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Where do you come from and where do you live now? I was born in the former Soviet Union. My husband's
family had wanted to immigrate to America for How many times have you circled the sun? 47 But in 1997 the raw food How young do people say you look, and how young do you feel? My favorite comment is when people find out that
I have been married for 25 years. They What led you to this lifestyle? I have a very special appreciation for health and beauty because growing up I did not have either one of them. I was born in the former Soviet Union with bilateral hip defects and one leg shorter than the other. Growing with infirmity all my life I dreamed to walk normally. In 1997 advances in orthopedic science raised my hopes of addressing my congenital hip problems. There was a good chance that my limp could be corrected through extensive hip replacement surgeries. After previous operations, I knew that nothing undermines the health and appearance like nesthetics. Here I was with my lifetime dream about to be fulfilled but that very fulfillment would leave me aging and ailing. I was looking for a way to offset the devastating effects of multiple operations. The search for health led me first to the vegetarian diet, then vegan, and finally the raw food lifestyle. I came to realize that the raw food diet offered the best solution to all of my problems. I really did not expect the dramatic changes that I experienced. I was just looking for a way to survive multiple operations without becoming an old, sick, and unhappy woman. I certainly got that, but the results far exceeded my modest expectations. What is your professional background? I earned a master's in Mechanical Engineering when I lived in Russia, and earned a master's in mathematics at the University of Memphis after we came to America. I taught mathematics and physics at the college and high school levels. I had been admitted to the University's doctorate program at about the same time as I began to experiment with raw foods. The possibilities of the raw food diet seemed endless and I wanted to learn everything about it. But mathematics is a demanding mistress. It would not allow me to have another interest on the side. My fascination with what I was discovering took over my studies at the University. The results I was getting were so fascinating that I gave up my postgraduate mathematical studies (to the complete consternation of my family and friends) and immersed myself in researching the raw food lifestyle. The relationship between health and appearance became my special interest. My book Your Right To Be Beautiful is a reflection of this journey. Is there a particular day or event that signified the starting point in journey? Oh, yes! I remember that day distinctly. I was still in the doctoral program in mathematical studies at the University of Memphis. One day a renowned female professor visited the class to present a lecture on her research in some area of theoretical mathematics. It doesn't matter what it was to the layman; doctoral students themselves were barely able to comprehend the brilliance of her mind. What was significant was the effect it had on me and the future course of my life. She was in her seventies, looked sick and decrepit. Her hair was made up of random patches springing up around her bald scalp. I was on the first row and was nearly overcome by the dreadful smell emanating from her. It was as though she were already dead and decaying even as her brilliant mind continued to function in complicated mathematical formulas. The contrast between her intellect and her appearance was intensified by the beautiful calculations she was writing on the board with an arthritic, liver-spotted hand. Watching her was almost painful. I looked around. The body language of the audience seemed to reflect my own reaction. It seemed everyone wanted her to leave the podium. Everyone was uncomfortable. I could not follow her logic because I was staring in dismay at what could be my future. As beauty conscious as I was, it scared me. Being appearance conscious as I was, I thought at that moment that senility would be a blessing compared to having a brilliant mind encased in crumbling ruins. In fact if she had been senile, I would have been less judgmental about her looks. It was as though she lived so deeply in her mind that she was unaware of the image she conveyed. The thought that she could not help her condition did not even cross my mind. I knew if it were me I would fight. I wouldn't be trying to come up with another theorem, but seeking the solution to altering my appearance. Suddenly I realized she wasn't wrong. I was the one who was in the wrong field of research. She loved mathematics more than anything else in the world. She had forsaken everything, even her very self to contribute to her favorite discipline. At the time, I was too terrified of seeing myself in her to be charitable or even rational. Most people at her age do not display such a mighty intellect so how could it be that this mind did not tell her to improve her physical well-being. I was appalled to see such a contrast: such preoccupation with the development of the mind and such neglect of the physical body. Exalting the mind to the mortification of the body seemed so wrong to me. At least some of this intellect could have been used to research how to improve her condition. All proof of her brilliant intellect, all display of knowledge seemed useless to me if it was not used to take care of her body. For me cherishing both the mind and body was the most powerful objective, something to make a lifetime objective. I need for the body and mind to be in harmony. Retaining radiant health is more fascinating to me than another mathematical theorem to leave for posterity. It