Anand and Runi Exposed! "In the Raw"

3 months later.........photos

2008-08-22T18:00:00.008+10:00

Hi Everyone

Long time no blog! It has been an amazing 3 months, rich and intense.

First up, I mentioned that I began going to the local gym to try and put some weight on. I also promised more photos of my progress. At the height of my fast I was 62.5kg, I then stabalised at 64.5kg and had trouble gaining any more weight on my version of Doug Graham's 80/10/10 diet, despite going to the gym 3-4 times a week. I also felt tired and less than 100% well - something was definitely missing from my diet. I began taking superfoods again to see if they would help and to be honest, they didn't do it for me. Then one day I had a huge craving for fish. I decided to trust my body rather than force a raw vegan ideal on it and the result was dramatic. Within minutes of eating the fish I felt energy and balance return to my body and I clear message that there was something in the fish which I needed. I know I will appear a heretic to some of my raw vegan and vegetarian friends and colleagues, however, fish once a week, raw or lightly steamed has made a huge difference to my health and sense of well-being. My diet is currently raw vegan apart from the weekly fish.

I can say from my own experience that for my body, Doug Grahams "One Size Fits All" 80/10/10 diet does not work for everyone. While I felt great initially on the 80/10/10 after a couple of months I felt depleted and ended up with my flu in over 5.5 years. For me the 80/10/10 is a great cleanse but not a sustainable diet.

From this experience I revisited William Wollcotts "Metabolic Typing Diet" to better understand why some people thrive on certain diets like the 80/10/10 and others suffer. Metabolic typing distinguishes 3 main body types, Carbohydrate, Protein and Mixed and while I do not agree with it all it seems to have some merit. I am a mixed type and do well on a mostly raw vegan diet with a small amount of animal protein. According the Metabolic Typing principle, to do well on a vegan diet you need to be a Carbohydrate body type.

I have been going to the gym 3-4 times a week and doing a combination of low repetition heavy weights (reaching muscle fatigue in 8-12 reps) x 4 sets. Plus some high rep classes like Body Pump as well as 20 to 40 minutes of cardio (running or Cross Trainer) A total of 1 to 1.5 hours per session.

How do I feel? Like superman! I knew that strenuous exercise made me feel good, though I didn't push myself on a regular basis. Having a program to work with and being consistent especially with the low rep heavy weights has made an enormous difference: I feel stronger, my posture has become more erect and my mind is clearer. Hard training on a regular basis really works for me.

What have I been eating?

I begin the day with a super charged green smoothie which includes three heaped tablespoons of hempseed protein powder, 1 tablespoon of bee pollen, 1 tablespoon of lucuma powder, 1 tea spoon of raw cacao nibs, 1 tea spoon of raw cacao powder, 1 teaspoon of raw cacao butter, 1 table spoon of coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of Inliven superfood probiotic,1 teaspoon purple corn extract, 1 teaspoon AFA blue green Algae, 1/2 a drinking coconut (flesh and water) 5-6 bananas, 150g of leafy greens (baby spinach or kale) 500ml of alkaline water. Yum!

In case you were wondering where to find all these exotic superfoods North America cl.ick here and Australia cl.ick here

This smoothie sustains me for 4-5 hours!

Runi has a similar smoothie without the bee pollen (she is allergic to it) with Inliven and only one banana (she is a Proten Metabolic type and doesn't do so well on so much sweet fruit)

I am including more fat in my diet now, including a few handfuls of nuts and an avocado daily plus some coconut oil and cacao butter. I simply wasn't putting on any weight on a low fat 80/10/10 diet and eating the quantity of fruit suggested did my head in. I also eat lots of leafy green salads with sea vegetables like kelp and dulse.

Ok, I am sure you have all been waiting for the photos :-) The photo on the left was taken on day seven of a fast and after 3 months on the 80/10/10 diet - I weighed 62.5kg. The other photos are take three months later at 70kg. My goal was 72kg, though I may even try on 75kg as I feel great having some muscle and Runi likes it! By the way, my body turns 47 in one weeks time.

We have been very lucky to have help in creating a new fantastic Green Smoothie Challenge website which will be operational early next week. If you haven't done the challenge or would like to revisit it the next official dates are September 7th to 20th 2008. Its a free inspirational online health program in which over 2000 people have participated so far. www.greensmoothiechallenge.org

Hep C update
For those of you with Hep C, I have been able to keep my liver healthy on a raw food diet without the usual recommended liver herbs - I have had normal liver function readings for over 4 years now and no sign of swelling, fibre or fatty deposits in ultrasounds. However, I do still have a high viral load. My goal is to be 100% free of the virus itself and I am presently experimenting with MMS (Miracle Mineral Solution) Jim Humble the main MMS advocate claims it can clear and extraordinary number of diseases including Aids, hep C and malaria to name a few. I will let you know how I go. For more info visit http://www.miraclemineral.org/

Enjoy life to the max!

Blessings to all

Anand

What is wrong with this picture?

2008-05-18T20:36:00.003+10:00

Just wanted to share this picture I took at the local shopping centre.

It looks innocent enough, however, on close inspections it shows that this bakery chain are selling pink buns, filled with sugar, white flour and artificial colourings and are then giving 100% of the profits are going to Breast Cancer Australia Network. So what is wrong with that picture? Well, for a start they are selling nutritionally dead food with ingredients which would probably feed cancer plus a myriad of other conditions from obesity to diabetes.

It reminds me of a Tim Tam campaign for breast cancer which was happening a few months ago. Well meant intentions no doubt, but to me totally bizarre seeing junk food companies supporting cancer organisations!

I went to the Breast Cancer Australia network website and suggested there was a certain incongruity here. I will let you know their response. I also told them about the free Green Smoothie Challenge which begins this Wednsday May 21st.

Be well

Anand

The unexpected, fasting and the flu

2008-05-07T07:51:00.005+10:00

Wow, just got home from a 6am Pump class at the Gym and am still shaking! Runi and I joined the Murwillumbah gym last night. It's the first time I have ever been a member of a gym. I always preferred exercise which came from from fun activities like surfing, tennis, squash, never exercise for the sake of exercise. I found that way too boring. Anyway, I really recognise that an amazing raw food diet is not enough for extraordinary health. Daily strenuous exercise is a must.

