How did I get here?
My journey has been a long one to get me to this place. I was in very high stress fields of Corporate America living on a diet of coffee and the occasional meal. I never had any health problems so I must have been healthy, right? One day my body answered this question loudly; and I got very sick from being in a constant state of stress and poor diet. That got my attention in a big way.
I was raised on the typical diet of “meat and potatoes” with cancer and heart attacks rampant in both sides of my family. As I was recovering, I couldn’t eat solid foods which redefined my everyday diet and routine. I started eating a lot of grilled veggies and fake chicken products. The obvious occurred; I lost weight which really grabbed my attention. Since being that ill and truly realizing how delicate our bodies are, one thought always stayed with me: if I didn’t start taking care of it this could happen again or worse. Through this experience a” Vegetarian” was born.
Vegetarian to Vegan in 0 to 50
About this time all the meat, toy and milk recalls were taking place. I was fed up with depending on someone else to do the right thing for me and my family and regulate the safety of our food and products. As a concerned parent I wanted more for my children and I wanted to raise them with all the tools to have a healthy happy life. This led me to launch a self awareness path to educate myself through endless books on self sustaining, natural products, organic foods and Vegan-ism!
After reading the third book on a Vegan lifestyle combined with my love for animals- it hit me like a ton of bricks. It made such sense to me that human beings are not meant to drink milk from other species or consume products derived from animal’s milk. I started to notice how difficult it was for my children to digest these dairy products. I became Vegan first in our household, I started noticing that I slept better (even falling asleep faster than my husband) and my restless leg syndrome had vanished. My body responded so positively it was hard to deny the health benefits of this new lifestyle. I started cooking Vegan meals for the family and after three months of better health my husband also converted. He too lost weight and had a noticeable difference in overall well being.
Plant and they will come
During flu season I had gotten the occasional cold and the attending MD that I saw stated “you should grow a garden to improve your health”, we both laughed that he would suggest something like this and asked for antibiotics. As we were planting our garden 2 years ago we looked at each other and laughed at ourselves for taking so long to get here. He was right all along! The first year’s garden had over 40 varieties of veggies, herbs and fruits. It was all organic including maintaining the pests. I love tending the garden; it has evolved into a kind of therapy for me. It is so exciting to go in the back yard to pick our dinner straight off the vine.
Introduction into “Raw”
Once the garden bloomed the produce was so flavorful. I found myself looking at the veggies and not wanting to grill them. Their taste was so fresh and vibrant to me. At the time I had recently purchased a raw book but wasn’t practicing it religiously and to be honest I was overwhelmed at all the required ingredients and equipment. Never one to back down from a challenge, I started to practice and experiment with each recipe and found my self making each one of them mine.
My first purchase was the dehydrator, with the new equipment I discovered how much fun it is making live crackers, bread and spreads. The food was so good I noticed I no longer craved eating cooked food. I had something I’d never had before, energy not derived from coffee! Now that I have been cooking/ non-cooking Raw it has been life changing to discover and continuously educate myself on our health and preventative measures.
“Global Raw” was conceived
My love of all cultures and cuisine has led me to create Global Raw. My passion is learning about all different types of techniques, spices, rare ingredients and global cuisine. There are so many amazing cultures in the world and I enjoy applying aspects of each culture into every day dishes.
Now what?
After non-cooking raw cuisine for years, I wanted to sharpen my skills as a Chef and become an instructor leading me to 105 Degrees Academy. Fortunately circumstances have manifested to afford me the amazing opportunity to share this lifestyle and watch my clients transform their happiness and health. Through this journey it has lead me to work with an organization that offers support for Women with different types of cancers. I now work with families and individuals to customize raw lifestyle plans and provide ongoing support. In addition, I conduct non- cooking classes and demonstrations.
Whatever your story I look forward to sharing with you the Raw/ Living Foods lifestyle. Thank you for allowing me to share my journey with you.
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