An Evolution of Consciousness

The trajectory of my whole life changed. At first, everything had to be organic. Health food stores became like a second home to me. I loved the smell of the co-op. I could barely afford to eat meat and dairy but I still did as long as it was high quality. A couple more rules that I picked up from Natural Cures were to eat a fresh fruit or vegetable before every meal, eat one big salad per day, and eat 5 fruits or vegetables per day. These rules would help most people if they would just put them into practice. They helped me tremendously. I lost weight and felt great.

Water consumption was another big piece of the puzzle. I originally started drinking tap water from a 32 oz. glass mug. This was what initially gave me the insight and belief to continue my health journey. Just upping my water intake from practically non-existent to somewhere between 1-2 gallons a day made a huge impact in my physical and mental health. "If something as simple as increasing my water consumption could have such a huge impact, what else I'm missing out on?" I thought.

My whole worldview started to change. I couldn't go back. The whole healthcare industry was a fraud. Pills and surgery were not the answer. Pharmaceuticals were not some cool and prestigious items to be revered. Healthcare in America was not searching for cures, but was profiting from disease. I was only in my early 20s having all of these revelations.

I started reading every book about health I could get my hands on. With each successive book I would become enlightened even more. I was finding that the more obscure and hard to find information was usually the best. I found a tiny book under a shelf in a nutrition shop that would send me in a whole new direction and eventually lead me to southern California. Professor Arnold Ehret's Mucusless Diet Healing System was the name of the book and I felt better than ever following his advice. Because of my trials of the previous year or so I was ready to accept more and more radical moves.

Fruits and vegetables became the staple of my diet. I found that dates were a good source of calories and tasted great. I purchased a WOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) booklet and contacted a date farm in Thermal California. I made plans to uproot my life and move there. They would provide food and a place to stay while I worked there. I only made it a couple days on the farm before I retreated back into Los Angeles where I had made some friends in the weeks prior to arriving at the farm. My dream of keeping my raw vegan diet slowly faded away. I tried everything to hold on to the amazing feeling but the stress of everyday life working as a personal banker had me eating junk again.

Eventually I had enough of the bank and sought out a life of freedom once again. I resumed my raw vegan lifestyle and lost the weight. I found fresh organic juice on main street in Santa Monica and fresh organic coconut water bottled by a small local company. Nothing had ever made me feel so energized and good. The freedom, diet and energy didn't last long. Money was starting to become scarce and the stress started to set in again.

Eventually I found a good paying job in sales at Verizon Wireless which allowed me to stay in Los Angeles. I found a way to stick to a raw vegan diet while working in a high stress environment this time. The Santa Monica Farmers Market and the Downtown Wholesale Produce Market became my second homes. I made gallons of smoothies every morning and drank them all day long. I felt great once again. I squeezed fresh organic orange juice and added them to bananas, berries, and greens. About half of each smoothie was frozen and the cooler I brought them in kept them cold throughout the day.