This photo is from the first class we held in our home on April 6th. We loved being able to do the class from our own kitchen! Runi is presenting a talk on Green Smoothies.

I mentioned in the last post that I was going to build muscle as my weight had dropped since I stopped surfing regularly and adopting a hybridised version of Dr Doug Grahams low fat 80/10/10 diet. Well, that was April 16th. Since then things didn't go as planned. I was reading Paul Braggs "Miracle of Fasting" and decided it was time to experiment with some light fasting (something I have mostly avoided- I love food and don't enjoy how I feel when fasting) Nearly all the health pioneers I respect all agree just on one thing - fasting is the quickest way to heal the body, full stop. So I committed to water fast one day a week to begin with. The first day went well, but when I began to eat the next day I didn't feel well. That night I came down with a fever and aching. I thought I must be detoxing from the fast. So I decided to go back on the water fast - again most of the health pioneers agree that at the first sign of a cold, flu or any illness, fasting is the quickest way to move through it. After 4 days and nights of sweating and aching I realised this was more than detox - I had got my self a good old fashioned flu! I hadn't even experienced a sniffle or cough for 5.5 years so it was a bit of a shock to feel so ill. Anyway the fever stopped after 5 days, and I felt cleansed and weak. I fasted for a total of 7 days the last 3 on green juice and water and my weight dropped to 62.5kg. I am nearly 6 feet tall! So much for building muscle :-)

What I directly learned from the experience is that stress is toxic. I have been working unbelievably hard this year and only exercising spasmodically. I believe this left me open to a virus. After 5.5 years with no illness I thought I was bullet proof and could push my body as hard as I liked without consequence.

I am going go out on a limb here and expose myself - here is a photo of me at 62.5kg after 7 days fasting. It looks bad, I know, however, I am totally sold on the benefits of fasting. During the fast a cut on my forhead healed in record time, my skin and eyes became incredibly clear despite having a virus and I feel transformed on some deeper level. Fasting seems to have a strong spiritual aspect to it, which is very mysterious. Its funny, many people around me were very concerned that I was fasting: as a culture we seem to link fasting to starvation and illness, when in my experience the exact opposite is true!

I am now up to 64.5kg and am aiming to get up to 72kg - on a raw vegan diet. More photos to follow!

(An interesting aside: While there is some great info in Paul Braggs "Miracle Of Fasting" I have to let you know that I did some research into Paul and discovered that he told many lies about his early life experiences and also lied about his age. I always thought that he died in his 90's from a surfing accident. Birth records show he was actually 14 years younger than he claimed and he died at the age of 77!) I was disappointed that he felt the need to lie to promote himself and his business)If you are interested See what Wikipedia has to say about Paul

Green Smoothie Challenge Update
The first free Green Smoothie Challenge will be running from May 21st for 2 weeks. The website is nearly complete. I will let you know when you can officially register. Get your blenders ready!

Love and blessings

Anand

Am I really too thin?

2008-04-16T18:25:00.005+10:00

Wow, it's been nearly 1 month since the last blog entry. In that time we have been to New Zealand to teach a class in Auckland to 50 mostly male executives, (see photo of our wonderful team in Auckland with Steve and Renata on the left) hot mud baths and thermal spas in Rotorua working on our not-for-profit community projects The Green Smoothie Challenge and Rawcovery, participating in the Self Expression and Leadership program with Landmark Education and generally taking it easy (not!)

ok, I am getting the message from all sides (including my beloved Runi) that I am looking too thin! Since I lowered my fat intake and stopped surfing I have lost 4kg. The funny thing is I feel great, but how I am often perceived is skinny. So what is the benchmark by which we judge someone as too thin? If we are to look at the average 46 year old Australian male, I must look malnourished. Interestingly the longest lived communities on the planet are all very lean and they consume an average 2000 calories of high quality food a day. The average Aussie consumes between 3500-4000 (mostly dead) calories a day In fact one Big Mac with fries and coke is 3500 calories alone!
Anyway, I am succumbing to the pressure and have decided to bulk out a little by working out at the local gym. I will keep you posted. Expect semi naked photos of me with rippling muscles :-)

Also, we have an wonderful opportunity for a leader to spearhead the amazing Green Smoothie Challenge. This is a wonderful opportunity to develop skills in running a not-for-profit community project which will really make a difference to the health of our communities. For more info call Anand on 0412 723 577.

To subscribe to this blog visit www.rawpower.com.au and fill in the blog form.

Lorne Class and Green Smoothie Challenge

2008-03-19T23:54:00.011+11:00

We are now back from an awesome raw class and lunch for 150 in
Lorne, Victoria and are already preparing for Auckland. Again I would like to knowledge the incredible support we received, this time from my mum, Anne (on the right) my sister Catherine (third from left) who let us take over her kitchen for 2 and 1/2 days Geraldine (far left) and Shey 2nd from left. Holding a gourmet raw lunch and class for 150 is a huge operation and it went so smoothly - thankyou all!!!!!!

Green Smoothie Challenge
We have had an overwhelming response to the Green Smoothie Challenge. If you would like to volunteer in any way to help make this happen I would love to hear from you. You can email me at anandrah@gmail.com or call 0412 723 577 (Australia) or +61 412 723 577 for international calls. We are still looking for someone to build a simple website and someone to work on art work/logo.

In case you haven't heard I am involved in an awesome course called Self Expression and Leadership with Landmark Education and the course involves creating a non-profit community project. It is from this that I have created the “Green Smoothie Challenge” which aims to create the possibility of vibrant health and empowerment for all who participate. My goal is to have 5000 people drinking green smoothies by June 5^th 2008! and to record the results and testimonials and really increase public awareness of the amazing benefits of living foods and of course the Green Smoothie. We are going to hold national press releases across Australia and make sure this information reaches as many people as possible

If any of you have any feedback or suggestions I would love to hear. I have registered www.greensmoothiechallenge.org (not up yet) and will be giving away recipes and support. The world needs this information!!! Australia is a very sick country as are most other developed nations, and there is absolutely no reason it should continue to be this way.

