I plan to post some of my own insights and things “on my mind,” in the next few posts, until I can resume the interviews.

In the meantime, I am wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous holiday season, no matter if you observe/celebrate or not!

Namaste!
Chef Mindy

I have known Barry on a personal level, as a dear friend and also as an MOT (Member Of The Tribe) for what would seem like lifetimes, as we resonate with each other on so many levels. I don’t recall when we first met, but I knew that I liked Barry from the start (oh yeah, he is also from the eastern part of the US, as well, as am I). He is strong, sweet, outspoken, caring and extremely gifted in so many ways – from his amazing fruit to his farm (which I have been to numerous times) and his art masterpieces of various mediums. Thanks, Barry for everything you have done, are doing and will do in the future to help “nourish” the people and the planet!

An important point to note is that Barry Koral is the only Veganic (vegan organic) farmer that I know (perhaps there are others, but I have not asked all the farmers I see at the farmers market I frequent – please ask them if you would like to know more about the soil that your food grows in, as that is the source for the nutrients in the food you eat). What this means is that he does not use any manure, fertilizers or amendments to the soil that are derived from animal sources. This is truly the best, if you want to call yourself a true Vegan! The utmost praise goes out to Barry for sourcing what he needs to keep the quality of his soil filled with high vibrations/nutrients of the most natural kind and shows the deepest respect and gratitude to Mother Earth. To me personally, this is the highest quality there is, more so then being certified organic but still using animal amendments. It may be hard to find farmers that work this way, so please seek out sources on the internet or at the farms and farmers market (you may even make a request to the farmer(s) to grow veganically and ask them to try out a small area of their farm this way to see the results and they may decide to switch over and/or grow more of their produce this way). In time we will likely see stickers on produce that say “veganic” or something like that for those who do not want to eat any food grown in soil using animal sources (most organic farmers use very high quality products, even if there are animal derivatives and have their soil tested to be called “certified organic”).

If you would like to learn more about Barry and see what his latest and greatest (ad)ventures are, you can check out his facebook page. The link is located in the blogroll on the right-hand side of this page.

Question #1: Tell me briefly about yourself and why you decided to get involved in the “health” industry?

My name is Barry Koral and I decided to get involved in the “health movement” in 1968 when I joined a vegetarian cosmic consciousness commune in San Francisco, where I learned to love animals and not eat them. At the time I weighed 268lbs and found that when I start embracing all fruits and vegetables as well as live juices, I became leaner, more peaceful and happier with myself.

Question #2: If you were stranded on a desert island and were allowed to take only 5 items with you (they can be food, books or specific products that are all health-related), what would they be and why?

A knife for numerous uses
A Journal for writing and other artistic expression
Drawing Materials (see above)
A Reference Guide on Wild Edible Plant Life that grow on desert islands
Clothing to protect myself from the elements

Question #3: What one message do you want to share with the people of this world that is crucial for their ultimate well-being and longevity?

My message is for us to thrive as a humanity of oneness that does not eat other living creatures or their bi-products.

Questions #4: If someone could afford to purchase only one product at this moment to start their journey towards better health (food or health-related), what would you recommend and why?

Assuming they already have a great water source, I’d recommend that they purchase the BlendTec with WildSide Jar (4” Blades). This item allows a person who lives on a vegan, living foods diet, to be more creative with preparing meals. You can make smoothies, salsas, soups, “whips” (i.e. cream free ice creams) and more.

Question #5: Tell me more about your business/company and/or products you offer to the public to help them achieve optimal health and well-being?

I operate a Tropical Fruit Farm here on my property in Vista, CA which provides some of the most vibrant and delicious fruit around. I’m also an artist that spreads the highest vibrational beauty of Love through my paintings, environmental and mosaic creations and structures, writings, public speaking and food creativity.

Question #6: What are your hopes/aspirations/dreams for the future health of the people and the planet?

I hope that all people stop eating animals and bi-products of animals and that more people will initiate growing their own food.

Question #7: Who is your greatest hero and why?

It is really a tie between people who’ve helped expand my growth as an artist and people who’ve helped me to develop and learn more about health. In health, Dr. Norman Walker because he taught me the most, long ago and in art, Pablo Picasso because he showed how he could re-create himself by using seven different forms of self-expression.

Question #8: Is there anything else you would like to share with the public?

The way to view food is how it’s put through the least amount of processing, which puts your body through the least amount of processing, as well. The more whole living foods you consume, the more your taste buds will crave them and the more whole and living you’ll be as a result. I also feel that eating less is best, and eat only when you are truly hungry and at peace.

Question #9: I know that there are variables as to how much food/calories each person consumes when eating raw vegan food (based on many lifestyle factors, etc), but is there a basic guideline you would recommend for everyone?

Assuming a person is relatively healthy, implement more fruit into your diet and also start the day with drinking water before you consume any food. Become more conscious of chewing your food, juices and smoothies in order to aid digestion, and eat when you are feeling strong, not when you are weak.

