Going Raw – and 10 Other Health Tips
Mimi Kirk of Ramona is 75 – going on 20.
The local raw food expert – once named the “Sexiest Vegetarian Over 50” – was at the County Library’s Crest branch Tuesday night to share her tips for eating healthy and the benefits of a raw foods diet.
The program is part of a wide variety of nutrition and exercise classes offered weekly at County Libraries.
She’ll be doing another demo and food tasting tonight at the Cardiff-by-the-Sea Library at 6 p.m. The library is located at 2081 Newcastle Ave.
“Here I am today at 75 feeling like I’m 20,” Kirk said. “I feel so dang good at 75 I leap out of bed in the morning to go do yoga or go for a walk.”
It wasn’t always that way for the mother of four and grandmother of seven. She’s been a vegetarian for nearly 40 years, but it wasn’t until a few health care alarms went off six years ago that she turned to raw foods.
“At 69, my blood pressure and cholesterol were high and I knew I had to get serious about it,” she said.
By eliminating processed foods, all her levels returned to normal within six months.
Kirk’s used her own experiences to write two books on raw foods and has a third one coming out on juicing. She’s traveled the world to share her message and is now bringing it to the audiences at the County Library.
“I’m happy to talk to anyone at any time about eating healthy,” she said. “People have become really interested in eating healthy.”
Many of the secrets to healthy living she shares line up with the County’s Live Well San Diego initiative.
Kirk is a proponent of growing your own food and has a small garden at her home. She’s also a fan of farmers markets.
“Shop at your local farmers market,” she said. “Buy organic and buy local; it’s a win-win.”
She knows a raw foods diet isn’t for everyone, and even those that choose the lifestyle may feel the urge to eat something else.
“I used to think raw foods were carrots and celery sticks,” she joked.
“Cheating a little isn’t so bad. I eat a few cooked things and that’s OK.”
One misconception she hopes to debunk is that it’s more costly to eat raw and organic food.
“They say it costs a lot to eat healthy, but what’s the alternative?” she asks.
“Doctor’s visits, being sick – all that costs a lot of money.”
There are a lot of tasty raw foods you can make at home in your own kitchen. Kirk offers several recipes on her website.
“I am a foodie,” she said. “I developed my recipes and cookbooks out of my need to eat delicious food.”
Here are a few of the general health tips she offered:
1. Take control and learn to love yourself.
2. Don’t eat just because food’s there.
3. Make sure you’re walking – park far from the entrance.
4. Stop being concerned about aging. You can’t change the fact that you have a birthday every year.
5. Have as much fun as possible.
6. Drink green juice – 16 ounces can contain as much as half your daily vitamins and nutrients.
7. You have to put time for yourself on your calendar.
8. Even if you don’t adopt a raw foods diet, include more of them in your diet.
9. Don’t eat processed foods.
10. If you eat the box, a lot of times you’d actually get more fiber than what is in the product inside.