All Raw Versus High Raw

It was a Pillsbury Doughboy moment: after my lecture a woman pokes my husband Nick in the stomach--a not inconsiderable belly it was -- and tells him, "You cannot be raw and have this!" 

It was as if a light went on in my head. I felt, for just a moment, like a wife who realizes suddenly she's the very last one to learn about her husband's infidelity: How could I be so naive, when it was so obvious to everyone else? I TRUSTED him. How could he?...I couldn't wait to be alone with my Nick. 

Once in our car, I looked him straight in the eye: "She's right. Let's have it! Everything. What's going on? Why are you still overweight and have THIS?" I poked his belly. Unlike the TV doughboy, Nick didn't giggle.

I'd thought things were perfect. Every single morning, we'd have a freshly extracted vegetable juice--mine mostly of green vegetables, his made with apples, beets and carrots. Mine would be about 12 ounces, his twice that. We'd both have soaked nuts, about a cup each. I like pistachios, he likes almonds. Then we'd have a salad, mine -medium, his - a big one. But still, you cannot be 50 pounds overweight on this food. Here and there, we both eat fruits. Peaches, plums, watermelon, melons, persimmons, whatever we can get in season.

I pinned him down: What else are you eating that I don't know about?

According to conventional medical standards, my husband is a healthy guy. He's 52, doesn't need any medications. His blood pressure is a normal 120/80, his blood sugar level around 100. He plays competitive table tennis regularly. He gets a cold, like most people every once in awhile. Medical tests say he's in good health. But I have to admit: There has been no grand transformation in his appearance. 

I waited for his answer. What else, I insisted again, are you eating?

His answer: You don't want to know. 

No. I do, I said. I had to appeal to his social conscience: For the sake of all the people who read my books and newsletters, you must tell me the truth. I must know the truth. If not as your wife, I implored, then at least tell me as you would talk to a researcher and writer. 

He confessed some "indiscretions" we'll call them - well, lots of them. I felt wounded. Just as if he'd cheated on me with some bimbo he'd met while squeezing a supermarket melon. Silly, I know. But that's how I felt.

He confessed to samplings at Costco. In Ralph's supermarket, en route to pick up some organic Swiss chard, he'd sample "just a bit" of that spicy pimento cheese spread. And, of course, you've got to have a cracker or two to spread it on ... Then came more strained rationalizations. At Whole Foods Market, he confessed, he'd choose from their seven varieties of "healthy" soups. "Healthy" corn bread, and "vegetarian chicken," whatever that may be. And there was also some real free-range organic chicken ...

What am I going to do about it? Nothing ... It's not my body he's feeding. I've decided to accept that my dear husband most likely will never be 100% raw. The fact is he doesn't feel any need to be 100% raw, so long as he's healthy and active. And since he doesn't mind that protuberance hanging over his belt, even that whole "looking better" argument is lost on him. 

We're motivated differently. My past is different from my husband's. Memory plays differently for me than for him. I think about all my young years spent on crutches.  My youth was wasted on doctors and hospitals to treat my congenital bilateral hip deformity.  It's not nearly enough for me to be merely a healthy woman of 53. I want to feel 20. I want to look not just youthful, but "girlish." This second youth is important to me, I think, because I missed the first one. So important that I don't allow myself to cheat when it comes to raw foods. I want to experience, and I want to tell you what happens when you stay 100% raw versus--like Nick--simply "high raw." 

When we visited the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego CA and Austin TX, I saw people getting younger, more beautiful, changing before my very eyes, sometimes even after just one week of 100% raw. I've seen this transformation in my husband, too, a number of times. Then, once he adds those cooked foods, his body slides back to the "reasonably healthy" and his "normal" self. 

Nick and I have each made our choices. You'll have to do the same. It all depends on what you're after. If getting old in a "relatively healthy" way is all you want, a "high raw" diet will work great for you. You will pass all your conventional medical tests with flying colors. You might still catch an occasional cold or flu, but so what? Even your doctor gets them! You might live to be 80 or even 90. That's a great result. And if that's good enough for you, then, dang--it's good enough, whatever anyone says. But still, no one at the old folks' home will be guessing you're forty-two.