Please click on the 2 links below. The first one will show you the beautiful tropical fruit and fruit trees. You will see avocados, lemons, persimmons, figs, pomegranates, passion fruit and guavas. The second group of photos is the mosaic art pieces that are part of the outdoor shower and necessary room – a sight to behold! There is also a photos of the Love cards that are reprints of the original artwork by artist Barry Koral.

Barry Koral’s Luscious Tropical Fruit and Fruit Trees

Barry Koral’s Mosaics and Love Cards

To access BioBag’s Website, please click on the link I have provided on the right-hand side of the page under the column titled Blogroll.

Question #1: Tell me briefly about yourself and why you decided to get involved in the “health” industry?

My name is Jennifer Wagner and I’m the Marketing Manager at BioBag. BioBag is the world’s largest brand of certified compostable bags and films made from the material, Mater-Bi. Mater-Bi’s ingredients consist of starches derived from plants, vegetable oils, and compostable polymers from both renewable raw materials and fossil raw materials. No polyethylene is used in the production process. BioBag products meet ASTM D6400 specifications and our company fully supports California Law regarding biodegradable and compostable product claims. As I became more and more aware of how much waste individuals, companies and our country produces, I felt inspired to work for a company whose mission is focused on landfill diversion and composting.

Question #2: If you were stranded on a desert island and were allowed to take only 5 items with you (they can be food, books or specific products that are all health-related), what would they be and why?

1. A How To Survive Alone In The Wilderness Book – reason is self explanatory
2. The World’s largest lighter – I know I have my survival guide but one thing I don’t want to ever worry about it making fire. Fire is of course a life force when you don’t have electricity.
3. A pocket knife – again one of those pertinent things needed for survival.
4. A toothbrush – nothing makes me feel worse than having that fuzzy feeling on my teeth
5. Notebook with Pencil – To keep myself sane along with keeping a calendar. I’d have this as a diary to count the number of days I’ve been there plus it would be great to catalog all my experiences. Who knows, someone might find it and it could be published one day.

Question #3: What one message do you want to share with the people of this world that is crucial for their ultimate well-being and longevity?

Find something to be passionate about. Passion is what makes one love harder, laugh louder and be the best person they can be. I feel anyone that is truly happy has to be content with who they are, has to have love in the life as well as their heart and has to able to laugh even during hard times. This person will give as much as they receive, be able to get through anything and enjoy the gift of life.

Questions #4: If someone could afford to purchase only one product at this moment to start their journey towards better health (food or health-related), what would you recommend and why?

Professionally I would say BioBags! Collecting and composting all your organic waste (which is estimated about 30% of all we throw away) would make a monumental impact on the environment. Compost is a natural, chemical-free fertilizer. More natural fertilizers = better land to grow = healthier foods.

Personally I would say a refillable water bottle like a SIGG or Klean Kanteen. Not only is our bodies made up of 70% water and water is what we all need water just to live but water purifies us, detoxes us and cleanses us. Water also regulate body temperature, provides the means for nutrients to travel to your organs and tissues, transports oxygen to your cells and protects your joints and organs. I don’t think the majority of us are getting enough water. We fill our bodies with overly caffeinated, carbonated and syrupy beverages that make our kidneys work over time. Plus, getting copious amounts of water leads to the better looking skin. You also will feel and look amazing.

Question #5: Tell me more about your business/company and/or products you offer to the public to help them achieve optimal health and well-being?

BioBag offers a wide variety of bags to collect your organic waste, divert it from landfills and turn it into compost. Our bags are certified compostable by the Biodegradable Products Institute. BioBag also strongly supports the use of GMO free certified crops and participates in a source offset program with our suppliers. We manufacture compostable plastic shopping bags, 3 gallon food scrap collection bags, tall kitchen bags, lawn & leaf bags, pet waste bags and SOON sandwich bags and cling wrap. Our bags are formulated to be composted and consumed by the same microorganisms that digest other organic waste. We also make a Max Air food scrap collection bucket to help with the collection of kitchen waste as well as to eliminate the ICK of doing so.

Feel free to check out our website biobagusa.com for more information on our products, our certifications, specials, where you can purchase BioBags, tips on composting, blogs, articles about BioBag, our facebook, our newsletter and more.

Question #6: What are your hopes/aspirations/dreams for the future health of the people and the planet?

I feel the catalysts for a lot of our problems and the world’s problems are greed, entitlement, lack of responsibility and discernment. As a society we need to band together to reduce these catalysts especially in terms of how much we waste and unconcern ourselves about it. We are so accustomed to throwing away what is not needed and not even thinking about it. Where does all of this that I’m throwing away going? Why should I care that I’m sending tons of discarded materials to landfills? Let’s focus on only buying what is needed and what we do have as waste, let’s recycle and compost as much as well can. Our society in general is VERY wasteful. My hope is for us to be more conscious of what we purchase, the impact that will have in our lives now and the impact it will have on our planet in the future. Specifically, my dream for the future is that all cities, businesses and individuals achieve zero waste.

Question #7: Who is your greatest hero and why?

I don’t have a single biggest/greatest hero but more like a collection of “normal” people I meet or observe on a day to day basis. Yes, there are many notable activists, scholars and leaders that have changed society for the good but the people I truly find heroic are the everyday individuals that take the time to make a change in their lives or in the lives of others they come across. There is so much to say and admire in daily humility, kindness and love.