Love peace blessings and deliciously good health!

Anand

Time flies........

2008-03-09T16:17:00.006+11:00

I would like to publicly express gratitude for all the help we have received over the past few weeks. Holding large raw food classes is a team effort and we couldn't have done it without the amazing support we received in Adelaide from Sufio, Remedy Fiona and V and in Brisbane with Michael, Kate, Ishka and Neroli! Thankyou!!!!!!! xxxoooxxx

Wow, it's been over 2 weeks since our last blog entry. In that time we have held a corporate training class in Adelaide for 70 and a public class in Brisbane for 45 and at the same time we are beginning 2 community projects which are part of the Self Expression and Leadership program Runi and I are doing with Landmark Education! We are really excited about these non-profit community projects and they both provide a great opportunity for any of you who would like to contribute to the health and wellbeing of our communities in a meaningful way. Runi's project is "Rawcovery" and mine is "The Green Smoothie Challenge".
We will be sharing lots more about these as they come to life. In the meantime if you want to find out more we have shared them in detail in our most recent e-newsletter.

Tomorrow we leave for Melbourne to hold another corporate class for 150 at Lorne we are then back for 2 weeks before leaving for Auckland for another class - so please excuse any lapses in our blogging :-)

Cansema continued
2 blog entries ago I shared about this herbal concoction called cancema which is meant to eat away skin cancers. Since mentioning it I have received a couple of reports of people having not such good experiences with it - including scarring and infections. My experience has been positive so far and here is a photo of the scar after 2 weeks. I will let you know how it continues to heal and whether the growth I had above my eye returns.

Love and blessings to all

Anand

Raw class for 100 in a night club!

2008-02-22T22:36:00.010+11:00

Hi we are just back from Terrigal after holding a class at the Crowne Plaza for around 100 managers for a large packaging company. It was a very different experience holding a class for an audience who were put in front of us with little or no knowledge of the living food lifestyle. I loved sharing the information regardless and I trust that those who were ready to hear it benefited. Oh, yeah I forgot to mention this class was held in a night club which was also an experience in itself.

We are off to Brisbane tomorrow to do the first day of the Self Expression and leadership course with Landmark Education. Then on Sunday we fly to Adelaide to hold another corporate class for 70 delegates from the same packaging company there. Back on Wednesday and then a public class in Brisbane on Saturday which is very close to booking out.

I am looking forward to spending some time at home in the garden!

Our next blog entry will probably be in one weeks time - stay tuned in.

Love, peace and amazingly good health

Anand

The be notified by email whenever we add to our blog visit www.rawpower.com.au and fill in the blog form.

Corporate goes raw + clay house painting + cancema

2008-02-16T22:08:00.008+11:00

I have been a little inactive with my blog these past few days: busy, busy - we are having our living room/kitchen painted with this amazing 100% clay paint. I love it, absolutely no fumes and you can tip the clean up water into your compost, plus we are preparing to do our biggest raw class to date. A corporate training for 100 managers for a major packaging manufacturer. This will be the first of 3 such trainings held across 3 states in 3 weeks! I am really impressed that a major corporation is willing to invest in the health and well-being of their people in this way! There is hope yet!!!
Here is a photo of my beloved Runi slaving over a warm dehydrator making flax/sunflower/buckwheat crackers for 330 people!

Back to houses and paint.

Our homes (especially new homes) are one of the most toxic environments we can live in. New carpets out gas volatile organic chemicals or, VOCs such as 4 -PC for up tp 12 months which give new carpets their new carpet odor. It is actually a by-product of latex used in the backing of many carpets. Other VOCs in carpeting nclude toluene, formaldehyde, acetone, dyes, and benzines while derivatives containing VOCs are, resistant coatings for stains, fire, mildew, fungus and pesticides. Nice!!!!

House paints are not any better...... "Heavy metals and other toxic chemicals are also often used in the manufacture of paints and finishes, or their colouring tints. These include chrome, mercury, cadmium, formaldehyde, preservatives, driers, fungicides and odour suppressants. A paint can be labelled zero or low VOC and still contain many of these other toxic chemicals because some VOC ratings only refer to compounds that contribute to external air pollution by the formation of low level ozone (smog), and not to other compounds that can be Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP's) or toxic substances"

This is why I am so excited about these wonderful Volvox clay paints. If you are interested in finding out how you can paint your house without poisoning yourself and the environment I highly recommend you get in touch with Deb at Painted Earth She is based in Yelgun near Byron Bay and will ship paint Australia wide. You can call her on 02 6680 5729 or visit her informative website. And while I think of it if you would like to hire a fantastic painter who loves using non-toxic paints call Pramad on 0488749709 - Here is a photo of Pramad at work on our ceiling looking very angelic.

The next photo is not so pretty. It is a close up of a skin cancer being eaten out by an amazing herbal concoction called Cancema. It is illegal to sell it to use on humans so I am trialling the "pet" version. The original Cancema people ended up in jail in the USA because their product actually works and the drug companies and authoritues don't like herbal remedies that work! Cancema actually targets cancerous cells and leaves healthy cells alone. I am impressed so far. For more info on Cancema and where to get it visit Elaine Hollingsworth's awesome website www.doctorsaredangerous.com

I am treating the wound with a mixture DMSO (liquid MSM), fresh aloevera and hydrogen peroxide. I will post more photos of the healing process over the next few weeks.

We will be away until next Thursday so I may not be able to make another blog post until we are back.

Until then all love peace and blessings to you!

Anand and Runi

Where do you find your ecstasy?

