Book: The Raw Truth to the Fountain of Youth

“Raw living food is extraordinarily ordinary.”
~ Debbie Merrill

Vibrant and joyful … These are words that truly captured the energy of skating fitness expert Debbie Merrill, as I watched her mingle. The event was a recent book-signing/fundraiser at the 5th Street Whole Foods in Santa Monica. Years ago, I interviewed Debbie about her work in training celebrities to skate on screen (think Steve Martin gliding through MOCA in L.A. Story). Now I learned that Debbie was just releasing a revised edition of her August 2009 book on raw foods, The Raw Truth to the Fountain of Youth. I also discovered that she had hosted a TV show on the raw foods lifestyle for two years since we had last met, featuring guests in the forefront of raw living such as David Wolfe (The Sunfood Diet Success System), Gabriel Cousens, MD (Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine), and Juliano (of Juliana’s Raw Restaurant). Cousens wrote her Foreword, and the other two gave her endorsements. Other book blurbs come from Martin, Melanie Griffith, Patricia Bragg (apple cider vinegar proponent), and newswoman Jane Velez-Mitchell.

The petite, attractive blonde athlete has been “eating and living” the vegan way for 27 years, she told me, the last 17 years as 100% pure raw vegan. She described herself as a “person who transitioned to live foods and the fountain of youth one inch at a time.” Her 450+ page book offers Debbie’s knowledge and wisdom, along with the tools that work for her. In addition, as Cousens explains in the Foreword, we get Debbie’s life story which she “so elegantly shares as a narrative for her teachings.” Cousens also notes that Debbie encourages you to “live a full joyful, loving, healthy life with every bite,” but you don’t feel forced.

The book’s sections are cleverly laid out like a meal, starting with “Section 1. Appetizers: Awakening” and ending with “Section 5: Final Course” (the nuts and bolts of her program, including 40 “rawkin’ raw recipes” which Cousens calls “excellent”). Debbie has delivered 40 chapters, and here are some highlights:

Ch. 1, Create Your Own Treasure Map: Before embarking on an exploration of raw foods, Debbie asks you to become aware of what you want to get out of life. Her tools are a “Treasure Map” (similar to a vision board) and a “Treasure Box” (where you put your written goals). “What you can visualize, vocalize and physicalize, you can manifest in your life,” she tells us.

Ch. 3, Peeling the Onion: Here Debbie quotes Mae West: “Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.” She offers the insight that success comes from mastering one part of your goal, and then moving on. The author promotes moving forward one small step at a time toward our goals for a healthy lifestyle, and insists that bad habits will then become easier and easier to shed.

Ch. 5, Move It or Lose It: Of course, a professional figure skater who has performed around the globe will share her wisdom about exercise. “Health should be a verb,” Debbie writes. “… health is action.” The reader is asked to sign a contract with themselves to commit to get moving.

Ch. 8, The Road to Raw: Here Debbie admits that she went to raw foods because years ago she saw that she was “falling apart” and “eating more crap than vegetables” as a vegetarian. She reveals the changes she made and the benefits she gained. “This is not about deprivation,” she notes, “this is about moderation, rejuvenation, inspiration and innovation.”

Ch. 12, Paralysis of Perfectionism: Debbie jokes that perfectionism seems in some ways to be part of her DNA. This has helped her as an athlete, but also hurt when she saw an error as a personal defect. She’s learned along the way that sometimes it’s better to do something imperfectly than to wait til you can do it flawlessly.

Ch. 16, The Carrot and the Rabbit: Chapter 16 highlights the reasons for giving up being a meat eater. The author urges the reader to become informed with such films as Eating, Diet for a New America, and Super Size Me, and/or to even visit a slaughterhouse. (That visit did it for her, she said.) To Debbie, the most compelling reason came down to one word, compassion (for the animals).

Ch. 36, The Essential Raw Kitchen: Debbie learned to love cooking from her mother, who was a fabulous Italian cook. Here the author provides tips on the practical side to preparing to “raw-mble” in your own kitchen. She recommends a Vita-Mix blender, a food processor, a dehydrator, a juicer/wheatgrass juicer, and more. And, of course, a ready supply of fresh veggies and fruit.

Ch. 38, The Raw Truth to the Fountain of Youth Food-for-Life Plan: Here you’ll find Debbie’s food plan. She writes that you can do it in its entirety, or slowly move toward 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% raw foods. You’ll find lists of foods for fruit, veggies, protein, fats, and grains, along with recommended daily amounts. Her “Additional Suggestions” include this reminder: “What you don’t eat is as important as what you do.”

