Bernando LaPallo just turned 109 years young and credits the raw diet for his long life. He is living proof that eating a mostly fresh, whole raw food diet as the way nature intended slows the aging process and allows you to live a long life without illness. This is uncommon in our world today, but Bernando lives unlike most, he has eaten a mainly raw vegan diet for over 100 years, 2/3's of his diet consists of fresh greens, he walks daily, drinks pure water and doesn't believe in stress. He has outlived some of his children, has never been sick and is more alive at 109 years than most others in the 60's, 70's or 80's.

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Recently, raw author Paul Nison visited Arizona and spoke at one of the monthly raw food potlucks I attend.

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Most of those interested in the raw food diet are looking to lose weight... to release extra weight. But some are concerned about maintaining their weight when transitioning to a raw food diet.

Here's a question I received recently:
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One of the longstanding myths about a diet that avoids dairy foods is that it can lead to osteoperosis. A new study not only proves that this isn't true, it also reports that vegans, specifically those that follow a raw food diet, are overall healthier than the average American, have strong bones, lower BMI, lower markers for disease and have high levels of Vitamin D, which was surprising to researchers since dairy products are normally fortified with Vitamin D.

The interesting part about this study is the expectations the doctors had, particularly that they expected raw food vegans to have low levels of Vitamin D. This shows how flawed the dairy industry is in promoting "milk for strong bones".

Additionally, although the study clearly shows that following a raw, vegan lifestyle is much healthier in all aspects tested (weight, disease prevention, BMI - and by a good margin), the lead doctors don't advocate a vegan, raw food diet.

They do recommend eating more fruits and vegetables, which is a good start, but I think they are missing the point. Fruits and vegetables are only one part of a raw, vegan diet. Adding a variety of legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds is also essential to a well balanced diet. Additionally, if someone eats more fruits and vegetables (and no legumes, whole grains, nuts or seeds) but still eats red meat, a variety of dairy products and processed foods regularly, this will do little to improve their health. Apparently facts don't make enough difference to make a recommended lifestyle change!

Read more about the study at: Yahoo! News - Raw Food Vegans Thin But Healthy, Study Finds

To your best health!

Mark
vegandiet.blogspot.com

You may know that I've been vegan for over 12 years. I had success with losing weight... in fact, in addition to the obvious health benefits, it's one of the reasons I decided to transition to a vegan lifestyle.

When I decided to transition further to a raw diet, something interesting happened... I lost more weight! 12 pounds in 2 weeks to be exact. This was interesting because I actually ate more food than when I was vegan. There is a reason for this and I'll it share with you in a future post.

Here are some interesting and very rewarding benefits about transitioning to a vegan/raw food lifestyle:

• You can eat as much as you desire and not gain weight
• Your body will find it's optimal weight naturally
• You can choose from a wide variety of delicious foods and never get bored
• You'll have abundant energy
• Your taste buds will come alive
• You'll lose as much weight as you need naturally
• You will become more aware of what your body wants (and needs)
• Your thoughts will be sharp and clear
• Most if not all your aches, pains and irritations will go away
• You'll lose taste for unhealthy foods and crave fresh, living foods

These are just some of the benefits I've experienced recently. I feel blessed for this experience and will share more in future posts.

If I can help or answer any questions, feel free to email to: vegancoach(AT)gmail.com (replace the AT with @).

Blessings,

Mark
http://vegandiet.blogspot.com

Looking for convenient, organic and raw whole foods? I highly recommend Whole Food Farmacy!

Just ran across this introductory video of some tasty and healthy holiday recipes. The recipes are made from fresh, raw ingredients and made to satisfy anyone, raw or not. Dorit, the guest chef, shows you how to make a complete holiday meal, from soup to dessert. She also gives you tips on why presentation is important, especially when serving family and friends. This video is one of many raw and vegan health related educational materials from Storm and Jinjee Talifero of The Garden Diet. View the introduction video at RawFoodHowTo.com and to download the complete video, visit Natural Paradigms.

Giving you thanks and joy-filled holidays!

Mark

If you're wondering why eating more raw and living foods is beneficial, view this insightful video from Brenda at Living Foods Institute and find out about cancer, doctors, prescription drugs and more. Select 'click to play' below. Enjoy!

Mark