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Interview by Alex Jaunary 2004 Question #1: What are some rawfood staples in your current diet. What are some of your "favorite" foods? And If you could eat "cooked" food....what would you eat? My diet recently changed as I became pregnant! I now have a little alien controlling this mother-ship! Out went all the stuff I've eaten with joy over the past four raw years, such as avocados, dark green leafy vegetables, marinated vegetables, concoctions of all kinds, and even salads. In came masses of fruit, orange juice (thankfully I can still enjoy and digest green superfoods and maca), and even some cooked food! I haven't eaten cooked food for four years, then this little tyke comes along and makes me queasy and unable to eat anything else. I can't figure it out, because I know it's not a physical thing. My good friend Annette is sure it's an emotional thing. So for a week I ate a few sweet potatoes and baked beans. I also had a small Christmas dinner, and spent two days recovering. Today is my first normal day after that (28th December 2003 as I write) and I woke up at a healthy 6.30 instead of a cooked 10.30! The food I ate was still organic and vegan, which really emphasises to me how great the raw diet is. If I was hypothetically answering the second part of your question, I know I'd say pasta and potatoes. However, after having this little detour, somehow I managed to stay on the healthy side of cooked with sweet potatoes which are more mineral-rich than their white starchy cousins. I know that being 100% raw is tough for many people -- especially here in the UK where the quality, costs and availability organic food are a real issue -- so eating more healthy cooked food is something I talk about in Detox Your World. I cover methods of cooking (microwaving = very naughty) and types of foods, such as the potato example above, so I'm glad I stuck to that when my Tiny TroubleMaker took over! Question #2: Have you ever had any kind of symptoms of mental illness, and, if so, what did a raw food diet with supplements get rid of, and are all mental illnesses curable with a raw foods diet/supplements? I was depressed for years. I never went to the doctors about it, as I was a vegan and didn't agree with prescription drugs. I gradually pulled myself out of it -- first with supplements, and then gradually with raw food. I started off with St John's Wort, masses of B vitamins, EFAs and other mega-doses. I don't recommend mega-dosing, it's just what I was into at the time and luckily it lifted me to a state where I could start to make more sustainable changes to my life. Going raw was one of those changes, and the one that had the most impact on me gaining true happiness -- something I never remember having before. If anyone suffers from depression or mental illness, I'd recommend they read Depression Free For Life by Gabrielle Cousens. It's a bit technical, but has some great plans in there on how to become the person you have every right to be. I sell and use vegan DHA and maca -- DHA is very useful if you don't eat fish, and maca balances your hormones. It's my favourite superfood because it realigns you, it doesn't artificially alter you. I recommend those two products for all my clients who show signs of mental instability, PMS, mood swings etc. Other mental illnesses such as schizophrenia have been shown to be curable with supplements, especially with the use of EPA and other related chemicals. I once read a study where this was tested, and everyone lost their schizophrenic symptoms while on these supplements. The symptoms came back when they were taken off the supplements. I find it tragic that these studies are confined to so-called "alternative" health magazines and are dismissed by the so called "authorities". We all know the pharmaceutical companies have nothing or little to gain from accepting supplements as true medicine, and as they are the ones really running the show, the good doctors who use supplements as therapy have a long road ahead of them. These are the doctors that deserve our support and recognition. There's a geat e-newsletter that you can subsribe to by Dr Andrew Saul, called Doctor Yourself. And that's the whole point. Humans are the only animals who go to someone else for medical advice, all other animals still have enough instinct to make themselves better when they're ill. Question #3: Can you describe to us what true hunger is? And how does one deal with overeating/binging on raw foods especially dry fruits and fats? I've never experienced true hunger. When I ate cooked food, I'd often pass out or black out, and become shaky. I was suffering from symptoms of hypoglycaemia -- my blood sugar levels must have been all over the place. As a raw fooder, I've fasted for over a week before with absolutely no signs of hunger at all throughout that time. Overeating is a common occurrence -- especially when people first go raw. When I work with my clients on going raw, I never encourage them to go 100% raw overnight. This causes their system to become shocked, and irregular eating can result. Overeating is usually a symptom of lack of minerals and other nutrients. That's why someone who's full up will stand at the fridge and scoff food. I call