Ch. 39, Rawsome Recipes: During our interview, Debbie told me that she has included simple raw recipes, as well as those that more die-hard raw foodists would enjoy. Ones that caught my eye include “Debbie’s Raw Pizza Pizzazz” (made with raw crackers, homemade tomato sauce, sundried tomatoes, black olives, nuts, plus), raw enchiladas, “Debbie’s Sprouted Lentil Salad” (gets raves at holiday pot luck parties, she said proudly), mango smoothie, “Nano Banana on a Stick” (named after her dad, and includes banana, nuts, carob powder, and more), and raw cracker recipes. “Mother Earth is the best chef in the Universe,” she notes.

“I’ve lived through every type of diet that there is,” Debbie writes in her book. “I’ve gone from red meat to chicken to fish, from vegetarian to macrobiotics to lacto-ovo to vegan to raw vegan, and it is certainly not for me to say where you should end up … [but] if there is the slightest twinge in your soul that you are not where you want to be, then I invite you to take this wonderful journey with me.”

The Raw Truth to the Fountain of Youth is available
online at www.debbiemerrillshow.com.

Debbie Merrill’s Instructor to the Stars website is www.skategreat.com.

What We're Learning about Dietary Fat & Heart Disease

Hi folks,

Just have to share an article that I found. It does a great job of clarifying what we're learning about the link between dietary fat intake and heart disease.

Check it out at http://www.myhealthtoday.com/dietary-fat-heart-disease/.

Namaste!

Be well!

Robin Quinn, CNHP

Safety Steps When Building Sandcastles

New article by Rodale Press says building sandcastles at the beach this summer may make you sick! Say it isn't so! Some of my favorite memories of my childhood family vacations involved hours spent building elaborative sandcastles in Wildwood, New Jersey, complete with seashell ornamentation. Actually the percentage who got sick was small in those studied. Still, it doesn't hurt to take the recommended step of washing your hands before you eat on a day of playing in the sand. To learn more about the precautions, go to: http://www.rodale.com/dirty-beach-sand-can-make-you-sick?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2009_07_13-_-Top5-_-NA

Safe Harbor to Present Info to LA County Mental Health Officials

Safe Harbor is a unique organization that helps people facing mental health challenges. They have hard-to-find info on alternative approaches to gaining and maintaining mental well-being.

The group will be doing a presentation before the LA Department of Mental Health sometime in July. The focus will be on non-drug wellness programs.

To support this effort with donations, write to:

Safe Harbor
787 W. Woodbury Rd., #2
Altadena, CA 91001

More info on Safe Harbor at:
http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/

Namaste,

Robin Quinn, CNHP

Foods that Fight Stress

Learn about foods that help you cope with the stresses in your life.

Read this post from one of my Twitter buddies, Fred Krazeise:

http://empoweredandfit.ning.com/profiles/blogs/foods-that-fight-stress

Fred has been doing a whole series on stress on his blog -- check it out!

Namaste!

Robin Quinn, CNHP

Inspirational "Tweets" & More from Robin

Tune in to inspirational quotes, along with short health notes and book biz news/tips. Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RobinQuinninLA. It's quick and fun!

Fatigue RX: Exercise?

Ever experience one of those afternoon slumps where your brain gets fuzzy? Maybe this is a regular experience for you? Beyond munching on an energizing snack like walnuts or an apple, an counterintuitive move can be stepping outside for a walk around the neighborhood. It might be just what you need to cut through your brain fog so you can work more efficiently and/or gain more enjoyment from your day. Exercise is a handy strategy for releasing stress and quieting unsettling mind chatter. Once you’re outside, create a Zen zone for yourself, and place your mind/body in the moment. Take in the wonders of nature, such as looking up at the wide open sky and noticing if there is an abundance or absence of clouds. You might repeat a supportive mantra, like “I have plenty of the time” or a single word like “Peace.” I like to walk for a least 30 minutes most days. Office workers may find their lunch hour to be a good slot for fitting in a walk, or the self-employed may agree with me that late afternoons are a perfect time for a stroll. Remember, you don’t have to get your 30 minutes 3-4 times a week of exercise all at once. You can break it up into two sessions in a day of 15 minutes, 3 of 10 minutes, etc., and still get the benefits of exercise. All you need is to give yourself that initial push to get into motion. Soon you may discover regular exercise has become an energizing habit!

Be well!

Robin Quinn