Question #8: Is there anything else you would like to share with the public?

I want people to know that BioBag and myself really CARE about our products and our mission. If any of our customers or future customers ever have any questions, concerns or comments, we are here to listen and respond to them. Anyone can contact us at info@biobagusa.com or 727-789-1646. During normal business hours, you’ll get an actual LIVE person and we will respond to everyone! Together we are Changing the World Without Changing the Earth.

To access Morningstar Minerals Website, please click on the link I have provided on the right-hand side of the page under the column titled Blogroll. You will learn more about the minerals in their products that they mine and process themselves and why they are so unique and revolutionary. If you click on Resources, on the website you will see a video that tells you more about the company.

Question #1: Tell me briefly about yourself and why you decided to get involved in the “health” industry?

16 years ago I started working for a new company and met the owner Geoff McMahon he is a life time vegetarian and marathon runner and has been into nutrition for some time. I have been suffering from a mining accident for some years now and had been taking vitamins and herbal supplements but with little relief from my pain this is when he told me about minerals, raw food, water and how they help give your body the nutrients and ability to heal. After doing this for 2 weeks I started feeling the difference in my mobility.

Question #2: If you were stranded on a desert island and were allowed to take only 5 items with you (they can be food, books or specific products that are all health-related), what would they be and why?

Food would be greens and lemons
Book would be the Bible
Our Organic Soil Activator this will make the sandy soil more nutritious for the plants and fruits that is already there and for the garden we grow.
Plenty of veggie seeds to grow a garden

Question #3: What one message do you want to share with the people of this world that is crucial for their ultimate well-being and longevity?

Drink good clean water and at least a 50/50 diet of raw foods.

Questions #4: If someone could afford to purchase only one product at this
moment to start their journey towards better health (food or health-related), what would you recommend and why?

A water purifier, people do not drink enough water.

Question #5: Tell me more about your business/company and/or products you offer to to help them achieve optimal health and well-being?

Morningstar Minerals promotes Health Wellness Vitality
All our products help the body to stay alkaline and help the body absorb the nutrients we need to stay healthy.
Energy boost 70 is a great electrolyte that helps the body absorb the nutrients and vitamins we need.
Vitality boost HA is the best for high mineral intake and it also has the ability to absorb heavy metals toxins, viral loads from the body and is great for detoxification.
Inner Vitality is a combination of energy boost 70 and vitality boost ha. This product has the best of both worlds and helps with keeping focused and concentration.
www.msminerals.com

Question #6: What are your hopes/aspirations/dreams for the future health of the people and the planet?

Knowledge!!!
People have no knowledge how easy it is to control there heath problems just by diet and exercise. If people would just take there health into there own hands they would discover how LIFE should be with out all the pharmaceuticals they consume and the other problems it can cause.

Question #7: Who is your greatest hero and why?

My Boss, Geoff McMahon, who taught me how to take my health into my own hands and it works!!

Question #8: Is there anything else you would like to share with the public?

Our bodies are made up of mostly water. The biggest problem I have seen is that people do not drink enough water. Water is what we need not just to stay hydrated but to keep us flushed from the toxins we get just by living day to day.

To access Swayze Foster’s Website, please click on the link I have provided on the right-hand side of the page under the column titled Blogroll

Question #1: Tell me briefly about yourself and why you decided to get involved
in the “health” industry?

I became interested in health and fitness fairly young, at about 17 years old. In 2006, I purchased Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book Eat to Live. This put me on the whole food, plant-based path, but I wanted more. My health wasn’t where I had expected it to be (e.g. anemia, fatigue, restless leg syndrome, “everyday” aches and pains, and a few extra pounds) and so I went raw in 2007.

After a brief yet unpleasant encounter with the high-fat, gourmet raw way (and the promise to myself that I was done with raw), I stumbled upon the low fat, high fruit raw way via Frederic Patenaude’s Raw Secrets. My health improved within days and I was hooked.

In early 2009, I was at a bit of a crossroads career-wise. I was enrolled in university, but I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with my life. When I finally asked myself what I would do if I could do anything, the answer was simple: raw foods. I was spending so much of my time educating myself, visiting forums, and helping others—and enjoying every minute of it—why shouldn’t I make a career out of it?

So I worked hard for 3 months and on June 18, 2009, I launched my website www.fitonraw.com. And the rest is history.

Question #2: If you were stranded on a desert island and were allowed to take only 5 items with you (they can be food, books or specific products that are all health-related), what would they be and why?

Well, I would prefer a boat, fuel, and a GPS, so I could make it back home. But I guess those aren’t food, book, or health products.

1) A survival handbook
2) A machete
3) A receptacle for holding water
4) A huge bag of wheat berries
5) A huge bag of dried fruit and nuts

I figure a water receptacle and machete are health-related, seeing as you can’t live without water and a tool for exploring and building a shelter would be pretty important too.

Question #3: What one message do you want to share with the people of this world that is crucial for their ultimate well-being and longevity?

