Farm of life is a low-profit raw food retreat in Costa Rica which seeks to keep its prices affordable so it can help everyone.In Episode 29 of the Raw Food Health Podcast, I talk to Brian Calvi, who owns the retreat with his wife, about the philosophy which underlies his retreat, why he’s interested in keeping costs low, his fundraising campaign, and much more.  Check out the podcast below. Show Notes: The Farm Of Life Website. FarmOf Life Fundraising Campaign   How To Listen To This...

Dr. Tumi Johnson, M.D. Since there aren’t very many medical doctors who have embraced a healthy raw diet, it’s interesting to hear why one of the few has chosen to do so. In Episode 28 of the Raw Food Health Podcast, I talk to Dr. Tumi Johnson about why she thinks a raw diet works, how her holistic medical practice integrates nutritional and lifestyle reform into its treatment protocol, the role of movement in health, and much more. Check out the podcast below.   Show Notes: Andrew’s 75...

It’s Paw Paw Season! There’s a delicious fruit coming into season that might be growing in your back yard, but virtually no one knows about it – Allow me to introduce you to the Paw Paw.  The Paw Paw kept Lewis and Clark’s expedition from starving, and fed the early settlers of the United States. It was a favorite desert of George Washington, distracted entire regiments (who preferred chowing down in orchards to to fighting) during the Civil War, and was incorporated into the managed food...

Is sweaty bikram yoga good for you? You’ve probably heard your yoga instructor, some celebrity, or your next door neighbor wax poetic about the detoxifying and slimming benefits of doing yoga or other exercises in extremely hot, humid, and unventilated environments. All that sweat carries toxins out of the body and leads to quicker fat loss, the story goes. This belief has become so popular that something I refer to as “bikram creep,” has taken hold in the yoga and general fitness world,...

Mike Vlasaty We know raw foodists excel at endurance sports, but what about about strength training? When Mike Vlasaty went raw, he decided to concentrate on weight lifting and bodyweight exercises to see if he could really get strong and gain a lot of muscle while eating a raw vegan diet. In the Raw Food Health Podcast Episode 25 we talk to Mike about how that experiment worked out, what he eats, if he’s concerned about protein, and many other topics. I also talk about whether or not a...

Think cinnamon, turmeric, peppers, and the dozens of flavor-enhancing foods, spices, and herbs raw foodists sometimes employ are healthy because they’re raw? In episode 23 of the Raw Food Health Podcast we talk about why many “healthy” foods have a downside that creates the drug-like effect doctors, ayurvedic and Chinese medicine practitioners, and naturopaths like to praise. I also interview Phillip Cuccerre, the Business Development Manager for the Carmelita banana brand. I ask him why his...

The dominant narrative in nutrition is that osteoporosis is mostly created by too much consumption of acidic meat, dairy, and eggs. There’s data to support this idea, such as the excretion of calcium in the urine following animal-protein-rich meals, and the fact that the countries with the highest dairy consumption have the highest risk of hip fractures. But if eating animal foods weakens your bones, why do vegans often experience more bone fractures than omnivores? In episode 22 of the Raw...

This cultivated Cherimoya is much smaller than its wild cousin, the junglesop, and no more sugary.Is modern fruit too sugary and over bred? After our discussion of genetically modified foods a few episodes back, a lot of people have been asking about something we hear all the time in the raw food world – that today’s fruits are too hybridized, too sugary, too big, and man-bred seedless monstrosities to boot. Is there any valid criticism in this critique, or yet another example of the raw...

ADD, learning disorders, and dozens of other neurological problems have become rampant in children over the last few decades as their bodies have grown fat and failed to develop strength and balance. Why? A perfect storm of brain-altering electronics, lack of outdoor play and exercise, fewer decision-making opportunities, worsening diets, and other lifestyle changes have played a huge role. I episode 21 of the Raw Food Health Podcast we explore some of the interesting data on learning and...

With more than three quarters of the foods available for purchase at your local supermarket now containing genetically modified organisms, what does a raw foodist have worry about? In episode 20 of the Raw Food Health Podcast I talk about the three fruits and vegetables that are now GMO which a healthy raw foodist would eat. I also discuss how to identify and protect yourself from GMOs. I also discuss my efforts to find a way to escape the oil-stripping, lubricant reapplying paradigm of hair...

Don WeaverWhat if the produce you think of as so fantastic just doesn’t have the nutrient content that it should? Is your lettuce mineral poor? In episode 19 of the Raw Food Health Podcast I talk to Don Weaver, who has been eating a raw food vegan diet for 36 years. We talk about thriving when most people his age are in physical and mental decline, and our mutual passions of gardening, growing fruit trees, improving the nutrient content of our foods through remineralization, and ratcheting up...

After 26 days of fasting and about 13 days of recovery, I’m back in Austin, Texas and ready to talk about the result of my fasting experience. Did I, as widely predicted, ruin my health and lose muscle mass? Or did I overcome my longstanding digestive issues and make other improvements? In episode 18 of the Raw Food Health Podcast I talk about my fasting experience and results. I’ve also included a video showing only the visual changes I went through below. What happened to me after 26 days...

