I hope that you had one of the most enjoyable Thanksgiving holidays yet! I know that the three days that I had off were so enjoyable that I did not even know what to do with myself! I enjoyed time with my family, and….dare I say it…EATING!

I must admit that it felt so good to be eating the most colorful food at our Thanksgiving table. I showed up with an enormous platter of perfectly ripe persimmons! After the meal, I noticed that everyone except me said, “I feel fat already!”  I definitely did not feel that way, and I felt like I wanted to go for another 8 mile run for the day!

If you are feeling like you haven’t taken good care of yourself this weekend, then this is the time for you to challenge yourself to get healthy and eat well before the rest of the holidays come around. Most people are so good about setting New Year’s resolutions to eat better, but how cool will it be if you make an early resolution to eat pristinely before you have a chance to gain weight!? Then, you won’t even have to add “dieting” to your New Year’s goals! Voila!

I know that many of you think that it is too difficult to eat healthy during the holidays, but I can attest for many that it is as simple as incorporating it into your lifestyle. You have infinite options. Even replacing certain ingredients with healthier ones makes an enormous difference. In all truth, the holidays are not about food. The holidays are about spending precious time with families and friends and celebrating the essence of the season. Now is the time to prepare yourself, and if you have any goals, grow them now!

We are back on track with co-op, and we will have our usual Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday families back to pick-up some well needed deliciousness! If you’re thinking that you already have too many left-overs in the house but that you really want a box, I will speak on behalf of your conscience that says, “Get the fat out!” If you’re afraid of wasting food, donate it or give it away. Trust me when I say that you will feel worse for making yourself eat something that you truly do not want to eat. Eat foods that will bring you life and vibrance! Start fresh! You will feel a world of difference!

I hope to see you all this week! I have missed you even after a week!!

Hugs!

Kristina

Whoa nelly! It’s a bit chilly in Houston, but not for too long! I hope that you all have had a restful and beautiful weekend! I have been in heaven with our persimmons, baby bok choys, dates, and almonds! Who knew that so many combinations were possible from the dozens of items in our boxes! For anyone who has not met my belly Chacho, he has come alive again!

Last week I wrote about why I choose to be 100% raw personally. This week, I want to tell you my real desire: I simply want to REACH PEOPLE. I truly desire to spread the word about living raw, living vibrantly, and living healthfully. While many of you may say, “Oh, Kristina, but you are already doing so much to spread the word!” Yes, and no. There is always so much more to be done.

Over the past year, I am sure that you will attest that your diet is much healthier (or at least you have opened your awareness) to eating healthier. You may find yourself confused from time to time with controversial or faulty raw foods information, but all in all, you are taking strides towards improving what enters your body. This is fantastic!

If you are truly passionate, I am sure that you have shared your journey with many others, but perhaps not with everyone that you know. One of the most difficult challenges for individuals to do is to share with others what they are trying to achieve with their health. Many trying to live a raw food lifestyle fear talking to others in social setting for the sole purpose of what others will think. Is that you? Are you comfortable enough that you can walk into a public setting and be completely open about your eating goals? When I first went raw, I was not as convincing in my arguments as I am today. However, I grew into my own skin while eating raw, and this confidence merely shines through me. I love answering questions, helping others eat well, and preparing dishes to share. Most importantly, I love exposing myself to share this gift. Our abundance is a gift. Why would you keep this from anyone?! The more the merrier!

Our growing knowledge must be shared with the greater Houston area, if not the world. There are too many people, even within our own city, who are unaware of their failing health. Many may make excuses as to why they cannot change their lifestyles, and many choose not to do so. There is nothing that you can do about the ones who wish to wallow in their ways; yet, you can be there as a guiding light for others to strive to change. As my aunt once quoted to me, “Live as an example at all times, and when necessary, use words.” So I will say to you the following:

Live as a perfect picture of health for the whole world to see and reach them on an inspirational level.  When necessary, use words.

REACH PEOPLE.

To reach others we must first reach ourselves. We must perfect our way of living before we can offer that gift to others. Otherwise, we have nothing to give. We take away from them, and we cut ourselves short. Who wants that? We want honesty, integrity, and love all around us, so why not live it? We cannot convince if we do not 100% believe and perform.

All of my volunteers this week reached out.  All of our co-operators reached out. The fact that they came to help sort the shares or to pick up boxes was a simple step in sharing the love. What are some other ways that you want to reach people?

Share the word about living Rawfully happy.

Spread the love of food that comes in our boxes.

Labor in veggie love with volunteers.

