I have been pursuing an organic, natural diet for about 4 years now. I believe a proper diet is an essential component to optimal health and longevity.

What is a natural, proper diet?

Different sources will tell you different things. I can tell you what I believe to be a proper diet, however, what I believe has evolved over the years and may continue to evolve as new information is available. I want to emphasize this - read, read, read. Always seek out information and be open to change. Diet and health are about choices. To make good choices you must be educated, so educate yourself constantly. (Well, you are reading this and that's a great start!) There is so much information available that I am always learning something new and exciting. It never ceases to amaze me at how much there is to know, feel, do, smell, touch, experience in this world that I would have never experienced if I didn't take that first step and become a seeker with an open mind. You never know what your going to find, don't limit your beliefs!

My Diet Today

The diet I practice today is from 60% to 80% raw food. I strive for 80% raw everyday. I buy organic food, preservative free natural food. I typically shop at Wild Oats in Long Beach. I also shop online at sunfood nutrition and also at Erewhon in Hollywood. I avoid brand-name products. I am by no means a 'perfect' eater but I don't beat myself up over it and neither should you. I recommend the book 'Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You To Know About' by Kevin Trudeau. A somewhat controversial book however a top seller and a great source to get anyone started on a natural, organic lifestyle.

I am not a vegetarian but I believe I will be one eventually; I am currently transitioning to a vegetarian raw food diet. I've read about raw food diets, i.e. Peter Ragnar's 'How To Build Muscle On A Raw Food Diet'. At first it was a far-out concept, and then I decided a raw food diet was possible for me after attending an event called The Best Weekend Ever, with David Wolfe, a raw foodist. So far I have cut out red meat and increased my raw food (uncooked food) intake. It's all about the baby steps.

My Diet Before

I've tried different meal plans, protein shakes, high protein, low carb, low fat, tons of different supplements. My experience has taught me that balance is important and any diet that is loading or cutting one food group over another is not healthy. For example protein loading is hard on your liver and can make your body toxic. A low fat diet can be unhealthy because some fats, Omega Fatty Acids, are required for brain function and other vital functions of the body. And don't get me started on the crap they label 'low fat' in stores. You would be better off eating the box it came packaged in.

You may have heard the Chinese term Yin and Yang before. Some foods are Yang (hot) and some are Yin (cold). Too much of either creates an imbalance. For example, if I put too much cacao (yang) in my shake I have a tendency to get too 'hot' internally and it causes breakouts and restlessness. So to cool off I put some Ho Shou Woo in my tea (it's Yin).

What's For Dinner?

I used to believe that dinner wasn't dinner without a meat as a main course. I've learned that it is not required for a strong, muscular body and I have changed my way of thinking along with my dinner plan. I have always been a meat eater; however my research tells me that many digestive issues and ailments may be exacerbated by eating meat. The human body isn't designed to digest meat (especially when cooked and I'm not about to start eating it raw). It is a misconception that meat protein is required to maintain muscle, health and overall wellbeing. First, look at a bull, for example. A bull is a huge, powerful, muscular animal, as is a gorilla and an elephant. Yet these animals are vegetarians! Meat is not required for strength and power. I've really had to change my way of thinking to make room for this concept, but it makes sense.

Humans have a long intestinal track, a small liver and teeth designed for grinding. Meat sits for too long and rots in our long intestinal track, and our liver gets stressed to produce more digestive enzymes. In comparison to a lion, lions or dogs even, have a short intestinal track, a large liver and canine teeth for tearing flesh. They have digestive enzymes that are released to digest raw meat; eating meat suits them and is optimal for them. Eating meat doesn't suit the human digestive system and causes sluggishness and fatigue, just to name a few side effects. Have you ever heard the phrase 'death begins in the colon'? I think it should be 'humans eating meat is death in the colon'.

Vegetarian - a wimpy word

I used to think of vegetarians as pale, unhealthy, weak individuals who were going over board on animal rights issues. Don't get me wrong, I've always been an animal lover; but now that I know that meat is not required, I feel more of an obligation to cut meat out of my diet.

Let's take an animal rights point of view momentarily; if you had to slaughter your own meat, could you do it? Could you do it while looking into the eyes of that sweet, helpless cow? Speaking of animal rights, I just saw a news cast about mass amounts if dolphins being slaughtered in Japan (I don't usually watch the news but this caught my attention). They were desperate, trapped, crying and the water was red with blood. I think it's tragic. These creatures are beautiful and intelligent. Don't we have a moral obligation to protect and cherish all forms of life? Now let's not get crazy, I'm not talking about insect rights for bugs and flies and roaches... I digress, the slaughter of animals isn't necessary so how can we, I, justify it? Just something to think about.

When I eat completely raw vegetarian for a few days consecutive, my energy levels and feeling of wellbeing skyrockets. Sometimes you don't know you could feel better until you feel better. A caveat to that is that sometimes during drastic dietary changes and cleansing, a detoxification effect occurs where you feel crappier for a bit. This will pass and overwhelming health and vitality will ensue.

Here is a sample of some of my daily foods:

Organic dried olives (they're delicious), Raw organic flax crackers (crispy and delicious), Raw organic soaked almonds, and other nuts and seeds (soak don't roast, soaking removes bitterness and makes nuts and seeds more nutritious, sweet and sprouted), Raw hummus, Organic salad with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sea salt for flavoring, Organic fruit and vegetables, Carrot and celery juice (fresh organic, homemade), Maca, cacao, msm, coconut water, mesquite powder, hemp seed powder shakes, Loose organic Tea with coconut milk and agave.

Some additional dietary interests and habits I have:

Drink distilled water with Willard's water added, Drink Coconut kefir, Drink Kombucha tea (grape), Use Hemp seed milk on raw grain cereal (it's healthier and better tasting than soy!), I take my wonderful Vi-Pak health supplement everyday, I make an herbal tonic with organic tinctures including Ho Shou Wu, American Ginseng, Gotu Kola and mushroom blend. I'm thinking about adding Yohimbe to this mix in the mornings to improve fat burning, I practice moxibustion with mugwort cones, I practice magnetic qi gong, I use my LifeWave non-transdermal skin patches for energy, or the Y-age patch for youthful skin or the SP6 non-transdermal appetite suppressant patch, Practice Hydrotherapy, and Skin brushing.

Avoid dairy products; if I use butter I make sure it's organic and preferably raw. If I eat bread I choose sprouted grain bread, however, uncooked breads are best. I've recently learned that our bodies become distillers when we eat cooked grains. The cooked grains ferment and produce alcohol. So ask yourself, are you addicted to bread? Maybe it's not the carbs, but the alcohol that your body is addicted to.