2008-02-09T22:38:00.000+11:00

To me a living food diet isn't a dogma or a religion. It really is about feeling really GOOD, in my body, mind and spirit. If I am not feeling intrinsically good about myself and my life, I see this is a message from existence that I need to make change. As I have previously shared in this blog in my early years I used drugs to feel good. Unfortunately (or fortunately) drugs didn't do it. The higher I flew the harder I fell. And fall I did! Then at the age of 23 I turned to spirituality, meditation, therapy all of which gave me experiences of feeling good naturally without the come down of drugs.

In all of my exploration I have discovered that almost nothing takes me to bliss like dancing! Many indigenous and ancient societies have known the secrets of ecstatic dance to experience the divine and expanded states of consciousness. With our busy and driven 21st century lifestyles many of us seem to have lost touch with the sacred and dance has become something we do in nightclubs or parties intoxicated on drugs or alcohol.

Around 18 months ago I was so happy to discover a dance class/event called 5 rhythms held at the Byron Bay scout hall every Friday night. This class involves no religion, no drugs, alcohol, cigarettes or dance steps, no talking. It simply involves letting your body move very freely and naturally through a series of 5 distinct stages. 5 rhythms was brought into being by a pioneering American dance teacher Gabrielle Roth who teaches dance as a means to connect with the divine. Here is a short video of Gabrielle explaining the 5 Rhythms.

During the class I just let my body move exactly as I feel. To begin with I can be a little self conscious and then at some point my body takes over and I am taken by the music and the dance. I can't express in words how liberating it is to move and express whatever I am feeling without my everyday masks on. To experience this level of wildness is real ecstasy! The class goes for 2.5 hours and it is both a meditation and an amazing work out all in one.

The Byron Bay class is facilitated by the lovely Deva Nandan, an accredited 5 rhythms teacher. When I began going there were 8 to 15 regular dancers, last nights class had 65 pulsing, sweating bodies. This is something worth experiencing! If you live near Byron Bay or are visiting drop in for a dance - you can find out more by contacting Deva Nandan on 02 6684 4176 / 0431 035271 or 5rhythmsdance@gmail.com She also holds classes in Brisbane.

If you live in Melbourne you can contact Meredith who holds regular classes in Fitzroy on 0408 881 557 For those of you who live in other parts of the planet you can visit the 5 rhythms website to see where the closest class to you is happening .

When I can't make it to classes I like to put on music at home and dance with Runi. By the way Runi and I met at a 5 Rhythms class, but that's another story we will share in another blog.

We keep hearing how much many of you like the photos, so here are a few more we would like to share with you. Top right photo - Anand in a playful mood! 2nd from top right photo - Goddess at the kitchen sink (Runi straining green juice through a nut milk bag - a technique we learnt from Mr Matt Monarch) 3rd from top right photo - a view of Mt Warning from on our 6km morning jog. 4th from the top right photo Anand's breakfast 2 huge mangoes, a big handful of goji berries, 2 TBS maca powder and 2 TBS bee pollen - YUM!!! (I was having a day off green smoothies) Top Left photo - My favourite place to shop - a wet Byron bay farmers market. Bottom left photo our new automatic sprouting machine - this is sooo cool. Just put in your seeds, fill with water and it does the rest - perfect sprouts!! We will soon have these for sale at www.rawpower.com.au Bottom centre photo - what's "not cooking". A few dehydrated delights - flax/buckwheat/sunflower crackers, dried bananas and mangoes, and sweet potato chips! If you would like to be notified by email whenever we update our blog, just visit www.rawpower.com.au and fill in the blog subscription form on the right hand side.

Love, peace, ecstasy and deliciously good health
Anand

2 free raw e-books, juice feasting, and Don Tolman Talk

2008-02-05T03:54:00.000+11:00

Today Runi and I broke a 2 and a half day juice fast/feast. Wow, I am impressed that some people like Angela Stokes lasted 92 days on her juice feast. That's 3 months on liquids!!!I always find day 2 of a fast the most difficult - head aches, tired, grumpy, fuzzy brain. (especially if I am working) Often I feel like lying down and resting. Runi is quite different: she seems to power through day 2 almost effortlessly. During the feast/fast we drank around 4 litres of fresh juice each day. Around 50% green vegetable juice (with a small amount of carrot) and around 50% fruit juice - mostly watermelon with a little fresh green coconut. We found with the watermelon we could either put it through our trusty Oscar Vital Max juicer or blend it in our Powermill blender and then strain it through a nut milk bag.

I always feel so rejuvenated and fresh after fasting (even though I may complain during it!) It really gives the body a rest from digestion and the chance to clean out and heal and it shows in shining eyes and glowing skin and a sense of well-being.

I was recently passed on a couple of free raw e-book links which I will pass on to you now. One from the original raw food trail-blazer Anne Wigmore on Jim Carey's (not the actor's) raw blog (click here to download) and the other from Revvellations (click here to download)

Also, if you missed it our newsletter, you can be our guest for to an inspirational evening with the genius of Don Tolman (Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth) for free tickets while they last. All you need to do is enter our privilege code POWER when you book your tickets at Fortune Events and your $89 tickets will become free! I spoke about Don in our newsletter so I won't say any more here except GO! Click here to book your tickets.

If you haven't seen our "how to make raw nut butter" video yet I have included it at the end of this blog post. Since making the video I have discovered you can also make raw almond butter (yum) the same way- it just takes longer in the food processor (around 10 minutes). We soak our almonds for at least 8 hours to release anti nutrients and enzyme inhibitors and then dehydrate them at 45C in our Excalibur dehydrator until crunchy around 36 hours.

This last photo of 2 green tree frogs was taken at 2am out the front of our house. Does anyone know is this just an innocent hug or piggy back or is there more to this? I was returning home from a Landmark Education course in Brisbane. If you are interested in realising your greatness this lifetime I highly recommend you check out Landmark. Their courses are incredibly transformational. I will share more about my experiences with Landmark in later blogs. In the meantime if you are curious here's a little more about what they offer:

"Landmark Education is a global educational enterprise committed to the fundamental principle that people have the possibility of success, fulfillment, and greatness. The ideas, insights, and distinctions on which Landmark Education's courses are based and the results it has produced make Landmark a leader and innovator in the field of training and development.