Encourage others to be successful in living a 100% raw food lifestyle.

Share new foods with people for them to try (and crave!)

Enjoy the company of others who enjoy like-minded activities.

Communicate effectively with all.

Serve our community.

Inspire.

REACH PEOPLE.

Imagine the amazing place that we can create if everyone reaches out a hand to make a better home for us all. There is power in numbers, and we are powerful people. We have the blessings of the world feeding our bodies, and for that, we can only be grateful. If you are passionate about living healthfully, reach others by reaching yourself. Love yourself and watch the rest follow.

I hope to see and hear from you this week!

Reaching out with hugs!

What a weekend! I hope that you have lived it to the fullest and that you have recovered with the extra hour of sleep that we gained! I always love gaining this hour because it feels to me like we were able to give ourselves one more hour to get things done and because it is no longer dark when we wake up! Hello sunshine!

Believe it or not, but Thanksgiving is almost here. This is the month for giving thanks. My heart swells with gratitude for a plethora of blessings that are so abundant I cannot even begin to count. While life may have its ups and slip-ups, I still see it all as perfect. These imperfections are there to show us how beautiful life can be, and most importantly, how everything happens for a reason. It works out even better than we imagined in the end.

Lately, I have had several ask me to inspire them to eat 100% raw. Sure, I help to coach those who need help in order to get them on track, but I also get many people who ask me the following: “Why do you choose to be 100% raw, low fat vegan?” To me, the answer is simple; yet, it is more intricate than I can possibly grasp.

My body is a well-oiled machine. It is my temple. My legs are my driving force; my arms are my embrace; my heart is my pump; my stomach is my gut; my fingers are my gentle strokes; and my brain is my operation and focus. All of these parts create the whole, and they work together to make me function. I function at my finest when I supply myself with the best of the best. Organic, fresh, ripe, raw, colorful, and loving foods exude through me. My body is a necessity.

One of my closest friends and I had a conversation the other day about where we spend our money. People tend to spend as little as possible on necessities; however, they like to over-spend on luxurious items that have little to no necessity. The one thing that I do not budget each week is my food. Yes, I do pay for my food, and it is the one thing that I never limit. I allow myself to splurge on good food because I know that this food will allow me to function at my absolute best. I would not be able to run our co-op, tutor, coach, run, sing, practice art, support my family, or love my friends otherwise. Living a raw foods lifestyle is now about being raw, but it is about the lifestyle. It is about wanting to feel like you are worth a million dollars more than you were the day before. Being raw is about achieving optimal health and feeling the passion of life.

I am definitely not stating that everyone reading this newsletter must be 100% raw or that they must strive to be so. I am, however, claiming, that were you invest your time, energy, and money is exactly where you will see improvements. If you invest in yourself, you will feel a positive difference. The more good foods that you put inside of your body, the better you will feel and the better balanced you will be. It is a point fact. After the starting point, you can only escalate. I now look back and do not recognize the girl that I was five years ago. That was me? I was…sick? You would never guess if you saw me today.

Anything less than 100% is exactly how you will feel. I like to feel like I am 100% present and 100% high on life. I want the highest energetically vibrating foods running through my veins, and I want to inspire others to inspire others. Why do many think it is so hard to eat fruits and vegetables? The truth is that it is not hard to take these foods and to place them into your mouth. Eating certain foods is a conscious choice. When you make it a part of your lifestyle, it becomes an easy blessing.  Including anything less than the best in your life will make you feel less than your best. Yes, even those tiny morsels of chocolates or breads make a difference. Why would you want to cheat yourself ?

If you are used to self-abuse or self-sabotage, then individuals like me are here to help walk you through those emotions. Otherwise, you must believe in your own strength and power to make the change that you desire.

This week was busy for me! Not only did I get to sing the National Anthem at a health banquet for Lebanese doctors (picture above), but I also got the most beautiful privilege to speak to Westchester Elementary School this week about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables. Sadly, many of these kids had never eaten a nectarine or a honeydew melon. Some of these children may never eat these fruits, and they may grow up thinking that their failing health is genetic. I can only pray to try to change this and to live as an example that eating pristinely will create pristine health. I have not been sick with as much as a cold in over five years since I have been 100% raw.

I will never give advice to someone that I would not do. If 100% is the best, then I want to be 200%. If 100% is full force, then I want to be the driving fire. If 100% is all love, then I want to be warm, comforting hug.

I choose to be 100% low fat raw vegan because:

1)   I physically feel like superwoman. I feel pure and strong.

