Raw Spirit

I’d be doing a disservice to my journey if I didn’t acknowledge one of the greatest influences in my transformation.  Those of you who’ve been a part of watching this very intense, somewhat unusual part of my total life makeover know that changing my diet has been nothing short of a miracle.

I debated about putting all of this part of my story “out there,” but given that I’m off to such a naked start, here goes (and for those of you who aren’t up for reading the full story feel free to skip to the bullet points at the end):

During the mid-2000’s, I ran a multi-site literacy initiative for a national organization that had me jetting between 17 cities. As is the mania of most non-profits, I lived under the pressure that the funding would eventually run out and it would all come to a crash. To keep myself moving, I lived on a diet of triple lattes, scones, chocolate, and a glass of red wine at night to calm myself down. It couldn’t last.

The Turning Point

It was just after Labor Day in 2007. One afternoon at the close of a particularly stressful meeting, my brain decided that it was time to check out. When I woke in an ambulance 25 minutes later, I was informed I’d had a prolonged grand mal seizure. When the EMTs asked me questions like how old I was, where I lived, and when and where I was born, I couldn’t provide the answers. It was terrifying.

It was a shocking and terrifying experience, especially for Helena—I was too scrambled to understand much of anything. After three days in the hospital, tests came back inconclusive. I was sent home with a list of instructions and a big bottle of anti-seizure medication. 

The medication left me dull, listless, and confused. As I slowly came to terms with what had happened to me, my brain lurched between feelings of helplessness and utter panic. I felt weighed down by the expectations of my funders, my advocacy work in DC, and the thousands of kids whose lives I felt unreasonably responsible for. What if I couldn’t keep up? It was unthinkable.

One afternoon as I lay limp on the couch, a large package arrived at the door. Inexplicably, it was full of about five cookbooks, along with a card from my friends at a partner organization. The card read: “We love you and want you to care for yourself as much as we do for you.”

Intrigued, I opened the most interesting looking one first—the cover had a photo of a cheery-looking woman sitting on top of a tomato. As I flipped through the pages of the books, I realized that I’d been sent a package full of raw food books.

Alissa Cohen's Raw Ravioli

Coincidentally, the raw food movement was something that Helena had been talking about for months and I had heard about through our friend Tiana who owned a raw food restaurant in Rio. Until then, I’d successfully resisted its flax-covered claws, writing raw food off as a kooky, extreme diet for granola-heads…definitely not for me. But page after page, I was taken in. By the time I’d finished reading the testimonials of people whose lives were transformed simply by eating fruits and vegetables, I was willing to be convinced. Anything had to feel better than where I was—all I could do was try.

Ever my twin flame, Helena leapt to the challenge.  The next morning she made an enormous pitcher of green smoothies—a surprisingly delicious concoction of bananas, green kale, ground flax seed, and coconut water. We drank it throughout that morning and every morning after that for the next two weeks.  Amazingly, the simple act of replacing my decade-long addiction to coffee and scones had lifted both my mood and more than 5 pounds off my rear in just two weeks.

Little by little, we replaced other meals with creative, colorful dishes packed full of vegetables that I’d rarely seen used in their natural form. A dinner of arugula, fennel, bok choy, and bright purple cabbage smothered in homemade carrot-ginger dressing left me feeling light and happy, energized and excited about the days ahead.

Eggplant Pizza

All the while, I was still bogged down by my anti-seizure medication, along with a monthly handful of Advil and the thyroid medication I’d been taking for 14 years. I had also been doing some research, trying to uncover the genesis of my seizures. I determined that I would not remain on this medication that had turned me into a zombie.

In my studies, I was shocked to discover that one of the side-effects of Synthroid—one of the most commonly prescribed medications for women—was seizures.

In my research about raw food, I continually came across testimonials of people who had cured diabetes, high blood pressure, psoriasis, heart disease, cancer and other “chronic” conditions simply by changing their diet. I determined that if I was going to make this change, I had to do it all the way.

Raw Power!

On January 1, 2008, Helena and I became 100% RAW.  We began the process by attacking the kitchen, tossing anything that wasn’t a fruit, vegetable, nut or seed into the trash. We knew that any form of temptation would make it too difficult, so out went the coffee, the secret chocolate stashes, cookies and crackers, milk, eggs and ice cream. We replaced the microwave with a food dehydrator and used the oven as storage for our new equipment.Then we went to Whole Foods and stocked the fridge with enough produce to feed a planet of ravenous guinea pigs for at least six months.

Here’s what happened:

• In one week, my mood became what I came to describe as “unreasonably happy,” and I had more energy than I’d felt in years.
• In two weeks, my skin (which had recently become prone to breakouts) was completely clear. My cheeks developed a rosy, healthy glow—noticeable enough that people actually began commenting on how different I looked.
• In three weeks, I noticed that I only needed 5-6 hours of sleep a night. Each morning, I woke up refreshed and energetic.
• In four weeks, I lost 10 pounds and fit back into jeans that I hadn’t worn in 5 years.
• In six weeks, blood tests revealed that my thyroid had become active again, and my doctor reduced my medication.
• In two months, the chronic menstrual cramps that I’d suffered through since the start of my menstrual cycle had virtually disappeared.
• In three months, I lost another 10 pounds.
• In four months, my hair became thicker and fuller, and I actually began losing grey hair.
• In five months, I had lost a total of 30 pounds. Combined, Helena and I lost a total of 60 pounds.
• In six months, a blood test revealed that I no longer needed thyroid medication. To my doctor’s amazement, my thyroid was functioning on its own. I discontinued all medication, including my seizure medication.

Raw Power!

After eight months of living clean and clear and full of more energy than we knew what to do with. I started publishing articles about raw/live food and Helena and I, along with Tiana, launched Viva Institute so that we could begin sharing our excitement with others. Helena and I began teaching classes on green smoothies out of our kitchen and we started a monthly raw food potluck party called Soulfood Sunday. It caught on, and we found ourselves surrounded by some of the most beautiful and generous people I’ve ever met. On weekends, we travelled across the country to participate in raw food conferences and events, even debuting Tiana as a “rising star” in the country’s premiere raw food culinary school’s “chef showcase.”

My transformation was all-encompassing and soul-deep. The only way to explain it is that by cleaning up my insides, I made room for a new version of me—a person whose company I greatly preferred to the anxious, over-achieving caffeine addict of the year before.  It granted me the belief that if I could so completely change my physical and emotional self, perhaps my life had possibilities that I had only just begun to discover.

I looked to the future with a heart full of hope.

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