pour into dessert dishes or into your favorite raw pie crust. Garnish with orange slices across the top. Allow to thicken in refrigerator for at least half an hour.

Dear Tonya, I have bought and am in the process of reading “Raw Food and Hot Yoga”. I am glad you are changing your title in the next edition because initially, it was the title that kept me from wanting to read it.  I still find yoga very boring but I am hoping to be convinced to give it an honest shot by the time I finish your book…I am just in awe of your life story, accomplishments, your vast research, your open honesty, your self discipline, and the strong example you set for women to be able to strive for true beauty without guilt and selfish feelings. –D.M.

1/20/2012

I am a big Youtube fan of yours! You were the first person I saw about raw foods, and you inspired and motivated me to change my life. Thank you, –C. R.

1/17/12

Thank you so much for the e-book – The Raw Food Diet and Your Compromised Teeth. I downloaded it and enjoying the book.  Looking forward to receiving my order as well. Tonya’s products are great! She offers so much wonderful information to keep us on the right track with raw living. Keep up the good work. Thanks. –L.

1/16/2012

Hello Tonya… thank you for all your information… it truly makes the journey more enjoyable! 2 years ago I purchased your book Your Right to Be Beautiful at a local Health Food store. I had just started the master cleanse and wanted some support. After the 10 day cleanse I immediately took up my 100% raw food diet and never wavered for these 2 years. Your book makes the “ignorance is bliss” statement very evident!  Once I knew all your information you presented I couldn’t go back to cooked foods.

This past mid-December I ordered your beauty package special and received 1 of each of your hair, teeth & skin products along with your facial exercises… which I immediately started and continue to this day… love them!  I also love, love, love your facial mask and cream!!! I also ordered your 3 other paperbacks in that same order. I devoured them as well. I have started implementing your dry fasting as well as Hot Yoga… Thank you!  I also turned 2 other friends onto your books and they started eating raw foods because of it. –T.K.

1/15/2012

I have the book Rawsome Flex; and wondering if you could exchange it for the book Raw Food and Your Compromised Teeth instead on this purchase?  I love your products and have given the creams and brushes to my sisters for their birthdays as well. I am 65 years young and in my second year of eating all raw food and needed to be refreshed again with your newsletter. Thank you for your books, etc. I appreciate your dedication to helping us who don’t know very much about being young on raw. Thank you. –L.

1/12/2012

Your books and posts are SO encouraging! Every time I feel myself wanting a french fry, I go back and read the science behind why that fried spud is awful for my health. –P.K.

1/12/2012

I’m a long-time Calorie Restrictor, athlete, raw vegan, and since recently reading Quantum Eating a second time, I’m all the way “in the boat” with you, including my eating curfew, and modification of my fitness goals. :)  I 300% joyously agree with and understand the great truths in every word, including the freedom from “things,” the plaque of television, the feeling of social pressures sometimes causing eating later than is right for me, and the misery that follows. –P.

1/2/2012

HI Tonya! Like a million other people, your presentation (in Sacramento several years ago) convinced me to take the raw plunge, and I’ve been better for it ever since! Thank you!! –C.

1/11/2012

Dear Tonya, thank you for all your hard work and dedication to help other people to discover “the beauty on raw”. I am absolutely thrilled to find you (by just clicking on one of your videos on youtube), and inspired to continue to transition to the raw foods. I am also very excited to be able to get your products and books. I have recieved the oral care products today, I just love the oral balm! Thank you -A.

1/11/2012

Greetings Tonya, I look forward to every newsletter you send out and wanted to say that this one is of particular note. Thank you for the good information on Botox. I really enjoyed it. Raw wishes, –C.

100%  naturally. No risky human growth hormone (HGH) therapy, which can bring increased risk of heart attack, fluid retention, liver damage and enlarged breasts (but only for men), just to name a few of the side effects.

Your legs, more than any other part of you, account for your height. So you might think the legs are where to go, if you want to work on getting taller. But no. In each long bone—femur, tibia, fibula, in the legs—are two growth plates, one at each end. But these fuse at about age 24 in males, 18 in females, effectively ending growth. Short of surgery, there’s little you can do there.

