Rawfamily

Atruestoryofawakening

Victoria,Igor,SergeiandValyaBoutenko

Dedication

We dedicate this book to people who are helping others by being a goodexample.

Acknowledgements

Wethankallthepeopleintheworldwhospeakthetruth.

We thankallourdear friends throughout theworldwho inspiredus topresentthinking.

We thank all Editors, Readers, Artists and Printers for their kindness andpatience.

SpecialthankstoElizabethandDavidBechtoldforfinancingourbook.

Contents

AcknowledgmentsV

FableVii

1GoingDown1

2ToBeRaw,orNottoBeRaw?7

3Igor'sStory9

4TheBeginning13

5It'sReallyHappening!15

6LettingtheBodyLead19

7100Percent21

8RunningintheRaw26

9"HeavenlyEnjoyment"29

10OurBodyIsTalkingtoUs33

11EconomicCrisis37

12LivingbyFaith39

13GettingonthePath41

14HikingwithoutCooking43

15Ashland53

16TheHappyEndortheHappyBeginning?56

17Sergei'sTeenMessage58

18ScienceorIntuition?67

19Valya'sDreams69

Recipes70

Photoalbum87

Fable

wasridinginacomfortablebuswithmanyfriends.Outsidetheweatherwasstormywithpouringrain,lightningandwindbendingtreestotheground.Inthebuswaspleasantmusic,laughter,goodcompanyandrelaxingseats.Thearomaofmoundsofshrimpwaseverywhereandwewerereadytoeat!

While looking through thewindowIsuddenlysawasignveryclearly. It said,"No gas services next 500 miles"! Automatically I looked over the driver'sshoulder andnoticed that thegasgaugewas close to the redmark. I toldhimabout the sign, and he retorted, "It couldn't be!Youmust've beenmistaken. Ithink therewill be one soon."As it was, the driverwas not pleasedwithmyinterruptingthejokehewastelling.

I rememberedveryclearlywhat Isawand thought thatsurelysomeoneelse inthebusmusthaveseenit.Iwentthroughthebusandaskedmyfriends.Nobodysawthesignandwhatwasmoresurprising,nobodycared!

Ibegantorealizethatwe'dhavetowalkbackmanymilesasthebuswasquicklytaking us farther and farther toward the point of no return. I knew it wasimportanttoturnourbusback,butmyfriendsbegantofeelirritated.Igrabbedmybackpackandaskedthedrivertoletmeout.Someofmyfriendsstartedtotellme,"Hey,you'llgetallwetandcold.Waitfortheshrimpfirst.Don'tleaveus.Don'tyoulikeourcompany?"

Ignoring them, I jumpedoff thebusat the firstopportunity.But itwasn't longbeforeIwasverycoldandscared.Forawhile,Idoubtedmyownwisdom.Howniceitwasinawarmbus...

Istartedtowalkfastertogetwarmer.Walkinginwetshoessoongavemebadblisters. There were more busses filled with people and music following theroutemybushadtaken.Icouldn'tbelievethatIwastheonlyonewhosawthesign.

Ittookmetwohourstoreachthesign.Ireaditagain.Iwasgladthatitwasrealand I felt sorry for my friends. But I had done my best to let them know. I

continuedwalking. I fell into somekindofnumbnessormeditationanddidn'tnoticehowitstartedtolightupintheeasternsky.

Suddenly I saw a barefootman standingon the road.Smiling, he asked, "Didyougetoffthebus?Metoo.I'msogladtoseeyou.I'vebeenwalkingaloneforfourteendaysalready.YouarethefirstoneI'veseensincethen."

Iwassurprised thathedidn't look tiredordepressed. In fact,he lookedhappyand refreshed. I told him aboutmy blisters, and how Iwas tired and hungry.Instead of sympathy, theman began to tellme his story.He said that he hadbeguntoreallyenjoywalking.Hesaid,everybodywouldhavetogetoffthebus.

GoingDown

e came to the United States from Russia ten years ago when I wasinvited by theCommunityCollege ofDenver to teach students aboutRussianpresident Gorbachev and Perestroika. At first, the cultural shock was great. Irememberwefeltinspiredandhopelessatthesametime.WhenIsawsignsonthestreetbenchesthatread,"Rentabench!"Iwrotetomymother,"Lifehereisveryexpensive.Eventosleeponabenchpeoplehavetopayrent."

Onour arrival fromRussia, Iwasnot very fat. Iwas180pounds, a "normal"Russianwoman.WhenIvisitedmyveryfirstAmericansupermarketandsawallthosemulti-coloredboxes,ItoldmyhusbandthatIwantedtotrythemall!AndIthinkIdid.Intwoshortyears,Igained100pounds.

From thatday in the first supermarket, Inoticed thatmany foods in theboxeswerenotastastyasIhadexpected.WhilestillinRussia,Isaw"DunkinDonuts"insomanymoviesthatIwasanxioustotrythem.WhenItriedone,Icouldn'tunderstand why in the world anyone would like Dunkin Donuts. I had to trythemthreetimestobecomecompletelyaddicted.ThenIbegantowonderwhyIdidn'tlikethembefore.

Then things got even worse. We had opened six very successful businesses,becomerich,boughtabighouseandsleptonahuge,fancy,verysoftbed.Wewent out every night to every fancy or exotic restaurant in Denver and thesuburbs.

Fromthatkindof"full"life(I'drathersayfoollife),Idevelopedserioushealthproblems. My left arm numbed every night. My veins were popping out. Idevelopedpersistent arrhythmia,which is anunsteadyheart beat.At the sametime,myfatherinRussiahadhissecondheartattack.WhenItalkedwithhimonthephone,hedescribedhissymptoms.theymatchedminesocloselythatfromthatmomentIneverknewifIwouldawakenthenextmorning.

MydoctortoldmethatIhadtoloseweight.Isignedupforalifemembershipata health clubbut never seemed to find time to go there again. I subscribed toWeightWatchersmagazineandhadwonderfulfantasieswhilereadingit.ThenI

went to theSlim-Fastworkshop.SoonIsignedupforanotherpopularweight-lossprogram.Igotanitchyrashfromeatingtheirspecialfood,butIdidn'tloseasingleounce.

Asaresultofallthesefailuresandwishfulthinking,Ibegantofallintoadeepdepression.

SoonIwasdoubtingtheveryreasonforcontinuingtolive.Iconsideredmylifefinishedandanychangesseemedimpossible.Igaveup.Iwasgoingdown.

Valya: I knew about my mother's terrible heart condition and my father'sarthritis. I alsoknew that Ihadasthma,but I thoughtasthmawasnormal, justfine.

Sergei:Irememberthepast.Mymotherwasalwayssotired.Shenevertookusplaces.Instead,she'dhiresomebodytotakeustoamovie,ortothepark.

MysisterandIwereboredandwereconstantlychewingsomething.Istartedtogainweight.AllsummerlongIwouldsitonourexpensiveLazyBoycouchandthinkofagoodactivitywithwhichtoentertainmyself.

Wehadconstantmoodswings(especiallyme)andonemomentI'dcrushsometoysoroldmachinerywithrocksorahammer.ThenextminuteIwouldbetootiredandlazytowalkfromthecouchtothedoortoletmydogout.

WhenIwasabout9yearsold,Istartednoticingdisturbingchangesinmyhealth.After I gorged myself one Halloween on a pillowcase of candy, my motherfoundmeunconsciousonthebathroomfloor.

My mom rushed me to the doctor, who told us that I had incurable juvenilediabetes,and that Ihad togoon insulin immediately.HesaidIwouldhave togivemyselfshotsfortherestofmylifeandtherewasnothingmorehecoulddo.MymomandIwereshocked.Motherdecidedtogohomeand"thinkaboutit."

Aswewereleavingthedoctor'soffice,riversoftearspouredfrommom'seyes.Shecriedallthatnight,andwhenIwasleavingforschoolshewasstillsittinginthekitchenwithtearsinhereyes.

Valya: One day I came home from school and foundmymommy in tears. IlearnedthatSergeihadjuvenilediabetes."What'sthat?"Iasked.Shetoldmeit

was an incurable disease which would cause him to lose his eyesight, andkidneys. Later he wouldn't be able to use his legs and he'd possibly die in acoma.Hewouldhavetogivehimselfshotsdaily.Afterthisconversation,IhadthoughtsthatSergeimightdie!Mybrother,die!

Victoria:When I learned about Sergei's diabetes, it awoke inmemymother'sinstinct,whichappearedtobestrongerthanmydepressionanddisease.Itsavedhislife,andminetoo.WhenIheardthediagnosis"juvenilediabetes,"Iwassoshockedandhorrified that I lostmyappetite foracoupleofdays. I rememberthinking,"God!Whyisthishappeningtomyson?"Thatfilledmewithselfpityandincreasedmysuffering.DeepinsideIfeltverystronglythattoputSergeioninsulinwouldbecompletelywrong.Idecidedtodosomeresearch.

SinceIhadstudiedtobeamedicalnurseyearsagoinRussia,Idecidedtobuymedicalbooks.Ireadthatblindnessandkidneyfailurecouldoccurasaresultofusinginsulin,notfromdiabetesitself.Throughoutallofthesebooksthereweremanystatementsthatthereisnoteventheslightestchanceofcureforthistypeofdiabetes.Forexample,theAmericanDiabetesAssociationCompleteGuidetoDiabetessaid:"TheonlywaytotreatType1diabetesistogivethebodyanothersourceof insulin.Usually, this isdone through injectionsof insulin.However,new experimental approaches also show some promise. Patients with Type 1diabetes have experienced miraculous results from pancreas transplants."ReadingthesemedicalbooksonlystrengthenedmydecisionnottoputSergeioninsulin.Weboughthimabloodmonitor,andhebegancheckinghisbloodsugarseveraltimesaday.

I took Sergei offwhite sugar andwhite flour. However, this didn'tmake anydifference in his blood tests. I didn't knowwhat to do next. In the bookstorethere was a sea of information, all of which was contradictory. I didn't havemuch time; the doctor threatened to report me to social services because Iwouldn'tputSergeioninsulin.IdecidedthatIneededonlytheinformationthatworked.Iwantedtoknowhowpeoplebecomehealthy.

That'swhenIstartedtonoticehowdifferentpeoplelook.Isawthatsomepeoplelookmuch healthier than others. One day I overcamemy embarrassment andbegan asking healthy-looking people what they knew about alternativetreatmentsfordiabetes.

Then one day atmy bank, I got in line behind a radiant and happywoman. I

askedhermyquestionandshesmiled."Ofcourse,thebodycanhealeverything.I healedmy colon cancer fifteen years ago." I invited her to lunch. Elisabethsmiled again: "I cannot eat your lunch, butwe can talk."WhatElisabeth saidwas shocking (whatdoyoumean,everything raw?).At the same time Ihadaveryconfidentfeelinginsidemyself.

Elisabethansweredallmyquestions,andgavemeanoldbookaboutrawfood.Nomatterhowscaryeverythingsounded,itmadesense.Myhearttoldmeitwasright.

Elisabeth,whereveryouare,littleshylady,thankyou!

ToBeRaw,or

NottoBeRaw?

went to the bookstore and found books on raw foods. I enjoyed readingthem!These books hadmore in them,more than just health information. Theauthorsseemedtobefreeandhappypeople.Iwantedtobefreeandhappytoo.

Sergei:Momwas reading day and night, surviving on only a fewhours sleepeachnight.Iremembernoticingagrowingsmileonherfaceduringthosedays.

