MY RAW FOOD STORY

Hi, I'm Cherie and I was introduced to the raw foods lifestyle in 2004. But my or should I say OUR (as in my family's), quest for better health began when my husband was diagnosed with Grave's Disease (hyperthyroidism) in 1999. He was pretty bad off...actually he was on the brink of death and we didn't even know it. But through prayer, treatment and God putting people in our paths who would onset our search for alternative medicine and natural healing, my husband is now here and he's healthy and thriving! But my husband wasn't the only one who had health issues. Our youngest daughter had very severe eczema and nothing we tried would help her...at least not long term. I had bouts with migraines and milder headaches, severe constipation and was very lethargic ALL the time.We began eliminating things from our diet little by little, starting with pork, then red meat, then processed foods, dairy, chicken and fish and eventually cooked foods. But before the dietary changes even came along, I also eliminated a very toxic thing from my life and body...chemical hair relaxers... and dedicated a great portion of my life to helping others do the same! It was when we got to the final stages of our transformation that my daughter no longer suffered from the excruciating pain and intense itching of her disfiguring eczema! I, too, began to reap benefits from eating this way:

- I began to see improvements in my digestive system
- I no longer suffer from chronic headaches or migraines
- I can sleep less and not need a nap during the daytime like I used to
- (For the ladies) I began having lighter, pain-free menstrual cycles
- (For the ladies) I am finally free from nagging vaginal yeast infections
- I am free from oral thrush (yeast in the mouth)
- I no longer suffer from knee and joint pain
- My skin has started to clear up from years of acne
- I've gone from a size 12 to a size 6 and from 140 lbs. to 124 lbs. (at 5'4")

As a woman of African descent who grew up eating a typical BAD (Black American Diet) - fried meat, lot's of pork, nutritionally-void cooked-to-death greens, and plenty of processed food and sweets; I needed to make these dietary changes because my culture and my family is highly prone to certain diseases. In fact, I come from a family where I can't think of one person who isn't suffering from some kind of disease - high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis and obesity run rampant in my family and it saddens me greatly. When I go to church or even simply to the grocery store, I am saddened by people walking with a limp and extremely overweight or the number of people with oxygen tanks along side them and this is why it is important to get this message out! My passion for this way of eating became so strong that I wanted to share this with others by teaching raw food classes, but I didn't know how to even begin doing this. But one day I was blessed with the opportunity to meet, eventually become good friends with and then later train under Alissa Cohen, world renowned 18+ year raw fooder and author of the book "Living on Live Food". Through her program, I am now a Certified Living On Live Food Teacher, available to teach both the Living on Live Food Level One Chef Certification and the Level Two Instructor Certification Courses!