Getting healthy is simple, but it isn’t easy. It will require work and there will be obstacles that you must overcome.

The good news? You’re worth it.

Questions #4: If someone could afford to purchase only one product at this moment to start their journey towards better health (food or health-related), what would you recommend and why?

Actually, what I recommend isn’t a product at all and won’t cost you a dime. In fact, it’ll actually save you money!

My recommendation is one 24-hour fast (water only). You’ll be amazed by how clean and clear-headed you’ll feel just by skipping a few meals. It’s also a great way to jumpstart transitioning to a healthier lifestyle.

Question #5: Tell me more about your business/company and/or products you offer to the public to help them achieve optimal health and well-being?

My website Fit On Raw: Raw Food for Practical Fitness (www.fitonraw.com) is dedicated to helping everyday (i.e. non-athlete) people go raw and get fit on a healthy and sustainable raw food diet.

I currently offer my low fat raw recipe e-book “Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes,” my cravings program “How to Conquer Your Cooked Food Cravings Once and for All,” and my members-only site “The Rawkin’ Raw Club”.

You will receive an automatic 25% discount on How to Conquer Your Cooked Food Cravings by clicking the link for Swayze Foster that is listed on the right-hand side of this page when you scroll down to the Blogroll section.

Question #6: What are your hopes/aspirations/dreams for the future health of the people and the planet?

I hope that more people will realize that they are the true masters of their life. No physician, nutritionist, or government bureaucrat can or should supply us with the education, motivation, support, or food that we need to be healthy and happy.

It is up to each one of us to educate ourselves (read all the books you can, watch movies, surf the web), to stay motivated (write down your reasons for getting healthy, post motivational images and sayings around your house), to seek out support (www.meetup.com), and to source quality food (www.localharvest.org & www.pickyourown.org).

Question #7: Who is your greatest hero and why?

Ayn Rand, for her dedication to truth, knowledge, and freedom.

Question #8: Is there anything else you would like to share with the public?

There is never a right time to go raw or improve your lifestyle. It doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of winter or the peak of summer, you will always find excuses to put your goals aside.

My advice is to get started as soon as possible. Anyone can do this simply my replacing one unhealthy food choice with a healthy one each day. For instance, replace breakfast with a fruit smoothie or replace your mid-afternoon snack with fresh salsa and celery sticks.

Question #9: I know that there are variables as to how much food/calories each person consumes when eating raw vegan food (based on many lifestyle factors, etc), but is there a basic guideline you would recommend for everyone?

Eat as much fruit as you care for, eat generous portions of vegetables (focus on greens), and limit your intake of nuts, seeds, avocados, and other fatty foods (e.g. 1-2 ounces of nuts, 1/2-3/4 of a Hass avocado). Eat the best quality produce you can find and include as much variety as you can throughout the year.

Swayze
www.fitonraw.com

To access Environne’s Website to purchase products and read more about this great company and the staff please click on the link I have provided on the right-hand side of the page under the column titled blogroll

Question #1: Tell me briefly about yourself and why you decided to get involved
in the “health” industry?

It was through my studies of completing a Special Education degree that I first became aware of a suspected relationship between pesticides and the dramatic increase in serious childhood disorders,including autism and learning disabilities. In my quest to find a solution for protecting children against toxic chemicals on their fruits and vegetables, I found and purchased a non-toxic formula that was PROVEN to remove surface contaminants. In the early days I was bottling the formula in a basement while while completing my Special Education degree. Shortly after the purchase, I contacted the EPA and other governmental agencies in the pursuit of mandates to assist with regulating dangerous chemicals on the foods we eat. I decided, after many frustrating and politically-charged disputes, to dedicate myself to the “David vs. Goliath” crusade by educating people about agricultural pesticides (a $37 billion industry),and by finding a way to protect children and provide families with pesticide free produce.

Question #2: If you were stranded on a desert island and were allowed to take only 5 items with you (they can be food, books or specific products that are all health-related), what would they be and why?

Journal and My kids blankets for obvious reasons. Water to wash down my vitamins- cod liver oil, DHEA, Vit. D, Aloe Vera juice, Liquid Calcium and magnesium.

Question #3: What one message do you want to share with the people of this
world that is crucial for their ultimate well-being and longevity?

To eat something Green everyday and of course washed with Environné Fruit and Vegetable Wash.

Questions #4: If someone could afford to purchase only one product at this
moment to start their journey towards better health (food or health-related), what would you recommend and why?

Cod Liver Oil for its great qualities for skin, brain function and 0ptimum heart
function.

Question #5: Tell me more about your business/company and/or products you
offer to the public to help them achieve optimal health and well-being?

We manufacture a non-toxic soap designed to remove chemical residues from
your fruits and vegetables. These unwanted residues have been known through extensive research,to cause various cancers, brain developments problems and severe allergic reactions. Water alone simply is not capable of completely removing oil based chemicals that are used in the fields.

Question #6: What are your hopes/aspirations/dreams for the future health of
the people and the planet?

That EVERY household is properly washing their fruits and vegetables to avoid any unwanted health risk, especially in pregnant women.