Victoria: In the morning, while holding on tight to my heavy cup of strongcoffeeanddiggingmyteethintoawarmbagelwithmyfavoritecreamcheese,Iwastryingtoimaginehavingarawbreakfast.Iaskedmyself,Whenshouldwestarteatingrawfood?Andhow?"TomorrowIwillstart."ButthenextmorningIhad my coffee in my hands before I was even able to think. I looked at myhusband who was enjoying his morning feast consisting of three bagels, twomuffins,andabeermugofcoffee.Isighed.

ItwasChristmastimeandalmosttwomonthssinceSergeihadbeendiagnosedwithdiabetes.Thepoorchildhaddifficultysleepingeverynight,hehadcirclesaroundhiseyesandhisbloodsugarwashigh.Hisgradesatschoolwentbelowaverage.

Iwasanxioustotryrawfoods,butcouldn'timaginedoingitonmyown.ItriedtotalktoIgor.Hesaid:"Ifitwasthiseasy,allthedoctorswouldrecommendit.Buttheydon't.Andtheyarewell-educatedpeople.Youcantryit,butyousee,foodunitespeople.Ifyouwilleatthatcrazydiet,eventuallyitwillseparateus."Ididn'tknowwhattosay,exceptthatwehadtodosomething.

Igor'sStory

gor:Iwasskeptical,becauseIhadtrieda"healthy"dietbefore,anditwasaverynegativeexperienceforme.

Many years ago in Russia, when I was 20, I became a member of a largevegetariangroup.All theirhealthyfoodwassoblandandsolean.Icravedthefood that I grew upwith: our traditional aromatic Russian borscht with pork,fragrant ricepilafwith lambandagoodpieceof a chocolatecake fordessert.Nevertheless I was able to stay on a vegetarian diet for quite a long time,becauseIhadstrongwillpower.

ButIbecameweak,myenergywasverylow,cavitiesformedinallmyteeth,Ilost lots of weight andmy buttocks were drooping behindme. I put up witheatingtastelessdishesduringthedayandwascheatinginmydreams.Ienviedall those aroundmewhowere allowed to eat anything theywanted.Thenmyinner"wisdom"toldme,"Whysuffer?Whyabidethis?Areyouhappy?Forgetaboutdietsandenjoylife!"AndIdid.

Yearspassed.Ibecameafraidofeverynewbirthday,asIwasagingrapidly.At35 Iwas alreadyaccustomed tohaving shakyhands, bulgingeyes,whitehair,fatigue,andextremeirritability.Idevelopedinsomnia.

Myarthritiswasprogressingrapidly,andthedoctorstoldmethatIwouldendupinawheelchair.OnrainydaysIhadtroubletyingmyshoes.

Idevelopedaveryrapidpulse,andevenwhenIwasrestingitwas150beatsperminute (normal is 60). At night, my wife couldn't put her head on my chestbecause,shesaid,myheartsoundedasifitwouldblowup.

Finally,mypulsegotsohighthatIcouldn'twork,andIwentintothehospital.Iwas put on a bed, connected to the computer and had my pulse and bloodpressuremeasured.Mypulsewas now178.Five doctors gathered aroundme,discussinghow to lowermypulse.They finallydecided topour sixgallonsofsaline solution into my blood. After they did that my pulse went down fivepoints,to173.

Thenthefivedoctorsgatheredinacirclearoundmeagain.Nowtheydecidedtostopmyheartwithanelectricshock.TheyneededmetosignpapersstatingthatIwasawarethatin10percentofthecasestheheartwillnotstartagain.Irefusedand went home. I felt exhausted. In a few days we had a bill for $2,000 for"professionalhelp."

Victoria:OnedayIgorwokeupwithaswollenneck.

It lookedlikehehadatennisball inhis throat.Hestoodinfrontof themirrortouchinghisneckallmorning.Igorwasafraidthathehadacanceroustumor.Iwasafraid,too,butasneakythoughtpassedthroughmymind:maybenowhe'llgoonrawfood.

As soon as children left for school, we left for the hospital. The doctor drewIgor's blood and announced that he had severe hyper-function of thyroid. Thedoctorwantedtoscheduleasurgerysoontoremovehisthyroid.Igorthenwouldneedtotakehormonesfortherestofhislife.

Igorwasdevastated.Havingalreadyenduredninesurgeriesforvariousailments,(noneofwhichmadehimanyhealthier),herefusedthesurgery.Nowitwasthedoctor's turn to be devastated. He said that it was an incurable, degenerative,irreversiblecondition."Look,"hesaid,"hereisthenewestThyroidSourcebook.Thedoctoropenedthebookonhistable,andIread:"Mostpeoplewiththyroiddisorderwillsimplygetworsewithouttreatment...afteraboutfifteenyearsyouwouldbeaphysicalwreck."

Igorsaid,"Iwillgoonarawvegandiet."Thedoctorshookhishead,"Actually,you're supposed to do just opposite," and turned the page in the samebook. Ireadwherehewaspointing:"Whenyou'rehyperthyroid...consumemorebutter,cream, cheese, and other dairy products ... peanut butter, mayonnaise, andanimalfathelpaswell...cutdownonfruitjuicesandfreshfruits."

Thedoctorsaid,"Yourdiseaseissofarprogressed.You'llhavetocomeback."

OnthewaybackhomeIgorwassilent,butIknewwhathewasthinking.

Igor:Iwasverysad.Ididn'thaveanyotherchoicethantogoonarawfooddiet.Ithought,"Whattheheck!IwillstayonadietfortwomonthsandthenwillgobacktowhatIlike."ThisisexactlywhatImentionedtomywife.

WhenIcamehomeseveralhourslater,ourkitchenwasempty."Sothatwedon'thavetemptations,"mywifeexplained.

TheBeginning

victoria:Iwenttothesupermarkettobuyrawfoodformyfamily.ThereIbecameamazedthatfromnowonmyshoppingwouldbelimitedtotheproducesection. Ididn'tknowwhat tobuy, so Iwasgoing incirclesaround fruitsandvegetablesforalongtimebeforeIfinishedmyshopping.Otherpeoplewerestillbuyingham,cheeseandcoke.IwasfeelingsostrangeleavingthestorewithoutPopsicles for the children! It was one case when the mind said, "This isridiculous!Itcannotbetrue!Youlookfunny!"Buttheheartwhispered,"Thisishow everything works in life! If you don't do it now, you'll miss somethingforever.You'llregretittherestofyourlife."

Valya: Iwillneverforget thisday.SergeiandIcamehomefromschoolandIwas plainly shocked. Most of the kitchen appliances were gone, but in theirplacewasahugenewcuttingboard,whichwasstrangelyplacedoverthestove.

Sergei:Iopeneduptherefrigeratorandwashorrifiedtoseethattherewerenohotdogs, hamburgers, fish sticks or bread! Nothing to eat; only fruits andvegetables.

I toldmom that Iwaswilling to eat junk food and givemyself shots butmymomsaidthatshewouldratherdiethanallowthat.

Valya:Iwasn'treallyscared-until lunchtime.Weatesalad.Forbread,wehadslices of carrot. For dessert, we ate apples. Then I listened to my motherexcitedlytellingusthatbyeatingapplesandlettuce,wecouldcureourillness.

Sergei: Ihadneverbeforeheardofanyonewho livedonfruit. Ipanicked.Mymomcalmedmedown,pleadingwithmetotryitfortwoweeksandseehowIfelt.

It'sReallyHappening!

ictoria:Wewentonrawfood"coldturkey."Thefirstdaywasthehardest.Truly,Iwasnotsureifwewouldbeabletostayonrawfoodtilltheendoftheday.Ihadaterribleheadacheinthemorningandthroughouttheday.Ialsofeltweakness, fatigue, irritability, but worst of all was a constant appetite. In theeveningmyappetitegrewintotorturoushunger.

ValyawasdoingOK.Sergeihadanimmediatereaction.

Sergei:Thefirstdayonrawfoodwasnoteasyforme.Igotaterriblemigraineheadache.Thepainwasso intense that theschoolnurse sentmehome. Itwashard to deal with a headache when I couldn't take any Advil. I didn't eatanything.Mother boughtme an enema bag, but I protestedwith disgust. Theonlythingthathelpedwassleep.

NextmorningtheheadachewasgonebutnowIhadanearache.ItwassoviolentthatIstayedinbed.Myfatherfilledabathtubwithcoldwater.Hetoldmetodipmyselfquicklyiniteveryhalfhour.Doingthishelpedmealittlebit.

Lateintheafternoonmyearacheintensifiedagain.Iwaslyinginmybedcrying.Atnightmymotherwaslyingnext tomeandgentlymassagingmyhead,faceandears.AssoonIwouldbegintofeelbetterwebothwouldfallasleepuntilthenextpainattack.Surprisingly,inthemorningIfeltmuchbetter,andIwasveryhungry. I enjoyedmy breakfast,which consisted of pear/apple juice, almondsanddates.Iwenttoschool,andmomwenttobedtogetsomesleep.

AllthatdayIwasinaverygoodmood.Ifeltmyselflightandclear.AthomeIhad a big saladmadewith lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, walnuts andoliveoil.Ittastedsogood,thatIchangedmymindaboutsalads.Truly,Imissedmy"normal" food,but Iputupwith it.Somany shiftshadalreadyhappened,anditwasonlymythirddayonrawfood.

Igor:Myenthusiasmandmyfearhelpedmetogetthroughthefirstmorningandthroughtheday.ButlateintheeveningIbecameshakyandangry.Iwantedtoeat.Iwenttobed,butIcouldn'tsleep.Afterrollinginbedfortwoorthreehours

Igotupandquietlytiptoedintothekitchen.IdecidedthatIwouldstartrawfoodlifetomorrow.Iwasgoingtoeatsomethinglikeabakedpotatoorboiledegg,orat least a pieceofbread,whatever I could find. It didn't takemevery long torealize that inournowemptykitchen therewasnothing tomakecooked foodwith.CrunchingmyteethIwentbacktobedandkeptrollinguntilfinallyIfellasleep.

In themorning, though, I didn't feel as tired as usual. I enjoyedbreakfast andlunchalot.Itwasdelicious,butitdidn'tsatisfyme.Iwantedmy"regular"foodasdesperatelyaspeoplewantacigarettewhentheyquitsmoking.Iunderstoodnow how addictive the cooked food is. In the evening everything happenedagain,onlyIwasabletofallasleepalittlefaster.Isufferedlikethatfortwolongweeks.

Valya:ItoldmyselfIwasn'tgoingtodothis.Myparentsneverdidanythingformorethanacoupleofdays.SoIcheatedatschoolbyeating"regular"foods.Ididn'twanttogoonrawfoodatall.Ididn'tevenwanttotry.Noneofmymom'srawfoodstastedgoodyet.Ihardlylikedapples,soIdidn'twanttodoit.

Buttheexcitementathomedidnotwearoff.Dayspassed,andthenweeks.

Thenonedayatschoolingymclassweranaquarterofamile.Thisreallyisn'tfar; sort of like running around the soccer field one time. I finished that racesecondtolast.Theverylastgirlwalked.Itwasn'tthatmylegscouldn'trunfast,itwasthatIcouldn'tbreathewhenIwasrunning.Itwasmyasthma.ThereweresomenightsIcouldnotbreatheatall,butIwassleepinganddidn'tnotice.Butmy parents were really worried and talked about it in the morning. Then Ithought,wow,maybeIshouldgoonrawfood.