The water that comes out of your tap likely contains fluoride, chlorine, and several dozen other chemicals and drugs that science has linked to increased rates of cancer, brain damage, and other health problems. In Episode 17 of The Raw Food Health Podcast we talk about the source of this contamination, how much of a risk it puts you at, and the best ways to clean up your water to safeguard your health. I talk about the water distiller and shower filter I used for years to reduce my risk...

Readers of Raw-Food-Health.net periodically tell me that I must be diet obsessed to be on such a restricted food regime. More recently, the announcement that I’d be fasting for the better part of a month netted me around 40 emails, many from people concerned that my “obsession,” with health had driven me off the deep end. Some used the term “orthorexic” to describe me, and urged me to seek help. Is there any merit to their concerns? Might someone be so preoccupied with achieving health and...

Not A Representation Of Fasting I don’t plan on eating next month. Yeah…no food…for 25 to 28 days. Am I crazy? Why would I choose to waste away when I’m at the peak of my health, fitness, strength, and vitality? In Episode 15 of the Raw Food Health Podcast I talk about fasting, what the benefits are, how normal it is in nature, and why I’m choosing to have a long one now. How To Listen To This Episode And/Or Subscribe To The Podcast: Note: new episodes may take a few hours to show up on...

Beyond fat loss and fat gain, are you happy with the figure that looks back at you from the mirror? Is it scrawny or gangly? Would you rather that it had the strength to lift heavier things and propel you through the world? In episode 14 of the Raw Food Health Podcast I help Marina Grubic get a handle on her recent body fat and muscle mass reading, and suggest ways that she can sculpt her body to get the figure that she wants. I also talk about the limitations of body sculpting, and just how...

Are you ready to start eating a healthy raw diet but just can’t seem to get the social support you need to make it work? Do you want your life filled with other raw foodists to share meals with, athletic people to work out with, and those who share your values? In episode 13 of the raw food health podcast I talk about getting the social support you need to thrive in life. Raw Oral Hygiene I also talk about whether not sugar rots your teeth and what you can do to have great oral health on a...

Want to feel better, look better, and perform better physically? Will the shift to a raw food diet really help you with all this? In episode 12 of the Raw Food Health Podcast I talk to Katy Craine, who adopted a low fat raw vegan diet at the age of 16. Now 20 years old, she talks about how she’s watched herself go from being a sedentary hater of exercise to a lover of physical movement, from having acne covered to skin to being blemish free, and from being overweight to lithe and...

Imagine losing 100 pounds and still having 300 more to go to reach your goal weight. The idea seems staggering, but that’s where Richard Widmark is today. Richard got his weight loss started with a cooked vegan diet, but he’s now concentrating on one that is low fat, raw, and vegan. I talk to Richard about his goals, what he eats, where he stumbles, and how he keeps himself inspired. Also in this episode I explain how often you should be exercising for optimal improvement and talk about some...

You dream big – shelves overflowing with fruit and plenty of greens and herbs in the fridge; an abundant pantry is key when it comes to succeeding on a raw food diet. But if you try to buy all these wonderful foods through a traditional supermarket, you’re going to go broke. Luckily, there are ways to save a lot of money by cutting out middle men, pooling your buying power, and picking up food that is considered, “overripe”, but which isn’t really. In episode ten of the raw food health...

What’s the best place to be a raw foodist? It becomes obvious to most people eating a raw food diet for more than a few months that their societies are not ideally set up to allow them to thrive at their highest level. You can make your home, and your home town, much healthier places, but sometimes you just want to vacation or move to an ideal setup. I’ve traveled pretty extensively, and I know that in my mind, there are a handful of places that I think of when it comes to ideal raw food...

What if you didn’t have to get old? I’m not talking about Peter Pan and his lost boys not growing up, but a kind of maturity in which the symptoms that virtually everyone in the western world experiences as they get older -arthritis, loss of energy, the development of diseases, and the need for medications – just do not occur. Don Bennett is a 56-year-old health educator who feels like he’s getting younger on his diet of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, and in episode eight of The Raw...

Skateboarder, yogi, raw chef, and creator of a life that is undeniably interesting, Chris Kendall is a raw foodist who catches peoples attention. In episode seven of the Raw Food Health Podcast, I talk to Chris about consciously creating his own reality, why he decided to go raw, as well as a myriad of other topics. In This Episode: 1) Andrew’s summer of giving talks in Connecticut to yogis, Crossfitters, and the health conscious. 2) The subjective model of reality Andrew employs with great...

Lipstick made from berries? Eyeliner made from spirulina? If you’re looking for makeup that’s a lot better for your skin, you may be interested in the bodycare routine of raw chef Megan Elizabeth McDonnell, whose new book, You In Bloom, explores living healthfully in an often-unhealthy world. In episode six of the Raw Food Health Podcast I talk to Megan about how she ended up on a raw diet, the femininity of raw foods, natural makeup, and much more. As a special deal for readers of...