2)   I focus better than I have ever focused. (I am able to hold me focus for 12 hours at a time as a full time raw coach and tutor).

3)   I am smarter. I graduated top 5% of my class at Rice.

4)   I am able to run 7 miles a day without breaking a sweat.

5)   I need less sleep and find myself more efficient throughout the day.

6)   Being raw has helped me generate the strength to clear out old emotional buggers. No more bricks on my back.

7)   Old fears have vanished.

8)   My skin has cleared and feels softer.

9)   My hair is longer and even more shiny.

10) I can always eat to my heart’s content and never have to worry about “dieting”

11)  I get to share this unbelievably incredible gift with others.

12) This list will be continued for the rest of my life. It will never end.

So, if you are giving yourself excuses as to why you cannot go raw or why you cannot even be 100% of everything that you want to be, I simply ask you, “Are you satisfied?” Be all that you can be, and feel that person in all that you do. Own yourself and love your source of purity. From here, you will develop faith, and the world can only become a better place from all that you have to offer.

I pray that you find your 100% of whatever it is that you want to be, and I pray that you are able to shine your light with the world. I hope to see you this week for some gorgeous, abundant, and pure food.

Love and hugs***

Kristina

I hope that you have had an incredible weekend! The weather was so perfect! Yes, we got a “cold” wind in, but it lasted so briefly! More than anything, I enjoyed getting to see a few of the trick-or-treators! I got to meet the pirates, the Flintstones, and more! My favorite part of the weekend was definitely getting to eat my first persimmon of the season…and some oh-so-amazing dates!

As we begin to approach more of the holidays, the first things that we begin to think about are how crazy it gets, right? Many begin to think about the crazy carpooling, the busy schedules, and more. Well, what if you could completely begin to manifest that you want this year during the holidays to be completely laid back and filled with fun time with family and friends? Many forget that the months of November and December are all about giving back, sharing love, and expressing gratitude. This becomes possible when you prioritize the things that are most important to you. Everything that you choose to do is a conscious choice. So here are the real questions:

How often do you think of the needs of others and not your own?

How often do you think of your real needs?

How often do you meet those needs?

Do you typically wake up in the morning thinking about all of the ways that you can help other people that day? The answer is most likely not. Most of us wake up and think about all of the things that we have to do that day, and we become enveloped in it. Yes, it is important to be able to achieve all of your goals for the day, but a great way to relinquish control and to expand our perceptions of what is truly important in life is to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes at least once a day. This action takes the focus away from our lives for a split second to help bring things back into perspective.  If we help others succeed, we also succeed! When others feel joy, we feel joy! When we share, others will share with us! No man is an island. We are all connected.

Do you get to do one nice thing for someone everyday?  If you don’t, then you are missing out on one of the best emotions in life! This emotion stems from a place of sharing, and it swells up in your heart the moment that you realize that you did something special to help someone out that day. Whether it was to share a recipe, to give a phone-call, or even to help deliver a box of veggies to someone that could not otherwise get one, you did something to help someone else have a wonderful day. I always feel incredibly humbled anytime someone lends me an ear or arm in one of my days, and it makes me want to turn around and give back to others!

The art of giving has no true agenda. If you give, you expect nothing in return. A friend this past week expressed to me that anonymous gift giving is the best way to give gifts because the ego-driven self is immediately removed from the picture. Anonymously giving allows one to truly give without expecting anything in return. Some of us give because we feel the need to be praised. That is not real giving. If you are expecting praise for giving, then you are giving for the wrong reasons. If you are giving with joy in your heart, then joy you shall receive just by giving! When we give, our hearts become bigger and bigger. Our capacity to love grows, and the love that we share is infinite. By giving to others, we grow our own heart.

How Big Can You Grow Your Heart?

If you want the world to grow a big heart, you must first try to grow your own. The world around you is a reflection of you. The moment that you change yourself, the moment that you will realize that your will see your surroundings in a different way. Our impact is so much greater than we can possible imagine. Not to mention, when we show love to our bodies by respecting it with good foods, we grow the capacity to show even more love…and our hearts grow again! Giving to ourselves allows us to give more to others, and giving to others gives back to ourselves. Not to mention, it feels amazing!

I challenge you this week to grow your heart as big as you possible can. Give back in any way that you feel touched to do so. It can be anything that you want to do! There are no limits. Pick one person each day for which you want to do something nice, and watch your heart grow! More importantly, watch their heart grow along with yours. Lettuce be the change that we want to see in the world.

Hugs***