Inoticedhowmymotherandfatherhadbothlostweight.Notonlydidtheylookbetter,buttheyweregentlerandhadmoreenergy.So,IdecidedthatIwouldtryit.Istoppedcheatingatschool.

Soonwewererunningthatquarter-mileagainatschool.NowIcouldrunmuchmore easily. I stopped breathing hard at night. I could move, I could go togymnastics,andIcouldrunanddoallkindsofthingsIcouldn'tdobefore.

Inthebeginningatschoolitwasprettyscaryformewhatthekidswouldthinkofmy lunch.Usually, Ibroughtapieceofonionandanavocadoandsomeofthese really weird things that they never had seen before. Other kids always

boughtprepackedmealsfromthestore.HereIwaswiththislittlepaperbagfullofunusualthings.Theyasked,"Whatisthat?canItrysome?"AndIsaid,"Sure,here,haveapiece,"andtheywouldsay,"Youknow,this isn'tbad,Icouldeatthis."

One time Ihadapomegranate.My friends loved it somuch, that therewasn'tanyleftforme.ItoldmymomthatIneededtwopomegranatesnexttime,oneformeandoneforotherkids.Mostofmyfriendsgotinterestedinrawfood,andIstartedtoenjoymylunchesalot.EverytimeIbroughtsomethingtolunchtheywerecurioustoknowmore,soallthekidswantedtositnexttome.

Sergei:Aftertwoweeks,InoticedthatmybloodsugarbecamemorestableandIstartedfeelingreallygood.

Ibegantoloseweight.Idecidedtostayonrawfoodlongerthantwoweeks.

LettingtheBodyLead

ictoria:Soonwewere to discover that our bodies have innerwisdom toleadusoutofanywrongdoing.

Aftereatingthesamesaladfortwoweekseverybodyinmyfamilygottiredofit.Ididn'tknowwhattoprepareandonedaywe"wentout"tothesaladbaratWildOats Health Store. There we noticed that everybody's plate was completelydifferent. Igor had mostly sprouts; Sergei, cucumbers and tomatoes; Valya,radishandolives;and I, scallionsandavocado.After lunchweallwent to thefruitsectionandpickedfruitsfordessert.Andagaineverybodypickeddifferentfruit: Igor, black grapes; Sergei, mango, or blueberries; Valya, figs; and I,persimmon.

We enjoyed eating at Wild Oats and went there very often. Soon it becameobviousthateveryoneofushadparticularcravings.

WhenacoupleofmonthslaterwemetDr.BernardJensen,afamoushealerandteacher, he told us that Sergei needed to eat more mangoes and blueberries,because they provide important nutrients for healing the pancreas, and Valyaneededtoeatmorefigsandolivesbecausetheyhavehealingpropertiesforherasthma.Wewereveryhappytohearthat,becausethatwasexactlywhatSergeiandValyaalwayswanted.Thatmadeusfeelconfidentinourbodywisdom.

Sergei: I remember how during the firstmonth of living on raw food I had a"cucumber attack." Iwas looking through the refrigerator for something tasty,andoutofthecornerofmyeyeIsawit.Itwasbeautiful,itwasacucumber.IbitintoitandrightawayfeltthatthiscucumberandIweredestinedforeachother.Ifinisheditquicklyandrealizedthatonlyonecucumberwasn'tgoingtodoitforme.Ineededmoretosatisfymycraving.

Mymomnoticed that something strangewashappeningwithme.Shewent tothestoreandboughttwopoundsofcucumbers.Iatethoseinoneminute!Backtothestoremymomwent,onlythistimebuyingfivepounds,nottwo.Itwasn'tlongaftershegothomethatIwasonmylastcuke.

Thiswasthelaststrawformymom.Runningtothestoretimeandtimeagainwasn'texactlyherfavoritethingtodo.Shewentbacktothegrocerystore,thistimebuyingmeawholecaseofcucumbers.Whenshesteppedthroughthedoorofourhouse Iwas sittingon thecouchawaitingherarrival impatiently. InnotimeIwasinthatcaseeatingcucumbers!ThistimeIateonlyfourmorebeforemycravingleftme.Thealmostfullcasewasgoingtohavetofindanotherwayofgettingusedup,becauseIwasoverit.

100percent

ictoria:Afteraboutamonthonrawfoodwereallygotboredwitheatingonlysalads.InoneofthebooksIfoundinformationaboutCHI(CreativeHealthInstitute) inMichigan. The book said that at this place they teach about rawfood. We decided to drive to Michigan as soon as possible. It soundedunbelievablethatwewouldmeetotherpeopleresemblingus.

Igor: At CHI we found ideal conditions for making a raw food diet mosteffective. Guests of CHI are completely isolated from any stress andtemptations. The institute is located on the bank of the Cold Creek andsurroundedbymanybeautifultrees.

We felt athomeandamong friends there.About twentypeople fromdifferentstatescametostayonarawfooddietfortwoweeksandtolearnhowtopreparetasty rawdishes.Everydaywehaddifferent classes about thebenefitsof rawfood.Welearnedhowtomakerawnutmilks,seedcheese,rawsoups,deliciousdressings,livecrackersandevencakesandpies!

Surprisinglytous,noneofthestaffwereona100percentrawfooddiet.

Victoria:Inacertainwaywewerelucky,asweallgotsicktogetheranddidn'thaveachoice.Theaddictivenatureofcookedfoodsdoesn'tallowpeopletogetoffitslowly,similartoanyotherdrug.Onecannotusuallystopdrinkingalcoholgradually. That's why there are AAmeetings, where they urge newcomers tostopdrinkingaltogether.

There isabigdifferencebetweendrinkingandeatingcookedfood.Everybodyknows that drinking is bad, but themajority of people innocently believe thateatingcookedfood isnotharmful,and isevennecessary.Thatcreatesanotherdifficultyforanyonewhoistryingtostayon100percentrawdiet.

I don't understandwhymany people think that it is easier to go on raw foodgradually, slowly increasing the percentage of raw food in one's diet.Canweimaginesomebodyquittingdrinking50,80or99percent?"Yes,IquitdrinkingbutIdrink1percentofwhatIusedtodrink.Oneshoteveryotherday."Thisis

notbeingsober!Similarly,99percentrawisnotraw.Somepeoplearguewithme: but youmost likely consume little amounts of cooked foods accidentally,unknowingly.That's right. It's the sameway soberpeoplemayeat a cake thathasalcoholinitsfrosting,ordressingthathaswineasoneofingredients.Theywillneverevennotice that.Theyare still sober.What ismore important, theyarenotconsumingalcoholconsciously.

Whenyouare99percentraw,thislast1percentwillkeepthebodycallingformoreaddictivesubstance.Itisverylikelythatatsomemealsyouwillconsume50percentorevenmoreofcookedfood.Ontheotherhandeliminatingthelast1percentmakesthebiggestdifference.I'vemetveryfewpeoplewhowereabletodo it long enough. But that is when the real miracles begin to happen, whenpreviously removed tonsils, teeth, appendixes and even gallbladders begin toregenerate.

Sergei:WhenIwentonrawfoods,Ihadeightfillingsinmyteeth.Irememberthatwhenmomwastakingmetothedentisttofillcavities,thoseteethwereverytender.Thedoctorcouldn'teventouchthem.AfterIhadstayedonrawfoodforsomemonths,thefillingsstartedtopopout.Iwassurprisedmyteethwerenottender.

I went to mymom and said, "My teeth are rotting from this diet." She said,"Let'swaitforacoupleofweeksandseewhathappens."

Withinacoupleofweeksmyteethbegantofillwithenamel.Itwasyellowish,thenitwhitened,andthenithardened.AcoupleofmonthslaterIhadthesamenew teeth as before I ever had a cavity. Now I have allmy teeth completelyrestored.Youmaylookintomymouth.Butyoucannotsaywhichtootheverhadacavity;theyrestoredcompletely.

Valya:BeforeIwentonrawfoodIhadabiggapbetweenmytwofront teethandIcouldn'twhistle.Theymovedtogetherwithinthefirstcoupleofmonths,whichwasreallyquick.

Victoria:Bygoing100percentrawyouareloweringyouraddictiontocookedfoods to a very inactive, practically hibernation state. A cruel and destructivemonster,Addiction toCookedFood, turns into a soundly sleepinggiant.Doesthis sleeping giant ever cease to exist? I don't think so. If you want him tocontinuetosleep,youmuststayonrawfoodfortherestofyourlife,orallthe

miserablethingswillcomeback.

Butwhilethegiantissleepingyoucanlive!

Ofcoursetoquit100percentisashocktothebody,butit isapositiveshock.There are ways to soften that shock by other means without having to do itgradually.Forthisreasonwhenwewentonrawfoodweallowedourselvesanyquantitiesandanycombinationsoffood.Ouronlytworestrictionswere:nothingcooked, and nothing from animals. (Except honey. We used honey, becausemaplesyrupisfortyhourscooked.)

Whenwewere beginning our first "raw" week everyone in our family had ahugebowlofsaladateachmeal.Ipersonallypouredahalf-cupofoilintomine.We were pleasantly surprised when our food consumption began to shrinkduringthesecondweek,andwentdowntoaquarteroftheinitialsizebytheendofthefirstmonth.

Nowthroughthewisdomofourbodiesweknewhowmuchtoeatandwhattopick.

Valya:AssoonaswereturnedfromMichigan,weorderedaVita-Mixblender,adehydrator, and a Cuisinart processor. Our assortment of dishes increased ahundredtimes.Westartedtomakeseedcheese,pate,nutmilks,crackers.SergeiandIspeciallyloveddessert.Ourparentsboughtussomesimpleappliancesatagaragesale.MybrotherandIburstintorecipes!

Weaskidswereabletohavefuncreatingourowndishes.Ourfriendslovedtostayatourhouse.Iwaseight,andSergeiwasnine.Mostkidsatthisagearenoteven allowed to use scissors. Butwe used knives, blenders and a dehydrator!Ourfriendsenjoyedpreparingfoodwithus.Irememberhowtheyalwaysasked,"Let'smakesomething!"

OnemorningIwaswaitingforaschoolbustocome.OurneighborBarbarasawmeandstartedtalkingtome.

-Yourmomlooksreallygood.Issheonanewdiet?

-Yes,weareallonadiet!

-Whatdiet?

-It'saverygooddiet!Weeatcookies,andcakes,andpies,andicecreamandcandies.

IntheeveningBarbarawaseatingrawpeachpiewithus.

Runningin

theRaw

ictoria:IreadinabookReversingDiabetesbyJ.Whitakerthat"exerciseis a must for the diabetic." I started to think about Sergei, that he hardlyexercisedatall.Sincewedidn'tputhimoninsulinwehadtomakesurethatweweredoingeverythingpossibletohealhisbody.WeunderstoodthatexercisingwasfundamentallyimportantforSergei.Buthowtomakehimdoit?

Sergei:Mom toldme that sheand Iwould start joggingeverymorningbeforeschool.Sheknewthatifshedidn'tstartrunningwithmeIwouldn'trun.Atthetimewewerebothoverweight,andIwasashamedtorunonthestreet;Ithoughteverybodywould laughat us. I hadnever run inmy lifebefore. I imagined itwouldbesuperboring.

VeryearlyinthemorningwhenIwasinthemostsoundandsweetsleepMomtouchedmyarm.Togetoutofmywarmbedtogorunningseemedunrealtome.Itwasstilldark.ButMomwasfirm,andIobeyed.

