I’m a Nurse Practitioner. I knew my life expectancy was seven years less because of my diabetes than it would otherwise be. Just because of diabetes I had the same risk of having a heart attack as someone who had already had one heart attack. As a male, 5’8″ and 170 lbs I didn’t really look fat. My BMI just made it into the overweight range. I almost never ate concentrated sweets. I jogged about five miles, three times a week. It seemed kind of unfair.

On the other hand, I pigged out on pizza, steaks and pasta. More and more I would find myself eating until I was so full I was uncomfortable. I was starting to realize I was not in control of my diet and, in a sense, my life.

I never even tried to go on a diet because I simply could not tolerate being hungry. If losing weight meant being hungry, it just would never happen. I was stuck. But there was a bright spot. My daughter Nicole is vegan. She introduced me to excellent vegan food, allowing me to experience the complexity and variety of plant based foods, which just blows away anything that comes from an animal. Hmm… Then she introduced me to my first green smoothie. That did it! I knew right away that I could enjoy that taste every day. And since that day that’s exactly what I’ve done, every day.

Interestingly, the green smoothies made it possible for me to become vegan. I simply didn’t need the starches and the fat to feel satisfied! I found GetRealGetRaw and other web sites and books. I started doing the research and learning the things that we medical professionals don’t learn in school. I came to realize that carbohydrates in the form of bread and pasta are addictive-the more you eat, the more you want. They are so nutrient poor that you have to get stuffed to feel satisfied.

The fruits, and especially the leafy greens in my smoothie satisfied my body’s nutrient needs, eliminating my carb craving. Also, my tastes changed. Instead of craving animal fat and pasta, now it’s freshness that turns me on. It’s hard to describe the sensation of freshness. You know it when you experience it.

At first I was skeptical when I began to hear claims that diabetes could be reversed by a raw diet, although I saw the logic of a raw diet for diabetes. One of the most important keys to reversing diabetes is to eliminate anything made from flour from your diet. My research showed that a raw diet is probably the best one for diabetes.

But I also adopted this diet because it tasted good and made me feel good. And I started to lose weight without trying. As a vegan, approximately 50% raw, I lost about 1-2 pounds per week. I never experienced any of the detox symptoms that some people have described.

I decided to set a weight goal of 145 lbs. I reached that goal after about five months. But well before that I was able to get off all four of my medications for the first time in the six years since my diagnosis. Losing 25 pounds was great, but reversing diabetes and hypertension, that’s priceless.

With fasting blood sugars in the 90′s and a systolic blood pressure around 110 I’m doing far better than I ever did on medications. I haven’t been at this weight since my early twenties.

I’m amazed when I think how I created my own illness over a period of thirty years, over the course of my whole life, really. Despite my training, or perhaps because of it, I blamed my illness on my genes. I wasn’t that fat, I didn’t eat sweets and I exercised vigorously. What else could it be? Yeah, right.

Now I like to think I’m earning back at least a few years of healthy life expectancy. It feels good, really good!

Keep it up Lisa. Spread the word. You and Nicole helped me change my life, and I thank you both with all my heart.

Judge Robert L Miller, Sr with daughter Pam

My goodness, what a difference a year can make. Oh, I am the same Bob Miller, still Daddy of the same daughters etc., but I have now gained (or loss) a year. At age 90, I have now lost an additional 26 pounds-that’s right, a total of 35 overweight pounds. But there is lots more to tell, besides the significant, and very welcome, downsizing. I am getting used to the “You look Wonderful” remarks. Fact is-they are right. What can I say? But that is not what I want to Crow about.

In the Spring, my doctor took me off (after countless years) my Metamucil. Said I didn’t need it. A few months later, he stopped my Purple Pill, after taking many years following Tums by the box full (Alleluia, never another heartburn). He cut one of my blood pressure pills in half, and then shortly thereafter, cut that half in half again. Bottom-line, I am down to my Celebrex for arthritis and the remaining blood pressure medicine. Almost forgot one baby aspirin.

