Queen (of raw) Victoria by Lapis Blog entry

Blog: In The Raw
by Lapis

Queen (of raw) Victoria

"Scientists think that there is no difference between raw and roasted food. Victoria told us a very interesting story about a man in Russia who went on a fast. He went on a fast because he had a heart problem. When he finished his fast, he discovered that his heart was stronger. He decided to eat thirteen eggs and sure enough died. The newspapers reported that he had died because of going on a fast, and as a result many people stopped fasting. "

Date: 6/24/2005 7:05:16 AM ( 19 y ) ... viewed 1591 times

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A Day With The Boutenko’s
by Sachi Botner

Yesterday was an eventful day at the River Canyon Retreat Center. Victoria Boutenko, a renowned teacher in the field of nutrition, taught a class entitled “12 steps to raw food.” She emphasized that the principal of learning has to do with making your own discoveries. She asked in a challenging way, “are you alive?” Many people said, of course, I am alive. I am breathing. I can feel, touch, taste, smell and see. She then asked, “so what is life?” Many thought they had already answered that question and passed the test. Victoria expounded, “life”is something you can only experience. To experience life, one must technologically strip down naked and open up. No matter how far someone is away, you can sense them looking at you. Life is very valuable and it must be taken care of.” Most were silent, so she began to give examples of what life is. “Life is something you can only experience. Victoria expresses how to get the most out of life and believes it is by eating raw food. She said, “our bodies never make a mistake. It’s the things we put in our body, that are the mistake. Raw food is a great and healthy way of living.”

Scientists think that there is no difference between raw and roasted food. Victoria told us a very interesting story about a man in Russia who went on a fast. He went on a fast because he had a heart problem. When he finished his fast, he discovered that his heart was stronger. He decided to eat thirteen eggs and sure enough died. The newspapers reported that he had died because of going on a fast, and as a result many people stopped fasting. She emphasized that that story is how life is today. She said many people take things out of context, or simply just believe everything science tells them. A lot of times, when you do what the doctor tells you to, you are making things worse for your body. When you get sick, you should cooperate with your body, because it will clean you out and make you better. Raw food will help your body to get rid of toxins that make you sick. Often times, ones behavior gets in the way of allowing the body to be healthy and beautiful. Many people are not aware, that when you heat your food it loses nutrition and actually can add toxins. Two days after you go on a raw food diet your bodies blood pressure will decrease.

Victoria shared, “detox, is probably the most important stage of raw food. At first you may feel sick and wonder why you are on raw food. Detox is a very important concept for everyone to understand. It is a wonderful thing, and even though it may not feel like it, you will survive. If you do not experience detox within two weeks after you go on raw food, there is a problem. Some of the symptoms are: headaches, high fever, acne, and loss of hair. When you are going through detox, it is very important for you to conserve energy, and to drink lots of water. It is also important that during this time you don’t eat. Your body is doing a lot of work by cleansing itself and the body can’t afford to use energy on digestion. The minute you eat cooked food, your detox will immediately stop.”

Victoria related, most people think of bacteria as a bad thing, but bacteria are designed for the body’s protection. Bacteria are actually an ingenious creation, because it is the first and only true recycler in the world. Bacteria are smaller then any living cell. However, once it is in the cell, bacteria enlarge. Bacteria will never touch a living thing. In other words, bacteria will not act upon raw food because it is alive. Contrary to what you may have heard, bacteria does not have a bad odor. Bacteria cannot recycle chemicals, because chemicals kill bacteria. It is amazing that after being on raw food for a long period of time, you will be able to smell chemicals and feel them on your body. The soap that you use is very important. Bacteria killing soap is very bad, because it kills the only protection that you have. Parasites can’t stay in your body when you eat raw food. Victoria related that she has been tested and it was discovered that she was parasite free! Another convenience of eating raw food is that it makes your blood alkaline and bugs and mosquitoes do not bother you.”

Victoria shared that many people think that they are doing a good thing by wearing sunglasses, but in actuality it causes the body to burn more rapidly. The reason that this happens is the sensors in our eyes are fooled by the sunglasses and our body thinks that it is night time. As a result our body relaxes its protection and is an easy target for getting burned by the sun. When you don't wear sunglasses your body puts on an invisible screen protecting itself from the sun.”

Victoria said, “Creator invented sleep to heal all the damage we have done to our bodies throughout the day. Your body recovers while you are sleeping, to prepare you for the next day. This is why it is not good to eat right before you go to bed. If you do, your body is working so hard to digest the food, that it can not repair any damage that the body has undergone during the day. It is very essential that while you sleep you are breathing fresh air. It is important that you sleep on a hard surface for example the floor. This insures that your whole spine is stretched and your blood is circulating.” Victoria recommended that you sleep outside, nude, under the stars. She and her husband Igor have been doing this for a long time, and they would not sleep indoors if you paid them! Sleep is something that can make or break you. If you sleep well you can live a long healthy life.

After a very satisfying lunch break, prepared by Igor, it was time for Victoria to show people that you can indeed make raw food very tasty. When most think of raw food they sort of get a grimace on their face. Victoria told a story about how she catered at weddings. She stopped telling people the food was raw, and they ate it and didn't even know. They all wanted the recipes. When you make raw food, it is important for it to be quick, colorful, and delicious. Victoria led the class outside where a table was set up with all kinds of raw cuisine. This was the hands on part of the class. Victoria showed us how to make nut milk, a very quick, easy, and refreshing drink made from almonds. Written from the, “Eating Without Heating” book, “Any nut milk fits well for breakfast. It takes minutes to make. Nut Milk is nutritious and light on the stomach. 1 cup any nuts or seeds, soaked overnight, 2 cups water, 1 tablespoon honey or 2-3 dates, and 1 teaspoon Celtic salt (optional).” Then she showed us how to make a green juice. We all stared at this colorful green concoction in amazement. A volunteer passed out small cups of the green concoction and many ooh’s, and ahh's. Then came the soup. She decided to make things a little more interesting and have people pick their own ingredients to put in their soup. She said. “the guidelines for making a raw soup, is that there has to be a minimum of five flavors including: bitter, sweet, spicy, sour, and salty. Here is a recipe for a Generic Chowder: “ Blend 1 cup of nuts (soaked overnight) with 2 cups of water. Add 1 cup cashews or walnuts and blend to a creamy consistency. Add the rest of the following and blend well. 1 cup water, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 cup chopped celery, hot peppers to taste, 2-5 garlic cloves, and 1 teaspoon salt.
Lastly came the long awaited desert. It was a gorgeous cake composed of nuts and dry fruits that Victoria prepared in minutes a few hours previously. Delicious !!!!

What I learned from the day: raw food is delicious and a healthy way of life. I would recommend taking a class with Victoria or other “Raw Food” teachers at River Canyon Retreat . I found the day very interesting, and definitely a rewarding experience. I myself do not eat 100 percent raw food, but if I ever was going to, it would have to taste as good as Victoria and Igor's wonderful raw food. The great thing about this is that they not only talked about raw food, but she actually showed you how to make it just like she does. I highly recommend this class to anyone.

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