Raw Food Diet Interview

Meet Bryan Au, Raw Chef

When did you take an interest in vegetarianism?

When I was 12 years old I decided to become vegetarian. I was eating a lot of hamburgers and getting very fat and lazy at just age 12! I was tired all the time, fatigued and getting depressed too. My sister suggested that I stop eating hamburgers so I tried it and it worked.

The amazing thing is that at about the same time I was at the airport and the Hare Krishnas gave me this book titled the Higher Taste and in it there was every conceivable reason to become vegetarian possible, from medical, scientific and spiritual. I found it so interesting that I read it from cover to cover and found many celebrities, geniuses and famous people were, in fact, vegetarian and they attributed that to their success in life. From Albert Einstein to Paul McCartney and many modern day famous people.

What were the effects of your dietary change?

I lost weight, my gut went away, I got more energy, I felt light and really happy! The more vegetarian I was, the better I felt and healthier too.

How did you progress from a cooked vegetarian to a raw diet?

Raw mango cheesecake is one of Bryan's favorites!

I started to read how certain vegetarian cooked food was actually also toxic, unhealthy and bad for you even though it is vegetarian! Apparently, when you cook food it becomes acidic, some becomes toxic at low levels, and your body has a hard time digesting it.

I learned that true healthy food has to be more alkaline and neutral in pH, just like your shampoo! Raw organic food, I found out, is the most pure, alkaline, neutral pH, has living enzymes, all the nutrition still in it. Cooking is a process of destruction and destroying... you are literally destroying nutrients, water, minerals, cell structure... you are using destructive forces of fire.

Your body is raw organic. So is the planet and food, so you really want to eat that way too. It is the best for your body and environment, community and world on a lot of levels. I am not saying all cooked foods are bad and evil, but for the most part they are not the most healthy for you or the planet.

It was a natural progression and evolution. It has become my calling in life, I have had so many wonderful experiences that have confirmed that raw is my destiny and calling, and I am so glad because it is my passion and I enjoy it so much.

Raw Food Health Benefits

What are the benefits of a raw food diet?

There are so many benefits... I could write another book just on that subject. For the past 10 years, everyday I find out something new or positive that raw organic food can prevent, cure, save, improve or protect. If you do it correctly you will actually anti-age instead of age. Many people I know cured themselves of life threatening diseases like cancer, diatbetes, asthma and more, and it also helps to prevent those diseases.

Being organic protects our environment and planet. Raw is one of the few all-natural things in this world that does not pollute at all.

For me what I experienced was incredible joy, happiness, and amazing world adventures. I got to meet the best and brightest people. I am happy all the time with more energy everyday, I wake up and I am so happy. It is just an incredible experience and adventure.

Everyone should try it just to see, if they could do that then they will get it and understand too, raw has the greatest ability to transform you instantly and you see results right away. This is because you are feeding your body, mind and spirit the most pure, decadent, blissful, joyful food possible. You are getting full nutrition benefits and helping to create a much better world for everyone.

My Yoga increased and improved as I became more flexible, people tell me how young I look (they can never guess my age), I feel super healthy and everything is delicious. I am very motivated and one of the most incredible, but also unexpected, benefits is that it totally improves your way of thinking and feeling. You become more clear about life, why we are here. You will feel a fantastic connection to everyone, everything, the world and then the universe. You feel as if everything that has been blocking you or hindering you has finally been lifted and removed, that your path is totally clear, wide open for more joy, love, success and health. This is possible because you are eating the most healthy food and your body will respond in the best ways that you never felt or knew existed until now.

Many people are also finally able to have clear skin, lose all the weight they want, get their energy and vitality back... the list is endless. It also helps to lower your cholestrol naturally. It is so incredibly optimal, but of course it all comes down to taste and flavor too. It happens to be the most delicious, fresh, gourmet experience and you will want more!

Going Raw

Is this way of life right for everyone?

Yes and no. We are all very different in terms of body type, blood type, age, sex, city and location we live in, weather, etc. So of course you must live in a way that is the most optimal for you. For most people, eating more fresh organic fruits and vegetables raw is definitely a good thing. Doctors always tell us to eat more fruit and vegetables. Well, eating them raw and organic is even better. But again everyone must do the research, read and find out everything they can about it, just like any other lifestyle or diet you have to educate yourself.

For the most part, everyone can benefit from a raw organic diet and lifestyle if they do it correctly and right.

How can someone move into a raw lifestyle? Is it necessary to go cold turkey?

Well cold "turkey" ain't raw sweetie! Just kidding, I like to do food jokes whenever possible.

People should not go "cold turkey." That is a bad idea for anything, let alone raw. Whenever you do that, your body and mind goes into shock. This can trigger a different response and most likely you won't stick to whatever you got into "cold turkey." With raw organic food you really want to do the most gradual transition as possible. When I went vegetarian at age 12, I stopped first with burgers, then chicken, then fish, then milk, then dairy. I didn't stop all of them overnight.

With raw food, enjoy the process and just eat more raw organic food. You don't have to totally think about it or make it a "problem"-- food is meant to be enjoyed, so enjoy it!

What advice would you offer someone intersted in this way of life?

You have to read all you can! I highly suggest books by Gabriel Cousens MD he did all the research on raw food and how to do it in the most optimal way for everyone according to their body type, blood type, history, etc. If you do not do raw food right and eat what I call random raw food, it can be extremely bad for you.

Also, you do not have to be 100 percent raw like what most people think or assume. In fact, Gabriel Cousens MD found that for most people an 80 percent raw organic and 20 percent cooked organic diet is the most optimal.

I tell people to just have fun with raw and enjoy it as much as you can. It will help to balance out the other things you are eating that might be "bad". Also take time in transitioning into it, a lot of people just try to be 90 percent or 100 percent overnight and that is also not good. It took me one year to slowly transition into being 100 percent raw and I was that way for 2 years. Now I am at a 90 percent raw and 10 percent cooked, and I enjoy a lot of smoothies and more simple as well as super gourmet raw organic meals.

Raw Foods and Recipes

Go raw with Raw In Ten Minutes

Bryan Au told us all about "cooking" raw food. He even shared information about his cookbook and his favorite recipes. Find out more in the second half of our Raw Food Cooking interview at LoveToKnow Recipes.

More Information About Bryan Au

Tell us about your upcoming television show.

My TV show is titled Raw Organic Saving the Planet with Bryan Au. It is a raw organic eco TV variety show that will feature me teaching a couple of my special raw organic recipes in exotic locations around the world and then interviewing and featuring eco organic celebrities, spas, restaurants, chefs, people, products and companies. I will include a lot of eco/green tips, solutions, innovations and things like hybrid cars, hydrogen fuel cell and bio fuel cars, eco organic fashions, eco travel and much more. It will be the most fun and exciting TV show you will ever watch. It will have something for everyone and it will air on Network TV, Cable TV, Direct TV, Satellite TV, PBS and internet TV in more than 50 Million homes nationwide starting in November.

Where else can we get information about raw food?

I will also have a raw infomercial so people can order everything easier, but all my books and products will be in every store soon as well. There is a lot of excitement because my tv show is the first raw organic TV show series in history. You can get more information from my websites: Raw In Ten and Raw Organic Saving the Planet.

Closing Thoughts

Is there anything you'd like to add?

Yes just love one another, respect each other and the Planet. Have fun everyday, tell people that you love them, take care of yourself and the environment. Enjoy more raw organic food. If people can do this-- WOW-- we will have the best planet to live on with more health, harmony, peace, love and joy.