This was taken almost 2 weeks after going raw. January 26, 2003.
I'm feeling so much better already.

Apple-lemon juice was part of our daily juice fast regime.

This was taken in Florida, March 2, 2003. Almost 2 months raw! I've lost almost 30 pounds. This was taken during a juice fast. Alissa & I were up every morning at 4:30am, roller blading on the beach and down the roads before any cars were out! I feel incredible here, tons of energy and full of vitality, although I see myself too thin, I know I'll gain some back eventually though.

Dennis, can you tell us a little bit about who you are, just the basics to start, how old are you, how tall, what do you do for work?

D: Sure, I’m 51 years old, 5’10 and I weighed 175 pounds two months ago before starting this diet, but now I'm down to 143 pounds. I own a restaurant/bar called Tramonta in North Hampton, NH. I’ve always considered myself to be very healthy up until about 10 years ago. I was a vegetarian for 30 years, even raised my kids on a vegetarian diet. I always worked out, in the gym or playing basketball, and tried to take care of myself.

So it sounds like you knew a bit about health and fitness and how to implement that into your life. Let’s talk about the last 10 years though, how were you feeling and what was happening that made you feel like you were not as healthy?

D: Mentally how did I feel?

Sure, start with that…

D: Drained, depressed, stuck in a rut, no motivation, no ambition, foggy headed, just going through the steps.

Why did you feel like that?

D: Bad relationship, alcoholism, gambling, poor diet, Getting stale at my business, wanted a new career, I’ve been doing this business for 30 years and it's affected my health and lifestyle greatly.

Physically how did I feel?

Yes…

D: Horrible!

Why?

D: Again, poor diet. Over consumption of alcohol, insomnia, body aches, irregular bowel movements, fatigue all day. My day consisted of getting up, going to work, not eating breakfast or working out in the mornings anymore, consuming alcohol all day, sometimes not even eating, working 12 hours a day, going home, sometimes eating dinner or sometimes not, then going to bed.

How much alcohol were you drinking a day?

D: Between 24 and 30 bottles of Heineken a day, sometimes a bottle of wine with dinner if I was awake to eat. Everyday, seven days a week for 2 years. Before that it was the probably the last 10 years anyway, with less degree, but pretty close to that.

Ok, so I have to ask you, before we delve deeper into more of the physical ailments and healing that you have experienced, what made you decide to change your lifestyle, what happened between then ( 2 months ago) and now?

D: Alissa Cohen

So meeting Alissa has had that much of an impact on your life? Did you decide to change before you called her?

D: Yes, it had that much of an impact on my life. I knew Alissa many years ago but then we lost touch. As far as deciding to change before I met her again…I wanted to change, I just didn’t have the catalyst to put me into that mode, and Alissa was just that, and it changed my whole life in an amazing way.

Wow.

D: It’s true.

So was it easy for you to switch to a raw and living food diet, stop drinking, gambling, and change your whole lifestyle?

D: It was extremely easy.

Really, why? Why do you think it was easy for you when a lot of people struggle with changing their life, cleaning up their diet, losing weight, healing their body… why do you think it was so easy for you?

D: I was ready to do it, but I think before meeting Alissa again I lacked the support. I also found love and someone who gave me a reason to want to live my life to the fullest. Once I had those two things in place, changing the lifestyle was instinctive. It wasn’t a matter of fighting alcoholism or fighting cooked food, it just came natural, like I had been doing this my whole life. Alissa always says, ‘to have the lifestyle your living you have to create the environment to support it’.

So that’s the advice you would give to people, to change their environment in order to succeed on a raw food diet?

D: Well, it’s the same piece of information that Alissa continually tells people you cant expect to lose 100 pounds or heal a disease and continue to do the same thing you’ve been doing that got you into that situation in the first place. Because if you do continue to live the same way, i.e.. eating the same, spending time doing the same things –going out eating and drinking with friends, sitting in front of the TV instead of exercising, etc… you will either never change or if you do initially, you will slip back into those old patterns and habits. Again you need to create an environment to support your new life. Having a cabinet full of donuts, going out to dinner every night, or being a couch potato isn’t going to support eating healthy and being physically fit! You’ll be fighting it the whole way, it will be too much of a struggle and your old lifestyle will win”

So, yes, I guess that’s one of the pieces of advice I would give to people. Make a commitment, change your environment and keep focusing on your goals.

Ok, so let’s get back to how you feel. How long has it been since you’ve been on this diet?

D: 8 weeks

Did you have any physical problems before you started this diet?

D: Yes, it’s one of the reasons I didn’t have much desire to live and I think was slowly trying to kill myself with alcohol and a poor lifestyle. Hepatitis C and liver dysfunction. My liver was inflamed and it was painful just to touch to my side. My urine was bright orange and I had bleeding gums. I also had shortness of breath, my skin was broken out, and I was bloated and had no energy or stamina.

And how has all that changed?

