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Chapter 1
Dare To Observe
"Doubt is the father of invention." - Galileo Galilei
Observation constitutes the foundation of every science. You and I, like
everyone on this planet, have the right to make observations and draw our own
conclusions whether we are scientists or not. Our personal experimentation helps
us stay in charge of our own lives. No scientific data can substitute for our
civil experience.
When a child is told not to touch the fire, this warning doesn't mean much until
he or the actually tries touching the flames and gets hurt. Only through
observation can we learn to connect consequences with causes, to become aware of
what to expect. For example, if we overeat late at night, we should not expect
to feel fresh in the morning. The advantage of being aware of what is going to
happen enables us to act deliberately everyday lives and
to achieve the goals we desire through conscious
actions, instead of constantly and blindly following the advice of
somebody "who knows better."
I was raised in the Soviet Union where everyone was severely controlled by the
government structures. Since early childhood, I was given firm instructions
about what I was supposed to do, think, and even say. I was afraid to try
anything new. However, I was very lucky to meet many incredible people in my
life from whom I learned to dare to try everything I wanted.
I absolutely have to tell you about Alexander Suvorov whom I met several times
and who became my hero and inspiration for many years. Alexander became totally
blind and deaf when he was three years old. Nevertheless, he was so eager to
live his life to the fullest that he learned to speak and to understand what
other people were saying by holding their hands. He graduated from high school
with an excellent diploma, then graduated as Ph.D. from Moscow University, wrote
a number of brilliant scientific articles about helping blind and deaf children,
published several books, and created a 40-minute documentary about his
perception of life. This film gathered huge crowds in Moscow in the 70s. People
were deeply impressed by Alexander's sincerity and passion. I remember that
after the movie was over, nobody left the theater for a long time. We just sat
there bewildered, sobbing, and ashamed of our cowardly lives and stupid fears.
Alexander Suvorov, living his life in physical darkness and constant silence,
had a dream to travel to other countries. So he learned two foreign languages
and traveled to several countries on his own. When people asked him why he went,
he replied that he wanted "to see the world for himself."
When I meet incredible human beings, like Alexander, or read about people who
dare to "see for themselves," I begin to want to explore life around me more
completely and to know how far my limits can stretch.
As we live our lives, trying new things and searching for true answers, we gain
plenty of our own experiences. Our knowledge becomes familiar and practical. We
feel rather confident in any life circumstance particularly when we need to make
urgent decisions. Contrary to that, when all we have is a compilation of someone
else's instructions, the best we can do is to hope and pray that the authors of
such instructions were efficient in acquiring their knowledge and honest in
their intentions. In other words we hope that
someone else cares for us more than we care for our own selves.
When we let others observe and reason for us, in a sense, we consciously choose
to stay blind and deaf. We become compelled to follow someone else's
instructions, one after another, and perform actions which do not make much
sense to us. We submit to other's authority. We give our power away.
To observe is our birthright. It we utilize our ability to observe, we can free
ourselves from the labyrinth of confusions. I believe that our own conscious
observations are a thousand times more important than any rigid scientific
claim.
Why have so many books on nutrition been published lately? Obviously there is a
big question from the public about health that has not been satisfied by the
scientific wing of our world community. Most of us are totally cut off from
researchers, and at the same time, scientists are disconnected from ordinary
people. I wonder why this has happened, since the original goal of science is
human well-being.
Most results of pure science are unavailable and unaffordable for common people.
For example, in order to obtain a two or three page report from nearly all
medical studies, I had to pay a lot of money sometimes hundreds of dollars for
each of them. The average research paper is written in complex, scientific
terms, which makes it incomprehensible to people who don't belong to this
particular branch of science. I have observed that the branches of science are
increasing in number and the language they use continually multiplies in terms.
Throughout my life I have spoken to dozens of different scientists in different
parts of the world and I have never met one scientist who was able to understand
and explain studies from all the branches at the same time. In fact, the more
scientists claim to know about one subject the more they tend to say, "That's
not my field" about the others.
This tendency suggests that science is moving beyond the understanding of the
average human being towards science for the sake
of science. While the public wants to know the newest achievements, the
scientific world becomes less and less available for their burning inquiries.
The informational vacuum begins to grow, especially in the field of health and
nutrition.
To substitute for this missing, yet so needed information, the public begins to
make its own science It may not be completely accurate, but it is understandable
to the majority of people. Hence, we witness hundreds if not thousands of books
on nutrition written by average people who undertake different research studies,
sometimes without the necessary background. Being desperate for answers to their
questions, people absorb this abundance of information and often get more
confused.
I notice that many people trust the written word more than the spoken word. Due
to the lack of people's own observations and a tendency to take whole concepts
as if they were set in stone, health seekers embrace a certain concept, often
depending on which hook they have read fiat. As multitudes of nutritional books
are generated, they begin to contradict one another. As a result, it is possible
to encounter hundreds of people today with completely different suggestions of
what to eat, all with hundreds of different reasons that cancel out each other.
When I started to do research about greens, I instantly and hopelessly sank into
an ocean of information. In my situation I had to find the true answer or die. I felt responsible not only for my
husband and my children whom I dragged onto the raw food diet with me, but all
those thousands of people in the world that I inspired to adopt an all-raw diet.
Finally I decided to put everything aside for several months and to sit down and
read through as many original research papers as I could get on the subject of
nutrition. I decided to cut away all the opinions and focus only on the original
data because human reasoning can build up logical chains of thought that
smoothly direct the reader to totally incorrect conclusions with devastating
results. (Later in my book I will give examples of such mistakes in which I
myself got trapped.)
I discovered that there were some substantial gaps in data, and there were
numerous important foods whose qualities have never been studied. I realized
that it I wanted to draw the right conclusions I had to initiate at least some
pilot studies by myself. After all, my life was already an experiment in which I
was the guinea pig.
I strongly believe, now more than ever, that it is safer to go on raw food for
two weeks and see for oneself how one feels, than to read ten books and follow
their recommendations without having any idea why. Through our careful
observations we all have the ability to clearly see the results of our actions.
Dear reader! With this book I hope to inspire you to start observing which of
your actions make you feel and look the healthiest and as a result to create
your own personal plan that will work for you in the best way. You are your own
best expert.
Chapter 2 -
What Was Missing In Our Raw Food Plan?
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Green For Life by Victoria Boutenko
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