The spine’s the place to go. Your spine accounts for about a third of your height. Within it are the 33 separate, stacked bone segments we know as vertebrae, held together by tough, fibrous ligaments. It’s a remarkably flexible structure, save down at the bottom, where the lowest nine vertebrae fuse to form the sacrum and the coccyx (tailbone). Climbing up from there, you find the 5 lumbar vertebrae, the 12 vertebrae of the thorax or back of the chest, and finally the 7 cervical or neck vertebrae. Each pair of vertebrae is separated by a cartilaginous pad or disk. The thickness of these disks contributes significantly to height. The thicker the disks in aggregate, the greater your height. So, then, how can we work with the spine to grow taller without any drugs or other invasive or dangerous methods?

My suggested alternative…exercise. Two types are helpful in particular: stretching exercises and hanging exercises. Both are non-invasive methods that hold promise for adding an inch—possibly more—to your height. The idea: to get you spine gently and intermittently into traction, decompressing, increasing the fluid capacity in your disks. This thickens and strengthens cartilage along the spinal column, making it stronger and eventually longer. A stronger spine allows you better to resist the compressive forces of gravity.

For stretching, yoga is your best friend. Hot (Bikram) Yoga, in particular, because the heated environment helps deeper stretching and injury prevention, reducing stress and tension. Poses especially good at decompressing the spine are the Pada-Hastasana (Hands to Feet pose), the Sasangasana (Rabbit pose), and the Janushirasana with Paschimottanasana (Head to Knee Pose with Stretching). You can learn much more about the benefits of Hot Yoga in my book Raw Food and Hot Yoga.

Besides yoga, two methods of hanging down are beneficial for adding to your height. Hanging relies on simple gravity to decompress the spine, lengthening and straightening it to achieve an increase in height. The first way is simple. Find a bar and develop a daily routine wherein you hang from it by your hands for as many seconds as you can. Then take a few seconds’ break and get back at it. See how many sets of “hanging down” you can fit into a 5-minute period each day. After a few weeks, this will get easier. You can increase the time of each set and the number of sets. If you cannot find a place to hang down, install a bar in a doorway of your home. Some bars don’t even require screws and hang on by your own weight.

The second way is to hang upside-down using an inversion table or “gravity boots” that hang onto a bar. Those who’ve read my first book Your Right to Be Beautiful may remember how the inversion table helped me stretch out my shorter leg before my surgeries. Some people find they can hang upside down by their feet longer than hanging on a bar by their hands, making this method more effective for them. You can start by hanging for at least 2-3 minutes in the morning and 2-3 minutes in the evening. Gradually build up to double that time. An extra benefit: many people who experience back pain also find an inversion table gives much-needed relief.

Practicing Hot Yoga and these hanging exercises may not only help you grow taller but will increase blood circulation, improve overall flexibility, and aid your digestion. So come on…hang out with me, and grow taller!

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!

Dear Tonya, I saw your testimony on YouTube and it was so heart felt, I saw the amount of effort you had put into strengthening your hips and I had to say, you did an extraordinary job, keep inspiring people, it led me to look for you on facebook, it’s truly inspiring! –A.Z.

12/24/2011

Hello, I want to start off by thanking you for changing my life, health, and happiness. I have been predominately raw for over 7 years now after reading your first book, and I have to tell you that I wake up everyday feeling fantastic. I am in my LATE 20’s and just yesterday a neighbor guessed my age at 14! From my example alone, I have influenced countless friends and family, and I believe the circle will just keep widening.

Clean living is such a blessing. I know that I have the diet part down, and I also choose to live simply, but recently I have had this gnawing feeling in my gut about spirituality. I know from your books that this is important to you, and I truly believe that you have an opportunity to have some serious influence on us. The way you write is so beautiful and convincing- it is my hope that if you were to write a book on Christianity it could have the same life-changing effect over so many of us as your diet books did. I just wanted to be one more voice to prompt you to consider it, just in case you were thinking about this and needed a little more push. Thank you once again for sharing all your knowledge and wisdom. Please know that you are making a huge impact on so many of us. Cheers, –M.