The work of Landmark Education is the product of extensive research and development in individual and organizational effectiveness and communication. Landmark uses its leading-edge educational methodology to enable people to produce extraordinary results and enhance the quality of their lives.

Headquartered in San Francisco, Landmark offers programs around the world. Hundreds of thousands of people on five continents have participated in Landmark's programs. Find out what people say about Landmark Education."

Below is the "How to make fresh raw nut butter" video starring yours truly.

Love, peace and deliciously good health

Anand

P.S. Runi will soon be sharing more of her story with before and after photos - stay tuned in.

It's not just about the food!

2008-01-30T00:34:00.002+11:00

Anthony Robbins in his Personal Power seminar explains human behaviour as being driven by two major factors - the urge to avoid pain and the urge to find pleasure. Or even more simplistically, you could say we want to feel good and not feel bad. So how is this connected to food you may ask?

If you have attended one of our classes you may have heard me tell the story of how I became raw. Many people come to a raw food lifestyle from desperation; niggling or serious health concerns which won't go away or which become even worse with traditional western medical approaches.

For me it was different. I was experiencing no symptoms of ill health (this doesn't mean I was healthy by a long shot) and I was lucky enough to meet a charismatic mentor who had healed himself from a life threatening illness using food as his medicine. But what really got me was the claim he made that 75% -95% of all mental and emotional disturbances we experience are due to our chemistry being out of whack from poor diet! I didn't really believe him at the time though he certainly had my attention.

I had spent the previous 20 years exploring meditation and a myriad of therapies in search of consciousness, inner peace, happiness and self knowledge. While I had my fair share of happy moments along the way, I had overlooked one very important fact! Everything I experience, I experience though my senses and body. If my body is struggling to handle the toxic overload of processed foods and other toxins my experience of life will be dampened or dulled (at the mild end of the scale) or totally incapacitated (at the severe end) What I discovered after several months on living foods is that my experience of reality changed dramatically. My senses came alive, I felt happier, more alert, more energetic with a sense of well-being which had mostly eluded me on a processed food diet. I also needed 2 hours less sleep per night and intuition and synchronicity became an everyday part of life. I wouldn't have believed the dramatic changes if I hadn't experienced it for myself.

The unusual thing is I lost pretty much everything at the time I went raw - an 8 year marriage, a business, a home and yet I was enjoying life like never before. That's not to say I didn't experience emotional pain, marriage break ups are not fun, however, I was able to surf the storm and keep my head above water in a way I wouldn't have thought possible before.

What I have learned is that keeping this amazing body healthy is a key to my happiness and sense of on-going well-being. Trying feel good, I mean really good, on a processed, chemical laden diet is like trying to climb Mount Everest with a 50kg sack of rocks on your back! It may be possible for the occasional, rare person though most of us are going to fail.

The problem is nearly all of us have been bought up on a diet of less than wholesome food and we don't even know what it is like to be vibrantly healthy. We also often do work which we are not passionate about to pay the bills, give up on our dreams and settle for a life of mediocrity. I DID IT!! But you know what? Since embarking on this raw food adventure I feel so much more and I can't just numb my self out with TV, junk food, alcohol and other distractions that keep me from feeling BAD. Instead I live with the women of my dreams in an idyllic part of the planet doing work I am incredibly fulfilled with!

I can't say that living foods will work for everyone this way. Your journey is uniquely yours, however, it is very common for those who persistently eat living, organic foods (and who avoid toxic foods i.e. refined sugars, grains, dairy, oils) to experience positive changes in many areas of their lives, beyond the physical.

One thing is for sure: all the money in the world is worthless if you don't have the health and sense of well-being to enjoy it.

May you be inspired to live the very best life possible for you!

Love, peace and deliciously good health

Anand

Hippocrates, Elaine Hollingsworth and Green drinks

2008-01-26T23:21:00.001+11:00

Today I went to pick up a dear friend from Hippocrates Health Centre Of Australia in Mudgeeraba, Gold Coast hinterland. I took the back road from Murwillumbah which is a stunning drive. This photo is taken from the "Best Of All Lookout" near Springbrook which offers breathtaking views of the Wollumbin (Mt Warning) volcanic caldera and beyond. The walk to the lookout was through a mystical forest of ancient Antarctic Beech trees said to be 2000+ years old!

This is such magical part of the world and it was the land itself which
drew me here 22 years ago.

At Hippocrates I had the total pleasure of meeting the delightful Elaine Hollingsworth, author, health crusader, co-founder of Hippocrates Australia, former Hollywood movie star and a very passionate and inspirational woman. Elaine told me she has been taking great care of herself since the age of 19 by avoiding many of the pitfalls of a modern diet and lifestyle and it really shows!!! This photo of Elaine was taken in 2004 at the age of 76! Now at the age of 79 (or there abouts) Elaine is 100% committed to revealing the truth about health and exposing the corruption and lies which are being spread by big business (in particular pharmaceutical companies) I am half way through reading her book “Take Control of Your Health and Escape the Sickness Industry” which is bordering on revolutionary in what it reveals about health, disease and the "sickness industry"I highly recommend you get your hands on a copy. You can buy it from her wonderfully informative website http://doctorsaredangerous.com/ We also will be carrying her book in the very near future.

Green Juice verses Green Smoothie
When I first began a raw lifestyle 5 years ago nearly every day I would have a green juice made from plenty of dark leafy green veges, celery, cucumber and a little carrot or apple. Over the past year or so I have favoured the green smoothie which is much quicker to make. Both the green smoothie and green juice are awesome drinks and both offer similar and different benefits. The green smoothie as well as delivering much needed chlorophyll, minerals and nutrients also includes the plant fibre which is so great for pulling toxins from the bowel. While the green juice a massive dose of pure nutrition which goes straight to your cells with minimal digestion needed.

For a change I had one litre of green juice today and I remembered why I used to have them everyday. Within seconds of drinking it my cells are dancing, tingling in gratitude and I am infused with a calm yet vibrant energy which lasts for hours. This is amazing stuff! To make my green juice I use an Oscar Vitalmax which is an augur juicer that slowly "chews" the vegetables while maintaining there nutritional value (unlike centrifugal juicers which spin at high speed causing the veges to oxidise and over heat.)