One minute after we started running we turned red as lobsters and werebreathingashardaswaterpumps.Twominuteslaterwecouldn'trunanymoreandneededtowalk.Ourpoorfitnesswasfrustrating,butitwasgoingtochange,becauseweenjoyedwhatwedid.Themorningairwas freshandclean.Whilewalking back home we were watching the glorious sunrise.We felt happy. Idecidedtostartrunningformyself,notformydiabetes.

Igor: I had been dreaming of running for years, but my poor body waschronicallytiredanditdidn'thaveenoughenergyforrunning.Afterstayingonraw food for several weeks I began to feel that my energy reserve wasincreasing.

SlowlybutsurelyIstartedtoruninthemornings.Ourendurancewasgrowingfastandsoonwewereparticipatinginsmallraces.Weevenwonafewmedals.

While running among other people, we noticed that they had to drink lots of

electrolytes, or they would get dehydrated. They had many problems withblisters and foot and leg injuries. They had to load themselves withcarbohydrates, or theywouldn't have enough energy and could lose toomuchweight.Wehadnoneofthoseproblems.Thatmusthavebeenaresultofarawfooddiet.

Victoria: Once I called my doctor and told him that I was racing. He washorrifiedand toldme that Ihad to stop running immediately,because I riskedsuddendeath.HiswordsscaredmealotandIdecidednottocallhimanymore.IhadaverystrongfeelingthatIwasnowinchargeofmylife.Soonwecancelledourhealthinsurance.

"HeavenlyEnjoyment"

fterwe had been on a raw food diet for sixmonths, onmy birthday Ireceivedacardfrom...myself.Ilookedattheinvitation.Itsaid:"DearVictoria,happy birthday! You and your husband are cordially invited to come to ourrestaurant, you will be served clams, salmon, crab cakes"-everything I hadpicked. I had forgotten about this. The previous year in July I had decided tomakea surprise formyselfandprepaid for thatbirthdaydinneratour favoriterestaurant.

Mybrainbegantalking."Forsixmonthswehavebeenstayingon100percentrawfoodlikemonks!Wedeserveareward.Thisismypreciousbirthday!It'snotacrimetoeatcookedfoodonceinsixmonths!Comeon!Everybodyaroundusiseatingmostlycookedfoodandnobodyisdying!"

IaskedIgor,"Canwejustgoandlook?Orcanwejustbiteitandspititout?"Igorgotexcited."Sure,let'sgo."

Intheeveningwetriedtodressup;noneofouroldclothesfitusanymore.

Wedrove to the restaurant. Itwas so exciting towait tobe seated!Wehadn'tbeen in line in a restaurant for so long. Everything was so exciting, thehandsome waiter, the smell of the food, happy people around us. Our waiterservedusourfood.Itlookeddelicious!Itwasgoingtobemybestbirthday!

AfterthefirstbitewethoughtwewereinHeaven!Wefelthigh!Wecouldn'teatverymuchnowbecause our stomachs had shrunk fromour diet.Lots of foodwas left on the table.While leaving the restaurant both of us had a very badaftertaste in our mouth. During the five-minute drive home we began to feelsick.Bythetimewegothomewefeltweakandnauseousandhadtogotobed.Iknewitwasfromeatingcookedfood,butIcouldn'tbelievehowsevereitwas.

Nextmorning Iwoke upwith an already forgotten feeling of fatigue.When IsawmyselfinthemirrorIdroppedthetoothbrush.Therewereeyeholesinsteadofeyesinmyred,swollenface.Ifeltdizzy.Iwondered,"Wheredidmyhealthachievementsgo?"

WhenI lookedatmyhusband,Iwanted tocry.Heshowedmebloodthatwascomingthroughtheskinunderhisknees.Igor'spulsewashigh,hisfacewasred,hefeltshakyandmiserable.Hehadtocancelhisworkfortheday.Isaid,"Iamsosorry,Igor,thatIdidittoyou."

Buttheworstofallwasthefactthatwebegantocravecookedfoodsoviolentlythatourcontinuingtostayonarawfooddietwasatgreatrisk.Ittookusmanydaystorecoverfromour"heavenlyenjoyment"intherestaurantandgobacktoourstablerawfoodliving.

At firstwedidn't understandwhyother people could eat cooked foodwithoutanyvisibleproblem,andwe,whoactuallywere ingreat shape,got sick.Thenwethoughtofhealthypeoplewhowouldgetsickiftheywouldsmoke,ordrinkalcohol.

Obviously, thehumanbodybuildsupaprotectionagainstharmful substances.Whenhumanbeingsconsumecookedfood,theirentiredigestivetractiscoatedwithafilmofmucus.Themorepoisonoussubstancestheyconsume,thethickerthemucousfilmbecomes.Thenaturopathscallit"mucoidplaque."Thisishowthehumanbodyadjustsitselftotheconsumptionofcookedfoods.

This mucoid plaque protects our blood from absorbing dangerous substances.Butatthesametimemucoidplaquedoesn'tallowalltheimportantnutrientstobe utilized by the body. Hence people who eat mostly cooked food developnutritionaldeficiencies.

Inourcase,IgorandIcreatedaterribleshockforourbodies.Westayedforsixmonthson a100percent rawvegandiet; ourbody trustedus and removed itsmucous protection. And then we went "out" and consumed substances fromwhichwewerenotprotectedanymore.Asaresultwegot.poisonedmaybe200timesmoreseverely thananybodyelseat that restaurant.We've learnedaverygoodlesson!Nevereverwillwedothatagain.

Manypeople,afterstayingonrawfoodforoneortwomonths,getoffit.Iwishweallunderstoodtheimportanceofourbehaviorduringthisparticularmoment.Oftenwesay:Ibecamecold,Ifeltweak,Icouldnotwork,andsoon.Firstofall,wedon'thavetoexplainanythingtoanybody.Butifwewanttoshare,weneedtomakesurewespeakthetruth.Thenitmakessense.Themostimportantistokeepthetruthforoursake.Nothingiswrongwithsaying:Itishard,Icould

notmake it; because thenwehavea chance to try againwhenwehavebetterconditions.Ifwesayrawfooddoesnotwork,itdoesn'tfitmeandsoon,thenwetake the second chance away from ourselves. The fact thatwe breed fear anddoubtsaboutrawfoodsinotherpeopledoesnothurtthemasmuchaswehurtourselvesbyclosingthedoortothismostnaturallifestyle.

Consideringall this, Iwant towarnyou.Don'tbecomea rawfooderuntilyouareabsolutelyreadyforit.Maybesomeofyouareveryexcitedandarereadytothrowawaypots andpans and to cover your stovewith a huge cuttingboard.Sleepwiththis idea,getenoughinformation.Beverycareful.Youarenot justchangingyourwardrobe;youarechangingyourwholelife.

Idon'twantyoutodoanythingbecauseIsayso.Ifyouwanttochangeanythingplease change it because you feel it is right for you. Do you understand thedifference?

OurBodyIs

TalkingtoUs

ictoria:Thereisnothingmoreimportantinthewholefieldofhealth,thantolearnhowtolistenandunderstandourbody.Ourbodyismiraculouslymade.It can never make a mistake! It is always doing its best, trying to make ushealthier!Sometimeswedon'tseeitthisway,becausewedon'tunderstandourbody'slanguage.

Whenweareplanning to travel toa foreigncountrywestudy the languageofthat country, so we don't get into trouble, or get lost. Similarly, if we don'tunderstand the languageofourownbody,wecanget in trouble.Howcanwelearnourbody'slanguage?

Whenwe started our raw food journey, I didn't know that every little feeling,everypainhasanimportantmessageforus.Imissed,ormisinterpreted,mostofthosesigns.Ineverletmybodyleadme.Iusedtothinkthatmybodyisadullmatter.

Iwasveryfatandverysick,andIdidn'tlikemybody.Ithoughtthatmybodywasverystupidanditcausedmeonlyproblems.MybodygainedweightfromwhateverIate,itcravedbadthings.Itcreatedheadaches,painseverywhere,andpimpleswhereIdidn'twantthemtobe.Itcouldn'trunwithoutchoking.

Nowmybody looks totallydifferent,but it is still thesamebody, it'smewhochanged.Mybodyalwayswantedtobehealthier.Itwasme,whowasignorant,andwhoalwayscounteracted.

NowIamlearningmybody's language.ThemoreI learn, themoreIdiscoverhowperfectmybodyis.

Forexample,pain.Iusedtothinkthatpainisbad.Itislikethinkingthatafirealarmisbad.Thepainsysteminthehumanorganismisaperfectalarmsystem.Likethefirealarmdemandsthatwestopthesmoke, thesamewaythepain inourbodyisdemandingtostopthewrongdoing.Ifwehaveseveralpains, there

areseveralwrongdoings.Aswedon'tdestroythealarmasitgoesoff,weshouldnottrytodestroythepain,buttofixthecause.

Doyoureallythinkthatyourbodycreatesthepaintomakeyousuffer?

Healthy people don't suffer from long-lasting pains. When Sergei wassnowboarding last winter he broke his clavicle. The doctor in the emergencyroom gave him a prescription for a pain killer. Sergei refused to take it. Thedoctor told him thatwas very silly, because everybodywho breaks a claviclegoesthroughunbearablepainduringthefirstweek.

Sergeibroughtpillshome,butheneverhadtousethem.Aslongashestayedinaposition thatwasbest for thehealingofabrokenclavicle, itdidn'thurt.Butwhen he got tired of the same position andwanted tomove, his body causedsharp pain, as if telling him, "Sorry, but you have to staywithin these limits,untilIwillrepairyourbonelittlebit."Hisbodywasguardinghimperfectlywithapain!

When we have a long-lasting pain, like toothache, or migraine, the mostimportantmessageweshouldgetfromthispainis:"Stopeating!"

Perhapsyounoticedthatwhenyoudohavepainforseveraldays,itusuallyhurtslessinthemorning,becauseyoudon'teatatnight.Inourfamilywheneverwehadanypainwewentonawater fast for just a coupleofdays, and it alwaysworked!

Ifanybodyintheworldcanhealourhealthproblem,it'sonlyourownbody.Allweneedtodoistolistenattentivelytoourorganismsowecanfeelwhatkindofhelpourbodywantsfromus.Maybeitwantsustofastonwater,ortorest,ortoeatcertainfruitortoexercise.

Our body is constantly communicating with us by different sensations.Understandingthelanguageofourownbodyisourbesthealthinsurance.

Iusedtothinkthatthebodywasthelowestpartofmyself,andthattheintellecthastocontrol thebody.NowIunderstandthat it is justopposite.Myintellect,(my image) is at the bottom and my body is above. It is my bridge to theuniverse.ThroughmybodyIamconnectedwithGod.Mybodyworksaccordingtouniversallaws.Itisapartofnature,andifIamintunewithmybody,Icanknowwhat isgoingon in theuniverse.Mybodynowhelpsme tounderstand

everything.It'sabletogetvibrationsfromotherpeopleandtransmitthemtomeandIsensethem.Ourbodyisaverymiraculousthing.

WhenIbegantoobservemybodyveryattentivelyIrealizedthateverycell inmybodyknows the future.Mycells knowwhat theywill do tomorrow.Theyknow what they will do in one year. When I discussed this with Igor, mydaughterValyawas listening to us. Later I found out a note on thewall, thatsaid:"Howcome,everysinglecellissowiseandtogetheritmakesanidiot?"