12/20/2011

Thank you for connecting with me, Tonya. Your work with quantum eating and dry fasting is truly inspiring me to take my diet and life to the next level!—K.S.

12/19/2011

Thank you for the hair tonic. It works really well.  I was using Rogaine which, according to many people on the web, causes under-eye bags/pockets to appear.–E.

12/19/2011

I love your facial cream so much!! I recommend it all the time to friends, family, and strangers. –S.

12/15/2011

I’ve used your hair tonic for the last month and it has literally stopped my hair loss!  I also love the fact I can use it in the morning after shampooing and it doesn’t make my hair oily or limp. I just ordered and received your shampoo and conditioner, so I’m hoping with the 3 items I will now start to see some hair growth. –S.

12/14/2011

Hi, Tonya, I am excited and look forward to reading your new book. Currently, I am rereading all your books. I am awed with the beauty, truth and passion in your books.

It really has been a life changing experience for me.  I love your honesty….very refreshing. –V.

12/13/2011

Several years ago my health failed and as I searched the Internet for help. I blundered upon the Raw family and fell in love with the Boutenko’s. I was devastated when the family went in different directions. As a matter of fact I first heard of you through Victoria Boutenko and have read most of your books. I have also searched for info from Hallelujah Acres and read Hippocrates Health Institute magazine for years…

I am interested in learning all that I can and I love your comparisons.  I always wonder where you are going when you start sharing your side and comparing it with other opinions and I am never disappointed. Your honesty, your wit and your command of the English language leave me speechless. I was born and raised here, I am 70+ years old and I have trouble expressing myself. You are amazing. You are a perfect role model for raw eating. I have read Quantum Eating and agree with you concerning beauty and nutrition. Your skin is beautiful, your tummy is flat and your waist is small. Hmmm I have a long way to go and a short time to get there but I am working on it.

I feel that raw is the way to go but being old, living in a remote area and on a low income I have been unable to do so. My situation is very similar to those you describe in Russia trying to eat raw. I just don’t have access to enough fresh produce and forget the organic stuff. I go to Sam’s once a month and stock up on carrots, celery and salad greens. A few bananas and if the other fruit is decent I get a little of it but before the month is over… well, I do the best I can with what I have.

BTW I love your hair and skincare products. I enjoyed using the “old” cream and I also enjoy the “new” cream. I have rosacea and I have read Sea Buckthorn oil is good for it sooo I am hoping for a miracle. Depending on you to keep me informed…Keep up the good work.

12/12/2011

Best newsletter yet!  Please share more information–these direct email quotes from raw foodists were SOOO inspiring! Along with listing their varying diets, this was a great newsletter!! –R.

12/12/2011

Dear Tonya,  thank you for the wonderful, healthy information:-). I’m feeling beautiful outside and inside thanks to Your information and recommendation. Waiting for the next Newsletter about Raw food and beauty. The best wishes, –E.

12/12/2011

I will be 50 in two weeks. I just started performing the facial exercises a week ago and can already see some difference. There is already a slight lift above my eyes, my nose looks different, and the droop is not as pronounced on the upper sides of my mouth. I drive a lot at night and do the exercises in the car (no one can see me!) that don’t require my hands. Others I fit in here and there when I have a minute of privacy during the day. So I am getting most of the exercises in multiple times each day. I can’t wait to see what a month of these exercises will do for me. You look absolutely beautiful and are a great inspiration. –J.

If you could peek into my kitchen, you would see about 60-70 persimmons ripening, each at their own speed. My favorite is the Hachiya variety, the kind that is shaped like an acorn. You should eat the Hachiya when they are very soft and start to look like they’re just about to go bad. Once they reach this stage, they are so amazingly sweet, the taste will remind you of marmalade! When making the recipes below, I suggest cutting off the top and then scooping out the flesh of the ripe persimmon using a spoon.

Persimmon Shake 
Feeling, protein rich and delicious!

Ingredients:
1 large Persimmon, extra ripe (may substitute 2 bananas)
1 young Thai coconut (just the coconut water or you can use the coconut meat as well)
2 Tbs. hemp seeds

Blend until smooth in a blender.

