The superlatively captivating, one-and-only Bif Naked has been a superstar rock and roll icon, performer, diva, composer, acclaimed actress, sought-after voice-over artist, gifted poet / writer, and even cartoonist(!) for years. But, did you know she's also a raw vegan !
Early in 2009, I remember reading about her breast cancer diagnosis. The story both intrigued and haunted the raw world: ?How could a raw foodie get cancer ! We're supposed to be impervious to such things, right !
Well, I knew that I had to explore this further at some point, as the topic has come up several times in conversations I've had with raw foodists around the world. Anyone can speculate, but I really wanted to hear Bif's thoughts directly. So, I rung her up and we had a long (40-minute), very candid talk about raw veganism, cancer, music, spirituality, tattoos, and a bunch of other really fascinating stuff.? She's amazing -- and we're truly grateful to have had the opportunity to chat with her -- so do check out this super audio interview right now, below!
Listen Now!!
[audio:pure-jeevan-bif-naked-nov-09.mp3]
Click the player above to listen here, or download the MP3 file here (right click the link and choose "Save file as..." to save to your hard drive for your own use).
Topics we explored include:
- How she got into raw foods
- What it was like for a raw foodie to get cancer
- Her current views on raw veganism
- Speculating on what caused the cancer
- Whether raw helped while on chemo
- Bif's health today
- Philosophizing about her doggie, Nicklas
- Spirituality and energy
- World travels
- Tattoos
- Her fascination with Russian prison tattoos
- What her Taj Mahal tatoo means
- Being raw while traveling
- Staying raw while touring
- The key to following your passions
- Thoughts on social networking
- Her passions (aside from music)!
- Additional thoughts on cancer and raw
If you're unfamiliar with Bif, you can connect with her online at her web site, blog, Twitter feed, Facebook page, or Myspace page.
Here's one of her latest music videos!
Original Comments
Below, we have included the original comments from this blog post. Additional comments may be made via Facebook, below.
On November 11, 2009, wrote:
What a fascinating woman. I love her look and her music! Thanks for posting this.
On November 11, 2009, wrote:
Thank you so much for this.
It's so helpful to me because I'm so new to this raw food lifestyle. Only slightly disconcerting in that I am doing this specifically to avoid Diabetes and Cancer. I am confident though that raw food is the best route to take to avoid them, and like Bif, If I should get something, my body will be way more equipt to heal than it would otherwise.
On November 11, 2009, wrote:
Cool person and great interview! :) I think it's also important to know that sometimes, despite doing all the right things, the wrong things can still happen. When my Mother in Law died of ovarian cancer it was really hard for my wife because Mom was a lifelong vegetarian, didn't drink, smoke, etc. So when she'd see an old person who was a smoker/drinker, it seemed so unfair to her to loose her Mom young (57) when all these people trying to kill themselves were living into their 80's.
I think that right living will go a long way toward being disease free but sometimes there are bumps in the road. It's important not to loose faith at these times. I think the big take away lesson I got from Beth was that she was Raw Vegan because she felt so good that way, not because she was scared of something.
It's the same way in faith. If you are a particular faith because you are scared of going to hell, or because you think God will give you a leg up in some way, that can all crumble really fast when the waves of life come crashing into your castle made of sand. But if you are a faith because it enriches your life, makes you feel great, connects you to others in love, then when the waves come, that faith is your bulwark, your safety and no matter what happens it is enriching you anyway.
So yeah tricking, scaring, someone into anything is transitory at best, disingenuous or manipulative at worst, and just plain wont last.
Anyway, it's great for people to turn to Raw for health reasons, I just wouldn't count on a crisis to keep me raw. Because once the crisis is past, what's left? It's really the great "little things" that keep me wanting to stay raw, the energy levels I have, the connectedness I feel and the enhanced spirituality I have experienced.
On November 11, 2009, wrote:
lovely interview, jim, with a lovely lady. i wonder if, given her schedule, she was ever able to eat greens. my observation is that most people do not eat greens and greens detoxify. it seems most raw-fooders are fanatics about health, making sure we get all the nutrients we need, but she was rather casual about food "a few almonds and a banana" was enough for her. obviously MUSIC is her life, whereas mine is FOOD. hahahahaha - people with moon in taurus are like that. with the goal of avoiding meat and cooked foods, but not really otherwise caring what she ate... i hope someone will make her a green smoothie. :) if i was restricted to just one food, greens would be my choice. that's how animals eat. green smoothies are so important and helpful in everyone's diet.
On November 12, 2009, wrote:
She sounds so gentle, sweet and loving! She has a really soothing voice, I enjoyed the interview a lot. I also thought about the genetic factor, since she's adopted, it makes a lot of sense. The China Study has a study where a vegan diet prevented activation of a cancer gene, but I'm sure it's not a 100% type of thing; there are so many types of toxins out there. Thanks, Jim!
On November 12, 2009, wrote:
Thanks, Ann. Glad you liked it!
On November 12, 2009, wrote:
Absolutely. I have no doubt that raw is the optimal dietary regimen. I still believe that there's no better preventative from disease -- and there's also no better way of eating for how you can feel -- than raw!
On November 12, 2009, wrote:
I think raw is remarkably powerful, beyond physical health, in what it does for a person. So, whatever reason or motivation gets you there, it may well be another one that keeps you there. For me, optimal health is a huge component, but I definitely enjoy all of the other benefits you named, so I can't envision not eating this way.
On November 12, 2009, wrote:
Patricia- Oh, I'm fairly certain she's a greens eater. She mentioned her green smoothies in the interview, and I've read her talking about salads and other greens dishes. Yes, like Bif, green smoothies do totally rock! I look forward to one almost every day! :-)
On November 12, 2009, wrote:
Oh, she is so wonderful to talk with. It's like you're instant friends -- super-great energy! Yeah, in this day and age, it's anyone's guess as to what's out there affecting your health. Even if your diet is pure -- and even if it's not tattoos or smoke or a history of smoking -- there's always crazy stuff in the air we're breathing, pharmaceuticals in our water supply, god-knows-what in the pesticides we sometimes unknowingly eat, lurking GMO horrors, insufficiently mineralized soils producing less nutritious plants, EMF waves, cell phones, satellite signals pervading every inch of our airspace. And I haven't even touched on any of the more conspiratorial possibilities floating around out there. And, just when you think you're doing everything right, someone figures out that something else is toxic... I was just reading the other day about how some granite countertops are radioactive! I mean, it's so tough to live without exposing yourself to bad stuff!
On November 12, 2009, wrote:
oh, good. i missed her talking about green smoothies. i'm glad she does them. another factor i've been learning about is the vaccines we took in our youth. they may have had something in them that has caused this cancer epidemic in our country... even years later.
On December 29, 2009, wrote:
Absorbing hair color? Absorbing tattoo chemicals? Attached to a microphone? Travelling at high speed? Wiring in her home or other dwellings/hotels? A change of diet from her country of origin? Tummy aches were a clue that something wasn't agreeing. Possibly she was a child of a sick/cancerous parent who could not take care of her due to the illness and it may have been passed down.