these overweight starving people. They eat more calories than they need but still aren't getting the nutrients their bodies are craving. It's very common in people who eat cooked food, and it's also common in people who eat raw food, simply because the quality of food is no longer optimal. One of the first things I ask transitioners to do is to change to organic. This in itself is a minor change for them to deal with, but it adds many more nutrients (and removes many agrochemicals) to their body. Alongside that, I recommend the intake of some ionic (angstrom-sized) minerals (I've had great results with these personally), some superfood such as Pure Synergy or Nature's Living Superfood, and of course my favourite maca! These small changes create a healthier, more balanced body. Then when my clients go higher raw, there is no sign of binging. Question #4: What are some of the most interesting and inspiring success stories you heard from others during your events or travels? The most memorable is a lady in Totnes. Myself and David Wolfe were speaking at a wonderful raw event there this summer. A well-known raw lady and fantastic caterer called Holly had made an amazing spread -- her food is the best I've seen in the UK. We were having a great day, and it was my turn to speak. I often ask the audience if they have a story to tell because it inspires everyone. This particular lady (I don't remember her name) stood up with the help of a walking stick. She told how she used to be so ill she thought she was going to die. She said that her husband bought her jewellery all the time. She'd go and pawn the jewellery and spend the money on alternative therapies! She had a great sense of humour! One day she discovered raw food through Holly, and slowly got back on her feet and can now walk, talk and do many things that we all accept as normal. She was so overcome with gratitude at Holly's presence, and at people like David and I who work tirelessly to get this information to people, that she began to cry and shake. I went over to her and hugged her, and at that moment, everyone's hearts in the whole room just melded together. It was a very unifying time, and I'll remember it for ever. The other most memorable story comes from my wonderful friend Rosie. She's a lady from the North of England, so she speaks slightly different to how they speak in the South. I'm originally from the North, and one of the words we say up there is "poorly", which means ill. Back in January 2003 I did a Detox Workshop. Again, I asked the audience for some stories, and what came out of this lady's mouth was mind-blowing. Rosie had lived a very active life, had three children and a wonderful husband -- she loved living. Then slowly she became more and more ill, or poorly as she would say. Over the years she changed into someone who couldn't get out of bed, who thought she was going mad, who lost so much weight there was nothing left of her. She was suffering from CFS or ME as we call it in the UK. Rosie was told she was going to die. Her doctors couldn't help her. One day, she went to a holistic dentist called John. John x-rayed her mouth and found part of a dentist's drill lodged in her jaw -- it had been there years and was slowly killing her. Rosie had that drill and her amalgam fillings removed. Over the next few years she has had many cleanses, she is high-raw and she now has a future to look forward to. She's been on a retreat with me in my home, and we've worked on emotional issues as well as physical ones. She is so eager for new information. We talk regularly, and I keep asking her how she feels compared to a few months ago, the climb to total wellness is a steep one for Rosie, but it is always moving in the right direction. If you ever met Rosie, you couldn't imagine her being bed-ridden, about to die. She has so much energy, a real lust for life, and is one of the most generous people I know. Sure, she still has her off-days, but she's up and about, unassisted and has her life back. Rosie is an inspiration to anyone out there who has been told by their doctor that there is no hope. I have a section on my web site called "Raw Transformations" (www.shazzie.com/raw/transformation/) and this is where anyone who's cured their mind/body/soul with raw food can tell their story -- unedited. The pictures are astounding, and it's one of the most popular sections of my site. I love it when I get a new story, and I almost always cry! Question #5: Have you changed your eating pattern since going on the rawfood diet? When I first went raw I had lots of fruit, and very "normal" salads. I soon realised that, though I felt great on this diet, it wasn't nutritious enough for me in the long-run. I was really ungrounded, which made it impossible to work! I slowly switched to a diet higher in dark greens, getting more joy out of salads than I thought possible! I've never been one for lots of dehydrated food or snacks, so it's always remained fresh and quite natural. When I introduced superfoods and mineral supplements into my diet, I reached a new level of health and groundedness. My most recent change was back in May 2003. David Wolfe and I were in Maui and we were introduced to raw cacao by our friends The Coconut Brothers. We went crazy for them, making