Serves 1

Persimmon Pudding
Your children will love it and you’ll feel like a child again having this out-of this world desert.

Ingredients:
1 large Persimmon, very ripe
½ avocado, pitted and peeled
1 young Thai coconut (coconut water only)

Blend until smooth in a blender. Place in the refrigerator for a while before serving.

Serves 1

Bowl of Pomegranate Seeds
If there is something I like more than persimmons, it would be pomegranates. Every night I peel 1 large pomegranate, remove the seeds and place them in a bowl in the refrigerator for a wonderful snack next morning to chew on before or after hot yoga. Just chew them up, enjoy the flavor and spit the seeds out when you’re done. 

If this doesn’t look like a real recipe to you, it is still the best snack you can have. Plus, my main goal is to encourage you to eat as simple as possible.

Classic Energy Soup
If you are avoiding fruit sugar for any reason and want something easy, filling and nourishing you might try this raw healing soup made famous by Dr. Ann Wigmore. You can adjust the ingredients and seasonings to your own liking. The possibilities are endless, but here is the basic version:

Ingredients:
2 cups Rejuvelac (use vegetable juice if you don’t like Rejuvelac)
1 green apple, cored
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
½ red pepper
1 Tbs. dulse flakes
1 handful of spinach or 1 large collard leaf, stem removed
1 handful of fresh sprouts, such as alfalfa or sunflower

Blend until smooth and pour into a soup bowl. Garnish with spices such as cumin and chili powder, chopped vegetables, sprouts, whatever you fancy. I have even drizzled my favorite raw salad dressing on top.

Serves 2

Zesty Collard Wraps
Spicy wraps reminiscent of Italian food when you want something to chew on.

Ingredients:
4 large collard leaves
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. Celtic salt
1 parsnip, peeled and coarsely chopped
½ cup pine nuts, soaked and rinsed
½ cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked
¼ cup fresh basil and oregano

Marinate the collard leaves in lemon and salt and enough water to cover overnight. Next day, rinse and drain and dry on paper towels. Lay the collard leaf flat on a cutting board and slice down both sides of the stem to remove it. Overlap the edges of the leaves where you cut so that they are ‘back together again’ and form one whole collard leaf.

In a food processor, pulse the parsnips, pine nuts, soaked tomatoes, and herbs until crumbly. Add a pinch of sea salt if desired. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of this filling onto the middle of the overlapping collard leaves and roll up burrito style, securing the end with a toothpick if needed. Serve with raw marinara sauce for dipping.

Serves 1-2

Starting at about age 25, our muscles start to become measurably older…and smaller. By age 50, most of us have lost half or more of our muscle mass. Result: there is more skin to cover less muscle volume.

Muscles do more than help us to lift and jump and run. The heart is a muscle, as you well know, and its function is to pump blood. But did you know other muscles do the same thing? Not in the literal pumping sense of the heart. But consider… Arteries and veins are the conduits or “hoses” through which blood travels. Blood is pumped away from the heart and lungs through the arteries and it returns to the heart through the veins. It is muscle movement which gives the extra oomph your blood needs to flow fully.

Every 7-10 years, most of the cells of the body are totally renewed. This process of cell renewal means that at every moment in our body there are millions (may be even trillions) of dead cells. They are decomposing and releasing strong poisons which permeate through all the pores of the body. This situation is not dangerous since your body can neutralize and expel such poisons, but this is only possible if all the capillaries and the entire circulatory system is functioning properly. For skin to stay young, flexible, hydrated and smooth, it needs a good, strong, steady blood supply.

Muscle movement squeezes blood vessels, and helps the blood move along. So it is exercise that keeps your blood pumping well—including the blood which flows to the skin of your feet, legs, torso, arms, hands, and, yes, your face.

We lift weights, do aerobics, but somehow we don’t get to deliberately exercising the muscles of the face. There are over one hundred muscles in the head and neck alone! With age, the blood-supplying function of these muscles gets disrupted. Some are overworked, while others lack stimulation.