You’ll note that my letter a year ago, understandably talked about me being somewhat cynical. Not anymore. My cholesterol is 116, my blood pressure, heart beat, lungs, thyroid, liver,: and the rest of those goodies, every one of them, within their target limits. Dr. says I am the healthiest ninety-year-old patient he has. I was so elated, I forgot to ask him if I was the only one he had. I told him I had a smoothie for breakfast, one for lunch with part of a sandwich, and my regular meal with a glass of wine in the evening. I asked him if that was the formula that was making me so healthy. He said he did not know, and frankly did not too much care, but for me to keep on doing exactly the same thing. And I am, and intend to continue. I have no reason to change. I finally got used to Green (that wasn’t easy),now like them very much and miss them when I travel.

All reasonable people could easily agree that the foregoing recited benefits should be much more than enough to induce the most cynical to Jump on Board. But in my case, in addition to getting up and moving around a lot more sprightly (to see where I really spend my time, check web site www.Millersvets.com) I have one other item, which to me is HUGE. I have been getting up in the night for bathroom visits at least one time, frequently two times and occasionally three times each night. This pattern persisted for probably 60 years or more. For most of those years I have routinely taken one over the counter sleeping pill when I go to bed, and lay out a second one to help me go back to sleep after a bathroom visit. You will never guess, but for the last three or four months, I have never taken the second pill-I sleep all night long. What has caused that fantastic phenomenon? Who cares? It is simply a fact.

If I did not mention it in my first letter, I ride the bike with the moving handle bars every morning for 12 minutes, been doing that for more than 40 years. I have added 4 to 5 minutes additional on the Rebounder(mini trampoline with a bar). On balance, it makes me watch the news every morning. The only way I know to keep healthy with all the bad news being reported 24/7.

Suppose it won’t hurt me to say thanks to my daughter’s for shaming me into the Smoothly Program. Better say thanks to my nurse Eva for keeping me in. She can mix a Smoothie blindfolded. Piece of advise; don’t bet against me writing another letter a year from now.

Blend coconut in Cuisinart first then add dates and let it go until it balls together. Press into pie pan.

Filling:
2-3 avocados
1 cup cacao
1/2 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup agave

Blend and pour into shell. Chill for hour. Garnish with raspberries and carrot swirls.

Founded in 2005, the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon is one of the largest and most popular triathlons in the country. Held in the city’s historic Fairmount Park, the race was named a top-five triathlon in the United States by Outside Magazine, was lauded as one of the top big city triathlons by Inside Triathlon Magazine, and named one of the “10 Greenest Races” by Triathlete Magazine. For more information on the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon visit www.PhillyTri.com. Last year we handed out samples and instructions on how to make our fabulous green smoothies and they were so popular that this year we will be selling 10 and 16oz cups.

Add all the above organic ingredients to your blender. Use the pulse option until finely chopped – do not over-blend! Texture is part of the experience! Yum!

Try substituting the apple or pear with pineapple or mangoes!

Step One:  Commit to drinking One Groothie® a day for 30 days.  We recommend 16 – 32oz first thing in the morning!  Recruit a friend or family member to take on the challenge with you for support and encouragement.

Step Two:  Stick to our Groothie recipe (no dairy or supplements).

Step Three:  Enjoy, notice the difference and watch as new doors to healthy eating are opened!

Check out other testimonials to get a glimpse on how the Groothie has helped others achieve optimal weight and other health goals.

We are here to help!  Contact us and let us know how the 30 day Groothie challenge is going for you.  We know that as a result of drinking the Groothie your body will begin to ask for more of the same kinds of nutritious foods.  And that along the way you might begin to notice changes in your energy level, caffeine cravings, mood, etc.  So, if you have any questions, comments or just want to share your experience with us, we are here for you!

