Hi! This is Karen, "The Raw Food Chica". Most of my life I have had an interest in healthy eating. Actually it started when I was about 14 yrs old and struggling with weight problems. Kids at school would tease me and make fun of me, needless to say this made me feel terrible. One day I decided to do something about it. I went to my local library and checked out a few diet and exercise books, started following their advice, in about a year I had lost the weight, and life really turned around for me. I felt better, looked better, and people treated me better but what really changed me was the fact that I understood the power of food, and its effects on the body. Since then I've read hundreds of books on the topic of nutrition and healthy living. I have not always maintained my healthy weight but when is time to lose it, I know what to do.It is the quest for healthy eating that led me to raw foods. Once I dove into the subject and learned about it, I knew it was the perfect way to eat. With raw foods looking good is secondary to how great you feel. It is for that reason that I started this myspace page and soon a website by the same name. When I decided to go 'raw', my husband came up with the name, the raw food chica. It fits me perfectly because when I am with friends and family all I do is talk about raw food and its benefits. I am also latina and my goal is to share the wonders of this lifestyle not only here in the US but to all Spanish speaking countries. I can't help it! It has changed my life and I feel so great that I want everyone to experience it. At the same time I fully understand that the 100% commitment is not for everyone. My goal is to encourage people to incorporate more raw foods into their diet, and also to cut out all the processed foods from their diets.What is raw food you may be asking? Well, basically, it's just that, raw...raw fruits, vegetables, sprouted seeds, and sprouted nuts. Once food is heated over 118 degrees the enzymes within those foods are destroyed and the molecular structure changes. Since our bodies only create so many enzymes and they help us in so many ways this is important to our wellness. Some even believe that once you use up your enzyme reserve you die. So, if that's true, it's in our best interest to save our enzymes and use the ones God already provided in uncooked foods. That's why choosing organic raw foods whenever possible, with a focus on local produce and wild foods, preserves vitamins, minerals and, most importantly, the enzymes that aid digestion. That means no meat, flour, white sugar, anything processed, pasteurized...you get the idea. There are many variations to the raw lifestyle, like some raw foodists include raw dairy products in their diet. Others even include raw meat. I will not be the judge of what is best for people. We're all different and what works for me might not work for somebody else. We need to take responsability, listen to our bodies, and then decide what raw foods work for us. I am a raw vegetarian, not quite a vegan because I use raw honey in my food.The creative side of raw foodism is absolutely amazing! Raw food is one of the liveliest and most flavor-packed in the vegetarian range. Raw food cooks are very creative in their preparations – including making convincing and delicious pasta from shredded zucchini and savory cheese from nuts. There are many delicious dishes that can be prepared with raw food that there is no need to compromise on taste or variety. There are many raw food cookbooks around that make it easy to keep you and your family happy and healthy with so many whole food choices. I am not saying this lifestyle is for everyone. You know your body better than anyone else, but even incorporating more raw food into our daily lives is something I believe everyone can benefit from.If you have any questions about the raw food lifestyle, please feel free to contact me and I'll be glad to answer all your questions. I also will add some of the most popular raw food gurus to my page, you can visit their pages to get ideas and learn more about the topic!God Bless You :)Why go Raw? The benefits of going raw-vegan are boundless. Rawfoods are easy to digest, and they provide the maximum amount of energy with minimal bodily effort. Studies have shown that living foods have healing powers that can alleviate many illnesses such as low energy, allergies, digestive disorders, weak immune system, high cholesterol, candida, obesity and weight problems (weight normalization), etc.. Research and real life experiences have also shown that a person can prevent the body's healthy cells from turning into malignant cancerous cells by consuming mostly a raw food diet that includes whole organic foods!
