Photo by Romy Young Photography
Meet Kristin Fraser from Inner Glow Nutrition! She is an up and coming leader in the food world with an incredibly innovative and dynamic approach to lifestyle and cooking. The mental, physical and spiritual evolution she has discovered through changes in diet has offered her a new connectivity to source which has become her guiding light in an amazing journey. Read on to see how this transformation took place, and just how deeply this friend of ours loves her path and profession. Kristin will be the private chef for next years Rejuvenation Retreat – Live Food + Yoga with Sarah Zandbeek in Nicaragua.
Learn more about Kristin and her company Inner Glow Nutrition:
How did you find raw food?
I went through the typical low energy, lacking motivation, hating life, working too much, wanting a break from everything phase in my life in my early 20s. I was working at a coal mine as an engineer, eating a lot of sugar, processed foods and drinking lots of beer. It’s what we did! As I was struggling with depression some good friends told me about raw foods and how they could bring you back to life, and spark your vitality again. I had no idea how to incorporate, nor did I really desire things like salads at the time so I decided to ship myself to the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia Arizona to get my Living Foods Instructor Training Certificate. I lived on raw food for 3 months and it changed my life!
How did raw foods change your life?
I got my life back. More like I got a LIFE! I’ve become in tune with my body and that’s the greatest gift you can give yourself. I’ve become more intuitive and connected to “source” through raw foods. It brought me to the practice of yoga and cultivating more of a meditative practice in my life. It has given me tools to connect with my own intuition which is powerful. Your outer environment is a direct reflection of your inner environment, and so as you want things to shift on the outside – you have to change them on the inside. And as I changed the inside I didn’t just “believe” in the forces of the universe – I became to experience them. “If you knew who walked beside you fear would be impossible.” – A Course in Miracles. I’ve come to know that magic does exist. It’s what’s been written in yogic, biblical and spiritual texts and philosophy. The fact is, when you are tuned in – fear doesn’t exist. Anything becomes possible and that is a pretty cool tool to have in your toolbox. Since then I have gone on to quit my entire career, move to New York City without any money and go to THE most expensive plant based culinary school in the world – The Natural Gourmet Institute. I’ve been all around the world – from dinner parties with billionaires in Dubai to Cacao farms in Peru. I started living “unrealistically”. Only when you become connected to source can you truly understand the magical workings of the universe, and raw food was a big part of that for me.
Should Everyone be Raw?
One of the most important things I learned in the long run is that you don’t have to live as a raw foodist to be happy, healthy and have a beautiful inspiring life. But having the tools of juicing and preparing some delicious simple raw foods in your diet to use as a tool when you need that boost of vitality, reduction of inflammation in the body, mental clarity, healing of a certain ailment, or just nourishment in general this is the best tool you can have. But it’s just one piece of the puzzle, your mental attitude is a bigger piece of that puzzle. So no, not everyone “should” be raw, but if you haven’t experienced it for a period of time I think you’re missing out on something pretty special.
Who is God to you?
Love. God is love. God is the magical forces at work in the universe that unite us. It is our role as humans to find ways to connect to this source of love. Seeing the world through new eyes, cultivating a practice of surrender, compassion and acceptance towad the world around us – and especially ourselves. We are all perfect beings. Our only job is to start to see ourselves as such.
What is health to you?
Health to me is acceptance and awareness of how you feel in your body; mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Health is a choice and an ever changing journey. People tend to put food in categories of good or bad, and that can be part of your journey for sure. Avoiding the processed foods, sugars, alcohol, the “bad” stuff, and consuming as much living plant based foods would be a good guideline. But more importantly health is about accepting that you are in perfect health just as you are. As you come into that space your food choices will start to reflect that. Your behavior will start to reflect that. Your mental attitude towards life will reflect that. I know some of the “healthiest” of people who don’t eat near as “good” as some, but their glow, their happiness is what makes them healthy. So I think glowing is health. Whether it be after a 7 day juice cleanse, a surf session in the sunset, a glass of wine by the river with your lover, or a beer on the patio… whatever truly makes you glow is health to me. It’s your journey to discover.