Question #7: Who is your greatest hero and why?

Never thought about it. There are many adults that I admire for their wisdom, profession and personal commitment to helping others.

Question #8: Is there anything else you would like to share with the public?

Eating and staying fit are choices that only you can make for yourself. Choosing to be healthy and to enjoy food and the benefits of staying fit through various options, will make you feel good and ready to hit the ground running in anything you choose to make a difference with.

To access Andrew’s Website, please click on the link I have provided on the right-hand side of the page under the column titled blogroll

Namaste!
Chef Mindy aka Ageless Raw (low-fat) Vegan Beauty

Question #1: Tell me briefly about yourself and why you decided to get involved in the “health” industry?

I spent my youth overweight and fairy sick. I maxed out at 220 pounds when I was 17 years old, and although I started getting myself into shape after that, I suffered from increasingly bad colitis in my college years, a horrible disease that was ruining my life. Besides this, I suffered from chronic migraines, backaches and other problems.

Addendum to Question #1

Did You Immediately go to raw food (and was it low fat from the start or did you try other ways first, too) or did you try other things first like macrobiotics, cooked vegan, etc?

I made the first small-scale improvements to my diet in 2001, when I was 17, such as drinking more water and less soda, eating less processed foods, and replacing some deserts with fruit. Soon after this I started drinking less milk, realizing that it had a very negative effect on my digestive system.

By the age of 20 around 2003, I was eating a low fat cooked food vegan diet centered around whole foods.

I spent much of 2005 suffering from ever-worsening colitis, and after being disgusted with the answers given to me by my doctor, I started fooling around with diets with no grains or starches, and although they helped, I couldn’t find one I could eat enough calories on without eating unhealthy levels of fat, until I learned that fruit was the perfect replacement to calorically-dense grains and starches that were aggravating to my system.

I started a low fat raw food diet based around whole fruits and vegetables in 2005 (at the age of 22) to see it it would cure my colitis – it worked like a charm, and also left me feeling better and possessing far more energy than I’d ever experienced in my life. I amazed myself by how much stamina my body possessed, and by 2009 I’d logged my first marathon. Over the years I’ve developed some effective weight loss strategies and dropped down to 158 pounds, for a total loss of 62 pounds, which is like shedding the entire body weight of a six year old boy from your body.

By the end of 2005 I was on my first 30-day low fat raw food trial, and my symptoms were hugely reduced by the end of it. After 60 days, I could eat a wide variety of fruit and some leafy greens. A year later I could handle raw cruciferous and harder-to-digest vegetables like broccoli with no problems.

Up until the beginning of 2007, I ate approximately 90 to 95 percent raw, and I would periodically try to eat cooked vegan foods to see if I could find some equilibrium between all raw and cooked vegan that would allow me to feel fantastic and keep my colitis in check. I failed to find such a sweet spot, and in 2007 I decided there wasn’t one.

I’ve been all raw since, and feel fantastic.

By 2008, I was fielding so many questions from people interested in how I ate that I decided it would be far more efficient to start a website and write articles that could be accessed by thousands. My goal was to make sure that no one had to suffer, like I did, for lack of life-changing health information. Raw-Food-Health.net was born to provide free information on a wide variety of raw-related topics, and it continues on that path today. Well over 90 percent of the content I produce is free.

By 2010 the site had grown enough to provide me with a bit of income, and I quit my job as a newspaper reporter to work on it full time. As of September 2011, it was averaging 69,394 unique visitors every 30 days, making it one of the most popular raw food websites on the internet.

Question #2: If you were stranded on a desert island and were allowed to take only 5 items with you (they can be food, books or specific products that are all health-related), what would they be and why?

1) An infinite bowl of Nam Dok Mai Mangoes: My favorite type of mangoes. They’re high enough in calories to support a strenuous life while being watery enough to keep me reasonably well hydrated, even if there wasn’t a ton of water around. I also never get sick of them.
2) Infinite Bowl Of Celery: I start to feel poorly and my health and athletic performance starts to decline if I don’t get some greens in regularly. Celery offers an array of minerals that fruit alone cannot provide.

3+4) My machete and a big box packed with a wide variety of low-water tolerant fruit and vegetable seeds and corms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corms): I’ve got a permaculture design certificate under my belt and a great deal of interest in growing fruit in arid environments, and my goal would be to pull a Greening The Desert (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sohI6vnWZmk) on that island and turn it into an abundant paradise. You can’t live on mangoes and celery for years and be in great health, so I’d need to diversify. If a rescue party happened to find me 30 years down the road, they’d discover my island overflowing with dates, pomegranates, figs, citrus, and gardens of vegetables.

5) My laptop and a solar charger: I’m well aware that health is not confined to what you eat and how you exercise, but dependent on a wide variety of health factors, such as sleep, managing your mind, and many other pillars. These are topics I talk about at length in The Raw Food Lifestyle: http://www.raw-food-health.net/Raw-Food-Lifestyle-EBook.html#axzz1ZWXVsQJO
One of the critical aspects of a healthy lifestyle is creative expression. There is no one right way to do it, but writing is one of my passions. There are many books I could write, and doing so would be good way to enjoy myself and stay sane while isolated thousands of miles from other human beings.

