Raw Foods Lifestyle, the fountain of youth?

I'd like to share something that I learned from an acquaintance while living next door to him in Costa Rica.  My friend is probably in his 50s, looks like one of those runners you see in commercials for sneakers that could just go for a marathon at any moment.  He always liked to take a seat out on the patio and enjoy his meal or drink looking out over the road or off at the beach in the distance.

None of this seemed unusual to me until one day when he asked me if I'd like a drink, or dinner.  I thought it a strange question until he expanded upon this and also invited our other neighbor.  My friend lives by a raw food diet.  This means he doesn't eat anything processed from animals, and only eats natural growing items.  Beyond that, the food he eats is never cooked.  In order to make his nightly dinner, he generally ground up his ingredients in a blender as little as possible to make them liquified but before the blender could heat up enough to have the slightest effect in 'cooking' his meal.

That night, sipping on a glass of thick, rich liquid, of which I can't even imagine all of the ingredients, he explained to us that a year ago, he'd been over 300 pounds.  He was told by a doctor that if he didn't make a drastic change in his life, that it was likely he would not live for another 6 months.  And change, he did.  That's when he found the raw foods way of life.  As I said, the man looked like a lean, strong, runner.  I never would have guessed all that he had been through.  He swore by the method, by the energy that he felt every day, and by the life that he felt was perfect for him and made him feel great every day.

In addition to telling us about how eating raw foods helped him to meet his energy and weight goals, it also encouraged him to do more research.  Raw foods lifestyle generally avoids all forms of modern day medicine.  Quoting him, you take one and it causes another problem that requires you to take another and before you know it, you're my mother and taking 28 pills a day."  "It really works," he told us. "I got my mom to try it.  The doctors didn't even know all of the different things they were each giving her and how they were causing other problems.  Now she eats like me, the raw foods...she takes 2 pills a day.  That is a lifestyle changer.  And she says she feels alive now."  I never saw him after we moved out of the apartments there, but I clearly ever forgot his words, either.

Seeing this video made me think of him.  Raw foods is for real, and while I am not at the point where I am willing to take the time, energy, research and money it would take to get myself started...it inspired me to have "maintain a garden" on my 30x30 list.  Check out the video and see what you think.  I it right for you?  Is it something you can take baby steps to achieve?

To my acquaintance...thanks for the life lesson.  I hope you're still well, wherever you are out there!