Julie’s Raw Ambition

On Wednesday, July 18, 2007, I officially began introducing raw foods into my daily diet. Not just as in, “I need to eat more salads,” but as a permanent vital health solution. So at this stage of my 36 year old life, what brought on changing to a raw food lifestyle? Well, I didn’t have a weight problem. I have read many, many cases of the most amazing people who went raw and reversed obesity along with all the chronic health conditions attached to it. So there are no before and after photos. However, health issues can lurk in any of us…we know one does not need to be overweight to be unhealthy.

I’ve been a vegetarian since finding yoga and my mentor in 2000. In 2003, I became a certified Raja-Hatha instructor, but was also diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an extraordinarily painful gastrointestinal condition. I had been having bouts with it for years but it had been overlooked or dismissed by doctors. Determined to get my illness under control without a life of prescription drugs, I’ve experimented with a plethora of dietary variations from veganism to macrobiotics to exclusively greens and fish.

On August 27, 2006, I was blessed to have married (I know it sounds cliché and corny, but it is so true) my soul mate. George and I have had the time of our lives galavanting here and there, living large, and indulging ourselves. We ate and drank pretty much anything we pleased (with the exception of meat - he’s a veggie, too) so I hadn’t been taking the best care of myself and it was starting to take its toll.

Eventually, I became laden with chronic fatigue. I was terribly anemic and my menstrual cycles were exhaustingly out of control. My doctor kept pushing for hormone therapy to regulate my cycle. After months of urging, I acquiesced after getting some hard blood work evidence that I needed to be treated with iron infusions and my body could shut down if the anemia wasn’t addressed. There were also increased random Crohn’s attacks for which I still refused medication. And despite my fatigue, I also had insomnia which was so frustrating I started taking prescription sleep aids.

Finally, on the second day of a family cruise in July ‘07, I became violently ill with the infamous “cruise ship bug”. Talk about good times! A few days after the initial onset while resting in a relatively non-painful, unvomiting state, I knew that this was a wake-up call. I truly believed this experience came with a higher message and I was supposed to get this bug to flush out my system. Ultimately, I had to take control of my health.

George had known about raw food intricately for years before I met him. He had numerous books on the subject and would frequently talk about it. He’d tell me about Juliano’s fabulous restaurant, how raw foods created optimum health, and that he knew if I tried it I would be hooked. One weekend, we took a trip to NYC and I had my first raw meal at Pure Food and Wine. We were so impressed by the menu, we literally ordered one of every item that appealed to us (= 12 courses). I knew then that this raw thing would become one of my next projects!

I quit taking the hormones only after 3 months (2 months into raw) since my body was rejecting them anyway, and guess what? I’ve been perfectly well and normalized ever since. My iron and hemoglobin levels are now in the normal range. Now, of course with raw transition there is detox. In the beginning it was a little confusing and hard to distinguish between what was detox, what was residual stomach bug or Crohn’s, and what was iron-related fatigue. But it has become easier and easier because the cleaner my body becomes, the more I understand what it is trying to tell me.

In a very short period of time, I became so enthusiastic about raw that I wanted to openly share my journey. I hope to inspire those who are new to raw and help them understand it is a continuous learning process. I also enjoy gaining knowledge and advice from those who’ve long evolved into the lifestyle. I’d like to be one more example that proves raw food is the key to taking control of one’s own health, and with vital health comes many unexpected rewards, such as the path to higher consciousness.

<3, JMK