To help keep all of you inspired, we ve asked some

remarkable individuals to share their raw food stories with you. Enjoy!

In December of 2007 I was at rock bottom. I was 42 years old and exhausted. I was carrying about 190 pounds on my 5'3" frame. I had been suffering from fibromyalgia pain for nine years. I had debilitating intense headaches, constant asthma, and was pre-diabetic. I have also had a lifelong struggle with a mood disorder and deep depression. I have taken several different anti-depressant medications over the years and each one worked for a number of months and then I would be worse off than ever. I believe that these anti-depressants caused my memory to be impaired and contributed to my rapid weight gain. As you can imagine, I was becoming hopeless. I've been a vegetarian since the age of 12 and as an adult I have eaten organic, healthy foods, but I still felt as though I was dying.

The physical changes continued as I ate raw foods until I felt great and had lost 60 pounds. I felt that I had been given the gift of life and had literally been brought back from a place very close to death. Weight loss and the absence of pain are only two of the gifts that raw foods have given me. The other gifts are more subtle, but no less miraculous. The most wonderful gift that my raw food experience has given me is the ability to care for myself. The process of discovering a new lifestyle and learning how to eat in a new way brought my attention and focus to my own care. In the past, I prided myself on caring for others before myself. This mindset didn't work so well! I had ignored myself to the point of misery. Eating raw foods finally allowed me to learn how to nurture myself.

Another important gift the raw lifestyle has given me is the gift of mindful eating. I believe that many of the foods that I left behind when I became a raw foodist were foods that I was both allergic and addicted to. I was not able to eat mindfully when I was eating cooked starches, especially wheat. Those foods were like drugs for me. After I eliminated them, my eating became calm and the focus became nutrition rather than cravings. This is a freedom I had not experienced before in my life! The last amazing gift that raw foods have given me is a way to manage my depression without dangerous drugs. When I first went raw my depression vanished and was gone for many months. It has returned a few times, but now that I am raw I experience far less depression and I am better equipped to handle it. I am experimenting with nutritional supports to reduce my depression even further.

The raw foods lifestyle has been a journey of self-discovery for me. I faced my food addictions and cravings, let go of old ideas about myself and my body, and continuously expanded my ideas about food. I encourage all those who are searching for a healthier, happier life to give raw foods a try. You will not only get the benefits of all the beautiful raw foods, but you will experience a journey into yourself. Big changes invite deep inquiry and the results can be profound. I have been on this adventure for a year and 8 months now and I continue to feel the benefits. The raw food path has allowed me to live in a new and joyful way and I am grateful for all it has given me!

Thank you for reading!

~Kendra