Question #3: What one message do you want to share with the people of this world that is crucial for their ultimate well-being and longevity?

Got health problems? So did I. I was once miserable, fat, depressed, sick, and convinced these factors were outside of my control – I was just a bad throw of the genetic dice, I believed. When I learned to control my mind, eat a healthy diet, and take positive actions in all areas of my life, my situation changed dramatically. Today, I find my life is joy. I love my body, because it does everything I ask of it. It never gets sick, carries me through the activities I enjoy with grace and ease, and frankly looks a heck of a lot better than it did when I was trashing it at every meal. This is a far cry from the hatred I once had for it when I believed it a curse I could not escape.

If you think you’ll never get free of your challenges, know that there are ways forward.

For general health, the most effective diet I’ve ever found is simply consuming more ripe fruit than I’d ever considered normal or optimal, tons of vegetables, and relatively little fat. Ignore the salt, beverages (other than water) spices, supplements, vitamin pills, and other useless junk people try to sell you.

It works like a charm for me and many of those who read my website, and it can work for you.

Questions #4: If someone could afford to purchase only one product at this moment to start their journey towards better health (food or health-related), what would you recommend and why?

Considering that I spend so much time talking about diet, it would seem likely I’d choose something food-related to recommend, and there certainly are some great books in that category. But I think it’s naive to expect a single product to be all things to all people.

Everyone is at unique stages of development in the different areas in their life. For some, their diet or exercise routine is floundering or nonexistent and they feel the need to really boost that up. Others have their diets down pat and don’t need any help. Some are depressed, allow their mind to run rampant, hate their job, are in ridiculous relationships, or have some other weak point they need to address, all of which are factors playing into their health.

I prefer to suggest a product which offers a meta-solution, so to speak. It doesn’t address diet or exercise directly, but recognizes that improvement is the constant goal, and suggests a new way of looking at the world. If you start working on your life in the way that it suggests, health improvement will simply be one of the areas you embrace.

This audio program was suggested to me when I was a Freshman in college. After listening to it a few times I started getting a handle on why, although the weight loss and easing of my depression I’d experienced earlier had been great, I didn’t really see the connections so I could recognize why I’d had improvements or how I could build on them further. As time has gone on, I’ve come to appreciate this ground-level introduction to smart thinking and realized it’s a scaffolding from which I’ve gone on to learn more advanced ideas and formulate my own.

The material is actually quite old, but timeless in value. The speaker, whose deep gravely voice I initially found off putting, but which I now enjoy, is Earl Nightingale, who was famous in the 1950s for his motivational speaking.

“Lead The Field,” (http://www.nightingale.com/prod_detail~product~Lead_Field~audio~2144.aspx) The audio program I suggest, is from the 1970s, and was a synthesis of his many ideas in one compact form.

What I hope health seekers will get out of it is an understanding that having the most ripped abs in their town will not make them healthy if they don’t know how to think and solve problems creatively, a trait most people never develop. If your mind isn’t growing, you’ll never be at your best (note, you want the audio program, not the book by the same name).

Question #5: Tell me more about your business/company and/or products you offer to the public to help them achieve optimal health and well-being?

Raw-Food-Health.net exists to provide free information that people can use to revolutionize their health and understand the cause of their disorders and maladies. I want people to know that the vast majority of diseases and disorders humanity suffers from are caused our actions, not our genes, which are, despite what people like to think, of little importance in the grand scheme of health (http://www.raw-food-health.net/Genetics-And-Disease.html). This viewpoint may be annoying for those who like to blame outside factors, but I find it incredibly empowering, for it means that we have the power to improve our lives dramatically.

I also offer a one-on-one coaching service (http://www.raw-food-health.net/Raw-Food-Coaching.html), and two e-books for sale through the site.

The first is “Savory Raw Dressings And Sauces,” (http://www.raw-food-health.net/Savory-Raw-Dressings-And-Sauces.html). I created this e-book because so many people have no idea that you can make healthy dressings that avoid the oil, salt, vinegar, spices, and other unhealthy foods that people normally ruin their salads with. When you avoid these items, you can still have a tasty finished product that will delight your taste buds. Eating well does not have to be dolorous.

All you need is delicious raw fruits, vegetables, and herbs to make amazing salad dressings. I explain how in the book.

The second is “The Raw Food Lifestyle,” which tries to emphasize that while diet can change your life, food choices alone won’t take you all the way to health anymore than just exercising will. The book goes into detail about managing your mind, living in a cooked food world as a raw foodist, exercise, sunshine, sleep, and many other topics critical to health and happiness on this planet.

Discount Code: RawsomeRawLifestyle
The first 25 buyers of The Raw Food Lifestyle purchased by itself using this discount code will receive 25 percent off the purchase price. Code expires November 23, 2011.

Discount Code: RawsomeSavoryAndLifestyle
The first 15 buyers to purchase The Raw Food Lifestyle and Savory Raw Dressings And Sauces together will receive 25 percent off the purchase price. Both books must be in your cart at the time of checkout for the code to function. Code expires November 23, 2011.

