Making the transition to a healthy lifestyle is a significant accomplishment. It typically involves sweeping changes in our daily diet and level of activity. Often we have to overcome seemingly relentless cravings for a variety of food and drink that we know is harmful. We may need to train ourselves to watch less TV, reduce our “couch potato” time and (worst of all) get out of bed early to exercise.
Making the transition involves learning to attend to things we never paid attention to before. I now find myself reading every food product label. I ask waiters for the content of drinks, foods and sauces. I am learning the ill effects of over-processed foods, sugar, hydrogenated oils, etc…I’m changing the way I shop and where I eat out. I’m learning what is essential in my diet, and how my body responds to various amounts of proteins, carbs, fats, supplements, water, sun light, rest, etc…!
When I hear of someone successfully making the transition to healthier ways of being, I tend to become curious about why s/he went through all the effort. I also want to know what the benefits of the transition were.
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Nira Schneider, a local consultant in vegan and raw food nutrition, and discovered an interesting story. Whether or not Nira’s transition mirrors in detail the healthy transition you might need to make, I think you will find it inspiring nonetheless. It’s obvious from what Nira has to say that the rewards of a healthy lifestyle go far beyond simply losing weight.
Healthy Times: Nira, what prompted your desire to change your lifestyle?
Nira: Initially, I just wanted to lose weight and thought that following a vegan diet might help. But suddenly - while I was in the program - I noticed that other symptoms society considers “normal” for a person my age, began to improve dramatically. Symptoms like: fatigue, back pain, muscle cramps, stiffness, pre-menstrual symptoms, dry skin, allergies, and gum disease.
I also started feeling more relaxed. I began to take things “in-stride” that previously gave me a lot of anxiety. The quality of my sleep improved. I had much as much energy as I had when I was twenty years old. I began to feel such a deep desire to live a full and happy life.
Healthy Times: What did you do? What are the primary changes you made?
Nira: I followed a holistic program that includes exercise, meditation, techniques for developing positive thoughts, techniques to control food cravings and “social eating” and techniques for personal development.
My diet consists of whole grains, bean, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables and more. This may seem like not much food to choose from, but there are hundreds and thousands of gourmet recipes we can use. I find it easy to follow and rarely lack food choices no matter where I go.
80% of my diet is raw food and fresh juices. I don’t think this percentage is right for everyone, though. Others do better on less raw food. It varies from person to person. But it is very important for most people to increase raw food intake due to the enzymes that cannot be found in cooked foods.
Healthy Times: Where did you get the strength or discipline to stick with this program?
Nira: I found that the program itself gave me the power I needed to be consistent. I found myself wanting to stick with it because of how much better I felt. The strength to succeed comes as part of the process. This is a very important point for anyone contemplating getting started.
Healthy Times: What are the results of your efforts?
Nira: The results are so dramatic! First of all, all of the symptoms I mentioned either completely went away or reduced dramatically without the need of medication. That is a true miracle to me.
Spiritually, my awareness and sense of connection has increased incredibly. I have begun to ask myself questions such as “What is my purpose? Why am I here? Am I in the place I am supposed to be? Am I living in harmony with nature? Where does everything lead?” Searching for the answers to questions like these has added meaning and purpose to my life.
Three years after adopting this new lifestyle, I found myself, at the age of 51, leaving a job that I had spent many years at (which gave me a decent income) and becoming a student again. I have now achieved my Masters Degree in a topic that I love dearly.
I could never have done this without the new confidence in myself that came from the healthy lifestyle. I feel stronger and more capable than ever.
Today, I consider myself more at peace with my life and occupation, more aware of my true needs, more grounded, sensitive, open and thankful for what I have. And it gives me great joy to introduce people to this new way of life.
Healthy Times: What are your plans for the future?
Nira: I just moved into the Temecula Valley from San Diego. My plans are to continue coaching people who are health conscious and desire to live a higher quality, healthy and happy life.
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