was obvious my passion was misplaced. My preference became crystal clear I was not meant to be a mathematician after all. At that moment I made my decision: Mathematics was in good hands; I, on the other hand, had to get out fast and find a way not to end up like her. I never went back to classes. Since then, I have met beautiful, vibrant women far older than she but at the time, she was the catalyst. How are your books different from other books about beauty? I am not your typical author. Most beauty books are written by former beauties queens that have already capitalized on getting lucky in the looks lottery. By contrast, I was a plain woman and even disabled. Like most plain women I wanted to be beautiful. In my heart I always knew that the day will come when I will be able to walk without a limp. I just have to find a way to look youthful and beautiful when it happens. When women compliment me on my appearance, complexion in particular, I always say even though I am immensely happy with the result I got on the raw food diet, their transformation will be more striking. If I was able to fulfill my dream despite adversity and being over the age of 40, then any woman, every woman, can fulfill her dream of being beautiful. Did you find it easy to eat a raw diet in the early stages? What did you find difficult and what helped you the most? Like everyone, I made several false starts. Cooked food is as difficult to give up as alcohol or nicotine, and sometimes people backslide. It requires determination to keep going. The hardest thing, of course, was chocolate. For almost everyone, chocolate is love. In my case, it was further imprinted on my psyche by the fact that my mother had worked in a chocolate factory and my girlhood traumas were comforted by her gifts of chocolate. It's not easy to eat raw at first. It can be extremely frustrating and requires intense discipline at all time. While it isn't easy, it is ultimately simple. It's only difficult to the extent that we're still trying to change our habits and conditioning. Be aware that you'll probably fall off the raw wagon many times. You will become discouraged and frustrated. But if you persist, it will become easier, and then effortless. How long have you been eating a raw food diet and what does your diet look like now? I have been 100% raw since 1997. I now eat better quality food and less quantity. The longer I stay raw, the less food I need to sustain and satisfy me and the better I feel and look. A few things are musts: vegetable juice once or twice daily and green salads with seaweed. The fruits I eat vary. I try not to eat after 3pm. I get a refreshing night's sleep that way. The stomach is made of muscles, and late eating makes it work hard at night. Eating late suppresses the release of human growth hormone credited for rejuvenation of the body because it is secreting insulin to digest food. Having a period of time when the stomach is not bulging helps to shrink the protruding stomach that comes from constant eating. What did you eat and drink today? Is this a typical day for you? I had green vegetable juice at 7 a.m. Then I had another vegetable juice and a handful of soaked nuts at 11:00 a.m. At 3 p.m., I had a bowl of salad (tomatoes, red bell pepper with dulse) and tahini dressing. This is an ideal day for me. If I do not eat after 3 p.m., I will awake euphoric the next morning. I love it. When I am having a hard day, I need comfort foods-just like everyone else. My comfort foods are fruits and berries. But I am much better off if I do not eat between my basic meals. If I really want to indulge myself, I make my favorite dessert. In a regular blender or Vita-Mix, I combine 1 ripe banana, 2 heaped teaspoons raw black tahini, 2 heaped teaspoons raw carob, and a pinch of stevia (ground leaf). I add some coconut water, depending on how thick I want it to be, and blend until smooth. This dessert is only for mature taste. If you never used stevia you can add 2 dates. As a recovered chocoholic, I try to stay away from dried fruits because they trigger my sweet tooth. However, I ate a lot of dates initially when I gave up refined sugar. In what ways has becoming beautiful through a raw vegan diet changed your life? Someone once said that you cannot appreciate happiness until you have experienced unhappiness. Because I initially suffered from an infirmity and then adopted the raw food lifestyle, I am in the unique position of having experienced something that does not happen very often. I went from feeling like a freak to feeling beautiful. It was an incredible transformation. I would gladly go through everything again just to experience the way I am now. I now feel that much of my success is the response to my improved looks. And my new self-confidence improves my looks even more. I have found a juvenescent diet! The raw food lifestyle is the best thing ever happened to me. At 47 I am enjoying the best health and appearance. Hardly a day goes by without someone telling me that I am beautiful! If I am dreaming, don't wake me up! How long would you say it took for you to
see really visible improvements in your appearance? Would you
