Publication of the hard copy version of my book, 7 Steps to Your Best Possible Healthcare, is just around the corner. Over the holidays, however, I printed up and distributed about 2,000 copies of the book in its advance format to organizations, politicians, businesses, friends and family – pretty much anyone who was interested and would take one. After my interview on public radio WDIY on December 26, I began to receive some feedback about the book. Most of the feedback was complimentary, which was very nice. However, most of the feedback also contained questions and comments about the “raw food diet”. This surprised me, mostly because the book is not about the raw food diet. In fact, I only mention peripherally in two of the chapters that I have transitioned to a raw food diet in the past 2 years. And, then, for those who are curious, I provide some raw food resources that I use in the appendix.
When I calculate the space dedicated to raw food in the book, it is about 3 pages of 430! Yet, this topic got the most attention in the feedback. And, everyone seemed genuinely hungry for more information about the raw food lifestyle. Being a person who understands the concept of supply and demand, I started to write my next book. The working title is The Raw Food Diet Myth: What Every Non-raw Foodist Should Know about Living Foods (scheduled for publication in May, 2008). I picked this title because it represents the raw food life style. I contend that, while a raw food lifestyle has a dietary component, it is not a diet at all. Rather, it is a revolutionary philosophy that encompasses all areas of living. The book explains the different components of the philosophy, including diet and the different leaders of the movement. After studying the leaders closely and researching everything I could about raw foods for the past year, I have come to understand that there are some significant differences in practice among the raw food leaders. As a result, most books published on raw food contain a strong bias of the leader who is writing it. My book lays out all of this information in an objective way so that the reader can evaluate for themselves and make their own, well informed decision about their own dietary habits– a philosophy I adhere to strongly – in case you haven’t noticed already!
I will be writing more about this topic. In the meantime, let me know if this is a topic that interests you.
Ruthann Russo, PhD, JD, MPH, RHIT, is a healthcare expert with more than 20 years of experience working in and advising healthcare organizations.