Question #6: What are your hopes/aspirations/dreams for the future health of the people and the planet?
1) That people will realize the vast majority of illnesses are a choice, and that they can just as easily choose health, vastly changing the world.
2) That our streets will be lined with fruit trees, and food forests will replace the soil-destroying mono crops of annual plants that stretch across most of this world.
3) That polluting factory farms will disappear.
4) That because fruit orchards produce more calories per acre than animal husbandry and any other vegetative crop, that we can allow more land to return to wilderness, so the rest of the animals and plants on this planet can have a place to thrive, and the critical rain forests can return.
5) That one day, you’ll be able to eat 20 peaches in public without anyone blinking an eye, because it will be seen as the natural, responsible, tastiest way to eat.

Question #7: Who is your greatest hero and why?

I certainly respect many people, primarily pioneers, inventors, explorers, and others who have pushed past doubt and adversity to go after their dreams, but I can’t say I’ve ever embraced anyone as a hero. No one has ever fit my ideal mold closely enough, so I’ve tended to follow the beat of my own drum, which I find more rewarding.

Question #8: I know that there are variables as to how much food/calories each person consumes when eating raw vegan food (based on many lifestyle factors, etc), but is there a basic guideline you would recommend for everyone?

It’s true that caloric needs will vary greatly depending on size, activity level, and other factors, but the basic ideal diet for a 60-year-old sedentary house wife, a 25-year-old body builder, and a 40-year-old marathon runner are the same.

The only real ideas you need to embrace are to eat only whole, ripe, raw fruits and vegetables and to keep your fat intake under 10 percent of calories consumed. If you do so, you’ll find your protein intake is automatically in the ideal range of less than 10 percent of calories consumed, and your carbohydrate intake is automatically in the ideal range of at least 80 percent of calories consumed.

There are many caveats and individual questions that need to be answered, which I address on my site, but that’s the simple overview that applies to all. If a diet is too complicated, there’s probably something fishy about it.

Forget pills, supplements, and “cures.” Whole, raw, ripe fruits and vegetables are all you need to thrive like never before.

To access Rama’s Website, please click on the link I have provided on the right-hand side of the page under the column titled blogroll

Namaste!
Chef Mindy aka Ageless Raw (low-fat) Vegan Beauty

Question #1: Tell me briefly about yourself and why you decided to get involved in the “health” industry?

My goal is to empower people!

As I learned more and more about how to heal myself from the inside out, by studying Nature and my own body, I wanted to share what I was learning with others.

I feel it is everyone’s right to use their Infinite Power to become who they want to be, and to heal and beautify their bodies.

As I learned simple techniques through Self-exploration and bodily evolution, I naturally wanted to share those techniques with others for their benefit.

I do healing work for people, but the main goal of my healing work is to help them to heal themselves.

As I help people to heal and empower themselves, then we can all work together on a massive scale to cause global and Universe-wide transformation.

Question #2: If you were stranded on a desert island and were allowed to take only 5 items with you (they can be food, books or specific products that are all health-related),
what would they be and why?

I wouldn’t take anything with me because I don’t need or want anything other than my own body.

Assuming the desert island was warm enough and had a sufficient supply of coconuts, I wouldn’t need to bring anything with me

All my techniques are centered around the fact that your body is your personal Eternal playground, and as you play in the body you find there’s nothing better

So I would be having fun in Nature playing with my body from the inside out, learning how to levitate and turn my body into crystal and gold, while “stranded” on the island.

Question #3: What one message do you want to share with the people of this world that is crucial for their ultimate well-being and longevity?

You follow the flow of joy in all that you do, this is my one rule for all of life: “Follow the Flow of Joy.” The means more than to just do what you think you love, following the flow of Joy means listening to the voice of your Soul, your Highest Self, your True Nature, and only ever doing that which is in accordance with the Divine Plan.

What this looks like in practice is doing what you truly love and enjoy, even if it’s not always what you intellectually or even emotionally think is best.

There is something higher than intellect and emotions, it is your Flow of Joy.

Fortunately for all of us, the flow of Joy can be felt in the body as the various messages and feelings your body sends you.

So if your womb hurts when you think about someone or something, that means “no, don’t do that” or “avoid that person.”

If your whole body relaxes when you think about doing something, that means “Yes, you should do this”

So following the flow of Joy means listening to your body!

Because She (your body) is always right!

Questions #4: If someone could afford to purchase only one product at this moment
to start their journey towards better health (food or health-related), what would you recommend and why?

My whole point is you don’t need products, you need your body. I would only recommend people to purchase that which they know will further their Self-empowerment process, and that is different for everyone but each person must decide “Yes, this product or service will help me become more Me and achieve what I want in life by showing me how to use my OWN power”

When you find such a product or service, that is what you should use your hard-earned energy/money on.

Because only that product will yield even MORE energy that what it costs, by helping you to access your own energy/power Source.

Question #5: Tell me more about your business/company and/or products you offer to the public to help them achieve optimal health and well-being?

I offer telephone sessions, remote/long-distance healing sessions, recorded .mp3 audios, as well as email sessions.