EconomicCrisis

ictoria:Whileourfamilywasexperiencingpositivechangeson theplainof physical health, our financial side had a crack. Our local county found azoning violation in our business operation, and after several hearings ourbusinesswasshutdown.Wewerequicklylosingthegroundunderourfeet.Ourdebts were growing. We were unable to sell our house due to zoningcomplications. Finally we were in foreclosure. We rented a storage unit andbegantopackourbooks,kitchenappliancesandotherthings.

SuddenlymybrothercalledfromRussiaandtoldusthatmymotherwasdyingfromcancerandshehadmaybeacoupleofweekslefttolive.Ihadn'tseenmymotherforsixyears.Ihadtogo,butIwasafraidtotraveltoRussiaalone.Igorand I flew to seemymother one last time, and our children stayed with ourfriendsintheUnitedStates.

Whenwe returned fromRussia, we came just in time to watch the bulldozersmoothingoutouroakfurnitureandother"treasures"inourformeryard.Whilestanding there andwatching, I felt thatmy past lifewas also bulldozed over,pressedwithallthatwreck,andburiedforeverbythepowerfulmachine.

We were homeless and unemployed now. That could be enough reason forsomeonetohaveaheartattack.ButIwasactuallyfeelingrelieved.Stayingonaraw food had transformed us. So we got our children and our dog into ourAstrovanandhittheroad.Wedidnothaveanyotherchoice.

LivingbyFaith

tseemsthattheuniverseisalwaysprovidinguswitha"nochoice"situationwheneverweneedtogofurther,butarekindofstuckinadoorsill.Imeanthatwedidn'twant togobackand live likeweused to livebutwewere afraid tomakearealchange,tostartlivingbyfollowingourintuition,tolivebyfaith.Sowewerepushed.

Wehadfourhundreddollarsinourpocket.Duetothetypeofvisathatwehad,wewere not eligible to receive food stamps or other help from theAmericangovernment.

Wedidn'tknowwhereweweregoing,forhowlong,whatweweregoingtodo,wherewewouldendup,andwecouldn'texplainwhyweweregoingeither.Wesurrendered.

FortwoandhalfyearswehavebeentravelingaroundtheUnitedStates.Weput200,000miles on our van!Amazingly, our car never had anymajor problemsduring all this time. We went spontaneously from place to place. Whilepreparingrawmealsforonechurchwewouldgetinvitedtodoapresentationatanext-doorseniorcenter.Atsomeplacestherewereonlyfivepeople,atotherstwenty.Wecollectedonlydonations.

Sometimeswemadelessmoneythanwespent.Sometimeswegotnomoneyatall.Sometimesweearnedgoodmoney.OnceacommunityintheBahamaspaidforourairplaneticketstoBahamas,sowecouldteachthemhowtomaketastyrawdishes.Welearned that ifwesincerelywanted tohelp,peoplegladlypaidus.

Whenwedidnothavemoneywelivedonsproutsandwildedibles.Wealwaysslept outside in free campgrounds, in different communities, or in our friends'backyards.We now had favorite places to stay in forty-nine states.We weresorrynowthatwehadbeen"chained" toourhouse inDenverforso long.Wehad such a good life now!Everymorningwe ran, biked and swam.Thenwespenttimereading,writingletters,discussingourplans.Afterhavingadeliciouslunchweworked forotherpeople.Everynight I readclassicalbooksaloud to

myfamily. In thewinterwemoved towardsTexas,Arizona,Florida.OncewespentaweekonadesertedislandinsouthernFlorida.

In the summer wemigrated towards spectacularMinnesota, Vermont,Maine.Welivedlikearoyalfamily.Wewererelaxedandhappy,nophoneandTV,noappointments, deadlines or stress. We met many other people who lived thisway.Wehadmanyopportunities tosettle.Wewereofferedgoodjobsatsomehealthinstitutions.Butwehadn'thadenoughoffreedomyet.

GettingonthePath

nce in thefallof1997weattendedagatheringof long-distancehikers.Theyweresharingstoriesabouttheirhikesandshowinginterestingslides.Thena sports nutritionist, whose specialty was long-distance hiking, advised hikershowtoeatonthetrail.Hisrecommendationswerealarmingtous.

According tohim,everyhikerneeds twopoundsofM&Msforeveryhundredmiles, in order not to run out of energy halfway up the side of a mountain.Hikersneedtosnackeveryhouronanenergybarorcandyinorder"toheadoffthoselate-dayenergycrashes."Heevensuggestedplacingachocolatebarunderthepillowatnight.Everytimeoneawakensduringthenightoneneedstotakeabite.Theaveragehikerloses20to60poundsofweightduringalong-distancehike. It is a real problem and a reason for many hikers to drop off the trailprematurely. To avoid anorexia the doctor recommended to hikers that they"inhaleahalf-gallonoficecream"everytimetheycomeintonewtown.

Wecouldn'tbelieveourears!Instantly,weknew:thiswouldbeournextproject.Wehadalreadybeendreamingofcrossingthecountryonfootforawhile.Nowwe had a mission too. We asked hikers how much money they spent whilehiking. The answerwas about $4,000 per person. They also told us it usuallytakesaboutsixmonths.

Therearethreemajorlong-distancehikingtrailsintheUnitedStates.WepickedthePacificCrestTrail,2,600mileslong.ItstartsontheMexicanborder,notfarfromSanDiego.ThenitgoesupnorthallthewaytotheCanadianborder.

InDecemberweheadeduptoSanDiego.

TheRawFoodCommunityofSanDiegowarmlywelcomedus.Toraisemoneyforourhike,theyhiredustopreparearawdinnerforoversixtymembers.Wegot about $1,000. Some people traded backpacks for Igor's massages. Jamiefrom the Date People Farm supplied us with 4,500 medjool dates, five perpersonperdayfortheentirehike.OurfriendWayneSheltonvolunteeredtosendus forty-two mail drops along the trail. Local farmers provided us withdiscountednuts,seeds,figsandraisins.WeboughtourselvesTevasandals;that

wastheonlyfootwearwehadonthetrail.Wegotdetailedmaps.

Everydaywe practiced by hiking for two to four hours in themountainswithpillowsinourbackpacks.Weweregettingreadytogo.

EarlyinthemorningonApril3,1998,Waynetookustoatrailhead.Whiletheradiointhecarwaspromisingasunnyweekend,itstartedtorain.Waynetookourpicture in frontof theMexicanbordermonument,andwestepped into therain.

Hikingwithout

Cooking

FromValya'sDiary:

pr. 5. It seems thatwith every step I learn something new. Todaywehikedthirteenmiles,butmypackseemslight.We'rehikingwell,andI'mwarm.Ihopethatdoesn'tchange!

Apr.6.Myanklehurtsandit'sraining.Everythinghurts!Wejustfoundoutthatourrainproofcoatsarenotrainproof.

Apr. 7. We were hiking in the rain and got drenched. Our backpacks gotwaterlogged and very heavy. We knew that soon we would come to a bigcampground.

Wearesittingonaleathercouchintheranger'soffice,warmingupbythefire.We hung our things to dry by the fireplace. There are bathrooms in thiscampground,hot showersanda roof.Themountainsarebeautifulhereat lakeMarina.Ourmomanddadgotfourgarbagebagsfromtherangers.Itlookslikethesebagsaregoingtobeourrainproofcoatsfromnowon.

Oneofthehikersfromagroupwesawearlierislost.Therewerethreeofthem,and they lost the trail last night.Rangers foundhimaftermidnight.Andyhadbeenaloneintheforestfortwentyeighthours,andhelookedmiserable!Hewasafraidhewouldstarvetodeath.Andysayshewillneverhikeagain.Nowheiswaiting for hismom to pick him up.Meanwhile, the rangers are treating himwithrefriedbeans.

It'sstillrainingandweareprayingforittostop.

Apr.8.Itwasrainingallnight.Iwashopingitwouldletupsoonanditdid!Wecontinuedourhikeandpickedminer'slettuceontheway.Wehadawonderfuldinnerofminer'slettuce,onecucumber,halfacarrot,rawrolledoatsandoil.Wearereallytired!Itfeelsgoodtocurlupinmywarmdrysleepingbag.

Apr.9.Wewokeupanditwassosunnythatweputonshorts,short-sleeveT-shirtsandwentbarefoot.Laterwesawlittlechunksofsnowontheground.Butthe sun was so bright that we were sweating. Little by little, more andmoresnowappearedandsoontherewassnoweverywhere.Wesurelywouldhavelostthetrailifsomeonehadn'tleftfootprintsinthesnow.Thesnowwasoldandthelittlecrystalswerelikeglasscuttingourfeet.

Westoppedtorestonabarerock,andputonoursandals.Westeppedineachother's footprints now because it was harder tomake new ones. Every time IsteppedIdidn'tknowifIwouldsinkdeeper.Myfeetgotcolderwitheachstep.Theicecrystalsstabbedmyfeet,andsoontheyfelt likesolidrock.Finallymyfeet gave way, I mis-stepped and fell in the snow. I burst into tears. I felt Icouldn'tgetup.Thenmymother'sarmspulledmeup."Wehavetogo,"shesaid,andIwent.

Bynownoneofuscouldfeelourtoes.Mydadstoppedandtolduswhattodo.Westeppedinthenearbysnowystream.Thewaterseemedwarmtoourfeet.Westayedin ituntilwebegantofeelunbearablepain inourfeet.Thenweputonsocks and sandals, put out mats, and jogged in place. Then we got out footwarmersandputblackgarbagebagsonourfeet.Nowourfeetwerewarm.Wecontinuedon.Atduskwecrossedtheroadandheadednorth.

Wefoundamanandhisfamilysledding.Hesaidweweregoingthewrongway!Hekindlygaveusaridetothepostoffice,whichwastwomilesaway.

Wefoundastorewithapples,driedfruits,nutsandoats.Theladywhoworkedtheregaveusacabin,#12,withwarmbath,aheaterandbeds.

When Igor took off his socks we looked at his feet and froze. One foot wastotallypurple!Momsuggestedwithatremblingvoice,"Gowashitfirst."WhenIgorcameback,hisfootwasfine.ItturnedoutthatthepurplecolorcamefromtheplasticbagthatIgorhadhadonhisfoot.Everybodyburstoutlaughing.Weateourfood,whichtastedsogood,andwenttoawarm,cozybed.Mydadsaidwecouldhavelostourtoes.

Apr.20.Todaywearegoingthroughadesert.It'ssohot,thewayIkeptgoingwastoimagineafresh,cold,juicywatermelon.Mybackiswetwithsweat.It'slikesomeoneistestingme.BehindtheroadthereisacreekandeverytimeIsteptowards the road the road jumps away fromme. It's like I'm walking on my

nervesandmynervesarethetrail.

Boy, if I thought Iwas hot before, Iwaswrong.Now I'm really hot! Then amiraclehappened,wecameuponacreek.

Apr. 21. Today we hiked through mountains, which had beautiful flowers.They're all so different, so colorful, so wonderful. I wish I had brought mypastels.Thebarrelcactuseswerefatandthornywithacrownofyellowflowerson top. The thin cactuses have bright pink flowers and they taste better. Thebarrelcactusestastelikesoftwoodwithlotsofsourjuice.

Apr.22.Wewerehiking thebigcanyons in theSanFelipeMountainswhenitstartedraining.Onceagain,weweredrenchedandIgotcold.Butitwasonlymyhands,soIstucktheminmyshortsleeves.Wewentaroundonemountainandcame around to see yet another. I got so tired of constantly walking. I wassoakedoutsidefromrainandinsidemy"garby"(garbagebag)Iwassoakedfromsweat.IfeltthatIcouldnottakeonemorestepandaskedtostopandrest.Butmyfathersaidthat ifwestop,we'llgethypothermia,andwecoulddie.So,nomatter how tiredwe are and nomater how farwe have to go,wemust keepmoving.

