In 2007 I became very ill with chronic digestive problems, acid reflux, urinary tract infections, and liver problems. My health was in such decline that my wife, Christel, would shake me awake some nights because she woke up to sounds of me choking through oesophageal reflux or not breathing as a result of sleep apnea.  After courses of antibiotics, Chinese herbs, vitamin and mineral supplements, and a verity of other treatments which didn’t work for me, I decided to explore a raw diet and within weeks I began to feel better. We started researching raw food and found exciting resources that are authored and created by amazing people who have been eating living and raw foods and working as practitioners and educators in raw nutrition for many years. In 2008 our daughter, Alexandrea, was born and we discussed the possibility of raising her on living and raw foods because we wanted to give her immune system the best start in life.

However, Christel wasn’t convinced that the raw diet was the best option so we continued our research as we progressively incorporated more living and raw foods into our diet. Christel is a born researcher and loves to delve into her investigations with great enthusiasm and wonder at what might be awaiting her. She refuses to allow her fears and concerns to control her life, so she unpacked every concern she had regarding a living raw vegan diet and delved into researching and understanding proteins, amino acids, lipids, enzymes, fats, sugars, vitamins, and minerals in the context of their relationship to the human body. I, on the other hand, continued to expand my knowledge of the biology and physiology of the body. We both strongly believe that knowledge and wisdom empowers people and allows us to make informed choices; with this in mind, we began reading books and articles and watching documentaries on living and raw food nutrition to enable us to feel confident in choosing our own path to vibrant and lasting good health for ourselves and for our daughter.

For twelve months we devoured every book, article, DVD, and CD on living and raw foods that we could read, watch, and listen to. I also attended courses, workshops and food preparation classes on living raw and super foods. By the end of our first year as explorers in the amazing world of living and raw food, we began to notice, in our own bodies, the wonderful direct effects of this diet and lifestyle.

Christel, who for years woke up every morning with back and joint pain, began waking up without that familiar pain and with greater ease. She also noticed other wonderful effects from eating living foods; her swollen tonsils reduced in size, her body odour reduced (she no longer uses under-arm sprays), and she experienced increased energy and more fulfilling sleep.

I experienced increased and prolonged energy levels, I began sleeping restfully through the night without oesophageal reflux or sleep apnea, I stopped snoring (for which Christel is very thankful), my urinal tract infection cleared up, my liver energy increased and I lost 14kg in body weight within six months of eating a living raw diet; that was a bonus because it was achieved effortlessly. Armed with these personal results and the knowledge we had gained about live enzymatic food, we could hardly refute the evidence before us – living and raw foods indeed worked and seemed far superior in delivering the correct nutrients to the body in a form that is easily recognisable by the body and which also makes it easily digestible by the body.

We made the choice to raise our daughter on living raw and super foods and embraced the living raw lifestyle. It hasn’t been an easy journey and we have moved back and forth between raw and cooked foods, but the reason we have always come back to a living raw diet is directly related to the way our bodies feel when we treat it with live foods, super foods, and living water. We have gradually progressed to eating a 100% living raw and super food diet because this is where our bodies feel most alive and healthy. Our daughter also eats a 100% living raw and super food diet.

The discovered treasure

What we discovered as we consumed green juices, green smoothies, fresh salads, super foods, sprouts and living water was the intensity of life force that is present in these foods. As we consumed more foods in their natural living and raw state, we began to experience significant shifts in our emotional and mental states of being. We noticed that we felt calmer, clearer and more focused, and even though there would be periods of intense detoxification, we would always recover with renewed stability, vitality and clarity.

The days we consumed more green vegetable and grass juices, we experienced heightened spiritual awareness and a deep connection with the earth and nature. We discovered that consuming living greens, super foods, and living water plugs us into the life-giving energy circuitry that gives life to this planet and all life forms inhabiting mother earth, and as we remain connected to this living circuitry, our bodies are supported in carrying out their self-healing and rejuvenating processes. Our connection to our inner consciousness has also strengthened and with this has emerged a respectful confidence of our place in the universe, along with a desire to serve and fulfil our greatest potential.

Living Raw Lifestyle was created because we are passionate about the wellbeing of all people, our earth, and all the other life forms that share this beautiful planet with us. It is our firm belief that humans, at all levels of our being, are intertwined with the natural laws that govern the earth and nature, and our aim is to support people in reconnecting with these natural laws and living cycles so that high quality health and well-being can be experienced by everyone.We are also excited about meeting and learning even more from the people we will meet on this journey.