All this week we're continuing to feature a variety of answers to the question "Are Raw Foodists Crazy " from various friends of Pure Jeevan. If you're just now tuning in, please read the back story and introduction to this, as posted on Monday.But, for now, let's continue with posting more of the excellent responses sent in! Enjoy!! :-)

Charles Balcer New Jersey City, NJ Started dabbling in raw foods in late 2006 and got more serious about it in 2007.

PJ: ARE RAW FOODISTS CRAZY ??

Charles: Are raw foodies crazy? Are we normal? According to that bastion of information, Wikipedia, "normal" is defined as referring to "a lack of significant deviation from the average." So, just by going that definition, I guess we don't fit in as normal folk. We eat a diet that varies greatly from what the majority of people eat.

But that does make us crazy? I guess it would be best to define this word as well: "brainsick: affected with madness or insanity; foolish; totally unsound." Personally, I think ordering any food from a fast food joint is totally unsound, and well may be a form of madness. Just the other day, the new fried cheese melt at Denny's was the number one trending search on Yahoo. Whom exactly are the crazy ones?

Yeah, this raw food "movement" has it share of colorful personalities. Anyone who's met David Wolfe knows what a character he can be. Brian Clement is always impeccably dressed as the sharpest car salesman you'll ever meet. Paul Nison's got a beard that would put most bikers to shame. Gabriel Cousens has over a dozen different colored beanies. Juliano is jumping around like a cheerleader in the pages of his book. And Durianrider is... well, he's Durianrider.

Since delving into this lifestyle, I've heard of some wild practices. Stuff like urine therapy and breatharianism. I met one guy at Quintessence, a raw restaurant in NYC, who told me he does urine therapy with his neti pot. Yeah, just think on that for a minute.

It would be easy to dismiss some of the more outlandish elements of this movement, and even easier to lump us all together as a bunch of crazed, hippie loons who chant "om" and get high on 'shrooms at our little raw festivals. But that's just not the case. I've had the good fortune of meeting a wide variety of people from all over the country, folks with a keen interest in eating healthy by getting back to the basics. And that's all the raw food diet is: a very basic diet. It's learning to fall in love again with fruits and vegetables, with becoming BFFs with the produce manager at your local supermarket.

I don't have a degree in medicine and I hated biology in school. There are others who could explain better than me why the raw diet works. And I would not presume to say it works for everyone. I've met a few folks who have a struggled with it, and it would not be fair of me to say that they did something wrong. We live in an environment in which our bodies are under a constant toxic assault, so it's hardly surprising that some people may require a more individual approach to healing. But I can tell you my experience: eating this way helped me lose nearly 40 lbs and got me off several prescription medicines, including one that my doctor said I'd have to take every day for the rest of my life.

If eating food in a fresh, unaltered state is crazy, then lock me up in a padded room and throw away the key. Just be sure to leave me with plenty of kale, mangoes, and my Vitamix.

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Charles is on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/cbalcer

Philip McCluskey Danbury, CT Raw for 4.5 years.

PJ: ARE RAW FOODISTS CRAZY ??

Philip: Hell yeah! Most people that take responsibility into their own hands are often called "crazy," and a myriad of other labels like that. Does that bother me... nope!

But on the other hand, some people do go overboard with judgments, opinions, and wanting others to do things the way they do it too.

Just let it be, enjoy life, be in the moment, and shine! : )

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Philip is on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/philipmccluskey and http://www.LovingRaw.com

>>> TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR MORE ANSWERS TO "ARE RAW FOODISTS CRAZY ? FROM MORE SURPRISE GUESTS! <<<