A DIFFERENT INTERVIEW WITH CHICORO..part II

Hi Beautifuls!

On yesterday, I featured part 1 of an interview with Chicoro, regarding raw foods. As I mentioned yesterday, many of us in the natural hair community are very familiar with Chicoro and her healthy, long hair but after really visiting her fotki, I was surprised (and excited) to see that she was into healthy eating via raw foods. Every interview I read of her was about hair. So I thought, "Wow! Does anyone notice that she's into raw/living foods?". This is the aspect of Chicoro that I wish to focus on in hopes of encouraging the thought to eat healthy and take care of ones self.


And so, here it is. The completion of "A Different Interview with Chicoro".

6) I can't talk about eating raw foods without talking about the detox that comes with it. I believe in being informed & informing. Did you have a period of detox? If so, how did you manage it?

Yes. My taste buds changed. Sometimes I found that I was sick of eating raw food and it was not satisfying. Some days I would be so hungry and would prepare a raw meal and it would taste so nasty, that I would just throw the whole thing out. I would be hungry, mad, and out of my money and my time.

At the same time, cooked food would taste greasy and fake. I guess my taste buds were transitioning! I also would sometimes have an increased number of bowel movements per day. In the morning, I would wake up with lots of waste in my eyes, lots of sleep in my eyes. My eyes sometimes would be sticky and my upper lid would be stuck to some parts of my lower lid when I would wake up.

Another interesting thing about "detox" is the detox of people in your life. I truly believe that when you venture into raw foods, you really need to be ready for your relationships around you to change. When you go raw, people leave your life and others come into it. I do not believe that there is anything mystical or magical going on and I hope no one equates them to what I am saying about raw food. It's like when you decide to stop going clubbing. The people who you used to go clubbing with fall out of your life. If you stop drinking, the people you used to go drinking with, fall out of your life. Raw food is no different.

But again, I would relate it to hair. When many of us go from relaxed to natural hair, sometimes our friends and even our significant others just don't get it. Some people vacate your life and others make an adjustment so that they can stay with you.

I think that when you go raw, it detoxes your relationships as well. You may discover things about yourself and the person with whom you live that you never ever knew before, no matter how long you have known or lived with him or her, or yourself!



7) I love your blog. Its so inspiring and truly feeds the spirit. Many raw foodists speak of gaining mental clarity and spiritual awareness from this lifestyle. Was your blog birthed from this place?

Thank you for the wonderful compliment regarding my blog. The blog was birthed from raw foods, but indirectly. My book series that I am working on was birthed from raw food. The blog was birthed from my book series.

Like with hair, everyone's expericence can be very different. But for me, yes, I was able to see more clearly. I think that when we ingest processed and food laden with chemicals, our bodies have their total focus on picking out the bad stuff from the good. Our bodies are busy. When we have only raw foods and natural foods inside of us, that frees up our bodies to be able to do more.

The body is not working so hard to get the junk out and separate the good stuff from the bad stuff. I think that is part of the clarity. I would liken it to us minding several children or having less of a course load at school or less of a work load at our jobs. Once you get a handle on things, you can focus on more than what is in front of you. You can start looking at the bigger picture, think and muse on other things because you are not so burdened down with having to keep up with all the children, all the classes and all the work. You can take a 'breather'. I think with raw food, this is what the body can do. It can finally take a 'breather'. Then, you have energy left over to focus on other things, hence, the clarity comes into play.




8) Finally, with statistics showing that a high percentage of blacks suffer from obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc., in your opinion, tell us what you feel could be the reasons why alot of blacks don't do "healthy eating".

Healthy eating can be expensive if you are trying to eat one way and everyone else is eating a standard diet in one household. You literally are doubling the family food bill. It is far cheaper and easier to get a hamburger from the fast food dollar menu and a lot cheaper, than to buy three (3) organic apples for $2.50 per pound.

For the average person, that hamburger represents a filling inexpensive meal. Those apples are just an expensive snack that will leave you hungry, if not dissatisfied.

Amidst all of this, I feel that black people are focused on surviving. Even when we are stable financially, we may still be or feel as though we are under siege. That might look like doing a good job at your place of work but still having your skills and ability questioned. That might look like going to the store and experiencing women reach for their purses when you approach their basket, because they think
you are trying to steal their purse. And the ONLY reason you are even going near their purse is because it and their basket are in YOUR way and in the way of you accessing that food item you plan to purchase.

What I think black people need to understand is that we will either pay up front or we will pay in the end.

Either, you will spend the extra time it takes to ensure that you and your family have healthy meals and spend the extra cash on the food, or you can continue with eating only what tastes good to you and what is easy and cheap. People believe that they cannot spare the money for raw foods. But, can you spare money for health bills that may inevitably come in the long run, in the not so distant future?