I find green juice is the most wonderful elixir to have after indulging in food which did not totally agree with me, like too much raw chocolate (which we have been experimenting with a lot of late!!!)

I find the green juice incredibly cleansing and healing while the green smoothie is more sustaining and building. Experiment, they are both divine.

If you are interested in learning how easy it is to make raw macadamia nut or Brazil nut butter click HERE to watch my first ever demo video on you tube.

Love peace blessings and deliciously good health!

Anand

Melbourne Rawks!

2008-01-22T02:48:00.000+11:00

Runi and I have just arrived back from a fun trip to Melbourne. I am so grateful for all the support we received for the "Art of Raw" Melbourne class last Sunday!!!
So much work goes into preparing for the classes and with over 40 beautiful beings in the class we couldn't do it alone. When we are in Melbourne we stay with John and Anne (my parents) who give us so much support: They let us take over their kitchen and use their cars for 5 days plus much more!! Also, I would like to thank Myree for her focussed and loving help on the day and my sister Catherine for giving us a helping hand as well.

Last but not least I would like to thank all of you who attended the class!!! You were all incredibly gracious in hot and testing conditions.

A snap shot of our travel routine
When we travel our daily routine changes: while in Melbourne Runi and I wake up and go jogging around beautiful Wattle Park. Wattle Park is an oasis in the suburbs of Melbourne full of native trees and abundant bird life. The air is laden with the scent of Eucalyptus and it is so delicious to deeply inhale while jogging. When I was a child I used to love visiting this park, climbing all over the old Trams which are parked there and feeling like it was so big it must go on forever.

After jogging for half an hour we meditate for 20 minutes and then have breakfast - for me a mango, paw paw (papaya) and rainbow chard smoothie (2 mangoes, 1 small papaya and 3/4 of a bunch of chard blended with a glass of water) for Runi 1/2 a rock melon and 2 bananas and a handful of lychees. Runi and I often have different breakfasts though we usually share a luscious salad for lunch - including a generous amount of leafy greens, cos lettuce, rocket, baby spinach, parsley with chopped carrot, cucumber, avocado, tomato. We usually make a dressing, one of our favourites of late is the juice of a lemon with 2-3 tablespoons of tahini and a dash of wheat free tamari. I usually like to add some seaweed into the mix. Either nori, dulse or kelp (sometimes all three!) As we were preparing for a class we were also testing the meals we were preparing -in particular -raw pizza, pumpkin soup, chocolate bananas. I find we only really eat rich gourmet raw food around the time of the classes, which is fun once in a while. For dinner I would usually go for fruit such as 2 mangos and 2 nectarines as fruit digests easily before I go to bed. Runi often prefers to have a salad for dinner. However, one evening before the class I was experimenting with chocolate banana icecreams on a stick and I couldn't go to sleep until 3am due to the buzz it gave me!!! Hmmm someone has to do it.

Here is a photo of the some raw cacao butter being melted in warm water. It melts at 40C. We then dip half a frozen banana on a stick into the choc sauce (made from raw cacao powder, raw cacao butter and agave nectar) and here is a some what sexy and suggestive photo of beautiful Runi a bout to sample the first one. Raw food is so much fun!!! Love peace blessings xxx

Anyone for Pizza? - Runi

2008-01-13T23:45:00.002+11:00

Raw pizza is one of my favourite raw recipes. On Anand’s and my first date Anand made me raw pizza. It was my introduction to gourmet raw foods and looked and smelt delicious. I couldn’t believe that it was possible to produce pizza out of only raw ingredients. However, he offered me only one piece of pizza together with a salad. I was quite alarmed. His explanation, that on a raw food diet the quantity of food one eats is so much less than on a cooked food diet, did little to calm me. At the time I would eat 3-4 pieces of cooked pizza in a meal (well to be honest sometimes I’d eat 5 pieces). As it was our first date I was concerned that while he would be quite satisfied with one slice of pizza I certainly would not. I eyed off another two pieces whilst wondering how to avoid appearing a glutton.

I nibbled my way through the pizza hoping to prolong having to asking for more. To my surprise one piece satisfied me. As the base of the pizza was made with brazil nuts and buckwheat it didn’t trigger the usual cravings that I would experience when eating pizza. I felt a wonderful lightness that I had never associated with eating before. I was so used to feeling a dead weight in my stomach after eating. I thought that being weighed down was the price to pay if I wanted my hunger to be satisfied. This was the start to my journey with raw food and the beginning of the end of my struggle with food.

I’d like to share with you our favourite recipe for pizza bases and some photos of them being made. I find them very enjoyable and easy to make. The Excalibur Dehydrator is ideal for the task as the bases fit easily onto the trays.

1 cup buckwheat groats (soaked for 6 hours).

1 cup Brazil nuts

3 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

1 tablespoon fresh basil

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon tamari

1 pinch Celtic sea salt

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Spread the mixture out to 1 cm thickness on a non-stick dehydrator sheet. Cut out a pizza base using a pizza tray as a guide. Dehydrate at 45°C for 6 hours. Remove the non-stick sheet and leave the pizza base on a dehydrator mesh tray. Continue to dehydrate for a further 6-9 hours. You can store the pizza bases in the freezer and use them when needed.

So there you have a gluten-free, wheat-free and sugar free alternative to pizza. We will be demonstrating how to make pizzas along with 7 other amazingly delicious raw recipes in our next The Art of Organic Gourmet Raw Food Preparation class in Melbourne on Sunday 20 Jan.

Love Runi

The Power of Association and attracting what you really want in life.

2008-01-13T22:42:00.001+11:00

Hi Anand here,

Runi and I have just landed in Melbourne to begin preparing for this Sunday's class in "The Art Of Organic Gourmet Raw food preparation" Sharing these classes is such a buzz for me and doesn't feel like "work" at all. I can't think of anything else I would rather be doing, however, this wasn't the case......................

