By Guest Blogger on October 21, 2009

In Pursuit of Optimal Health & Happiness

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Where do I start when I don’t really know when my quest for health food began? I can’t even begin to articulate the energy that has been dedicated to my pursuit for optimal health.

Did my interest begin at age 14 when I decided that I loved horses too much to eat cow or chickens anymore? Or was it when I began removing the grease off of the top of pizza slices in the junior high school cafeteria? Maybe the fat-free diet my sister and I adhered to when I was 16? Or was it that same year when I took the job as head baker at a local cafe and saw what ingredients actually went into the morning cinnamon rolls? OR, better yet, was it my “incurable” case of eczema that I was determined to get rid of? I really can’t say. It’s been an ongoing journey to say the least.

Was I obsessed? Did I have an eating disorder? Some might have called it that! Or you could call it a fascination with the human body, the human mind, culture and socialization. OK, so at 16 I didn’t use the word socialization quite yet, but I watched everybody eat cafeteria food and wondered why it turned me off but was considered “normal” everyday lunch food to pretty much EVERYBODY else.

It was around this time in my life that I had a hunch it was the Standard American Diet (SAD) that was to blame for all of these ailments (low self-esteem, acne, ADHD, cellulite, obesity). I wasn’t positive, but the more I read on the topic, the more I began to question the SAD and start to believe in my own hypothesis.

Raw food was my next endeavor (or should I say encounter). For me, however, it was more of a culinary experience than a health one. I found Juliano’s RAW: The Uncook Book and thought the recipes looked amazing and fresh and well, smart. It was a challenge I wanted to undertake. And a challenge it was! Yet SO rewarding.

My “incurable” eczema disappeared in just one week and my whole face took on a radiant glow. I lost five pounds (wasn’t even trying) and I looked forward to rigorous daily workout because of all the energy rushing through my body. I was hooked and have been very interested in a 100% raw lifestyle ever since.

I don’t always adhere to a strict raw vegan diet. I indulge in other culinary delights – after all, I see it as an art form. But at home, and for the most part, I stay true to what I think is the best for my body and mind and my children’s health as well! Hooray for GREEN drinks!

Now, here I am, 30, a mom, and thankful for my teenage curiosities, seeing as though I have turned them into a thriving business and they’ve helped me courageously raise two healthy babies on what some might call a “crazy” Juli Diet! It’s a big undertaking being a parent. I’m starting an amazing new journey and having a lot of fun watching my 16 month old eat things like flax oil, carrot juice, sunflower seed pate, kale salad, green smoothies, raw chocolate milk, almond milk, sprouted grawnola, and so on (“a bite, a bite” he says every time he sees me taking trays out of our dehydrator)!

I absolutely love my current daily routine and the bigger picture of my life right now. But of course my quest is ongoing and I could be really excited about something totally new and different next year (or even tomorrow). Life changes daily. As the Buddhists believe, Nothing Is Permanent, right? Thank goodness!

Right after graduating from UCLA, Juli jump-started her career – turning her passion for gourmet food and nutrition into one of the first raw food companies on the market, Kookie Karma. She has since created a child and pregnancy nutrition blog full of recipes and baby product information.

 

 

   
 

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