Andwekepthikingandtherainkeptpouring.MybodyfinallywentnumbandIwalkedasifinatrance.

Suddenlywecametoafenceandthentheroad.Finally,WarnerHotsprings.Wehadhikedtwenty-threemilesthatday,andahundredfeettothehotswimmingpool.Whenwegot in thatpool,wewere thehappiestpeople in theworld thatnight.

Apr.25.Itfeelsgoodtohavemypackonmybackagain.

Wehikedalldaytoreachacampground.ItwasherethatwemetupwithGary,whom we had seen once before. He is hiking on crutches because he hasdiabetes.Inhispack,hecarriesinsulinfordailyshots.Andinthesamepackheiscarryingcannedfood,pots,pansandasmall,butheavystove.

Gary fellwhilecrossing the last creekand severely twistedhisknee.Sincehewas now abandoning the trail, he wanted us to take his food supplies. Wethanked him, but didn't take any. Gary was sure that we were just shy. Hebroughtusaboxofexpensivepowerbars,V-8juiceandchocolatebars.Mom

justthankedhimandtookthebox.Welatergaveittoacampgroundhost.

Inthemorningwehikedtwomilestoasmalltowntobuysomefruitatalocalstore.

WhenIlookatfoodinthestoresandseecakesandothercookeddishes,tome,they don't look like food, I don't relate them to things that I eat; they are justthingsthatpeoplelookat.Iknowthatit'sfoodbutIlookatitaslittletoysthatkidsplaywith: theplasticpiesandhamburgers, it looks like that tome.Whenwegotostores,wegotothefruitsectionandwegobackout.Asfortherestofthe store,we don't even knowwhat it is filledwith.When I look at boxes offood,itlookslikeemptycardboardboxeswithdifferentpictures.

Apr.26.Wehiked toabeautifulwildhotsprings; Iswamthewholeday!ThenextdayIwokeupandwentswimmingagain.Ididn'teveneatbreakfast,somymombroughtSergeiandmesometeaanddates.Ourbowlswhirledroundinthepool.Swim,swim,takeasip.Swim,swim,eatadate.Itfeltgood.ItwasourlastdayandIdidnotwanttoleaveandpossiblyneverreturn.Butitwouldbefuntostarthikingagain.

Apr.30.Our13-year-oldfriendNaomijoinedusforthreedays.WetookiteasyandhikedonlysixmilesindeferencetoNaomi.Dadstillhadboundlessenergy;he joggedall theway towherewestarted thatdayandback.Naomididn'teatour wild salad, but she ate all of the food that she had: salted peanuts, threepowerbarsandcandy.

May 1. We each had three medjool dates and water for breakfast. We don'tusually eat until 3 p.m., because after lunch it's much harder to hike. WhenNaomitriedourlunch(wildonion,miner'slettuce,oatsandoil)shesaid,"Iamsickofyourfood,Ihateit,I'mtiredofoats."Mymomaskedherwhatwouldsheeat.Naomiclosedhereyesandsaid,"Maybeanapple,orbanana."

Later we were hiking through a small campground when we saw a group ofpeoplehavingapicnic.Theyhadtwogreenapplesandtwobananasonthetable.My parents asked them if they would trade fruits for a Russian Deep TissueMassage.OnemanagreedandNaomigotherwish.

TomorrowisNaomi'slastdaywithus.Wehaveeightmilesbeforewemeetherparentsattheroad.

May2.Soonafterwesetout, thetemperaturerosequickly.Itseemeditwouldneverend.Naomiwashungryanddragging.Ifoundahorseradishleafandgaveit to her. Soon she asked formore. She said shewould eat anything, perhapsevengarbanzobeans.

Fordinnerwehadabeautifulsaladmadewithwildcelery,wild turnip leaves,wild onions, and yellowmustard flowers.We used a pinch of raw rolled oatswithwaterandkelpfordressing(Igorhadusedtheoilforthemassage).Itwasdelicious.Naomisaidshenevertastedbetterfoodinherlifeandhadtwoplates!

Wefinallymadeittotheroadandwhowastherebutherparentswithabasketofsweetorganicstrawberrieswaiting forus.Naomiwas tiredandhurting,butsmiling.

Shekeptsinging:

"Miner'slettuceissoyummy,

Ijustwantitinmytummy."

That evening, we sat around the fire and chewed dates. Sergei got bitten bytwentyantsandhad to soakhis feet in the stream.Wesataround the fireandlaughedatmydad'spoemaboutaforesttickthathemadeupinRussian.

May 6. It was a steep climb all day.We logged eighteenmiles andwewentthrough endless fields of flowers.Orange poppies, bright pink, yellow,white,redandpurpleflowers,allsizes,andeverywhere!

Wepassedrighttothedesert,butitwassurprisinglycold.

Astimepasseditgotwarmerandthenhotter.WetookbreaksundertheJoshuatrees.

Wetriedashortcutbutgotlost.Wehadtohikebackmorethansevenmiles.Weworriedthatwewouldnotreachthepostofficebeforeitclosedforathree-dayweekend.

Tomy surprise, the cities are soboring.Nomatterwhat I do, it doesnot feelright. I evenwent to thepark and swungon the swings,which ismy favoritethingtodo,andthatdidn'thelp.Icannotwaittostarthikingagain.

May10.Itisavery,verywindyday.Wehikedawhitemountainmadeofchalk.I evendrewwith it.Thenextmountainwasmadeupof all different kinds ofrockinone.Itwasabeautifulday.

May19.Itisraininginthemountains.Wearestuckatthesamecampsiteforthethird day already. Usually when it rained we would hike all the way tocivilization without a single break. But this is different because we are fortymilesawayfromanything.

May20.InthemorningIgotoutofmywarm,soft,cozysleepingbagintothecoldfog.Everyonewashurryingandstuffingeverythingintotheirpacks.Aftertheshortpleasureofbreakfastwewereoff.Wehavebeenineveryweatherbutfogandnowwewereinthat,too!

Wehiked through the tallwet grasswithour shorts sowedon't get our pantswet.Ilikethefog.Thereissomethingmysticalinit.

IttookusalldaytoreachSierraCitywherewefoundabeautifulcampground.Momanddadwenttothepostofficewhilewekidsstayedinthewoods.Isatonaflatrockthatwasaperfectseat.Iwasalittlescaredbecausewhat ifIsawabear.But Icalmedmyself.Blackbearsdon't eatpeople; they justwanthiker'sfood. But I have honey in my stomach.What if they can smell me? But wehaven'tseenanyyet,soweprobablywon'tseeany.

Iwaswriting letters tomypenpalswhen Ihearda sound like rocks falling. Iturnedaroundandtherehewas:bigwetblackbear.Hewasbeautiful.Soswiftbutyetsoclumsy.HisfurwaswetsoIknewthathehadjustswumtheriver.Hepassed within twenty feet without even looking at me. Only after he past Iunderstood:Isawabear.

Thesun iswarming theearth, theskyhasnota singlecloudand thebirdsaresingingeverywhere. Infrontofmeisanoceanofmountains toclimb.WhenIclimbamountainIneverknowwhatisontheotherside,ajeeproad,acityorjustanothermountaintoclimb.Justlikeinreallife.

Ashland

ictoria:Whenwe reachedAshland, therewas forty feet of snow on thetrailandwecouldnotcontinue.Fortyfeetofsnowwasjusttoomuch!Wecouldnotseethetrail,andwehadalreadybeenlostseveraltimes.Therangerstoldusthattheydidn'twanttolookforusinhelicopters,sowehadtowaitinAshlandforatleastsixweeksbeforethesnowwouldmeltanditwouldbesafetoreturntothetrail.Itwasatoughsituation.Wehadonlyfivedollars.OurnextmaildropwaswaitingforussixtymilesaheadatCraterLakePostOffice.Wecouldn'tliveintownforsixweekswithoutmoney.

WhilehikingthroughAshlandwecameacrossbeautifulLithiaPark.Weswamin the river, had salad with wild greens and camped overnight in the nearbyforest.

In themorningwebegantalkingtopeople thatwemet in theparkandgettinginformation about possible trades.Wewere offeringgardenwork in exchangeforaplacetocamp.SeveralpeoplementionedWellSprings:"Theyhaverecentlyhadabadfloodandthereisalotofcleaningtobedone."

AcoupleofhourslaterwewereenteringWellSprings.

The very firstman thatwemet appeared to be the owner of theWellSprings,Gerry.Wehadanamazingconversation:

-Wouldyoulikesomehelpinexchangeforfreecamping?

-Theonlyhelpweneedisinthekitchen.

-Wecannotworkinthekitchen.

-Why?

-Weareonaspecialdiet.

-Whatdiet?

-Rawfood.

-I cannot believe it! We have organized an education kitchen and have beenlooking for a chef through the entire spring. We couldn't find anybody andfinally,yesterday,wewerestandinginacircleandprayingtoGodtosendarawfoodchefourway.Andhereyouare!Icannotwaittotrysomeofyourfood!

WewenttothelocalhealthstoreandGerryboughteverythingthatwetoldhimtobuy.ThenGerry tookus to thebeautifulkitchenwith itsVita-Mixblender,Championjuicer,processor,traysforgrowingsproutsandverysharpknives.

We made borscht, nutmeat cutlets, hummus and cake. Gerry and his friendslovedeverything.Hehandedusakeyandacheckbookandsaid,"Dowhateveryouwanthere,I'msureitwillworkwell."

Wehadawonderful timeworkingatSpringsGardenCafe!Everymorningwepickedfreshgreensandfreshvegetablesfromtheorganicgardeninthebackofthe WellSprings. We prepared beautiful live food. We swam in the healingmineralwaters.Weweresurroundedbymanylikemindedpeople.Wemetmanynewfriends.

Meanwhile the snowon the trail hadmelted andwewere committed to finishour hike. Sowe packed and left to continue our journey on the Pacific CrestTrail.

As soonaswe left somethinghappened thathadneverhappened tousbefore.Ourheartsweretellingus,"Youhavejustleftyourhome!Youneedtobeback!"

TheHappyEndor

TheHappyBeginning?

e reached the Canadian border on September 16, 1998, on a stormyday.WehadtorunthelasttenmilesinthedarknessinordertoreachtheshelterintheCanadianstatepark.

There'sreallynowaytodescribeathru-hiketoothers.Whattotell?ThatSergeihad 174 ticks? Or that Valya met a bear one-on-one in the Sierras? That Icrawled on my knees four miles on a fragile crust of mushy snow? But wementionthosethingsjustfortheeffect,theyarenotimportant.Therealtreasuresarehard to explain.Thegreatest thingweunderstoodon the trailwas thatwedon'tneedalottobehappy.

Ourcravingfortravelingwasover.WeclearlywantedtoreturntoAshlandandtostartlivingthere.

Andsowedid.GerryhelpedustobuyatrailerrightatourfavoriteWellSprings.Everythingfell intoplace.Welivenowin the townofourdreams.Inorder tofind itwe had to search in every corner of theUnited States for almost threeyearsandtocrossthecountryonfoot.Sometimeswewonder,"WhatifwehadneverhikedthePacificCrestTrail?What ifweneverleftDenver?Whatifweneverwentonrawfood?"