What tastes good is not necessarily what is good for you. Like most things, whether it be bad hair care habits or bad eating habits, making a change takes effort and things may not look or feel good, at first. Just like you have to train your eyes to 'see' and appreciate and love your transitioning and natural hair, you need to do the same things with your tastebuds and raw food.

One cannot compare the taste of raw foods to that of cooked processed foods. You must embrace raw food for what it is just as you do with your natural hair.

Most of us know it is absurd for us to expect that our natural hair will look and feel like our processed relaxed hair. Yet, why do we expect for raw foods to taste and smell like processed food?

If you choose to pay on the back end and continue to eat only what tastes good- assuming it is the standard American diet type foods, things like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure tend to hit home sooner, at younger ages for us and harder, where blindess, amputation and death due to these illnesses visits us more.

There are no guarantees in life. With all things, your are accountable for your choices. In this life, you are on your own. I say give raw food a try and see how you feel. The fastest and quickest way to get results is to eat completely raw food for 7 -30 days. Try it for a weekend, from Friday to Sunday, or whenever you don't have to work or when you don't have outside, external obligations pulling on you.

Is it easy to do? Not necessarily. As with hair, you have to dive in and determine what best fits for you and your life. That takes trial and error and a leap of faith. Step out on faith. If you have health issues, consult your doctor before you embark on the raw food journey. Get some books and study, prepare and then go for it.


Chicoro, I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts. Is there anything more that you want to share? Future plans? Words of wisdom? Whatever comes to mind.

The food you eat and the care that you give your body are very important. They can impact the quality of your life. I believe so much in this that I am writing a book called, "Nurture It" on food and self care. It will be published and available on Amazon.com in December 2009. It is the second book of the seven (7) book series I am writing.

Words of wisdom? Hmmm? I don't know. But I do know that you can be more beautiful tomorrow than you are today if you focus on yourself. It is not about being more beautiful than someone else. It is about elevating your beauty, your own beauty, to the highest levels. You control that and you are accountable. It is do-able, so just do it!


And there it is. We actually spoke for awhile over the phone regarding this and I can tell you Chicoro is truly passionate about this subject. After speaking with her, I do believe that a change in our way of seeing ourselves, our health, the world and how we operate in it is coming. I am so glad that I gave into that nugding that I had to contact her for this interview. I've come to the conclusion that if I operate by.. tune into..listen to my gut, my spirit then I'll more clearly see my path & my purpose.

Thanks again to Chicoro for her graciousness and taking the time to answer my questions. I'm really excited about her forthcoming book series. Hope that this has encouraged, enlightened and/or blessed you in some way.

Much Love,
ChocolateOrchid


**Chicoro is the author of the book "Grow It: How To Grow Afro-Textured Hair To Maximum Lengths In The Shortest Time".

You can purchase her book at the following link:
Amazon
You can also check out her site at Beautify Bit By Bit
and her blog here.
She's also on youtube here.

Post Title → A DIFFERENT INTERVIEW WITH CHICORO..part II

A DIFFERENT INTERVIEW WITH CHICORO

Hi Beautifuls!

Most people in the natural hair scene are familiar with Chicoro. You know, Chicoro with the beautiful and healthy long hair. The one who authored the book “Grow It. How To Grow Afro-Textured Hair To Maximum Lengths In The Shortest Time”. Yes, the same Chicoro with the awesome and informative fotki.

Well, lo and behold, when I was pleasantly surprised to see in her fotki that she’s into raw foods. I thought, “Oh, my God! I’ve got talk to her about this.” Well, after I stopped dragging my feet I reached out to her to share with everyone her way of healthy eating and thoughts on it. I hope that this interview inspires, encourages and/or motivates you to feed your body better, if just a little bit, than you have before.

Enjoy….

1) How did your interests in raw foods begin?

Before I begin, I wanted to tell you thank you for your time and for this
platform opportunity, your blog, to express my thoughts and feelings regarding
raw food and self care!

It happened over many years for me. It was not instantaneous. There were many aha moments for me. Here are a few that stick out for me right now. I have been dabbling in raw food since I was a little girl, before I was a teenager. The two turning points happened when I was an adult. I always had pimple marks and spots on my face so I sought out books to help me clear my skin. Food was always a key component. I began with juicing.

The second turning point was when I developed some health issues. I found books specifically for addressing my specific issues. In one book, in the food section of the book, it advocated the use of salads, green vegetables juices and fruit juices and herbs and water to cleanse and purify the body. The book did not refer to the food as "raw food" but called the food a part of the natural living lifestyle. Then, I found a book about raw food that had more variety. It made raw food do-able for me. I was so inspired that I took a raw food certification class with the author of the book.

2) We've all eaten "raw foods" at one time or another without giving it much thought. Like fruits, vegetable such as carrots, salads, etc. How long have you been consciously eating raw foods?

I first started eating raw foods conciously about five (5) years ago. I go in and out of raw. I have not been a raw foodist for five years!