say your appearance is still improving even now? What non-physical benefits have you experienced through eating a raw vegan diet (e.g. emotional, intellectual, spiritual, flowering of talents, work-related, etc.)? All of a sudden I started discovering talents I never thought I possessed. I started to write, took up public speaking, and began to sing at church-things I had never done before. I am very focused. I am much stronger emotionally. I never suffer from depression, and I actually enjoy solving problems instead of letting them overwhelm me. My personality changed. The goodness coming into my body as food brought gratitude to my soul and intensified my desire to share this lifestyle with others. Who is your book written for? Women like me. Plain women, imperfect women, women who long to be beautiful. For the women who always wanted to be beautiful but gave up on beauty as completely unattainable. My book is also for the women who look to dermabrasions and face lifts, collagen and Botox injections. I also know who my books are not for: women who are making a statement with their neglected appearance will not even open my book for fear of being contaminated by vanity. These are the people who, to paraphrase Cyril Scott, are vain about not being vain about their appearance. My advice to them is that if the diet improves their looks too much, they can always wear a sack over their heads. What would you say to someone who wants to look beautiful but is experiencing inner tension because s/he has a niggling feeling that a desire to become beautiful is vain, especially when there are so many problems in the world that need attention? My countryman, Dostoyevsky, made the profound observation "Beauty saves the world." What relationship can the raw food lifestyle possibly have with anything? It has everything to do with your life, global issues, the alleviation of suffering, in making a difference. My books have very little, if anything, to do with superficial beauty. Beauty is how health and wholesomeness should present itself to the world. Start with yourself and then you will be better equipped to handle the problems of the world. If you are happy within, you can change what is without. Do you feel you are in any way dependent upon being beautiful for your happiness? Let's clarify what happiness is. Happiness means different things for different people. But we all agree that happiness is a by-product-it is what we feel when we succeed in what we love to do. For me it is growth: professional, physical, intellectual, spiritual. Happiness reveals itself as something pleasant in contrast to something that is not as pleasant, so it is a reaction to the improvement in the life condition. To feel happy, it is important to remember the contrast. In this sense, Rawsome beauty brings happiness because it is continuous improvement. Conventional beauty can never enjoy this aspect of life. Happiness does not come from what we get easily; it is the aftertaste of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best. I discovered that losing gray hair and eye bags made me happy. In this sense, I can say beauty does make me happy. I was very aware of my blessings even before my transformation. I have a husband who loves me, a caring son, and a new life in a great country. Internally, I believe my newfound beauty made me feel that I truly deserve my blessings. It made me more comfortable with my bounty. I have a growing sense of authenticity about my appearance. It is not arrogant to be appreciative of changes I am going through. Nor is it narcissistic to feel good about myself, my appearance in particular. Being anything short of our natural being makes us frustrated and unhappy. The farther I am from my real self the unhappier I will be; the closer I am the happier I will be. Realization that I am "wonderfully and beautifully made" is not my doing, and appreciation will be the natural response of anyone who realizes this truth. The result of becoming my true self is stupendous. I began to live with a security, a confidence, and an inner peace with my new found health and beauty. Do you truly believe that anybody can become beautiful through a raw diet, or is it necessary to have 'the basics' of beauty in terms of features and bone structure to begin with? In achieving Rawsome Beauty "the basics" of beauty give the recipient only a minute advantage. As you get older, how tall or how blonde you were born becomes irrelevant. After 40, a glowing complexion is far more important than long legs. Shining and full hair is more important than its color. Clear eyes become a much bigger asset than their size. After 40, any waist line is an achievement. Any proportion is a plus, not just 36-24-36. Also it is good to know that features and bone structure do improve dramatically on the raw food diet. Recently the raw food movement got a celebrity infusion. Carol Alt wrote a book: Eating in the Raw. Life magazine calls her "the next million dollar face" and Playboy crowned with the title "the most beautiful woman in the world". When she was racing cars, playing tennis, and shooting movies, I was fighting to be able to walk. When she was showing her gorgeous body to the world, I was hiding mine even from my own husband. Where she valued beauty because it helped her achieve good things in life, I craved beauty as the only thing that could validate my existence. She came to the raw food lifestyle to preserve her most precious asset; I came to it as a way to achieve the beauty that would make my burdens bearable.Deep down I think I look just as good as she does. Even if by saying this I lose some credibility and you think I am living in cloud-cuckoo-land, you have to agree that most people over 40 do not have as much confidence in their looks. Blame it on raw foods. It will give you a sky high confidence. How about socializing? Adjustments have to be made. I have become very good at making the best of almost any situation but it does require discipline and ingenuity. My husband and I just came back from a 10 day Caribbean cruise celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. There was NOTHING for me to eat! So I came up with a solution: I ate watermelon breakfast, lunch and dinner. The doctor at our table kept telling me: Tonya, with allthis watermelon and no protein, you are going to wet your bed. I was the talk of the cruise. The waiters called me The Watermelon Lady. I loved it! It gave me a chance to illustrate my