My 30-Year Raw Food Journey: The Pluses and Minuses

In the photo on the left, I’m with Patricia Bragg at one of the raw food festivals in 2007. Looking back now, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’ve gained from this lifestyle, as well as the challenges that can come with it, and I’d like to share some of those reflections with you. 

What follows is simply my personal perspective, based on my own experience and on what I’ve learned over the years from followers who have generously shared their experiences with me.

The Upside of Staying Raw

Good health. Many people who have stayed with a raw food lifestyle for years describe one of its greatest rewards as simply feeling better as they grow older. That has certainly been true in my own experience. Even now, in my late sixties, I’m grateful not to be dealing with many of the health problems often associated with aging, such as high blood pressure, arthritis, persistent joint pain, or major hormonal imbalances. I’ve also heard similar stories from followers and longtime raw food enthusiasts who have written to me over the years. Many say they feel lighter, more energetic, and more comfortable in their bodies than they expected to at their age.

Ideal Weight. In the photo on the right, I’m 36 years old, before I learned about raw foods. At the time, I was eating a standard American diet (SAD), and the extra weight was gradually piling on. My husband used to tease me about my double chin—and I was beginning to suspect a third one might be on the way!

Once I transitioned to raw foods, the cravings eased, and the constant battle to lose weight became a thing of the past. Maintaining my weight simply stopped being an issue for me. More in my book Your Right to be Beautiful.

On the left: me in 2002 at the raw food support group I started in Memphis, Tennessee.

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At Ease in My Skin...Before I went raw, it was always a challenge to find an outfit that fit well and a hairstyle that worked. Nothing ever seemed quite right, and it took forever to get ready for an event—or even just to go out. But for last 30 years, I never worried about my appearance. I was totally content with how I looked. 

There was always an underlying sense that I looked the best I could. And whatever changes came with age, I simply accepted them without worry or concern. The idea of visiting a cosmetic surgeon or having any kind of cosmetic procedure never even crossed my mind. That alone is a major plus—not to mention a considerable money saver.

On the right is a picture of me during a 2008 lecture tour.

Small Waist

Watch the 50+ crowd. You’ll notice plenty of “extras” that seem to grow on the body with age. Compared with its 18-year-old self, the body becomes wider, thicker, stockier, with bulges in all the wrong places. The waist can become practically nonexistent. On a raw food lifestyle—oh, miracle!—the waist can become small again, like it was in your youth.

My 30 years on raw foods have convinced me that many of the barnacles and bulges we associate with aging are the result of cooked food. Think about it. Why do we assume that a youthful 18-year-old body has to become wider and thicker with age? Whatever “extra” the body acquires on cooked foods cannot possibly be healthy, because along with that “extra,” we lose vitality and our youthful good looks.

Some other benefits include:

A Natural Glow. People admire your skin and compliment you on it. Sometimes, when people compliment my skin, they even feel the urge to touch my face. Keep in mind, though, that my raw food journey has always gone hand in hand with my skincare regimen. Wrinkles still appear if skincare is neglected. More in my ebook Guide to an Ageless Face.

Flexibility. You remain flexible—or can become more flexible. This was the main reason I went raw. In my own experience, I was able to correct a serious bodily misalignment after living with a 2.5-inch limp for 40+ years of my life.

Regular bowel movements. In my experience, it is not unusual to have two well-formed bowel movements a day, each taking only a minute or two.

Uneventful menopause. My experience with menopause was remarkably uneventful. Read more in my article, Menopause and Raw Foods.

Girlishness. You can retain a distinctly feminine, youthful appearance rather than taking on some of the physical characteristics often associated with aging. Read more in my article, How Raw Foods Make You Different

No soreness, even after a good workout. Your body can recover quickly, without the lingering aches and soreness many people expect after exercise.

Food preparation takes very little time. Meals can be simple, fresh, and quick to prepare, leaving you with more time for everything else. Read more in my article, Culinary Liberation: Unlocking the 200-Hour Food Preparation Freedom

A greater interest in spirituality. Because the way you eat is so different, you may become more inclined to explore what Eckhart Tolle calls the “vertical dimension.” In my experience, a raw food lifestyle naturally encourages a deeper interest in spirituality.

The Downside of Staying Raw

The social cost of looking different...One unexpected drawback of a long-term raw food lifestyle is that you may start to look very different from people your age—often leaner and younger-looking. While that may sound like a benefit, it can sometimes make forming new friendships more difficult.

Research suggests that we naturally tend to feel more comfortable with people who seem similar to us. I noticed this myself after two of my best friends passed away and I found myself trying to make new friends. I could sometimes blend in more easily with younger people because of how I looked, but in terms of life experience, interests, and shared history, I still had far more in common with people my own age.

Eating so differently creates a distance. Social life revolves around food—a lot. I eat very differently from my family, and I can actually see them light up when I take even one bite of something my son or daughter-in-law prepared. Recently, several new acquaintances invited me out for coffee—which would be lovely, except I don’t drink coffee. Apparently, my social life now requires menu negotiations. So these days, I’m thinking about being a little less rigid and a little more creative, even though I have absolutely no cravings or desire for cooked food.

You can get very lean. Raw foods are cleansing, so the usual bulges will disappear—but age still brings some muscle and bone loss. Without serious weight-bearing exercise, “lean” can quickly turn into, “You’re so skinny!”

After 60, the answer may be to add a little healthy cooked food, a lot more lifting, or both. I’ll be writing more about weight-bearing exercise soon because, as I approach the big 7-0, regular gym visits are no longer optional for me.

Because I use one of my beauty tools before bed—the Strigil, RejuvaCup, RejuvaCup HD, or Violet Ray—I use only oil-based creams with them.

We offer three 100% natural oil-based creams, carefully developed through extensive research and experimentation: Nourishing Night Cream, Midnight Rose, and Golden Jade Jewel.

They’re made in small batches with close attention to temperature and ingredient quality. I want only the best—for you and for myself.

Watch the video on the left. 

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Attention, International Subscribers

I love you dearly, and it saddens me to share that we are temporarily pausing shipping to Europe and Canada due to recent changes in tariffs and import fees.

Canada is introducing new tariffs of up to 50% on certain U.S. products beginning September 8, 2026, while the EU has added new customs fees on many low-value shipments, in addition to VAT.

As a very small business, these added costs make it difficult for us to offer international shipping at a fair and predictable price.

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