Interview with a "Beautiful On Raw" Mimi Kirk, 74
Published: (January, 2013)
Emerson said: Our admiration of the antique is not admiration of the old, but of the natural. It applies especially well to those people who have gone raw. When you're truly "raw," you know you're "old," numerically, but you don't mind it. You look good, feel good. And you enjoy a continuing dignity and beauty. Part of that beauty: The older you get in years, the more inspirational value you hold for others.
Read the interview with Mimi Kirk (http://youngonrawfood.com/), the author of Live Raw,
and you'll see what I mean.
Q: What brought you to this lifestyle? How long have you been on it?
MK: I've been a vegetaritan/vegan for the better part of 40 years, but one day I started feeling little arthritic pains in my hands. I went for a check up and my doctor said my blood pressure and cholesterol were up. ...I thought it was time to go for the ultimate way of eating, which I believe is raw-living foods.
Q: Do you tell your age freely or do you share the opinion that "Women and music should never be dated"? If you tell, how do others react?
MK: I love to tell my age as I think it helps take the stigma off aging. I feel I look good for 74, so I guess I'm proud to tell my age, although years ago I would not tell my age. When I met my boyfriend, I was 64, he was 45...no way would I tell him my age. After a few months of him asking, he found an article from years back written about my company, and was surprised to find out how old I was. Luckily, by this time, he was in love with me so my age did not matter to him. We have been together 10 years and our age difference still never seems to matter, except the times when he tells people he can't keep up with me and thinks he has to trade me in for a 94 year old.
Q: What changes in appearance have you noticed since going on the raw food diet?
MK: Well, I lost the unwanted pounds quickly, and was happy to bring my smaller size clothes I'd stored in the garage and put them back in my closet. Most importantly, my cholesterol dropped 26 points and my blood pressure is regulated. I have no more arthritic pains. The more noticeable signs seemed to be increased energy, younger looking skin and a sparkle in my step. I just felt younger all round.
Q: How do you feel about your appearance? Were you considered beautiful when you were growing up?
MK: I never was considered beautiful throughout my school years. I did not feel beautiful either. Although I married at 17, I think I became more attractive to others in my early 30's, after I was widowed and a mother of 4. I think what made that happen was my confidence level and appreciation of myself grew and seemed to show up on the outside as well as the feeling I had inside. Truthfully, it's only recently in my 70's that people remark about my appearance.
Your Right To Be Beautiful
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Q: What is your attitude towards aging? Do you feel that the raw food lifestyle has made you look younger than you are?
MK: Aging is going to happen, we have to do the best for ourselves in a natural way, eat well, exercise, etc., and accept ourselves and the little lines that appear on our face. I don't believe in plastic surgery or botox for myself. I do think a raw food lifestyle can help stave off aging, maybe a slight reversal in some cases. I think the earlier you start a raw food lifestyle, the better chance you have of preserving yourself. How you feel inside reflects on the outside, so even if you have lines, a youthful spirit can make you appear younger as in my case.
Q: Now that you have been living the raw foods lifestyle for some time, how has your diet evolved since you first began?
MK: It's so much easier now than when I began. At first figuring how to make satisfying food was difficult, but now, I can just go into my kitchen and whip up meals easily. Cooked food does not appeal to me as much anymore. I will eat an occasional cooked artichoke or sweet potato and on occasion while traveling I will eat a cooked vegan dish, but I can feel the difference in how my body digests cooked foods more slowly. When I first started out eating raw foods, I ate mostly salads and juices, but now I can vary my meals since I've developed so many delicious recipes over time. Everyone has their own pace to transition and as long as they keep moving in the right direction they will achieve their goals. I knew raw food was for me immediately and I've never looked back.
WrinkAlign
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Q: Do you have any special beauty secrets you would like to share?
MK: There are many beauty tips in my book LIVE RAW which take personal commitment to achieve. Food for me seems to be the most important "secret" in my outer and inner attractiveness. I don't believe genes totally determine how we look as we age. I think we can escape many family issues by proper diet and I've proven that to myself.
Q: What is the one thing that you would like to share with others who are just beginning their raw food journey, the one thing that has made the most difference for you?
MK: I think if you come from love with everyone you meet and treat yourself like someone you love, everything falls into place. Eating a raw plant based diet shows love for the animals, the planet, and your own body.
Q: Please share your favorite raw food recipe, the one you consider your trademark and always make for special occasions.
MK: My lasagna is always enjoyed by raw and non-raw gourmets alike.
http://www.beautifulonraw.com/raw-food-blog/raw-food-recipes/pomodoro-lasagna/