I also teach a 3 month course that is done by phone on the subject of Self-empowerment, personal healing, and starting a healing business.

At my website, www.evernewjoy.com, you can get access to 45+ hours of complimentary (no cost) music, audio information, videos, and interviews that will give you a very clear understanding of exactly how I think and what my system of healing is and how it can help you to empower yourself.

So rather than extensively explain my healing methodology here, I recommend you check out the large quantity of free information on my site that is in a variety of information mediums.

If you are completely new to my material, I recommend you check out my music first.

It is all composed, recorded, and played by just me by myself:
Rama’s Complimentary and Self-created Music

http://evernewjoy.net/?page_id=65

Question #6: What are your hopes/aspirations/dreams for the future health of the people and the planet?

It is my wish that the entire social structure of the planet be changed so that it supports its own members (the people) and also the planet Herself.

Toward this goal I run my healing business to help people become empowered so they can do their own Soul missions and participate in the healing of the planet and the Universe.

Question #7: Who is your greatest hero and why?

I am my own greatest Hero because I have achieved more in this lifetime than all my past lifetimes combined, toward the betterment and Beautification of Creation.

Question #8: Is there anything else you would like to share with the public?

If you have read this far into this article I’d like to ask you “what do you find different about my message and my material?” I do think you’ll find it is my emphasis on YOU.

YOU are the one with all the power you are seeking, all the beauty and all the health you are wanting.

YOU are the one who will change the world and make yourself as you wish to be.

So use these very moments to focus on YOU instead of me, as that is my goal with all my healing work, to help you to be YOU.

So try deeply feeling the top of your brain.

Focus on feeling your body, at the very top of your head.

This is the part of your body that helps you connect to your Higher Wisdom and will help you to understand everything I am saying in a whole new way.

I am serious, please do this now, for about 5 minutes.

See what sensations you notice as you do this!

Question #9: I know that there are variables as to how much food/calories each person consumes when eating raw vegan food (based on many lifestyle factors, etc), but is there a basic guideline you would recommend for everyone?

I have my own raw food diet system called the Paradise Diet which is much more well defined than just “the raw food diet.”

In my system you cannot just eating anything you want, whenever you want, as long as it is raw.

In my dietary system, everything must be raw, and it must also not be dehydrated or powdered, it must be a fresh whole food.

In the Paradise Diet there are three food groups:

1. Fruits/carbohydrates
2. Vegetables/proteins and minerals
3. Nuts and seeds/fat source

In my dietary system you must have a proper balance of these three food groups in order to be eating a healthy diet.

No Mixing

Also in my Paradise Diet, I do not recommend people mix the food groups.

You should eat each food group by itself, at the time of your eating cycles when you want that food group the most.

Listen to Your Body

You must follow your flow of joy (see above questions and answers) to know how to eat my Paradise Diet correctly.

In other words, you must put the Goddess in charge.

You must put your body in charge of your nutrition acquistion.

You must eat according to your own body’s wishes, rather than your intellectual thoughts or even your emotions.

You must listen to the Higher Wisdom of your physical body, and She will tell you which food group you should eat and how much.

I do offer telephone sessions and email sessions on helping people to understand diet and ultimately the principles of my Paradise Diet.

My Paradise Diet is for everyone because it is designed to help you align with your own specific nutritional needs.

I do not provide numbers or statistics and tablespoons and caloric values, I ask you to tune into the wisdom of your body and eat as the animals do, and as Nature does.

Victory to You!
Rama

I am very pleased that I can offer my knowledge, ideas and insights to the public. I appreciate those who would be open to sending a love donation to me, to further the work I am doing. I plan to also create some e-books for sale in the future and will keep you posted on that.

In the meantime, for those open to making a contribution, the safest way would be through paypal (I have an account with them and I am very satisfied with their service). If you don’t already have an account with them, you can sign up for free on www.paypal.com (I also have a link on the right-hand side of the page under the heading blogroll – look for the title – make a love donation). You can link your bank account to paypal and then the monies come out from there directly (if you use a credit card, there is normally a fee incurred to send money to someone, so it is best not to do it this way). You can send the money through my paypal account email: mindy.goldis@gmail.com

I will be starting the Q & A series I mentioned in the last post on Monday October 10, 2011 and have some great people who have decided to take part in this. You will be receiving much more FREE information from these people, as well, in areas relating to health and wellness.

Namaste!
Chef Mindy aka Ageless Raw (low-fat) Vegan Beauty

I am formulating some exciting information that I will be sharing with you, via interviews with people/companies I respect and admire who are bringing great products and perspective to the natural health community. This will be done in the form of a written Q & A that will be posted (hopefully on a weekly basis) to this website.

The title for this series is called, “People, Products and The Health of Our Planet”: Interviews with pioneers on the path to superior health- who they are and the messages/products they are sharing with the world.

Stay tuned as I plan to begin this series in October 2011 (if all goes according to plans and I can get in touch with the people I would like to interview).

Namaste!
Much Luv and Gratitude
Chef Mindy aka Ageless Raw (low-fat)Vegan Beauty