RAW
Just weeks after going raw, I knew that what I wanted to do was spread the word about raw, and help and support others on their raw journey. But I knew that in order to help others I would have to equip myself with the knowledge and skills to do so.I had hundreds of questions, frustrations, conflicts, together with enormous enthusiasm, in my first months of raw. Although exciting, there were many challenges. But I was lucky – I had a little time on my hands. So I self-studied, and undertook practical work sufficient to be able to provide a service that would benefit others, to be able to answer questions, so that those new to raw would not have to ‘reinvent the wheel’.
So, in that first year, I did the following:
- Researched extensively, via published material, internet, international forums - compiling hundreds of files on nutrition and health issues. If you'd like to know where you can get Vitamin B6, calcium, selenium, etc, on a raw food diet, I can tell you! If you’d like to know of people who are convinced they have cured illnesses such as cancer and diabetes by following a raw food diet, I can supply testimonials.
- Made hundreds of raw food meals! I found out pretty quickly that in the raw food recipe world you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince! If you would like to make 'transition meals', I can save you time by sharing ‘tried and tested’ delicious raw food recipes, including those that can be served with confidence to the most cynical non-raw people!!
- Processed, dehydrated, sprouted… I have practised and refined all the raw food preparation processes. For example, there are many ways to sprout, some of them quite complicated! I can show you a very simple way…
- Kept a log of my own early months on raw I kept detailed notes of the problems I ran into in the first few months of the raw diet, eg confusion on ingredients, practicalities (time constraints), and the challenges involved in following my raw diet whilst having to prepare food for a family. Also, whilst keeping notes of the health benefits that accrued over the months of raw, I also kept notes of other things that I felt less confident about. I did this as a reminder for the future that would help me empathise with those starting out on raw.
- Attended workshops, lectures, classes and training I've learned from many well-known names in the raw food world - Karen Knowler, Shazzie, Kate Wood, Rob Hull, Anna Marcon, Matt Monarch, David Wolfe, Dr Doug Graham (as anyone not so new to raw knows - many of these have firm opinions on what is the ideal raw diet, and...they don't all agree with each other!)
- Started the Raw Food UK Forum, which after two years is 500-strong -quite a lot for little UK! This not only enabled me to add to my own knowledge of raw food, but constantly provides a free support facility for all raw fooders, whether experienced or ‘just finding out’.
(And more recently I've started 'Fools for Fruit' a UK-specific forum for those on high-fruit raw food diets - see Links Page.)
I've had the most amazing time learning about raw, and I often wonder where raw will take me next. I was privileged to be a guest speaker at the Bristol Vegan Fayre 2008, co-ordinated 200 raw fooders internationally in The Global 24-Hour Water Fast, and lately I've been helping on the world's leading raw foods magazine - 'Get Fresh!'- published by The Fresh Network.
Like many in the raw food world, I am neither nutritionist nor chef; my background is advertising, lecturing to adults (psychology) and teaching (children (maths and English). I believe that all my life experiences to date have synergised and enabled me to help others take the path less travelled. You may have found these pages because you know me, because you know someone that has recommended them, or ‘by accident’. It is no accident.
Inspirations
