By Grazyna Dabrowska
What started as a personal experiment turned into a seven-year passion as I have discovered raw foods and their benefits. In the spring of 2005, along with a group of close friends, I embarked on a 21-day juicing and cleansing diet.
Each of us did this for different reasons. Some dreamed about getting into their swimsuits before a summer beach vacation. Others, feeling stressed and unable to cope with the demands of everyday living, looked for the promised energy increase, improved sleep, clearer thinking, and better concentration. Yet others, dealing with a particular health challenge, hoped for a cure. Each of us had different reasons for staying on the program, and in one way or another we all benefited from the results.
During the cleansing and follow-up portion of this diet, we were to use only organic fruits and vegetables in order to get maximum nutrients. Plenty of pure, living spring water was also a must, to ensure removal of toxins and products of metabolic waste. (You can find a free spring water supply in your area by going to www.findaspring.com).
I recall my friends who took part in the adventure proudly displaying their thinner bodies, glowing skin, improved health, increased energy, and more positive attitude.
Although many of us found it hard to stay on the pro- gram for the entire 21 days, the diet enabled us to change our eating habits. Some of us never went back to the way we ate before. Some included more fruits and vegetables in their diets. Others fell off the wagon, but have never forgotten how to reclaim the state of well-being they enjoyed.
During this process I felt compelled to find out more about superfoods (such as goji berries, noni fruit, mangos- teen, maca root, cacao beans, sea vegetables, marine phyto-plankton, coconut oil, and spirulina) and superherbs (such as holy basil, turmeric extract, mucuna, rose hips, horsetail, stinging nettles, and gingko biloba). I wanted to share with others how to strengthen and beautify their bodies.
In the winter of 2009, I enrolled in David “Avocado” Wolfe’s Ultimate Raw Nutrition Certification Program, offered by the BodyMind Institute in Alberta, Canada. In December 2011, I completed the curriculum. I have learned how to live naturally, sustainably, and successfully in this world. The Greek philosopher Hippocrates, who is also referred to as the father of medicine, famously said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” A doctor- recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables might be hard to consume, but throwing it all in a blender and drinking a nutritious green smoothie provides a much easier route to follow.
In my quest to stay healthy, I continue to be curious about how I can best nourish my body. Everyone knows the saying, “You are what you eat.” But how many of us take it seriously and make good food choices that can positively affect us on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels? In all aspects of life—our work, exercise program, or nutrition—the little things add up. We cannot achieve health benefits by doing something only now and then. Consistency in healthful eat- ing, exercise, and other choices is what makes the difference.
An excellent customer service rule is based on three Cs: Consistency creates credibility. How about applying this golden rule to your personal health practices? When you consistently live by sound health principles, others will notice the positive changes. Your healthful glow and increased energy will speak for themselves.
The psalmist reminds us that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” designed by the Creator Himself. Only God could design the human body with all of its fascinating intricacies. As stewards of our bodies, we have a duty to make wise food choices in conjunction with regular exercise to help our bodies function at an optimum level.
I continue to enjoy good health, and trust that God will continue to bless me in my health practices. He wants us to live abundantly. I choose life.
–Grazyna Dabrowska lives in Longmont, Colorado. She is an avid gardener, and enjoys reading, quality nutrition, and exercise. Adapted from an essay published in The Fullness of Faithfulness, edited by Lori Bryan and published by Review and Herald in 2013.