If we train our muscles, they can quickly become “younger.” Why do we care if the interior muscles that we can’t see are youthful? Because healthy, youthful facial muscles will guarantee that the cheeks won’t sag and the jowls won’t droop. Through facial exercise you can prevent or remove a double chin, reduce or eliminating “sunken eyes” and “dark circles.”  But that is not the only benefit. A facial workout improves blood circulation and that’s what improves the condition of your skin.

What’s wrong with so many cosmetic treatments and even some cosmetic surgeries is that they focus on the skin as if it functions in isolation from the rest of the body.

Your body is a system. No part works in isolation. There’s no real health, and no real beauty, until we treat that entire system right.

The Rawsome Flex: Beautifying System of Facial Exercises and Raw Foods does for the face what lifting weights and practicing yoga do for the body. The program includes exercises and facial massage that are designed to contract and relax the facial muscles. Stimulate your facial muscles regularly, and your face will retain—or regain—its elasticity and youthfulness!

Whether you’re still using ordinary commercial toothpaste or you’ve graduated to a higher quality dental balm, the principles of good brushing remain the same. Some tips to help make sure you’re doing it right…

Two minutes…120 seconds…call this the minimum time for effective brushing. Most of us have heard the two-minute line before and most may think they go two minutes. Try it out sometime—bring a stopwatch with you. If you’re like most, you’ll cash in at well under two minutes, usually a minute or less. Once again: two full minutes, minimum.

What’s the best brush to use?…Three bits of advice here. First, go with a smaller-head brush—better for getting into tight corners. Second, go with a softer rather than a firmer brush—this helps get into crevices and is less irritating to gums. Third, go electric—faster, shorter strokes will give you quicker, more thorough cleaning.

But the real issue is the way you brush. First tilt your toothbrush at about a 45 degree angle to your gums and sweep the bristle tips back and forth, working on only two teeth at a time for 3-4 seconds before moving to the next pair of teeth. Be sure you clean the outside and the inside surfaces of your teeth and then take care of the chewing surfaces as well.

Some seem to think the more toothpaste you use, the better the job you’ll do. It takes actually rather little of a good tooth cleansing product to do a thorough job. Moreover, many develop the habit of adding water, again and again, to their loaded toothbrushes. Beyond being unnecessary, this will actually dilute your success. My advice: None is the amount of water to add, usually.

Remember, too: You’re not just cleaning your teeth. You’re cleaning your mouth. Brushing your tongue—rarely done by most—is a great way to reduce germs and improve your breath. Even more worthy of attention are your gums. Healthy gums need both cleansing and stimulation. The gum-line is where much decay begins, not to mention gum disease.

But don’t just stay above the gum-line. Start your down stroke on the gums, brushing outward as you sweep down the teeth. Brushing this way with any kind of toothpaste will deliver good cleansing. But brushing this way with a higher-quality, more advanced tooth balm will do much more. Using this technique with, for example, my own Bentonite Oral Balm…will allow the balm’s natural herbs to bring to your gums not only a good cleaning, but a soothing, antibacterial effect, thanks to the all-natural white oak bark, wheatgrass and chlorophyll it contains. We use, as well, the ultra-gentle bentonite as our polishing agent, as distinct from most standard toothpastes’ abrasive silica.

If you find or feel any kind of inflammation or bleeding, it must be addressed right away. If you are practicing the raw food diet and you have crowns, implants, bridges, or teeth otherwise compromised, there are a few dental care particularities that you must know about. You can save yourself a lot of trouble and money if you’re willing to learn from my research and experience. Check out my ebook: The Raw Food Diet and Your Compromised Teeth.

With the right brush, the right cleansing agent, and the right technique you can turn a regular tooth brushing chore into an enjoyable experience.

