Welcome to Raw Reboot!

Introductions

Sue Ansari RN

A registered nurse, lymphatic therapist, Laughter Yoga teacher, holistic health counselor, raw food chef and cancer survivor,  my interests for the past many years have been in alternative medicine, specifically relating to cancer and its treatment.  This interest was not piqued by my own cancer, but by mother’s, who waged a 17-year battle with cancer which she lost at age 59 - twenty-three years ago this month.

Way ahead of her time, in the early 80’s, my mother inadvertently ran into a stranger who told her about Hippocrates Clinic in San Diego (now Optimum Health) where she went for three weeks of indoctrination into the world of raw food to "cure" her cancer.  My mother also was a victim of the polio epidemic, resulting in one health challenge after another during her lifetime.  I remember the first time I saw her after she returned from Hippocrates – she was standing at the kitchen sink and as she turned, her face was glowing, her cheeks were pink and she was smiling from ear to ear. I could only say, “Mother, what happened to you?!”  Not only did she have rosy cheeks that I had never seen before, but also, she had dropped 15 pounds in those three weeks - what a transformation!

As a nurse, I wanted to see concrete scientific evidence to substantiate what she was doing, but at that time, there was none.  I did not ridicule her for growing grass, sprouts or making Rejuvelac, but I did nothing to support her.  She continued on the raw path for two years during which time she was totally cancer-free; however, after two years of eating boring salads  while also cooking for my father, she told me one day that she was tired of taking care of herself 24 hours a day; consequently, she flipped back to the standard American diet.  The cancer returned about a year later and never left her alone after that.  Her struggle ended in January 1988.

Fast forward many years and I found myself working with breast cancer survivors at Gilda’s Club in Royal Oak, MI.  Distressed to see a continual array of unhealthy food in their kitchen for the cancer survivors, I approached the director and voiced my concern.  His response was, “Sue, why don’t you teach a class here on healthy nutrition choices for cancer survivors?"  As a result of his comment and remembering my mother’s diet, I found myself in Fort Bragg, CA at Living Light Culinary Arts Institute, the premier raw food chef training school in the world and thus began a life-changing experience for me.

During the years prior to Living Light, I had spent 8 weeks at Ann Wigmore’s in Puerto Rico with another 3 weeks at Hippocrates in West Palm Beach where the message was impressive, but the food….well, that was another story!  It was a welcome relief that the staff at Living Light did not push the raw food lifestyle down our throats, but there was an initial brief lecture about the benefits.  “The China Study” by Colin Campbell was mentioned which I immediately purchased.  By the time I reached page 72, tears were streaming down my face, as I realized what my mother had tried to do was exactly right. The proof I needed, I was holding in my hand.

Since then, I have presented many raw food demonstrations at Gilda’s, as well as privately; however, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer myself in August 2008, my perspective drastically changed.  Surgery was in Michigan, but my treatment was at Stanford.  Not even once during the entire process was lifestyle ever mentioned to me.  Sweet and wonderful as my oncologist was, a huge bowl of candy was always prominently positioned on her counter for patients.  I was instructed to bring Popsicles to suck on during chemo, but instead, I took frozen blended watermelon much to their amazement.  I spoke with my oncologist about the benefits of raw food and a plant-based diet - she knew nothing.  I asked if she had ever heard of John McDougall who was only a few miles away in Santa Rosa – she had not. The entire scenario was shocking, as well as eye-opening.  It was very apparent with my experience and training,  I needed to spring into action, not only for my benefit, but for as many as I could reach who had also been touched by cancer, but never alerted to the fact that the outcome can so significantly be altered by the food we put into our mouths.

As a result, my program, Santé, to Your Health! was born.  Although my two-week residential program will differ somewhat from what Rosemary and I are doing this first month of January 2011, the ultimate goal of the program is the same - renewal and  rejuvenation of body, mind and spirit through a plant-based, primarily raw food diet,  accompanied by meditation, exercise, positive affirmations and laughter. 

Please join us as we embark upon this exciting journey! 

Hi this is Rosemary here, for those who know me, you won't be surprised that my posts are the ones in purple!

There are many things that one has usually faced by the time the age of 50 flashes past, the too early deaths of friends from illnesses like cancer and heart disease,  perhaps the loss of a parent, the realization that we really can't do a lot of the things that we did at 25.

Your doctor orders a whole new batch of tests for your 50th birthday like a colonoscopy and all that blood work. You find yourself talking more frequently about aches, pains and cholesterol and new subjects like diabetes, stroke, general health, energy, and sexual vitality come up in conversation with your friends and family.

The main theme seems to always come back to prevention: diet, weight and exercise. Men and women both struggle with this age-related metabolic slowdown and middle age spread, but, if you've ever know any heterosexual couples who have gone on a weight loss program together, the men seem to drop their weight much faster. This masculine success has been recorded in many different ways, most notably in the documentary "May I be Frank?"

Over the years, Sue and I have encountered the benefits of the raw vegan diet in our work with people diagnosed with cancer, lymphedema and diabetes. As your Naturopath will tell you, providing an alkaline environment in the body allows the systems an opportunity for self repair. This is not an overnight quick fix, but a new way of relating to food, food preparation and to yourself.

Raw food research, studies and anecdotal evidence abound, and this approach to health is certainly not new or revolutionary. You might read  about the Natural Hygiene movement that began at the turn of the last century or more recently "The China Study" by Dr T. Colin Campbell, or watch the documentary that the actor Woody Harrelson was involved with: "Raw for 30 days".

It's hard to cut through the corporate fog of advertising and the eroticization of delicious foods that we may feel a strong  emotional attachment to, like Brie, pizza, French fries or bacon. The food porn channels stimulate us as we sit in front of the TV while we eat our processed high sodium snacks....We salivate, we dream of restaurants serving our favourite foods and we battle with our weight and our desires.

Ultimately, accepting that many of those "good foods" are indeed comfort foods that we need to release, that we are addicted to seductive sugars and sublime starches laced with additives and concoctions that are killing us. Coming to the realization that we have to develop new habits is a huge jump that requires  research, personal readiness, time and support.

What we are doing is making that leap, by devoting this first month of 2011 to ourselves by creating new habits and a healthier future.  Right now we are looking at the first days of what is the final third of of lives, and that may be another 25 years, statistically speaking. I want to walk through these years, not limp. So here's to delicious and beautiful raw foods, foods that we have all eaten: vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and sprouts, living nourishing foods presented in many ways that you may have never seen before. Vital foods that will contribute to mobility, energy and glowing good health. Let's see what happens. Namaste.