Sergei'sTeen

Message

amso lucky that Iama rawfooder,because Iamcuredofmydiabetes. Iwillnevereverhavetoworryaboutgettingsickwithanylife-threateningillness,nomatterhowseriousitmaybe.IwillnevereverhavetoworryaboutanykindofY2Kproblemsinthefuture,forIknowhowtosurviveinthewoodswithoutanyfoodforlongperiodsoftime.

IusedtobedeadlyafraidofspidersandofdeathbutInolongerhavetoworryabouteither.Rawfoodhelpedmetogetridofallfears.

SeveralyearsagoIusedtobesopetrifiedofdeath.Iwouldn'tbeabletogotosleepsomenightsbecauseIwouldbethinking:wesureliveforalongtime,butit'snotevenasecondaslongaswearegoingtobedead.It'slikewearegoingtobedead foreverandwe live foronlyahalf a second.Thiswould scaremesomuch because I was attached to my body and to material things. It wasincrediblyscarytothinkofthingslikethat.

In time I realized I shouldn't be scared anymore because just like birth iswonderful,death iswonderful too. Idon't really trulybelieveanymore thatwediebecause,one timeat theCreativeHealthInstitute inMichigan, therewasaguynamedMike.Hewascarriedinbyfourbigmen.Thedoctorstoldhimthathehadtwodaystolive.Hecouldn'twalkordoanything.Sohewasputontothebed. We started giving him wheat grass and he started fasting. The miraclehappened!Mikestartedwalkingwithinamonth.Hestartedworking,helpingtomowthelawnonthetractor.Inthreemonthshewasrunninginthemornings,hewasgoingdowntheriverwithmeinariverraft.Hewasreallyactiveandreallyhappy.Forthefirsttimeinhislifehesaidhewasreallyhappy.

Mike used to drink a lot, so only one percent of his liverwasworking.AfterthreemonthsMike felt soexcellent, thathedecided thathewascured,andhewentoutandhadaprimeribdinnerwithagirlfriend.Thatnighthedied.

Whenmyparentswenttothehospitalthatnighttheytookmewiththem"tosay

goodbyetoMike."AndIlookedathisbodyandItouchedhisbody.Itwaslikeapiece of skin. There was no soul in it. It was just like a doll, it wasn't evenhuman.

SincethenIknowthatwedon'treallydie,wegosomewhereelsebutwedon'treallydie.MaybethatwasthelaststepIhadtotaketorealizethatweshouldn'tbescaredofdeath.

InolongerhavetoworryaboutfittingintoanykindofgrouporculturebecausewhenIbecamearawfooderIstoppedcaringwhatothersthinkaboutme.Iamnot afraid of poverty anymore nor am I afraid of starving to death because Iknowthatit'snotpossible.NowIamnolongerscaredtolive.

I started liking to work when I became a raw fooder. Before whenmymomaskedmetodosomething,I'dalwaysdoittheeasiestwayandasfastasIcould.Ifsheaskedmetosweepthefloor,Iwouldsweepthedirtundertherug.Ifsheaskedme towash thedishes, Iwould just rinse them, likeput themunder thewater.Ihatedwork.InthesummerIusedtositallthetimeonourcouch,andnot do anything. My friends and I would be bored for three months and wecouldn'tthinkofanythingtodo.

Afteraboutayearintorawfood,Iwouldn'tbeabletoenjoyaTVshowknowingtherewasabigpileofdishestobewashed.Istartedtolikeworkingandrealizedthatwithoutwork,lifeisboring.

BeforeIwentonrawfoodIwasbelowaverageinschool.IwasaclassclownandIneverdidmyhomework.IwasalwayshyperactiveandIcouldn'tsitstill.The teacherswere thinking of holdingme back because Iwasn't readingwellenough.

WhenIstartedeatingrawfoodinthemiddleofthirdgrade,Iturnedintooneofthetoptenkidsintheclass.ItwasinterestingbecauseinthefirsthalfoftheyearIwastheworststudentandin the lasthalfIwasoneof thebeststudents.Theprincipal himself gave me an award and said he had never seen this happenbefore.Mygradeswentup.Therewasastartlingdifference.Iwasnolongera`D' student, Iwas an `A' orB' student. Iwas able to listen to the teacher andenjoywhathewassaying,andenjoytheprocess.

School became so simple that I dropped out and home-schooled, doing twogradesinoneyear.ThatbecameeasyandIdecidedtoskiphighschool.Itook

the placement test at the college and scored well. Now I am going to acommunity college in Medford. I am 15 years old. I have a `B' average incollege.Iamprettyhappyaboutthat.

My relationships with other people changed. Now I attract different kinds ofpeople, thosewho sharemybeliefs.But the friends that I hadbefore, the truefriends,theystuckwithme.

When Iwatchmy friends having towear glasses and braces and getting sickoften,havingmoodswings,Ifeelverysorryforthem.IwishIcouldtellthemallthattheydon'tneedtosuffer.ButIknowthatmostofthemwouldn'tlistentoawordIsay.IknowthattheonlythingIcandoisbeagoodexample.Theymightneverfigureoutthat thereareotherwaysofdealingwiththeirproblems.Theymight never figure this out because wherever they are they receive falseknowledge.Inschooltheyalwayshearthatifyouaresicktakeapill,theyhearitonTV,fromparents,fromfriends.That'swhysomefriendsmightbeskepticalwhenItellthemthatifyou'rerawyouhavenothingtofear.Youwillnevergetsickandifyoudo,rawfoodwillcureyou.

IwishIcouldtellmyfriends'parentsthatit'sveryimportantthattheybecomeatleast somewhat raw. Their children are counting on them.Maybe the parentsaren't sick but if the kids are, then there is no better reason to become a rawfooder.Suchachildwillhaveahappy,fruitfullife.He/shewillneverwanttotrydrugs; anydrugwill seemverydumbandunnecessarybecause a raw fooder'slifeisalreadyfilledwitheventsandfeelingthatcreateasortof"naturalhigh."

If many more children go on raw food diet the world will become a better,cleaner,healthierplacetolive.

Evenifpeoplejuststopeatingmeat,therewillbeagreatdealmoretrees.Moretreesmeanscleanerair.Cleanerairmeanshealthierpeople.

Myparentsmadeiteasierformeandmysistertostayonrawfoodbygettingusour own appliances: blender, food processor, knives and so on. That made iteasier becausewe as kidswere able to have fun creatingour owndishes.Butevenmoreimportantlytheymadeiteasierformebecausetheythemselveswereagoodexample.Theynevercheatednomatterhowharditbecame.Thisshowedmeinasensehowmuchrawfoodmeanttothem.Sinceweareafamily,Itoostartedhelpingmyparentsbybeingagoodexampleandnevercheating. Inno

timewehadasortofcyclegoing;whenoneofuswashavingahard timetheotherswoulddothebesttheycouldtohelp.It'seasiertobesuccessfulwhenyouhavesupport.

Myparentschangeda lotfromthisdiet.First theystoppedfightingingeneral.Thentheybecameagreatdealnicer,moreopen.Itiseasiertotalktomyparentsnow,knowingthattheyonlywanttohelpmewithmyproblems,notjudgeme.Myparentsnowgivemea lotof freedom, theynevergroundme,or suppressme. They believe that they don't own me, that I own myself. Therefore theynever force me to do something I don't want to do. Even when I'm doingsomethingtheydon'tapproveof, theyneverstopmefromlearningalessononmyown.

I feel that eating raw food is the right thing todo and that iswhy Ido it, notbecausemyparentstellmetodoit.Ourparentsarereallyopen.Theydon'tsay,"No,youcan'teatcookedfood."IfIwantedtoeatcookedfoodIwouldeat it.ButIrealizeonmyownthatIdon'treallywanttoeatit.Iamreallyhappythatthey introducedme to it. I hope that if you have kids you could talk to themaboutitorjustbeagoodexample.Beinganexampleisthenumberonewayofteachingpeople.

Mysister,mom,dadandIallsleepoutside.Wehaveahousebutonlyourdogsleepsthere.Webuiltourselvesalittleenclosedareaoutsidesowecouldsleepandbreathe fresh air. I know that breathing fresh air bringsmegreat health. Inoticed that when I sleep outside I always have a deep peaceful sleep like ababy,Ineedlesssleep,andIrecoverbetterfromahardday'swork.

Onewinterwelivedinasmallcabinforalittlewhile.ThefirstthingIhadtodoin themorningwas tobuilda firebecause itwas incrediblycold.Choppingatdawnwokemeup.

Twoorthreetimeswhenwetraveledwehadtosleepinamotelbecauseoftheweather. In themorning Ialways felt soheavy,as if Ihadeatensomecookedfood.Mymomalwayshasaheadachewhenshesleepsindoors.Wetrytosleepoutsidenowevenwhen theweather is reallybad.Forexample, in the rainwecoverourselveswithatarp.IlikewhatPeacePilgrimsaidaboutit:"Wearenotmadeoutofsugar,thereforewecannotmelt."

Alsowedon'thavebeds,wesleeponhardwoodfloorsbecausewefeelit'sright.

Whenwe lived inDenvermy friendswouldcomeover tomyhousea lot andjumponmysoftbouncybed.As timewenton,our thinkingstarted tochangeandwecamearoundtosleepingonhardsurfaces.Mydadcuthardoakboardsandplacedthemovereachoneofourbeds.WhenmyfriendStephencameoverthenextday,hetriedafaceplantonmynolongersoftbedandalmostbrokehisnose.

Oftenpeopleaskmeif Icravepizza,chipsoranyotherpopular"teenfood."Idon'tremembereatingcookedfoodatall;ithasbeenawhilesinceIatecookedfoodsandeventheconceptofwarmfoodseemsweirdtome.WhywouldIwanttoheatsomethingandstickitintomymouth?

Somepeoplesharetheirconcernthatwecan'tbesocialonrawfood.Ithinkthatthat'safalsetheory.Everyrestaurantwouldserveyouasalad.Iftheydon'thaveasalad,askthemtobringyouslicedzucchini,ortomato,orcarrot,oronion,oranyvegetablethattheyhave,withoutanydressingonit.Askthemiftheyhaveoliveoil.Alwayshavea little shakerofMrs.Dash,orkelp,or spike,orotherseasoninginyourcarforsuchoccasions.

When we have an appointment at the restaurant we bring with us a bigwatermelon, give it to the chef and ask him cut it up for us nicely.When thewaiterbringscutwatermelononabeautiful tray,ourfriendsforgetcompletelyaboutwhat theyordered, because freshwatermelon looks somuchbetter thanthepictureofthehamburger.Thewatermelonalwaysseemstogofirst.Thenwegiveboththechefandwaitera$5tip.

Ibegantoeatwaylessonrawfoods.SometimeswhenIgoouttoarestaurantwithmyfriendsIjustgetsometeaornoteventhat.SometimesIamnothungry.Ijustsitandtalktomyfriendsastheyareeatingtheirfood.ThoughIdon'tthinktheyunderstand.

I noticed that after about two years of being 100 percent raw I started eatingreally simply. I no longerwanted any gourmet food; a simple salad started toseem one hundred times better. I seem to have come closer to nature. Now Ienjoyeatingwhole foods likea carrotor anapple,more then I enjoyeatingafancycake.Iamnotsayingyoushouldstopeatingbeautifulgourmetrawfood,insteadwhatIamsayingislistentoyourbodyandeventuallyyoumightcometoeatsimpler.

I don't get sick anymore but once in awhile I get something called a healingcrisisbecauseittakessevenyearstofullycleansethebody.Medicinetakesthelongesttogetoutofthebody.EveryonceinawhileIgetahealingcrisis.Itisatypeofcleansingthatcomessuddenlyandgoessuddenly.Youneverknowwhentoexpectahealingcrisis.