Proudly, we’ve partnered up with Weavers Way Coop weaversway.coop, a Philadelphia based cooperative dedicated to providing the community with fresh, organic and locally grown food since the early 1970′s, during their FRESH and LOCAL Fair. Each time we offer Groothie® samples, educational resources and information to get the young and green going green!

Stay tuned for another fun day in the sun.

I found a website that promoted raw live foods to help clear acne which was starting to slowly plague me. I could never thank that acne enough for appearing when it did, for if it hadn’t, my life would be totally different. So, after this discovery I slowly started to transfer onto the raw diet. By October 19, 2009, I was eating a 100% raw diet. At first, I dropped weight rapidly. I think that every ounce of fat on my body was eliminated within the first month or two. I am 5’6” and was 120 lbs but now am about 112 lbs and my weight never fluctuates. My skin is flawless and so soft that if someone touches my arm or face, they always are in awe and then touch me again. I am happy with my body and wouldn’t change anything about it. I have shunned drinking and smoking, not because of the ads you see on TV, but because of that fact that I truly do not want to harm my body. I never talk about other people now because no one annoys me to give me a reason to. I attend parties but never without talking to my parents before and after about it. I am not worried or feel any need to try to be part of a clique. I dress and act like myself. I am more aware about my surroundings and know how avoid and handle bad situations. I have more focus than I have ever had and am driven to do well in school. I have received grades ranging from 87 to 100 percent. I started taking notes in class, which I had never done before. I am in love with reading and read whenever I don’t have homework. I am currently reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I look forward to getting assigned a paper to write and have become a fantastic writer. My thoughts are much clearer and easier to express through words. I am never tired. I go to sleep at 11 and my body wakes up at 6:00 or 6:30. I love my parents and talk to them everyday. I don’t ever fight with them. My sister and I talk about her 7th grade drama. I don’t stick my nose up at her and call her lame for liking Zac Efron anymore. She shares with me everything. I felt so warm and thankful when being with my whole extended family over winter break. I have higher sports stamina and can easily sprint for a long distance after not running for a month. I am not depressed anymore and sometimes even have outbursts of joy and bliss. I drink a green smoothie everyday and am totally obsessed with them. I drink 40 oz+ every day. I am suddenly interested in history and art, two topics I would have vomited at the thought of taking last year. I am interested in astronomy, ancient cultures, Greek mythology, biology, physics, art history, evolution, and creation. Last year the only interest I had was about whose house I was going to go to that weekend and what boys would be there. I enjoy the outdoors and appreciate the snow. Last year I was ecstatic about the idea of only having to take 4 majors for senior year. Now I am trying to convince my school to let me take 6. Last year I declared myself atheist for the simple reason of rebelling against my parents. Now I am open to all religions and searching for the one best for me. I am constantly enthralled by the skill of language, the comprehension, and the roots being so deeply linked to the culture. I want to travel the world and be involved with helping others experience the mental enlightenment that I have. The world has opened up to me and I am ready to embrace it. I must sound insane for a sixteen-year-old girl, but this is now my mentality about life.

Green smoothies complimented by a raw food life style, has turned my world upside down. When I come home I plan to get my friends involved so they can understand what it truly feels like to be a 100% healthy and happy human being. I like to imagine what it would be like if everyone in the world was in this mental state. There wouldn’t be any murders or rapes, drunk driving crashes, drug smuggling, kidnapping, stealing, deceiving, or lying. Everyone would be at peace because there wouldn’t be any jealously or cruelty. The human race would work harder toward preserving their environment because they would realize that this is their only home. I know that this is a far-fetched idea to happen in my lifetime, but I believe that one day, the posters will changed from “got milk?” to “got green?” I am a whole new person from the girl I was back in June and I hope to change the world with my discovery. I thank you so very much for taking the time to read my experience with raw food and green smoothies and hope that it opened your mind to the possibilities and wonders of just changing your ways of eating.