position. After 10 days, I never looked or felt better! Since I am at my optimal weight, I did not lose even a pound! But I did miss good quality raw foods. I could not wait to get back to the car where I kept one organic apple! Nothing ever tasted more delicious! We enjoyed the cruise but we both agreed that from now on we will only go on healthy vacations. Drinking, eating to satiety and partying all night are just not my type of fun. The raw foods constitute my essence now. My life and my very being are saturated by its practice, science, and philosophy. Also I tend to gravitate to health conscience people who are most likely to be at yoga and raw food retreats and juice fasting resorts. How much water do you drink? Since I have vegetable juices once or twice per day (including several stalks of celery-great source of organic sodium) blueberries, watermelon, coconut water, I get plenty of biologically pure water. I drink distilled water on the days I perform a water fast. Since carving my niche in the raw food community by studying how the raw food diet improves physical appearance, I am especially tuned in to how the raw food people look. I've noticed that people who always carry around a bottle of water usually have slightly visible eye bags. Eye bags are an indication that the kidneys are overburdened. The Raw food diet includes fruits and vegetables as well as soaked nuts and seeds, all of which are already 70-85% water. Adding copious amounts of water like the recommended 6-8 glasses is too much of a good thing. There is actually a condition called water toxicity when sodium levels and other body salts, or electrolytes, in the blood become too diluted. It causes the sodium levels to drop and the brain to swell. The extreme case of such condition was in Britain when The Times reported a 23-year-old man going into a coma for four days after a 21-day of diet of fruit, vegetables, juice and water. He was drinking at least 5 liters of water a day. What is your opinion on supplements? If you have a deficiency you must take a supplement for your deficiency but I think that using supplements to insure health is irresponsible. Any supplement taken for a prolonged time will create an imbalance that will aggravate another problem. Today science knows much more than it knew yesterday, so last year supplements are inferior to the ones on the market today. And tomorrow's will have what is missing in today's. Every day some new vital component or necessity for health is discovered. Boron is the latest vital nutrient. The process of trying to emulate nature is endless. Ignorance has no beginning, but it has anend. There is a beginning but no end to knowledge. There are infinitely more needs to be discovered. Therefore, no man- made supplement can ever be good enough. When you use the raw organic produce you benefit from cellular communication and balance without knowing it. The myth is: It is virtually impossible to eat enough food to get all the nutrients the body needs on a daily basis, taking multivitamin supplements is the healthy alternative. This idea is not true if you are on the raw food diet. I did very well my first six years without taking any supplements on the regular basis. However, I did try some most popular ones among the raw food people: MSM, Spirulina and so on. I really did not notice any dramatic differences. After achieving a perfectly balanced dietary regimen, my body was so healthy and balanced that I was receiving everything I needed without any supplementation. I reached the pinnacle of health on my own, but there is nothing wrong with experimenting.Several months ago I read Gabrial Cousens' article. It said that about 80% of vegans and raw food people could develop B12 deficiency. However the other 20% do not develop any B12 deficiency. I believe I am in this 20% because I have optimized the 100% raw food diet for myself. Even though my blood work showed no deficiency, recently I started to take Nutritional Yeast as a B12 suppliment. Why? Just for the peace of mind. For me it was either take B12 or have regular blood tests done. After enduring multiple operations, I have a strong aversion to any medical procedures. So I use it in my daily juice. It is not a raw product. However it does not produce cook food cravings and it eased my mind. I take this compromise. But this is the only supplement I take! Don't you get bored eating only raw food? On the raw food diet I don't graze in the garden, dig up the squirrel's nuts or dine out at the birdfeeder. I was introduced to new preparation techniques that allowed me to create nutritious meals. The variety on the cooked diet comes from vegetable side dishes. There are 100s of different kinds of fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds with a variety of tastes and flavors. If I combine only two or three ingredients at each meal, then the number of dish combinations is endless. One would think some of your claims in your book are exaggerated. What can you say about it? Some people might think that I come across too bold with my claims. In reality, I noticed any words I use are not strong enough to describe the experiences that come about on this diet. I insist that the raw food lifestyle delivers not only everything I promised but much more that I could possibly describe using even the most sensational words in English language. As an example that is how the word "rawsome" came about. It flowered from the raw food community for the simple reason there was no right word to convey this particular degree of good. In other words my promises of benefits on the Rawsome Diet pale compared to the richness of the actual results you will experience. Can you share a favorite raw food recipe? Black Tahini Shake 2 bananas Combine all the ingredients in a blender or Vita-Mix and liquefy. |