3) What difference/improvements did you notice in your physical health after beginning to eat this way?

Let's start with the most fascinating thing first. When I am eating nothing but raw food, children respond to me the most. They turn to wave at me and speak to me. Whether they are in a grocery cart or their parents' arms, you should see how they twist around to wave or stare or say, "Hello!" My husband has witnessed this so many times. He always looks at me so strangely when this occurs. He can be standing right next to me and the children don't even acknowledge him.

When I first started eating only raw food, I felt that I was always walking around with my eyes bugged out and wide open. I even asked my mother and my teacher, "Do my eyes look like they are popped out? They sure feel like it." My raw food teacher told me that is the energy or buzz from all the live and raw food. It's like your eyes are opened, literally and figuratively.

In the morning when I am completely raw, I leap out of bed. I am up from anywhere between 4:30 and 5:30 am. This is not because I am UNABLE to sleep. This is because I don't need anymore sleep. I feel light and not groggy. But, I must say, when I first start back on raw food, I feel exhausted and tired for the first 3-5 days. The exhaustion is like when you just finished a project at work and you exhale and know that it is finally over and done. Then you can just collapse and relax. Or, when you get home from a business trip or get home from school. You are tired, but you are comfortable and can relax and exhale.

You glow! Physically, the texture of the skin on my face becomes creamier and smoother. My blemishes disappear and the yellow in my eye whites disappears. The skin on my body is smoother as well. There is less of a need for deodorant. Body odor, not that I smelled before, becomes even less apparent. It seems to just disappear. Cellulite also goes away, or decreases. If you have knots in your breasts, those tend to reduce in size as well- then knots, not your breasts! I could go on and on! Painful cycles become easier and less painful.

Emotionally, I am not moody or move quick to irritation like I am when I eat
processed sugary foods or meat laden meals and food.

Also, because the food is so clean, it burns through your body. You have to eat on a regular basis. Otherwise, you can become ravenously hungry. Because of this, I suggest that people try to eat 4-6 meals, including snacks,per day. You want to keep some structure in your life, even while eating raw food. I don't subscribe to the "eat all you want" because it is raw kind of thinking anymore.

4) The raw foods lifestyle is considered extreme, even foreign to most folks. Did you experience any opposition, negative comments and/or "side-eyes" to your decision to incorporate raw foods into your lifestyle?

When I first started, I was desperately trying to heal a condition I had.
I only had books as a reference so I literally experimented on myself. The first time around, I lost so much weight. I was emaciated, extremely skinny looking and
looked sick.

My mother was totally against my raw food lilfestyle and told me every time she saw me that I was too, too skinny. She is a nurse and she is indoctrinated in the medical industry way of thinking. She never encouraged me and did more discouraging than anything, at first. Then one day, on my 50th round of trying to get it right for me and my life, I went home. My mother lifted my chin, looked into my face and said, "You look good!" I was so happy that day. Two other relatives complimented me as well during that trip. That's when I knew that I had gotten it and that it was working for me!

Then, my mother met or crossed paths with a 45+ year old raw foodist and she said that he looked incredible. From that day on, she was more open to what I was trying to do. She recognized him [as a raw vegan] because all he had was vegetables and fruits and nuts in his cart. Also, of course because of how great he looked to her.
I have no idea who he was or how he looked, but to this day she seems to be in awe of that man. I wish I could have seen him. She has even shared raw meals with me and enjoyed many things I have prepared.

I am used to folks looking at me with side-eyes. They did it when I wanted to go work and live in Japan, when I said I wanted to grow my hair to my waist and when I decided to go raw. I was successful with all these endeavors. You just have to forget about what other people think and not look for approval.


5) What advice would you give to someone seeking to incorporate or transition into eating raw foods?

In the least, try to eat something raw everyday.

I would suggest that you eat something raw with EVERY single meal. Reduce the size of the portions of the cooked food and decrease the amount of meat, potatoes and rice you eat. Add a large pretty, salad to every meal. Leave the croutons and the bacon bits out. Use your favorite salad dressing for now, even if it is like a Ranch dressing. Just get used to having a large, raw vegetable or fruit laden salad with every meal. Eat all of it.

As with transitioning from relaxed hair to natural hair, you have to transition your mind FIRST. Start thinking of that large salad as the center piece of your meal instead of building a meal around a piece of meat. Build your salad and think of the other non-raw things as complements to your main meal component, your salad.


**Due to the length of this post, I will continue it on tomorrow. Check out the completion of this interview right here. See ya, tomorrow!**

Peace and blessings,
CO

Chicoro is the author of "Grow It: How To Grow Afro-Textured Hair To Maximum Lengths In the Shortest Time". You can find more information on it and her at her website Beautify Bit by Bit. She also has a wonderful and inspiring blog that you can see here. Subscribe to her on youtube here.

Post Title → A DIFFERENT INTERVIEW WITH CHICORO