The changes were subtle at first.
He noticed he had more energy. His arthritis pain did not seem so bad.
A few months after Ken Moorefield went on a strict raw food diet, he could barely believe the differences in his health.
"I had lost probably 25 pounds and was already off of cholesterol and blood pressure medicine and already on my way to being pretty healthy again," said Moorefield of Rocky Mount.
Now, seven months after he started eating only fruits and vegetables, Moorefield has lost more than 50 pounds, cut his diabetes medicine dosage in half and had about 90 percent of his arthritis pain disappear.
People who eat raw food all or most of the time subscribe to the "healthy food is living food" concept, said Paula Brake, instructor of the Wisdom of Wellbeing nutrition classes offered in Rocky Mount. She teaches high temperatures kill a food's enzymes and minimize its nutritional value, so it is better to eat it unprocessed and uncooked.
"Raw foods have living enzymes in them, and when you eat raw foods, you create live healthy cells in your body. When you have live cells in your body, you have a healthy immune system," said Brake of Rocky Mount.
The diet stems from the belief that the human body was designed to live off raw food, said Claiborne Holtzman, co-owner of Remedy This ... Naturally in Rocky Mount. Plants contain all the vitamins and minerals a body needs to maintain balance at the cellular level.
In contrast, fatty or processed foods such as fast foods, meats and dairy products put stress on the body, Holtzman said.
"The raw foods, what they do is provide us nourishment that can be digested easier and get into the blood stream so the body can maintain and heal itself," said Holtzman.
Brake first learned about eating raw foods more than four years, when someone touted its healing properties on headaches. At the time, Brake was on 10 prescription medications for a host of physical ailments, including migraine headaches, acid reflux, asthma, allergies, shoulder and neck problems and depression.
"My calendar was nothing but doctor appointments. My whole week, I went to all these different kinds of doctors. ... I was at the drug store all the time waiting in line to get all my medications. That is how I spent my life," Brake said.
She and her husband, Henry, took a class on eating raw food and were amazed at the impact the new diet and exercise had on their health. Problems that had plagued Brake all her life suddenly seemed to clear up or diminish significantly.
They started teaching the class soon after. The nine-week class meets three times a year in morning or evening sessions at various locations. For more information, call 972-9779.
"Because we became so healthy, we wanted to share with others how they too can become more healthy," Brake said.
It is a lifestyle-change program, with students learning to gradually incorporate changes into their diet and routine. The goal is to have a diet that is 85 percent raw and 15 percent cooked, with foods such as steamed or baked vegetables.
To help the transition, people can attend a monthly support group meeting or attend special seminars. The Brakes invited the Rev. George Malkmus to give a faith-based health seminar at 10 a.m. Oct. 20 at the Nashville Praise and Worship Center.
As for the foods Brake no longer eats – meats, sweets – she does not miss them. They were a small price to pay in the face of the health benefits she enjoys now, she said.
"I don't think of having given up foods at this point. The foods that I used to eat, I don't even want anymore. They are not even good. What happens is, when you begin to eat healthier foods, your taste buds change and you really don't want those other foods anymore," Brake said.
Moorefield said he is fortunate his wife, Lynn, is a good cook and constantly searches for new and exciting things for them to try. He has no plans to resume eating meat, dairy or any of the other foods that filled his life just a year ago.
"Why would you change something that you are convinced is working on your behalf?" Moorefield said.