D: Well, my urine is clear, my liver does not hurt at all, no more pain anywhere, and my gums aren’t bleeding. I’m going to get another blood test in a few months to see what’s happening with all of the liver problems, but I feel as if I am regenerating my liver cells and hopefully healing the Hepatitis as well. I have no more symptoms from it though, so I believe I am on my way to curing that. Also, I have so much energy, I only need a few hours sleep a night and my stamina has increased greatly. I no longer have shortness of breath, I’m no longer bloated, and my skin is no longer broken out. In fact, my skin is usually the first thing people comment on, how clear and smooth it looks. What a difference from only a couple of months ago!

And you said you feel so much difference emotionally and mentally?

D: Oh, yes. I was in law school many years ago, I loved using my mind and have always been very sharp witted and quick to figure things out. For many years after that I was opening restaurants and running many different businesses. But lately, before going raw, I didn’t think, I just went through the motions. Now, since going raw, my cognitive ability has gone way up. It’s amazing; I’m so much more alert. I’m extremely motivated now. I feel I have so much to live for; I want to explore life in other ways. I’m no longer depressed. I can make decisions much quicker. My head is clearing up more and more every day.
Emotionally… hmmmm, well, I feel more open minded. I feel more loving and more willing to do different things in life, and experience new things. I also feel more peaceful and relaxed.

Have you experienced any detoxing?

D: I have, but it’s only been a couple of days here and there. One day a felt like I had the flu, I had body aches, stomach pains, cold sweats, and was a bit disoriented. The other days I woke up with cold sweats as well, but felt fine during the day.

How much weight have you lost?

D: I’ve lost 30 pounds. I was 175 pounds and now I am down to 143.

How do you feel about the weight loss?

D: I wasn’t happy about it until Alissa convinced me it was a good thing. I know I’m detoxing all of the junk that’s inside me and once I clean out, I'll begin to put some weight back on. I’m working out with weights everyday though to keep my muscle tone. I’m actually eating a lot, so it was surprising to me, but its such clean food so it’s understandable.

If you hadn’t met Alissa and began eating a raw and living food diet, where do you think you’d be right now?

D: I can tell you exactly where I would be, I’d be in my restaurant. If I was eating, it would be some processed cooked food, a Heineken in my hand, and I’d be watching T.V. I'd still be depressed, just waiting for the close of the day, which would be 7-8 o’clock. Then I'd go home and probably not even eat dinner and go to bed. I'd get up the next morning and do the same repetition. No workouts, no motivation, high depression, high anxiety, feeling and looking lousy, feeling bloated.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

D: With a little more weight on my body, continuing to work out, feeling as good if not better then I do right now, (which is excellent), muscles toned, lean, healthy, eating raw and staying highly motivated and working with Alissa to promote raw and living foods.

Again why do you think it is easy for you to do this diet?

D: A lot of it’s in your head, peer pressure, a lot of people are use to getting attention associated with not feeling good, being lazy about having to change etc… You have to make a commitment to what it is you want in your life. I’m very stubborn and determined, so for me there is never even a question anymore about whether I will stay on this diet or not, it’s just now the way I live my life.

It’s easier to eat raw then it is to cook food. Alissa and I prepared a 3 course meal the other night and I roughly timed it from start to finish. Including cleaning the appliances that we used, it was less then a half an hour and we had a beautiful meal. A salad, an entrée and a dessert in no time. It was delicious, it was healthy and it was simple. I think people get intimidated by eating raw and they shouldn’t, its easier then eating cooked. Just a little more practice, a little more thought when you go shopping for product, and imagination. Yeah, Alissa has a lot of great recipes, but after a while, just use your imagination, if you’ve got the product in your house and the appliances to prepare it, you don’t need anything else.

Also, stay connected in some way to people who are living this lifestyle. But most of all, for me, it’s the commitment. As time goes on, that commitment is no longer something I need to even think about, it has become a habit and the way I live my life.

But what about cravings. Sometimes cravings can seem to outweigh the commitment?

D: Not for me. Obviously, if you have a half-ass commitment and you’re hungry, it’s pretty easy to convince yourself to go get a burger, or whip up a pan of brownies.

So you never get cravings?

D: Not really. Once in a while I smell something and I remember that taste, but its just a thought, and then it passes. You can’t focus on it. If you do you’ll start to think about it more and it will become the object of what you desire. Focus your attention on other things, like what it is you are really wanting in your life, how you want to feel and look. Again, make a commitment to yourself and then stick to it. It will be so worth it, I promise!

What else are you doing, besides eating raw, to improve your health and your life?

D: I work out everyday. Alissa and I go to the gym every morning. We also rollerblade and walk and take yoga classes. I’ve also started meditating daily.

Thanks Dennis!
We’ll be checking back with you soon to chart your progress!

If any of you have any questions for Dennis, please email us and we will try to include them in our next interview. Please place ‘Dennis’ in the subject line.