To keep all of you inspired while we are away, we’ve asked some
remarkable individuals to share their raw food stories with you. Enjoy!

From early childhood, I suffered from persistent, unexplainable intestinal problems. Although many doctors were consulted and performed every known test, there was never a clear diagnosis other than the vague IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), which never responded to traditional medical treatment. At 15, I contracted a severe case of mononucleosis, which ultimately led to a breakdown of my immune system. This compromised immunity opened the door to multiple allergies, asthma, eczema, skin problems, reoccurring urinary tract & yeast infections and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, otherwise known as Epstein-Barr virus.

Due to a past riddled with chronic health challenges, I became interested in natural health by the time I reached my late teens, when I finally became disillusioned with the promises and failures of modern medicine. By the age of 22 my passion for natural healing therapies was further fueled when I began working with and studying under Dr. Joel Robbins, MD & ND in Tulsa, and I enrolled in his Natural Health & Optimum Nutrition continuing education program.  I earned my Natural Health Educators degree in 1992, but still found that I was struggling with elements of my own yo-yoing weight, less than optimum health and depression.

Fast forward to 2005….While preparing for a family vacation, I realized that something had to change. Topping the scale at nearly 200 pounds, I was in tears at the thought of having to try to squeeze into a bathing suit. While out shopping with no luck, I wandered into a bookstore and happened upon Carol Alt’s book, Eating in the Raw. Since the 80’s, Carol Alt had always been a role model of beauty and health, so I decided to purchase the book for a light vacation read. Little did I know at the time, but the information within Carol’s book would cause an awakening which would soon begin to dramatically change my life.

Although I had tried nearly every fad diet on the market, once I read the penetrating truths within the pages of the book, I was resolved to try one more time. I felt as though I had already tried everything else to get healthy and lose weight, so I might as well take Carol’s sensible advice and eat in way that could enable me to live my life fully alive where I’m not just eating to survive.  With the blessing and support of my husband Gordon, I jumped into the raw food diet overnight. Within the first week of a 100% raw diet, all of my lifelong irritable bowel syndrome symptoms were completely gone. Within the first six weeks, I lost 15 pounds without reducing the amount of food that I was eating. Gordon & I were dining on wonderfully healthy, raw foods…as much as we wanted, and the weight was still falling off.

Obviously there was a learning curve in which I had to relearn everything about preparing foods for myself and my family. Once a gourmet cook, I had to figure out how to make the shifts and changes necessary in order to successfully transition to this new way of approaching food preparation. Over a period of months, the Shelton’s kitchen was transformed into a healthy, raw and living environment of delicious experimentation. I had to learn to shop all over again. Although at times it was a bit intimidating, it was a challenging but fun process to find an entirely new groove to meal planning and food preparations.

Almost 4 years have passed since going on a raw diet and I am still as passionate about raw & living foods as ever. Although I don’t boast of maintaining a 100% raw diet religiously, I do follow a very high raw regimen that primarily consists of organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouts. I have also kept off a total of 35 pounds. This journey that started with a decision to make a change in diet has ended up being a catalyst that has opened the door to many exciting opportunities for learning, growing and healing on many different levels.

Penni has an impressive list of accomplishments:

• In 2007, her story of transformation was published in Carol Alt’s second book, The Raw 50.
• In 2008, she completed a 92 day juice feast, which was a deeply life enhancing experience in which all of her lingering eczema & asthma has completely disappeared. She often refers to her three months on just juice as the icing on her raw cake.
• Penni facilitates raw food education through lecturing, counseling, coaching and she’s passionate about helping to build a sense of community within health conscious circles, both locally and beyond.
• She promotes the raw food lifestyle locally through my meet up group, Real Food Tulsa.
• She serves on the board of her local chapter of Buy Fresh Buy Local and lectures regularly on health & wellness at Whole Foods. 
• Most recently, Penni has launched Go Green, a self written whole food education program which is targeted at students, faculty and parents and is currently piloting at several area schools.
• Since 2007, Penni has been able to reach a much larger international audience as an avid blogger on Real Food Tulsa.  She has written for We Like It Raw and is a co-administrator for Raw Fu.
• Penni’s presence is also found on a number of social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and Give It to Me Raw. 
• Penni’s first book, Real Juice Daily, is nearly complete with an early spring release planned.

You can reach Penni by email at realfood.tulsa [at] yahoo.com or to find her online:

• Her Blog: www.realfoodtulsa.blogspot.com
• On Meetup.com: www.meetup.com/realfoodtulsa
• On Twitter: http://twitter.com/rubyvroom
• On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Penni-Shelton/742748172
• On Raw Fu: http://raw100.ning.com/profile/Penni
• On GI2MR: http://www.giveittomeraw.com/profile/rubyvroom
• On Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ruby_vroom

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