Carrot Falafel Wraps with Sweet Tahini Dressing (recipe and photo by Kelli Haines) 
These wraps come together in a matter of minutes, and these falafel won’t weigh you down and make you feel awful

Ingredients:
2 cups of fresh carrot pulp, leftover from making carrot juice
1 cup of sesame seeds, freshly ground (coffee grinder works great for this)
½ cup parsley, chopped
½ cup cilantro, chopped
1 Tablespoon flax or chia seeds
1 tsp. sea salt (optional)
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
dash of cumin
Large, flat Romaine lettuce leaves

Blend everything except lettuce thoroughly in a food processor until the mixture holds together and can be shaped into balls. Using an ice cream scoop, form into balls and place atop Romaine lettuce leaves. Drizzle with the following dressing:

2 Tablespoons raw tahini
1 Tablespoon raw honey
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
pinch of sea salt

Whisk together in small bowl until smooth and pour generously over the falafel balls.

Serves 2-4

Persimmon Chia Pudding

One of the joys of eating raw foods: desserts like this are so nutritious you can eat them as a main meal

Ingredients:
1 and ½ cups fresh nut milk (simply blend 1 cup pre-soaked nuts with 3 cups water and strain out the nuts, saving the pulp for another recipe later. This will leave you with 3 cups of fresh nut milk.)
¼ cup chia seeds.

Whisk together 1 ½ cups of the nut milk and chia seeds and let sit for an hour. Then put into blender along with:

2 very ripe, peeled persimmons
1 banana
1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
2 medium collard leaves, stems removed.

Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into two serving bowls and garnish with some more chopped persimmon and a dusting of cinnamon.

Serves 2

Pom-Citrus Go-Go Juice

Ingredients:
1 pomegranate, peeled and halved
1 red apple, cored
2 celery stalks
2 medium cucumbers
1 small beetroot

Run everything through a juicer and pour into two tall glasses. Drink immediately.

Serves 2

December Potpourri Salad
Gorgeous colors and seasonal flavors combine wonderfully in this salad that can be dressed with any of your favorite raw dressings

Ingredients:
4 cups mixed baby greens (if they include arugula, even better!)
1 small fennel bulb, peeled and sliced thinly
1 apple, cored and sliced thinly
Seeds from one pomegranate
1 tangerine or mandarin orange, peeled and divided into sections
1 cup pistachios, soaked, rinsed and chopped

Toss all ingredients in a large salad bowl and arrange attractively on two salad plates, garnishing with extra nuts and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds. Dress with a grapefruit and honey dressing or favorite dressing of your choice.
Serves 2

Hello Tonya, I just wanted to say I love the new face cream; I also loved the old one which seemed a bit lighter. I like the new one better and like the fact it has more sea buckthorn oil in it. Maybe offer both formulas, one day and one night cream. They both smell wonderful. I have really oily skin and both work well for me. I am also 50 years old and the new formula seems to be doing the trick for around the eyes. I am also about 80% raw food. –D.

11/26/2011

My products finally arrived! I just wanted to say how pleased I am already, I have used the masque 3 times and the lotion 4 times. I have never used a natural lotion like this that actually absorbs into my skin leaving it non greasy and oily. I have been using evening primrose oil as a moisturizer for a long time and this is 10x better. My pores are already half the size and my skin feels like I get a mini face lift every time I put on the face cream, thanks so much for such good products. –A.H.

11/25/2011

I just LOVE your shampoo & conditioner! I have long knee length hair and my hair has never shined or been so manageable before using your great products. My hair feels so wonderful and soft and SHINY.I also used your scalp tonic and after about 3 weeks of using my sister said that my hair looked longer! Which is what I want because I want to trim it to stay knee length. Your shampoo also FOAMS which is what most other organic/natural shampoos don’t do. Thank you Tonya! —I.A.

11/25/2011

Dear Tonya, thank you so much for your latest video on botox alternatives to wrinkles – REALLY appreciate you sharing so much with us all and your heart to help all women reach their beauty potential. Never be discouraged – you’re a true blessing to us all. Have a great day. In Jesus, –Ja.

11/23/2011

I need to catch up on my reading of your website.  You inspire me so! I did Bikram 4 days in a row a couple of weeks ago on vacation!  I thought of you!!! –S.

11/23/2011

Happy Thankgiving to you, your family, and your co-workers. You’ve changed my life for the better and thank you for the encouragement to stick with it through these Holidays. I am truly thankful for you and your work. Blessings, –B.J.