cacao concoctions until it came out of our ears! David practically lives on the stuff right now, but now I'm pregnant I can't eat fat (this isn't in the cacao, it's what we mix it with!) without feeling sick, so my cacao intake has been restricted -- For now! Question #6: What advice would you give to someone with cancer (esp. stomach) who is on a regular diet -- less then 60% raw? I'm not a doctor, and so am not legally allowed to give advice to anyone who's ill. My statement regarding any ill health is always the same, though -- I know what I'd do! I'd get ozone therapy, I'd alter my diet to be full of live and fermented foods, I'd go on Essiac tea, supplement with B17 and oxygen, cleanse, and I'd seek the help of a doctor who isn't all about pills. Gabriel Cousens and Christopher Yashpal Jain at The Tree Of Life in Arizona would be my choice. I was lucky enough to go there this year, and the place took my breath away. Even as a day visitor, I was so deeply affected by the vibe of that place and the people there, it will be forever etched on my memory. Those guys are doing outstanding work and I wish all ill people could get to go there and discover true health. Question #7: How do you feel about female menses? Is it a natural or unnatural thing and will it stop once healthy? Oh I'm not going to re-experience them for a good few months yet! I've had a very interesting time with my periods. I was only 11 when I first got them, and felt awful about it. I didn't know what was going on with me, and couldn't work out why my body was turning into a woman's body when all I wanted to do was play with my toys and sit in my poplar tree. It was a really confusing time for me. Over the next few months, they became so painful and so prolific, that I went through about ten days in every month in pain, feeling sick, and wondering how on earth this was normal. Then I was on the pill for ages, so my painful periods were no longer an issue. I didn't realise at the time that the toxins that used to come out in my blood were now hunting for another way out. However, during this time, I went vegetarian and then vegan, so my body was taking in less unhealthy stuff than it was previously. Many people experience lighter periods when they stop eating animals. When I came off the pill, my periods were very irregular for a while, and my hormones were all over the place. I was confused, shouting at everyone, and feeling generally out of sorts. Then the period pain returned. I did something I'd never done before -- took painkillers. I went through a few years of this, and really wondered if this was just my lot in life. About six months into being raw I got a period and there was no pain. This was the first natural period I'd had where it felt normal. After that, I didn't suffer period pains at all and realised that being raw had cured me. That was until I moved in with my man at the time in Spain! As soon as I moved in, my pains were back. I hadn't changed my diet, but I was living in a house that I felt really uneasy in. From day one I cried when I was there. This showed to me that it's not all to do with food, it's to do with everything that touches your life. That environment was so toxic to my soul that I manifested physical symptoms, and period pain was one of them. Wild animals don't haemorrhage like captive animals and humans do. They have a few spots of blood in some mucous. That's a true period. However, eating a natural diet often isn't often enough to get to this point. We live in toxic houses, have toxic thoughts, and are surrounded by toxic electrical items. Detoxing every month through your womb enables you to remove some of this toxic build up, so we as women should be grateful it's there. However, if you suffer pain or even discomfort, know that there is something you can do about it. I sell LadyCare which is a magnetic device. It promotes blood flow and so increases oxygen going to the womb area. This is an excellent source of pain relief. Laying off fats in the run up to your period, having only juices the day before and the first two days helps. Enemas help as they reduce the pressure of the colon on the womb. Of course or friend Maca helps in the long term as it balances your hormones. Vita Synergy for Women is a great vitamin and mineral supplement, and oxygen drops help, too. There are also some great yoga postures that can get rid of period pains within minutes. When you have an illness, such as heavy, painful menstruation, it's useful to work on it two ways. First, manage the pain with something like the Senza, oxygen and yoga, then get to the root of the issue, and alter all the things in your life that could be making you bleed so badly. A big thing to change would of course be diet. Question #8: Is it possible to reverse facial bone structure to our genetic potential/what we were born to have? Have you seen startling examples, besides yourself. How long do these kind of changes take place, and whether or not it's just an illusion created by healthier skin, eyes, hair, not deeper structural changes. Are raw animal products required for this to happen? I've seen this in a few people, and it takes lots of good nutrition, positive thinking, and masses of dedication. It's great when I see my raw American