Nottoscarethereader,healingeventsareactuallyawonderfulthing.Infactyoushouldbeworried ifyoudon'tget thembecause thatmeansyoumighthaveaserioushealthproblem.

When someone stays on a raw food diet for even a short period of time theirawareness increases. A well-aware person would never ever hurt anyone oranything.Onewill insteadconcentrateon improvingone'sownself,andbysodoing that person inspires other people to change theway they live. Can youimaginehowmuchagroupoftwentyinspiredpeoplecoulddo?

Raw food is not the most important thing in life. In my opinion the mostimportantthinginlifeistobefree.Beingfreemeansbeinghappy.Whenyou'rehappyyou'renotattachedtoanythingoranybody.Youcanbehappyontopofamountainbyyourselforyoucanbehappyinatrafficjam.Thoughrawfoodisnotthemostimportantthinginlife,Istillseeitasveryimportant,becauserawfoodgivespeopletheenergytheyneedtoachievetruefreedom.

ScienceorIntuition?

ictoria: There is no knowledge more important then the knowledge oflistening toourbody for the sakeofourownhealth.Wehavean illusion thatsomebodyfromtheoutsidecanhealus.Ifanybodyintheworldcanhealus,itisonlyourselves.Itwilltakecenturiesforsciencetolearnthehopelessnessoftheattempttopushtheeverchanginghumanbodyintoframesofscientifictheories.Butitispossibletoknowwhatweneedtodohereandnowforourhealth.Itispossibletolearnhowtohearourbody'svoice.

WhenIstartedtousemyintuition,IknewthatIalwayshavehaditandIknowthat everybody else has it. Everybody is born with intuition. It is our humannaturetohaveintuition.

Insteadofmakinganefforttomemorizetheinformation,weshouldbettertrytohearthemessagefromourownbody.

Sometimes the cooked foods advocates blame raw fooders with lacking ascientificfoundation.Themostparadoxicalisthefactthatrawfoodismdoesnotneedscientificexplanation,becauseitjustworks.

Staying on raw food successfully does not depend on the amount of ourknowledgebutonthefaithinnatureandourorganism.

Scientificallysoundingtheoriescreatefearinusthatwecannotberawfooderssuccessfully.Wecangetdisappointedandstepback.LikeIdidformanyyears.

Iwasconditionedtosuchapointthatuntilsixyearsago,Iwasnotabletosayanything for my own self. I was always looking for solutions in a book,WhateverIsaidwaswhatIreadsomewhereelseorheardfromsomebodywho"knowsbetter"thanIdo.IwasthinkingthatwhateverIsayfrommyselfdoesn'thave any value. I hope you understand that, becausemany people have gonethroughthesamestagesintheirlives.

IthoughtIcouldneversayanythingthathasneverbeensaidbefore.IwassurethateverythingIknewcametomefromotherbooksandfromotherpeople.

ThenIdiscoveredthatIdoknowthingsIneverheardandIdohavefreedomtoseeanddecideformyself.

Valya'sDreams

magineaworldfullofrawfooders.Wouldn't itbewonderfultobearoundsuchhealthypeople?Becausewhenpeoplearehealthier, theytendtobemuchhappier.

IwentonrawfoodtobehealthierbutnowIdoittobehappier.WhenIeatrawfoodIfeelfree,andthushappier. I lovefeelinghappy.Don'tyou?I thinkthathappiness is themost important thing in life.Haveyounoticed thatwhenyouarehappyitmakeseverythingseemwonderful?Aswonderfulasthestarsinthesky.

Oftenwe think, let theworldbecomerawfirstand then Iwill. Itwouldbesomucheasierthen.Itwould.That'swhybybeingarawfooderyouhelptherestoftheworldtodoit.

Wouldn'titbegreatifinsteadoficecreamtruckstherewouldbefrozenwheatgrassPopsicletrucks.Billboards,insteadofpromotinghamburgers,wouldshowfreshorganicdurians.Ormaybetherewouldnotbeanybillboards.Mayberawfoodwouldhelpclearourmindsandmakeusmoreconscious.Thenmaybetherewouldbelesspollution.Thentheplanetwouldbehappytoo!

Recipes

Borscht

BlendtheseingredientswellinablenderorVita-Mix:

Pourthemixtureintoabigbowl.

Blendthefollowingingredientsforashorttime(about30seconds):

Add1/2 cupwalnuts andblendon low speedveryquickly, so they just breakintosmallpiecesbutarenotblended.

Pourintothesamebowlandstir.

Diceorgrate:

Addgratedingredientstotheblendedmixture.Stirandserve.

Serves7-10.

Un-ChickenNoodleSoup

Blendtogetherverywellfor1-2minutes:

Addthefollowingandblendforabout1minute:

Pourintoalargebowlandadd:

Serves7.

GenericRecipeforChowder

Blend1cupcoconutwith1cupofwaterfor1minuteinVita-Mixor2minutesinregularblender.

Add1cupcashewsandblendforanother1/2minute.

Addthefollowingandblendwell.

Nowyouhaveplainchowder.

Picktheflavor:

Forclamchowdertaste,add:dulceflakes

Forbroccoli:choppedbroccoli

Formushroom:yourfavoritemushrooms,dryorfresh

Fortomato:choppedtomato

Forcarrots:gratedcarrots

Forcorn:cutcornoffthecoborusefrozencorn

Forpea:freshorfrozenpeas

Yourowncreation...

Sprinklewithdryparsleyflakesbeforeserving.

Note: thissoupwillbecomewarmbecauseofmuchblending.It'sOK,becauseit's still raw. (Justdon't let it becomehot!)Warmsoupsarecomforting in thecoldwintertime.

Serves5.

Chili

Blendthefollowingingredientsinablender:

Add1/2lb.ofbean,pea,orlentilsprouts.Don'tblend!

Sprinklewithdryparsleyflakesbeforeserving.

Note: chiliwill becomewarmbecause ofmuchblending. It'sOK, because it'sstillraw.(Justdon'tletitbecomehot!)Warmdishesarecomfortinginthecoldwintertime.

Serves5-7.

GenericRecipeforDressing

Blendthefollowinginablender:

Serves7-10.

Don'tbeafraidtoimprovise.Youmaysometimesaddmoreliquid,orskiponeingredientcompletely.Ifittastesgood,putitin.Goodluck!

LiveGardenburgers

CombinethefollowingingredientsandputthroughaChampionJuicerwiththeblankplatein,ormixinafoodprocessor:

Ifthemixtureisnotfirmenough,addoneormoreofthefollowingthickeners:dill weed, dried garlic, dried onion, dried parsley flakes, nutritional yeast,psylliumhuskpowder,groundflaxseeds.

Form into balls, cutlets, or fillets and sprinkle with a little paprika beforeserving.

Note:Ifyouwant`fishburgers"addseaweed(dulse,kelp,nori)tothemixture.

Serves10.

PortabellaMushroomBurgers

CombinethefollowingingredientsandputthroughaChampionJuicerwiththeblankplatein,ormixinafoodprocessor:

Ifthemixtureisnotfirmenough,addoneormoreofthefollowingthickeners:dill weed, dried garlic, dried onion, dried parsley flakes, nutritional yeast,psylliumhuskpowder,groundflaxseeds.

Forminto10burgers.

Slice2large,ripetomatoesand1largeredonion.

Havethefollowingready:

10smallor5largeportabellamushroomcaps

10leavesfreshspinach

Assemblemushroomburgersas follows:putmushroomcapupsidedownonaplate,putspinachleafonit,putburgeronspinach,putsliceoftomatoonburger,putsliceofonionontomato.Youmaysecureyour"sandwich"withtoothpicks.

Serves10.

Livefries

Slice1lb.jicamasoitlookslikefrenchfries.Combineinabowlwith:

Serves5.

Hummus

Blendthefollowingingredientsinafoodprocessor:

Sprinklewithdryparsleyflakesbeforeserving.

Serves5-7.

GenericCakeRecipe

Crust:

Combinethefollowingingredients,mixingwell:

Optional:

Ifmixtureisnotfirmenough,addpsylliumhusk,orshreddedcoconut.

Formintocrustonaflatplate.

Topping:

Blendthefollowingingredientswell;addwaterwithateaspoonifneeded:

Spreadevenlyoverthecrust.

Decoratewithfruits,berriesandnuts.Giveitaname.

Chill.

Nuts,seeds,andgrains:almonds,walnuts,filberts,cashews,pinenuts,pecans,sunflowerseeds,flaxseed,sesameortahini,oatflourorrolledoats,buckwheat,kamut,barley.

Driedfruits:pittedprunes,raisins,apricots,dates,figs,currants.

Fresh fruitsandberries: strawberries,apples,bananas,blueberries,pineapples,mangoes,apricots,raspberries,cranberries.

Serves12.

Un-ChocolateCake

Crust:

Combinethefollowingingredients,mixingwell:

Formintoone-inchlayeronaflatplate.

Spreadgroundprunesbetweenlayers(formasmanylayersasyouwant).

Blendthefollowingingredientswell;addwaterwithateaspoonifneeded.

Topping:

Spreadevenlyoverthecrust,orsqueezeusingadecoratingbag.

Decoratewithfruits,berriesandnuts.

Chill.

Serves12.

PhotoAlbum

IgorandVictoriabeforetheystartedrawfood.

Victoria(above)andIgor(below)in1993.

Boutenkofamilyafterthreemonthsonrawfood.

Igoraftersixmonthsonrawfood.

Victoriaaftersixmonthsonrawfood.

Boutenko family successfully finished Boulder Boulder 10k race after fourmonthsonrawfood,May1993.

Sergeicreatingarawfeastforfriendsafterfouryearsonrawfood.

Valyaenjoyingwildmalvafromthebackyardgardenin1997.

AtthetrailheadofthePacificCrestTrail,ontheMexicanborder,April3,1998.

Thewildthistletastessweetonthetrail.

Rainproof"shoes."

Cactussaladforlunch.

Tevasandals-thebesthikingshoes!

Thegarbagebags-thebestraingear.

Collectingwildediblesformealsalongthetrail.

Goodmorningat7,000feet.

Webuiltashelterandlivedinitforthreedayswhileitrained.

VictoriaatMt.Laguna.

TheBoutenkosfinishthePacificCrestTrail,ontheCanadianborder,September16,1998.

VictoriaatWellSpringsGardenCaféin1998.

Sweetdumplingsquashstuffedwiththegardenburgermixture.

Firebirdcake

Un-chocolatecake

Almondcake

Livechili

RealRAWssianborscht

Valyalikesherchickenlive.

Sergei'sfavoritefood.

TableofContentsRawfamily

AtruestoryofawakeningDedicationAcknowledgementsContents

FableGoingDownToBeRaw,orNottoBeRaw?Igor'sStoryTheBeginningIt'sReallyHappening!LettingtheBodyLead100percentRunningintheRaw"HeavenlyEnjoyment"OurBodyIsTalkingtoUsEconomicCrisisLivingbyFaithGettingonthePathHikingwithoutCookingAshlandTheHappyEndorTheHappyBeginning?Sergei'sTeenMessageScienceorIntuition?Valya'sDreamsRecipes

BorschtUn-ChickenNoodleSoupGenericRecipeforChowder

ChiliGenericRecipeforDressingLiveGardenburgersPortabellaMushroomBurgersLivefriesHummusGenericCakeRecipeUn-ChocolateCake

PhotoAlbum