Simply Raw

Hereafter follows an article written by Kim Evans and posted in the Huffington Post on April 23, 2009. It perfectly sums up what I wanted to share with you today, on this special day devoted to Reversing Diabetes, so I will simply publis it in full, along with the Utube video I encourage you to watch.

Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days is an independent documentary film that chronicles six Americans with ‘incurable’ diabetes switching their diet and getting off insulin. Commentary is provided by Morgan Spurlock, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Robbins, Rev. Michael Beckwith, David Wolfe and Doctors Joel Fuhrman and Gabriel Cousens. Here follows the article:

“There’s an interesting movie out called Simply Raw (Note from Amy: this title is unrelated to my own business name, although we have a common purpose!). It chronicles the journey of six diabetics making a 30-day dietary shift to a raw, organic, sugar-free, vegan diet, and along the way, most reversed all medical signs of having diabetes. It’s pretty powerful stuff, probably most so for the 246 million diabetics worldwide, many of whom believe that their only option for managing or eliminating their diabetes is pharmaceutical drugs.

It’s my understanding that some of the participants also took enzymes to aid the process and did colonics to clean the impacted waste from their colon walls, but when it’s all said and done, thirty days isn’t bad for a disease that’s said to be incurable. And it certainly speaks to how fundamentally what we put into our bodies (and what we choose not to put in them) determines whether we’ll have health or sickness.Many people aren’t familiar with raw foods or why they are important. Raw foods are simply foods from the earth that haven’t been processed or heated above 118 degrees. They are fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts, and if you’re new to this, you may be asking, “Why 118 degrees?” Actually, it’s pretty simple. Raw, unfired foods from the earth have enzymes in them and enzymes are destroyed at temperatures above 118 degrees, as are many of the nutrients in foods.

Enzymes are important because they help your body break down the foods you’re consuming, but they also play a larger role. Enzymes are the catalysts for every action in the human body – including stuff like blinking and breathing. Quite literally, when we run out of enzymes, we die. It’s the case because our bodies can no longer initiate these basic tasks that are required for life. So, raw foods supplement these enzymes in our bodies, while cooked foods drain them from our bodies because cooked foods require the body to borrow from its enzyme reserves to facilitate digestion.

Of course, by following such a diet, an aspect not to be overlooked is the absence of foods that are processed and filled with unnatural chemicals, which encompass many of the foods that most people put into their bodies daily. Unfortunately, it’s not yet common knowledge that many processed foods and foods with pesticides and herbicides sprayed on them actually have a detrimental impact on health. But this movie shines the light on some of the truly amazing things that can (and do) happen when you put a little effort into eating a diet as nature intended, while foregoing the processed and man-made foods that many have come to see as the norm.

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Kim Evans is the author of Cleaning Up! which outlines a powerful body cleanse to help remove the years of built up waste that the average person has stored in their body. Learn more about about how having a clean body impacts health at www.cleaningupcleanse.com

Spring is moving ahead at a fast pace. With the warmer sun, spring temperatures that have finally appeared, fresh asparagus and young sprouts, we are all being strongly pulled outside to enjoy the comeback of nature — and the result is abounding energy! In my world much is happening and I have plenty to share. Proof that a diet rich in fresh and raw fruits and vegetables is a fantastic source of unequalled energy, drive and vitality! For spring recipes, I will first send you back to my spring tabouleh made with cauliflower as now is the time of year to go out in the woods and pick wild garlic leaves that make this dish so yummy. But I promise I will come back soon with new simple and magical raw tips.

I wanted to share with you the great success of my Level 2 Class, All About Greens, which provided me immense pleasure. This class really goes one step further in encouraging us to take charge of our health by inspiring us to make new healthy habits (by the way, did you know that it takes 30 days of dedication to a new daily practice for this to become a habit?). Indeed a daily intake of fresh leafy greens in the form of salads, juices and smoothies, or even food supplements, truly gives us the ability to fly! To give you a flavor of this magical and very green class, take a look at the following short slide-show — forgive me if the captions are in French, the images will give you a flavor!

This spring is really full of nice surprises! Participants to my classes will as of now have access to new services, such as a French language raw food forum, or special discount prices on the purchase of electric appliances that are indispensable for the preparation of raw dishes. To mention only a few, participants will be able to purchase at a preferential price the following models of juice extractors: Oscar (this is the model I own and strongly recommend for the daily preparation of fresh juices and so much more), Champion or Greenstar, the famous Vitamix blender (this is the raw fooder’s Rolls Royce and by far the unequalled best on the market), or an Excalibur dehydrator. The Swiss world of raw foods is clearly getting organized! 

A French language raw food forum is being launched to allow class participants to network and share their respective experiences. There are many such forums in English (Raw Food UK Forum, Raw Food Talk, We Like it Raw, RawFu, so you have plenty to choose from!!) and they are now multiplying all over the world, proof that they play an important role. But a raw food forum in French has not yet been created, at least not in the form we gave it, with the possibility to exchange messages, documents, photos and videos. This forum will soon be open to all Simply Raw class participants. It will allow them to continue to feel supported on their raw food journey after the class experience. Forums are a great source of information and support, a place where you can ask silly questions (why don’t my seeds germinate? I’ve lost inspiration! I need more recipes! How can you eat raw in restaurants or while traveling?). They serve to build and develop a community of like-minded people. It can really make all the difference in the world.

My next introductory class to raw and living foods, Simply Raw Level 1, will take place in French on Sunday 26 April 2009 from 10 am to 4 pm in Morges. There are only 5 seats left so don’t wait to sign up right here! For an introductory class in English, the next date is Saturday 6 June 2009 from 10 am to 4 pm, but this class will only take place if enough participants sign up. These are the last classes scheduled this spring, the next ones will be in the fall, including a brand-new Level 3 Class on the delights of dehydration, following demand from several enthusiasts who have already attended the first two classes!

Don’t hesistate to send your comments hereunder and share your needs, wishes and experiences with us. We are all, one way or another, looking to achieve the same thing: live a better life in a better world, feel this amazing vitality inside us that just needs to come out and finally live the life we have always dreamed of. Give yourself the wonderful gift of vitality! Eating the right foods for you is merely the first step on this wonderful life journey.