Two years ago I was working in the admin department of a local Steiner School with lovely people in a beautiful environment and yet for the last 6 months working there I really had to drag myself to work each day, I simply wasn't enthusiastic about what I was doing anymore and I would go surfing for 2 hours each evening after work just to feel alive again. At this point in time I was very much on a raw food path, running breathwork groups on my days off and doing a raw food market stall with my housemates and DJing on the weekends. I felt trapped in my job but couldn't see a clear way out and I was seduced by the security of having a reliable income.

It was during one of the breathwork groups I was leading that I asked everyone to write down something they would like attract into their life. I asked them to be very specific and to put a date by when they would like to have reached their goal. I thought it was probably a good idea to do this as well, so I wrote down that in 3 months time I would like to have left the
Steiner School and be working full-time doing what I love - sharing the rawfood lifestyle message, holding classes, retreats and making a good living from it. I couldn't see how I could possibly achieve this goal in 3 months time from where I stood. I didn't end up reaching the goal in 3 months, however, within 5 months time I had dived into the unknown and left my job not knowing how I was going to support myself, but trusting I would find a way. The market stall ( which I have now sold) blossomed as did the classes and retreats and I knew I was on track.

I am sharing this with you because, I think you will agree most people would like to have greater health and vitality and many talk about eating healthier food, though few actually succeed in actually doing it! Our habits of behaviour over time become ingrained whether they are serving us or not and sometimes it really takes a determined effort to make a positive change. I have found that understanding and applying the Law Of Attraction is a very powerful way to facilitate change in my life so I would like to go a littler further into this now.

I guess you have probably seen or heard about "The Secret" A film which explains this universal "law of attraction": simply put, whatever you focus on you attract into your life - be it what you want or what you don't want. What I didn't realise when I first saw it was that much of "The Secret's" content was taken from the communications of Abraham Hicks. When I heard this I sought out the teachings of Abraham Hicks and have found them to be full of very practical insights. Where "The Secret" describes what the law of attraction is, Abraham Hicks explains how to use it.

Applying this principle (the law of attaction) to health and a living food lifestyle, it makes sense if you want greater health and well-being that you begin to visualise what a radiantly healthy "you" would look like and feel like. Also along the same lines the power of association is incredibly powerful especially when wanting to make a significant change in your life. I was very lucky that when I went onto a raw food diet my whole house hold did it as well! This is not possible for everyone, so what I recommend is if you are really interested in making a transition to healthier, happier living, begin to associate with others who are already treading the path you are wanting to take. Join raw food meetup groups, raw food picnics and if this is not possible join online raw food communities, go to raw classes and retreats, immerse yourself in raw books, DVD's, audio and search the net for info. There is a vast amount of information available. Just last week the very lovely and inspirational Angela Stokes introduced us to a very cool online raw community http://giveittomeraw.com/ where you can meet others aspiring to a raw lifestyle online.

Here is a photo of Runi at our October 2007 Melbourne class at Ross House in the city.

May you be inspired and inspiring and may you attract everything you truly want into your life!

Love peace and deliciously good health to you.

Anand

Hepatitis C, raw food and thank you!

2008-01-11T20:08:00.002+11:00

Wow, we really thank everyone who has posted comments on our blog! Thank you for your feedback, encouragement and positivity, it really inspires us.

If you haven't done so already you can have our blog emailed to you by subscribing at www.rawpower.com.au make sure you fill in the blog form at the top of our homepage as our newsletter is a separate publication.

One last technical detail. Today's blog will go out to all our newsletter subscribers as well as to those of you have subscribed to our blog so I apologise if some of you receive this twice. As of the next post you will only receive this blog if you have specifically subscribed to it. If you don't wish to subscribe you can visit at your own leisure at http://onelusciousbite.blogspot.com

My Hep C journey
I would like to share something personal with you which may give hope to Hepatitis C carriers (and also anyone else suffering from chronic disease)

As a legacy of my past drug usage, I have what the medical establishment call Hepatitis C. I must have now had it for at least 22 years as it has been that long since I used drugs. It was only by chance that I discovered it's presence around 7 years ago. The way Hep C is commonly detected is through a liver function blood test: the liver leaks larger than usual quantities of an enzyme called ALT into the blood stream and this is picked up in the blood test.

Hep C is now the number one cause of liver cancer and liver transplants. It often takes 15-20 years before the liver damage really kicks in with cirrhosis and cancer being 2 frequent out comes, not to mention nausea, fatigue and flu like symptoms. The medical world treats it with a drug called Interferon which is incredibly invasive and disabling for many people who take thte 12 month treatment. I have always steered clear of this treatment in favour of a natural approach. Apart from being a toxic chemical which was never meant to be in my body, it often doesn't work especially with the more virulent Hep C genotype one (which I have)

Ok, here is my experience: before I changed my diet to living organic foods 5 years ago my liver function tests would regularly come in with abnormally high ALT readings. For the past 3 years ALL of my tests have come back normal and this is despite having a very high viral load (there is still plenty of the virus present in my blood)

Conclusion? While I am only one person and I can't say with certainty that my approach will work for everyone, it appears that with a raw food diet, exercise meditation and a positive attitude, a potentially lethal virus can be present in your body with out causing any damage.
Somehow, my immune system is dealing with it. I truly believe that our bodies are self-healing mechanisms, which given the right nourishment will heal themselves. My next goal is to see if I can completely remove the virus. Stay tuned in........... Also, if you know of anyone who has removed the virus naturally, I would love to hear about it!

Salad Dressing Recipe
Here is a photo of Runi dressing (a delicious salad:-) - the ingredients for this dressing are:
2 x kefir lime leaves
3cm stalk of fresh lemongrass (from the base)
Juice of one lemon
1/4 chilli
1 stalk of spring onion
1 handful of fresh herbs (coriander and basil)
4 tablespoons of tahini
1/4 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 dash of wheat free tamari
Enough water to make it runny.

Directions: blend in a powerful blender until smooth. (You really need a good blender. Cheap blenders won't chew through the lemon grass)

Yummmm!