As for me, I must have it all. Young looks included. And for that, I believe going and staying 100 percent raw is imperative. You will still age--no, going raw doesn't stop time itself--but you will not age like everybody else.  You will age in a very different way, as a distinctly unusual specimen. And you'll have to deal with a few seeming inconsistencies. A few wrinkles amid an eerily youthful facial glow. You'll abound with youthful impulses competing with a mature restraint.

I believe three principles are pivotal in order to succeed on the raw food diet/lifestyle:

1. Learn everything you can about the raw food diet/lifestyle. This means reading at least a dozen books, learning how other people succeeded and, this is most important, learning from their mistakes. There are methods and techniques to thrive in this way of living, and they must be obeyed.  

2. Proceed gradually: make small changes in your diet, and observe your body. Move into the diet slowly, reinforcing what works and adjusting what doesn't.  I began my raw food journey in my late thirties. Transitioning in my case took two years. Anything faster than this period for people over forty, I believe, might not be wise.

3. Realize that the raw food lifestyle is not only about food. Regular exercise, sun bathing, de-stressing your life, all are necessary for you to succeed in rewinding the aging clock and to see the remarkable transformation in your health and appearance.

People who tried the raw food diet and failed, most likely disregarded one of the above principles. On the other hand, people who succeeded on a long-term raw food diet can offer you a wealth of information. I would like to introduce one such person to you in the next section ...

Answering Your Questions

One thing people liked about the original was that the cream was easily absorbed by the skin. But occasionally I'd get an email saying that during winter, the cream--thanks to this fast absorption--would not provide enough "oil protection." The base formula remains the same--with a few small improvements.

One ... We added more sea buckthorn oil, known for its remarkable healing and nurturing properties, from which aging skin can benefit. You'll even see this in the product's new pleasant, creamy hue. The product gives you a deeper moisturizing effect, making it more effective in addressing dryness.

Two ... We added a new ingredient--organic tapioca starch. Derived from the roots of cassava or yucca, food-grade tapioca gives a silky-smooth texture to the cream.

The cream still absorbs quickly, but I believe we were successful in achieving a "moisture lock" effect that was missing in the original cream. The cream now has an energizing, tightening feel, giving you smoother skin instantly. It is ideal as a day cream. Use it under foundation or after applying the cream, you may decide no foundation is needed! It's very gentle and can be used around the eyes.

Finally, one more ever-so slight change...it's still vanilla-scented, but the scent is now more refined, subtler.

All in all, I believe the new and improved cream will work even better for you.

Q:  My question is about using your facial brush. I'm 62, my skin has fine lines, and it's looser than a young person's (or Tonya's). [When I use the brush] it doesn't hurt or get too red at all, but I am afraid I will stretch my skin. I sometimes hold it tight while I brush. But I haven't ever made as much of a brushing sound as Tonya does in the video, [From Dry Skin to Glowing Complexion]! 

Can I damage my skin, since it [is, after all] getting porous and older? I wish Tonya would more often address skin care for older women. We're the 
ones who really need to know techniques for our face--and not just young-looking faces. It would be good if Tonya would do a video on brushing and care of an older lady's skin--somebody who is obviously wrinkled and coming into these techniques later in life.
    
A: Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to make such a video because I'm not a licensed cosmetologist. I cannot treat or experiment on others. I can only share what I do personally and explain the reasons why. However, I do have an idea that might help. If you want to try it, but you are afraid that it might not work because of older, thinner skin, how about using my brush and cream on the back of just one hand? Be diligent and consistent. Brush every single day, and thoroughly. After brushing, apply my cream. After 28 days--the time it takes for skin cells to renew themselves--compare your hands at that point. Let the results speak for themselves! I am sure you'll be convinced, not because of anything I said, but as a result of your own experiment.