friends because I notice the changes in them from one visit to the next. It's harder to see it in people I'm with on a more regular basis -- until the photos come out! The people I've seen structurally change don't eat raw (or cooked!) animal products, and neither do I, so I don't see that they are necessary for this. I don't know how long these changes take, because I've not measured them. All I know is that I am astounded sometimes when I see the changes in someone who's into super-nutrition. My own face is very asymmetrical, and I look like a different person in photos sometimes, depending on what side they picture was taken! Yet I notice that my teeth are straightening, and my smile isn't quite as one-sided as it used to be! My eyes are much bluer than they were, too. People are always asking me if I wear coloured contact lenses, and I don't! Of course, the best thing to do here is to make sure your offspring are fed correctly, from pre-conception, through the gestation period and then throughout childhood. I read a great study once about a woman who'd had a "normal" child with asymmetrical features. She'd eaten a standard diet throughout pregnancy, and weaned her child with standard foods. During her second pregnancy, she only ate raw foods, alongside steamed vegetables and boiled rice. The child was totally symmetrical, and to this day has straight teeth, a perfect smile and a nose that doesn't go around corners! Sometimes our physical defects are so strong that we can't change them, or we can't totally eradicate them. This is where we have to realise we can at least give our children a better start in life by ensuring we have correct nutrition. Question #9: How much sun do you think we need as vegans to get enough Vitamin D? You should see me lying on boxes up against my open windows in the winter to get some sorely-missed sunshine! You can store vitamin D for about six months, so at least two weeks twice a year is needed. I get more -- any excuse to go to the sun and I'm there! Vitamin D is massively important for many things in our body, and if we can't get it from the sun, we must supplement. It's not worth missing out on. Question #10: What diet advice do you have for the most common deficiency of a vegan diet? Vitamin D, A, B-12, B complex, DHA, Iron, calcium, zinc etc.? Vita Synergy for Men or Vita Synergy for Women covers the D, B 12, B complex and minerals issues. I have these every day. The female version also contains 800mg of folic acid per serving, which is twice the minimum recommended dose for newly pregnant or pre-pregnant women. It's the best supplement I've every come across, and everything in it is derived from plants -- there's nothing artificial in there. I take vegan DHA capsules, and think I'm the only supplier of these in the UK. All other ones I've seen are in animal-based capsules, even if the DHA is vegan. I'm just not into risking getting irreversible deficiency symptoms for the sake of an "it's not natural" principle. To be honest, I don't think it's natural to be 100% vegan, though as it's been my choice for 17 years now, I'm happy to take a pill instead of eating a fish. Some people's bodies are not efficient at converting the EFAs into DHA and EPA, so that's where supplementation comes in. Again, if you're starting with a new life, the body will function better, and may be able to convert enough of those chemicals to use. If that's the case, then some flax, hemp and coconut oils daily will work. Question #11: Can you please tell us about some of your current projects you're working on and/or developing? Oooh! I've got some secret stuff going on right now, which you'll know about in a few months, so there's not long to wait! I'm also redoing Shazzie's detox delights. I've photographed all the recipes and it's going to be a full colour recipe book, called Detox Delights. That project has been shelved until April, though. I've got seven months until I become a mother, so I've got about six months to really get everything in order. As you can imagine, this has really made me prioritise! My online shop is my main source of income, and I spend a fair amount of time sourcing new products. Something I've been really into recently is Etherium Gold and other similar stuff, and I'm really excited that I'm about to start selling that. In addition, I plan to get a few more workshops in before I give birth, and I continually do phone consultations with clients. I have a few big interviews coming out in the next couple of months, one in Real Magazine (UK), and one in Natural Beauty and Health Magazine (USA). On top of that, there's a pending TV show where they want my boyfriend to try my raw food meals. At the moment, I can't face making anything, so I don't know how that'll turn out!! Is there anything else you would like to add? Just that I really appreciate the work that guys like you do. I sometimes feel like we raw fooders are running a relay race. I'm going to have to concentrate on my baby in the summer of next year, for who knows how long, and I feel like I'm passing on the baton to people like yourself so you can run the raw race and continue lighting up people's lives. Thank you. I wish your new web site all the best.

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