Love peace blessings and radiant health to all

Anand and Runi

How to receive Anand and Runi's blog by email

2008-01-10T02:50:00.001+11:00

Dear friends

If you enjoy our blog you can have it delivered by email. Just go to www.rawpower.com.au and fill out the form at the top of the page. We are aiming to send a blog around 3 times a week.

Our blog and newsletter are two separate publications. The newsletter is less personal and is more about raw events and news. If you wish to subscribe to our newsletter too, the form is at the bottom of our homepage www.rawpower.com.au

Love, peace blessings

Anand

A green smoothie a day keeps the doctor away

2008-01-08T21:34:00.000+11:00

Hi, Anand here.

We would like these blogs to be useful as well as entertaining so here is perhaps the most simple and effective recipe you will find. It is so powerful that if you just do it without making any other changes to your diet you will feel the benefits.

This is a photo of what I had for breakfast this morning - half a bunch of rainbow chard and 5 lady finger bananas. It looks like and odd combination and certainly very unconventional, however, in around 5 minutes you can transform this into one of the most nutritious, delicious breakfasts/meals available.

1. Peel the bananas and place then in a powerful blender - we use a 2HP Powermill blender.
2. Add one glass of high quality filtered water. We use an Alphion from Jupiter Science which makes the best antioxidant, microclustered, alkaline livng water. Drinking pure living water is even more important than the food we eat.
3. Blend the bananas
4. Add the greens gradually
5. Add your favourite superfoods. (I have added AFA blue green algae, InLiven Probiotic, and wild bee pollen for extra protein, amino acids and friendly bacteria)
6. Drink

The whole process (including washing up) takes under 10 minutes and sustains me for hours.

It is much quicker than juicing, has the whole food with all the fibre (excellent for getting you going in more ways than one) and your body will thank you over and over again.

Remember the food choices you make today and tomorrow will determine your level of health and well-being in the years to come.

If you do nothing else, add one green smoothie to your day. Ideally drink at least 1 litre. If you make extra you can store it in the fridge in a sealed glass jar and top yourself up during the day.

Love, peace and ecstatically good health

Anand

First "in the raw" blog ever

2008-01-07T22:52:00.000+11:00

Hi Anand here.

Runi and I are always experimenting with new living food recipes and new approaches to raw, seeing what feels good and tastes great. So much so it is rare for us to eat the same recipe twice. We have decided to create this blog for 2008 to really expose how we live on a daily basis. What we are eating, what we are up to, the recipes and the effects! For those of you who are new to the raw lifestyle this blog will give you a deep insight and hopefully inspiration into what is really possible on a raw food diet 5 years down the track. We will also be sharing much more than just food - spirituality, love, guidance, purpose, life, intimacy, relationships......................

Wow, what a year 2007 was! We travelled to all states except Tasmania teaching "The Art Of Gourmet Raw Food Preparation" classes. Thank you so much for all of you who attended the classes. Sharing this information and these recipes with you brings me so much joy and fulfilment: for the first time in my life I can truly say I am living my dream and the work I do feels like fun. Over 1000 people have now attended our classes and retreats and in 2008 we will be offering trainings to teach those of you who are passionate about this how to run your own classes and how to inspire and help others as a raw food coach. This new venture will be called "One Luscious Bite" and we will keep you up to date with its birthing process in this blog.

Also we have just relocated our home and business (still unpacking) from busy Byron Bay to a more serene but equally beautiful Murwillumbah (40 minutes north of Byron nestled near the heart of the magnificent Mt Warning (Wollumbin) caldera) Moving home and business is HUGE and we are very happy in our new town and abode.
Here is a photo of Runi, Anand, our new home and Raw Power world headquarters :-)

Ok lets get into it! Here is what currently works for me during the course of a day. (this has evolved and will continue to evolve over the months and years I spend on this beautiful planet)

First up in the morning I like to bounce on a rebounder (mini trampoline) for 20 minutes - this loosens me up, wakes me up, drains my lymphatic system and prepares me for meditation. I currently meditate for 20 minutes simply watching the rise and fall my breath. This really helps to set the mood for the day. Relaxed, focused. After meditation I do another 20 minutes of stretching and weight beating exercise like push ups, crunchies, yoga.

One of the most common questions we are asked is "what do you actually eat in a day?" My answer is simply plenty of fresh organic raw fruit and vegetables - today I ate for breakfast 1 dragon fruit (also known as pitahaya, huǒ lóng guǒ (火龍果/火龙果 lit. "fire dragon fruit"), strawberry pear, nanettikafruit, or thanh long) with 2 mangoes and a tablespoon of wild WA bee pollen
Dragon fruit is an amazing fruit packed withb anti oxidants and is fast gaining popularity where we live in Northern NSW. Mixed with mango and bee pollen it is totally YUMMMMY! A couple of hours after brekky I ate 2 lady finger bananas.

For lunch we had a beautiful salad with nori seaweed finely chopped, a tahini, lemon juice and tamari dressing and guacamole mixed with fresh blended lemon grass, chilli, celtic sea salt. The greens were cos lettuce, rocket, chicory, parsley, coriander plus we added grated beetroot. I just never get bored with salads - there are endless possibilities.

After lunch we indulged in some raw chocolate fudge (we don't usually eat chocolate except for rare special occasions) however, we are working on some amazing new recipes and of course we have to try them - hazards of our occupation! Seriously though, I feel that raw cacao in small doses is not harmful and it is packed with anti oxidants, magesium and other mood enhancing chemicals such as anandamine a "bliss" chemical which helps stimulate the production of serotonin. Without giving away too many of our secrets in the fudge we used, raw organic fair trade cacao powder, cacao butter, agave syrup, almond meal, medjool dates, coconut oil and a pinch of celtic sea salt. You can actually find our original choc fudge recipe on our website

Dinner was another beautiful salad and I have to admit more chocolate which is probably why I am still here writing at 12.26am! Enough for today. Love peace blessings and radiant health to all. xxx Anand and Runi