11/22/2011

Tonya, just wanted to thank you for being who you are and please stay that way. It seems like one by one, the raw “gurus”, as they get bigger, choose money over ethics, honesty and respect. …. It seems to me that you are one of the rare few who still does your work because you truly want to better the world. Your work is your living but it also clearly is about helping people not just about making money….and you are honest, down to earth and upfront, that’s what I like. There is nothing fake about you!  Stay true to yourself, the world need more people like you. Thank you and many blessings, –S.

11/10/2011

Hi Tonya, I have been on your program for about two years now.  I do a lot of reading.  I find your articles, books and products to be the best and most influential in making a difference. I have referenced some of your bibliography resources. I use the masque and brush, dry brushing, violet ray, pins, hair tonic, cream, gum, diet and face exercises. I live in NYC and basically walk around the city “making funny faces” and generally nobody cares. Or if they notice they just ignore me. I do not practice yoga (will get it into my schedule at some point) and do practice regularly pilates, heavy weight training and cardio. My endurance and strength has increased beyond what I ever thought I could do.  My whole body, face and neck has changed  for the better. I truly glow. I look 10-15 years younger than my age of early fifties and feel even younger. The gum is amazing.  A fabulous exercise for the jaw and aids digestion. I feel good and I receive compliments almost every day. I consider myself in transition as I am still  “detoxifying” and it is a lovely, at the same time frustrating and thought provoking journey. I highly value your  research and passion to the anti-aging process. At some point I will send you before and after pictures. Please keep the articles, insights, books and products coming. With much thanks, –M.

11/7/2011

Dear Tonya, I took your advice and have been reading Quantum Eating and I am loving it, it is so fascinating and I am learning so much. –J.S.

11/07/2011

Ahhhhhhh, I am seeing now, and the truths are clicking into place for me.  I’m now half-way through Quantum Eating, and the more I read, the more ALL of this makes sense. Thank you for bringing this information to light. –P.R.

11/07/2011

Thanks so much for your newsletter, Tonya!  You, along with Victoria Boutenko, Brenda Cobb and Ann Wigmore have saved my and my husband’s life! We very much cherish the books you wonderful women have written and they are the go-to books when we need answers. We are forever grateful for your combined pioneering efforts to bring the world’s health situation into proper perspective. –B & D.W.

10/31/2011

Thanks Tonya. You have such beautiful skin wow! I am following in your footsteps. –M.

10/12/2011

I have been using this cream for some time………The new formula is GREAT. This cream is outstanding under makeup foundation (I use liquid organic foundation). It is absolutely absorbed into the skin and does not make my skin “shiny” at the end of the day….AND thank you so much for cutting back on the vanilla scent……. it was ever so slightly  overpowering. –N.B.

10/10/2011

I love your products….best toothpaste ever…many thanks. I am also 70 years young and mostly raw working on getting all the way…blessings, –B.

10/7/2011

I have to say that the shampoo and conditioner are the best I have ever used, as is the face cream. And I love the oral balm as well. Very satisfied customer! –L.S.

10/7/2011  

Tonya, I’m loving your book, “Quantum Eating”! I’ve learned so much already and I’m only half way through it. I am bringing it on a trip to Australia where I am speaking in a couple weeks and I will share it with my friends and the families I work with. Rock on!–D.M.

10/05/2011

Hi Tonya! Perfect timing! After struggling with eye allergies all summer, I’ve decided to go back to 100 percent raw and not look back! In just two days, my allergies cleared up and my eyes have a sparkle they lacked in a long time! I look forward to more good health on raw and reading your suggestions! I’m so happy with my decision. Best wishes, M.A.

10/02/2011

Hi Tonya, I am a big fan of your work, I have all your skin care and books. I read them again and again and learn something every time I pick the books up.  I started changing my diet to a rawsome diet in February this year. I got sick in April for a few days and no sickness since then. I have come close but I added turmeric root to my juices and my body’s immunity just did the rest. The whole family is feeling amazing, my husband and I have lost weight and look the healthiest and energised we have in years. I haven’t totally transitioned to non-dairy and non-meat yet, but I have significantly reduced the quantities and in another year hopefully will be totally raw.