To help keep all of you inspired, we ve asked some

remarkable individuals to share their raw food stories with you. Enjoy!

In 1989 my family and I emigrated from communist Russia on a refugee visa. You can only imagine how liberating it was exploring the endless isles of supermarkets with all the colorful food packaging varieties. Like so many, we were drawn in by the convenience of T.V. dinners.

But by my late teens I was diagnosed with Acne Rosacea and I found myself struggling to find a natural alternative to prescription medication. I began reading and educating myself on health and nutrition while slowly gravitating to a more natural unprocessed diet, which alleviated the recurring redness on my face naturally, once and for all.

In my mid-twenties I also started transitioning to a vegetarian diet because I understood the health benefits of cutting out meat. And even though I knew better, I ended up turning into a junk-food vegetarian living off of cheese pizza. I became a compulsive emotional eater, binge eating almost on a daily basis.

I started gaining weight and it wasn t long before I found myself going in and out of depression. I was miserable and felt trapped in every aspect of my life. I was overweight. I was in a relationship I was not happy in. I was climbing the corporate ladder working on another promotion, in a banking job I despised. I truly felt my life had very little meaning.

But the final straw was when I looked up my height and weight on the Body Mass Index (BMI) and realized that at 5 2? and 170 pound I was actually in the first stages of obesity. I immediately signed up with the L.A. Weight Loss program but I strongly resisted their eating plan because I truly felt it was not very health promoting.

I was faced with the realization that I desperately needed a new beginning focusing on health and natural living, not just another weight loss program. I knew that if I didn t drastically change the direction of my life, I would end up settling for a life I did not want. And I desperately wanted to pursue something that I felt had meaning in the

world.

I was familiar with raw foods, it was something that had resonated with me from the very beginning. I decided to read up on it some more. I picked up a book by Victoria Boutenko and to my astonishment I recognized her. Years ago when Victoria s family lived in Colorado she was acquainted with my mother. She presented a lecture and demo on raw foods in our home for some of my mom s friends. I was only a teenager but I remember being very inspired by her son s story of healing juvenile diabetes, which later gave me the confidence to treat my Acne Roseaca naturally. Shortly after reading her book I happened to find out about a culinary school in northern California specializing in raw vegan cuisine.

So what do you do when you re faced with a crisis and you desperately need a new beginning? You risk everything for the chance at happiness, for the chance at something real. So I did the unthinkable. I called off the relationship, quit my banking career, cashed out my 401k, packed up everything I owned into storage, and took off to California to pursue my

passion for healthy living.

Since my return from completing the program in California, I have lost a little over 35 lbs on an 80% raw food diet, and I am happier than I ve been in a very long time. Eating a clean diet has connected me back to nature and to a healthy eco lifestyle. It has given me clarity and the opportunity to release so much stored emotion, helping me overcome compulsive emotional eating.

Today I hope to inspire others with the message that there is a better way to live. That you don t have to settle for poor health, depression, or obesity. Nature is magnificent, and when we begin to connect back to a natural way of living we unlock the secret to radiant health. After all, we do have a choice? the choice to live vibrantly healthy, enjoying and embracing every moment along the way.

Life begins to open up the most wonderful opportunities when you finally make the decision to open your heart, stay true to yourself, and begin to live with integrity. My decision to embrace a raw food lifestyle has given me a new appreciation for the healing power of nature, while taking my health to a whole new level of radiance.

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You can find out more about Mila Ilina by visiting the following links:

WEBSITE http://www.raw-radiance.com/

BLOG http://www.raw-radiance.blogspot.com/

MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/rawradiance

FACEBOOK http://profile.to/rawradiance/

TWITTER http://twitter.com/RawRadiance

YOUTUBE http://www.youtube.com/user/milailina

If you ve got a raw food story to share here on the Pure Jeevan blog, please drop Wendi an email at WendiDee [at] PureJeevan.com. Thanks!